Ok party people. I only had a few responses to the "Great Marathon" debate... This is the updated list so far. Any others?? I knowwww there are more great marathons out there. Read the post below, but we're looking for marathons that have a certain something about them that make them stick out! Fast course? Great sites? Wonderful organization or crowd support?? We need your input!
1) Disney Marathon ~ Orlando, FL ~ January. The magic of the parks is inserted directly into the event. I've never experienced more excitement around a race in my life! Karen agrees and Marlene recommends trying the Goofy Challenge!
2) Flying Pig Marathon ~ Cincinnati, OH~ May. This race is MADE for new runners. The whole city gets into the race, bringing excitement throughout. BEST SWAG with T-shirt, Poster, and some sort of bag (Duffel, messenger, etc). Karen agrees!
3) Little Rock Marathon ~ Little Rock, AR ~ March. Best Medals! Giant medals every year and a ridiculous (optional) perks tents with the best Post-Race Food!
4) Bataan Memorial Death March ~ White Sands, NM ~ March. Run for the inspiration!! The view of thousands of service men and women running with heavy rucks up a mountain is crazy! You'll never experience anything like it.
5) Mayor's Marathon~ Anchorage, AK ~ Chase recommends this race for the views and landscape!
6) OBX Marathon (and half)~ Outter Banks, NC~ November. Go for the Ocean view and the flat flat course! I also recommend it for the high energy of the organizers from packet pick-up to post race party!
7) Richmond's SunTrust Marathon~ Richmond, VA ~ November. Chase recommends for the great organization handled by the local running clubs as well as major crowd support!
8) Pikes Peak! ~ Pikes Peak, CO~ August. Run for the Challenge (and for the O2 you'll need halfway up!) Jill agrees!
9) Big Sur International Marathon~ Carmel, California~ May. Jill says to run for the view and the challenge! "It's not often you get to run a 2-mile killer hill in 30mph winds and then have 13 more miles of intense hills."
10) St. George~ St. George, UT ~ October. Jill says run for the beauty and the fast PR-potential course!
11) THE Boston Marathon ~ Boston, MA~ April. Run for the history as well as the notoriety of "making Boston."
12) Dallas White Rock~ Dallas, TX~ December. Jill recommends for the ideal weather conditions, great course, and great crowd support!
13) Chicago Marathon~ Chicago, IL~ October. Morgan rec's for the major crowd support and awesome course.
14) New York City Marathon~ New York, NC ~ November. EGB says run it for the crowd support and an amazing tour of NYC!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
The Ultimate Marathon Schedule!!
Not all marathons are alike. Yes, you run 26.2 miles-- but in most cases, that's where the similarities end. Some have amazing courses (Park City) while others have more crowd support than you thought possible (Fargo). Some have gimmicks & themes (Disney) while others are created to prove you CANNOT finish (Pike's Peak).
There are so many "Great" marathons you hear about and while creating my schedule, I've tried to include as many as possible. However, there are some states with MANY great marathons, or days when some of the big ones just won't work into my schedule. When I finish my 50-states I have many quests set ahead (century club, continents, triathlons, ironmen, etc)-- which all involve doing more marathons. When I'm no longer limited by "1 per state" method I'm currently using, I want to take advantage of all the GREAT marathons out there. Opinions anybody?? ...
Can you think of a marathon that went above and beyond? A marathon or ultra that had just SOMEthing about it that makes it stick out as one of the greats? Was it just an amazing course/view? Was the course faster than any you've ever seen? Was there an awesome post-race party after? What makes this marathon special?? Share and I'll make a list of potentials for 2011!!!
I'll Start...
1) Disney Marathon ~ Orlando, FL ~ January. The magic of the parks is inserted directly into the event. I've never experienced more excitement around a race in my life!
2) Flying Pig Marathon ~ Cincinnati, OH~ May. This race is MADE for new runners. The whole city gets into the race, bringing excitement throughout. BEST SWAG with T-shirt, Poster, and some sort of bag (Duffel, messenger, etc).
3) Little Rock Marathon ~ Little Rock, AR ~ March. Best Medals! Giant medals every year and a ridiculous (optional) perks tents with the best Post-Race Food!
4) Bataan Memorial Death March ~ White Sands, NM ~ March. Run for the inspiration!! The view of thousands of service men and women running with heavy rucks up a mountain is crazy! You'll never experience anything like it.
... That's just a start (and they're ones I've already done). Help to come up with a schedule of the BEST marathons...
There are so many "Great" marathons you hear about and while creating my schedule, I've tried to include as many as possible. However, there are some states with MANY great marathons, or days when some of the big ones just won't work into my schedule. When I finish my 50-states I have many quests set ahead (century club, continents, triathlons, ironmen, etc)-- which all involve doing more marathons. When I'm no longer limited by "1 per state" method I'm currently using, I want to take advantage of all the GREAT marathons out there. Opinions anybody?? ...
Can you think of a marathon that went above and beyond? A marathon or ultra that had just SOMEthing about it that makes it stick out as one of the greats? Was it just an amazing course/view? Was the course faster than any you've ever seen? Was there an awesome post-race party after? What makes this marathon special?? Share and I'll make a list of potentials for 2011!!!
I'll Start...
1) Disney Marathon ~ Orlando, FL ~ January. The magic of the parks is inserted directly into the event. I've never experienced more excitement around a race in my life!
2) Flying Pig Marathon ~ Cincinnati, OH~ May. This race is MADE for new runners. The whole city gets into the race, bringing excitement throughout. BEST SWAG with T-shirt, Poster, and some sort of bag (Duffel, messenger, etc).
3) Little Rock Marathon ~ Little Rock, AR ~ March. Best Medals! Giant medals every year and a ridiculous (optional) perks tents with the best Post-Race Food!
4) Bataan Memorial Death March ~ White Sands, NM ~ March. Run for the inspiration!! The view of thousands of service men and women running with heavy rucks up a mountain is crazy! You'll never experience anything like it.
... That's just a start (and they're ones I've already done). Help to come up with a schedule of the BEST marathons...
Friday, June 11, 2010
Best in Ohio!!!
New in Steph's Marathon News:
If you've been following, I recently ran the Delaware Marathon in Wilmington, DE. It was an awesome (very fast and very fun) race! It's currently my PR (by 1 second) and as part of the results, they keep a "best time by state" for males and females. Well I just received this official little documentation by email....
"Congratulations!! We have validated our race results and determined you are indeed a home state cash award winner from the Christiana Care Health System Delaware Marathon Running Festival, presented by New Balance Delaware. 2150 runners from all around the country participated in our seventh annual event, staged from the Wilmington, Delaware Riverfront on Sunday, May 16, 2010...."
For having the best female time for Ohio, I get a $25 cash award and they list me on their website as a current state record holder. I think that is such a neat way to 1) get more people involved in the race and 2) give the racers a fun potential time to beat!
Steph's Training: Mission Endurance Challenge...
Well the endurance challenge ended yesterday when I woke up in the middle of the night (yet again) but this time felt very very very ill. Fevery with a stomach bug. I'm not sure if I've just worn myself down from my double digit training or if I just got a bug. I did get a workout in, but I kept it indoors in cool weather and took it EASY! So 4 days of double digits-- not too shabby. We'll call that the "Base" and see how far we can go from there! This is actually a set of experiments I'm going to be working on. I'm going to try different things (running styles, vitamins, weight training, etc) and see what helps with ultra endurance training and what doesn't. There has to be a fine line between pushing yourself and pushing yourself over the edge-- let's see how much we can flirt with that line or if that line can move! Next endurance challenge? Probably next week! Stay tuned!
Upcoming Marathons... and TWILIGHT!!
Next up on the Marathon Journey or "Steph's Foot Tour De US" is Seattle, WA with MANY lovely running-bloggers for the Seattle RnR Marathon! Mel, Tall Mom, is planning a pasta dinner, so if you're going and haven't gotten in on the dinner lemme know and I'll pass the note on! Also, if you're going and have anything fun planned for the weekend let me know. The only home baseball game they have is on Thur :( Boo.
Also it should be noted-- we'll be in Seattle, which is the closest big city to Forks, WA. This is the setting for Twilight. The week following the marathon is the opening of Eclipse-- the 3rd movie in the Twilight series. I'm determined to find a running appropriate Twilight T-shirt to wear during the race! If you know of any light weight, sweat wick material T-shirt with a big picture of Edward, I would love you forever!
That's it for today! Happy Friday and Happy Running!
<3,X&O's ...Stephanie!
If you've been following, I recently ran the Delaware Marathon in Wilmington, DE. It was an awesome (very fast and very fun) race! It's currently my PR (by 1 second) and as part of the results, they keep a "best time by state" for males and females. Well I just received this official little documentation by email....
"Congratulations!! We have validated our race results and determined you are indeed a home state cash award winner from the Christiana Care Health System Delaware Marathon Running Festival, presented by New Balance Delaware. 2150 runners from all around the country participated in our seventh annual event, staged from the Wilmington, Delaware Riverfront on Sunday, May 16, 2010...."
For having the best female time for Ohio, I get a $25 cash award and they list me on their website as a current state record holder. I think that is such a neat way to 1) get more people involved in the race and 2) give the racers a fun potential time to beat!
Steph's Training: Mission Endurance Challenge...
Well the endurance challenge ended yesterday when I woke up in the middle of the night (yet again) but this time felt very very very ill. Fevery with a stomach bug. I'm not sure if I've just worn myself down from my double digit training or if I just got a bug. I did get a workout in, but I kept it indoors in cool weather and took it EASY! So 4 days of double digits-- not too shabby. We'll call that the "Base" and see how far we can go from there! This is actually a set of experiments I'm going to be working on. I'm going to try different things (running styles, vitamins, weight training, etc) and see what helps with ultra endurance training and what doesn't. There has to be a fine line between pushing yourself and pushing yourself over the edge-- let's see how much we can flirt with that line or if that line can move! Next endurance challenge? Probably next week! Stay tuned!
Upcoming Marathons... and TWILIGHT!!
Next up on the Marathon Journey or "Steph's Foot Tour De US" is Seattle, WA with MANY lovely running-bloggers for the Seattle RnR Marathon! Mel, Tall Mom, is planning a pasta dinner, so if you're going and haven't gotten in on the dinner lemme know and I'll pass the note on! Also, if you're going and have anything fun planned for the weekend let me know. The only home baseball game they have is on Thur :( Boo.
Also it should be noted-- we'll be in Seattle, which is the closest big city to Forks, WA. This is the setting for Twilight. The week following the marathon is the opening of Eclipse-- the 3rd movie in the Twilight series. I'm determined to find a running appropriate Twilight T-shirt to wear during the race! If you know of any light weight, sweat wick material T-shirt with a big picture of Edward, I would love you forever!
That's it for today! Happy Friday and Happy Running!
<3,X&O's ...Stephanie!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Endurance Experiment Day #3... Puking Day!
Day #3 of The Endurance Experiment... Double Digits Running! (See this post for more detail)
Day 3 Mileage: 13 Miles
Total Consistent Mileage: 33 Miles in 3 Days!
The Run: "The Gauntlet"~ 4 Miles on switchback downhill; 5 Miles of modified yassos (1/2 mile or running instead of 3 minutes of jogging/walking between 1/2 mile sprints); 4 Miles back UP the hill *charge*.
Total Workout Time: 1 hr. 50 Min.
Feelings at Start: TIRED! Monday night workout ended with a last 1.5 miles of a sprint because I was racing a girl about a half mile ahead of me... no, she had no idea I was racing her-- but I totally kicked her butt! :) So at the start my legs were definitely a little tight!
Today's Run Feelings: I'm definitely starting to feel the mileage. I've run 2 days of 26.2 miles several times, but I've never run so hard during them and definitely not on such hilly courses. Needless to say (after reading the title) it was a "run til you puke, then run some more" kind of day!
Experimental Observations:
1) Consistent long runs = 4am wake up calls! I do most of my runs at night (around 5/5:30) so around 10 I'm still pretty keyed up, but I try and go to bed. 2 days in a row now I've had a little trouble getting to sleep and 2 days in a row now I've woken up at 4 am and was up for an hour until an hour and a half.
2) Foot Cramps! Lots of mileage leeds to lots of foot cramps. I keep getting them post-workout. OOWEEE. I'm drinking water during my runs, but I think for this high mileage I'm going to have to do a better job of getting reacquainted with water during the day Yucckkk... oh in case you haven't heard, I HATE water!
3) It WILL get harder before it gets easier! I have started seeing a pattern-- as I start my runs, I'm pretty tired from the run before, but if I stick with a quick pace from the start, eventually I beat my body into submission and I'm running pretty hard still at the end. I think this is how the whole week will go... at first I'll be tired before these, but eventually my body will accept this-- or it'll kill me. Either way. :)
Next Run: Tonight, 10-12 miles (depending on time). Easy paced because I'm sure I'll be tired from the Gauntlet last night! I'm hoping to get in a 15 miler on Thursday and really push the experiment up a bit!
Current Predicted Days of Experiment: 7 Total (4 remaining).
Day 3 Mileage: 13 Miles
Total Consistent Mileage: 33 Miles in 3 Days!
The Run: "The Gauntlet"~ 4 Miles on switchback downhill; 5 Miles of modified yassos (1/2 mile or running instead of 3 minutes of jogging/walking between 1/2 mile sprints); 4 Miles back UP the hill *charge*.
Total Workout Time: 1 hr. 50 Min.
Feelings at Start: TIRED! Monday night workout ended with a last 1.5 miles of a sprint because I was racing a girl about a half mile ahead of me... no, she had no idea I was racing her-- but I totally kicked her butt! :) So at the start my legs were definitely a little tight!
Today's Run Feelings: I'm definitely starting to feel the mileage. I've run 2 days of 26.2 miles several times, but I've never run so hard during them and definitely not on such hilly courses. Needless to say (after reading the title) it was a "run til you puke, then run some more" kind of day!
Experimental Observations:
1) Consistent long runs = 4am wake up calls! I do most of my runs at night (around 5/5:30) so around 10 I'm still pretty keyed up, but I try and go to bed. 2 days in a row now I've had a little trouble getting to sleep and 2 days in a row now I've woken up at 4 am and was up for an hour until an hour and a half.
2) Foot Cramps! Lots of mileage leeds to lots of foot cramps. I keep getting them post-workout. OOWEEE. I'm drinking water during my runs, but I think for this high mileage I'm going to have to do a better job of getting reacquainted with water during the day Yucckkk... oh in case you haven't heard, I HATE water!
3) It WILL get harder before it gets easier! I have started seeing a pattern-- as I start my runs, I'm pretty tired from the run before, but if I stick with a quick pace from the start, eventually I beat my body into submission and I'm running pretty hard still at the end. I think this is how the whole week will go... at first I'll be tired before these, but eventually my body will accept this-- or it'll kill me. Either way. :)
Next Run: Tonight, 10-12 miles (depending on time). Easy paced because I'm sure I'll be tired from the Gauntlet last night! I'm hoping to get in a 15 miler on Thursday and really push the experiment up a bit!
Current Predicted Days of Experiment: 7 Total (4 remaining).
Monday, June 7, 2010
Double Digit Challenge... Endurance Training
Wow, Blogger has been down almost all day and JUST when I had some exciting news... I have another crazy fun idea. Now I have to admit, when blogger went down I thought maybe it was a sign that I should wait to share my new training ideas until I finished it, but then I thought: What are my bloggy followers for if not to keep me honest with my training? Right? For rizzle!
So where did this idea come from? Well I have my longest streak (3 weeks) of non-marathon running for the remaining of my 50-state challenge (17 left btw... why does that seem so long with 33 done??). Anyways, to keep myself from signing up for another marathon this month and allow myself my much needed rest, I came up with a fun idea. We have a 5-mile bike loop around a small airport here in the Nati (Lunken for you natti peeps) and I decided last week to do a few loops. It felt good so on Sunday I decided to do it again. Then I though... how long can I do this for? I know I can run 26 miles at a time, and I've done them twice in a row, but I've never consistently run "Long" for more than 2 days in a row. Can I make 3? Can I make 5? Can I make a full week?? Well, with my break, this is the best time to try!
The Plan: Run Double-Digisits (10+ for you math geniuses out there) until I can go no further.
The Rules:
1) The distance must be 10+ miles (no rounding) done in 1 run (no breaking up the mileage)
2) The streak is done when I'm walking a significant amount of the run (we'll say 1/5 of the full distance or more).
3) I have to keep up my technical training (speed work, hill work, distance) by incorporating it into my mileage. IE. Tomorrow making the middle 5 miles a "speedwork" with about 6-7 yassos, then follow-up with a run back to my house (all up BIG hill about 3.5 miles).
Umm Why? Yeah, I'll go ahead and answer that for you. In case you haven't noticed from this entire blog, I like to find ways to push myself and push my training-- I like to see how strong the mind is over the body and test my limits WITHOUT hurting myself. Also, with 17 more marathons to go (in less than 10 months) I'm looking onto the next thing-- I want to start gearing up for some serious ultras (so I need to pack on the mileage) and I would like to get into Tris to Ironmen-- which completely intimidate me, so I feel the harder and longer I can push myself, the better I'll feel about Tri-Training.
Current Stats (Starting Post-wisdom tooth extraction recoop):
Day 1: 10 Miles (2 Lunken Loops) in ~ 1 hr and 30 Min
Day 2: 10 Miles+ (2 Lunken Loops) in ~ 1 Hr and 26 Min
Day 3: Tomorrow's Plan: 3.5 mile warm up to Lunken, 1 loops of speed work, then 3.5 miles back home.
After?... Only time will tell.
Wanna Join? Jump on board and let me hear about it! How many double-digit runs in a row can YOU complete?
So where did this idea come from? Well I have my longest streak (3 weeks) of non-marathon running for the remaining of my 50-state challenge (17 left btw... why does that seem so long with 33 done??). Anyways, to keep myself from signing up for another marathon this month and allow myself my much needed rest, I came up with a fun idea. We have a 5-mile bike loop around a small airport here in the Nati (Lunken for you natti peeps) and I decided last week to do a few loops. It felt good so on Sunday I decided to do it again. Then I though... how long can I do this for? I know I can run 26 miles at a time, and I've done them twice in a row, but I've never consistently run "Long" for more than 2 days in a row. Can I make 3? Can I make 5? Can I make a full week?? Well, with my break, this is the best time to try!
The Plan: Run Double-Digisits (10+ for you math geniuses out there) until I can go no further.
The Rules:
1) The distance must be 10+ miles (no rounding) done in 1 run (no breaking up the mileage)
2) The streak is done when I'm walking a significant amount of the run (we'll say 1/5 of the full distance or more).
3) I have to keep up my technical training (speed work, hill work, distance) by incorporating it into my mileage. IE. Tomorrow making the middle 5 miles a "speedwork" with about 6-7 yassos, then follow-up with a run back to my house (all up BIG hill about 3.5 miles).
Umm Why? Yeah, I'll go ahead and answer that for you. In case you haven't noticed from this entire blog, I like to find ways to push myself and push my training-- I like to see how strong the mind is over the body and test my limits WITHOUT hurting myself. Also, with 17 more marathons to go (in less than 10 months) I'm looking onto the next thing-- I want to start gearing up for some serious ultras (so I need to pack on the mileage) and I would like to get into Tris to Ironmen-- which completely intimidate me, so I feel the harder and longer I can push myself, the better I'll feel about Tri-Training.
Current Stats (Starting Post-wisdom tooth extraction recoop):
Day 1: 10 Miles (2 Lunken Loops) in ~ 1 hr and 30 Min
Day 2: 10 Miles+ (2 Lunken Loops) in ~ 1 Hr and 26 Min
Day 3: Tomorrow's Plan: 3.5 mile warm up to Lunken, 1 loops of speed work, then 3.5 miles back home.
After?... Only time will tell.
Wanna Join? Jump on board and let me hear about it! How many double-digit runs in a row can YOU complete?
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Wyoming Marathon ~ Race Ratings (#33 WY)
Tag line: "We'll let you Climb our Mountain, but we're not giving up our Oxygen!"
Actual Race Motto (Per their website):
"Where the race director promises you nothing, and he delivers."
Ratings...
2010 Wyoming Marathon ~ May 30, 2010
Cheyenne Wyoming ~ Lincoln Monument Rest Stop (please stop laughing)Year Running: 33rd (I CANNOT believe this!)
Registration Fee: $50 ($10 Discount to 50-staters)
Runners: 106 Completed, 40 Females
Available Races: 5K, Half-Marathon, Marathon, and DOUBLE Marathon (same crazy course twice for the same crazy people)
Average Finish Time: 5:17:20!!
Average Finish Time: 5:17:20!!
BQ %: 1.9% (That's 2 people for us non-math majors out there).
Overall Race Ratings: 2.9/5.0
Overall Race Ratings: 2.9/5.0
Average Calculated Rating: 3.0/5.0
~ Well Mr. Race Director, you promise nothing, and so do I! Except for the potential challenge to us non- high altitude people, this race doesn't have a whole lot going for it. It's in the middle of nowhere, which makes it hard to get to and leaves you with no spectators. The course would be quite boring if it wasn't such a tough hill to climb on the way back. The host hotel was probably the best part because it had a killer pasta party and the grounds were pretty nice. Aside from that... uhh, this was kind of a dud. Sorry charlie.
Race Director: Let's play race director...
~ The race director promises nothing, but if I were to inherite this race I would promise: At least 1 or 2 potty stops (double backed course so that's 2-4 stops). 2-4 garbages on the course to support the "no litering" requirement. How hard would it be to buy 100-200 GU packets? Not too bad I would think! Oxygen tanks??...
...oh hell I'd cancel the damned race and put it somewhere lower than planes fly and where there is a hotel withing a 15 minute drive!!!
Event Organization: 3.8/5.0 (now broken into 2 parts, see below as well) As far as "event organization" we'll go ahead and include things like Host hotel, website use, ease of travel to the event and to the actual race, etc.
Distance from Airport to Expo/Race: ~
Rental Car Required: YES
~ The closest hotel is about 30 minutes away (they tell you an hour, but I think that's old people timing). The only airport with a decent amount of flights to choose from is Denver (about an hour and a half) but you can fly threw Cheyenne too. Oh! REALLY good pasta dinner-- exceptional in fact! Great pasta WITH meatballs. Also- stemed veggies, big salads, and GREAT carrot cake!
Rental Car Required: YES
~ The closest hotel is about 30 minutes away (they tell you an hour, but I think that's old people timing). The only airport with a decent amount of flights to choose from is Denver (about an hour and a half) but you can fly threw Cheyenne too. Oh! REALLY good pasta dinner-- exceptional in fact! Great pasta WITH meatballs. Also- stemed veggies, big salads, and GREAT carrot cake!
Race Organization: 3.0/5.0
Hydration Color/Type: "Gatorade" or so they say, I've never seen gatorade get foamy!
Gel Type/Flavors: None
~ Well there are no port-a-johns with VERY wide open spaces. The water stops are decent-- about every 4.5 miles stocked with food! (cereal bars, M&Ms, chips, etc). No GU or energy gel. We weren't allowed to litter on the course at all (GU included) or we would be disqualified. I respect that, but then we need garbage cans SOMEWHERE, right? WRONG.
~Post Race Food: .There was a box of danishes, M&Ms and little bottles of gatorade with 2 bags of BBQ chips... living up to the race motto.
Course: 2.5/5.0
Garmin Distance: 26.18-ishhh
~ Ummm did you see the elevation chart? Ok the elevation isn't actually THAT bad, it's just made worse by the very very high altitude. The issues I had were that 1) This was the middle of NOwhere and 2) we were on LONG LONG passes of straight where you can see your impending 2-3 miles of climbing stretched out before you.
~ Ummm the caribou didn't applaud at ALL.... and that's the ONLY living being out on the course aside from the few cars that drive by and the water station people. The water station people were ummm, ok. They seemed ready to take a nap, but I don't blame them. Out in the sun all day waiting for a hundred runners to finish (and staying for the people doing the double)-- I would be pretty tired too.
Pace Group: /5.0
~ NA
~ No corrals obviously, but the runners were all very friendly from the pasta dinner to the end of the race. We had a nice convo with a few runners at the pasta dinner. It seems like this is the kind of race for the 50 staters that can't convince anybody else to truck out to the middle of nowhere in high elevation (not too surprising) so a lot of people were flying solo and willing to make friends! We also had a little mini competition on the last 2 mile uphill climb with another girl-- well SHE didn't know she was in a competition-- but either way she was very nice as we went back and forth, finally taking the lead in the last half mile! Wooho... we WON!
Expo: /5.0
Expo: /5.0
~ NA
~T-Shirts: We had several color options to choose from, but by the time we got there yellow was the only one left in my size. They were plain cotten, a little large with an OK design on them. 3.0
~Medals: The medals are pins with the Wyoming State Seal on it. Now don't let that spakley look fool you like it did me-- that's just a bad cut/paste job on their website-- there are NOT actually blue sparkles all overthe medal :( awww 3.8
~ Goodie Bag: We were advised to take an "running propaganda" as the director put it... aka running mag's, etc.
Results...
Stephanie...
Time: 4:32:05
Overal: 25/206, Gender: 4/40, A/G: 1/4
Stephanie...
Time: 4:32:05
Overal: 25/206, Gender: 4/40, A/G: 1/4
Fargo Marathon~ Race Ratings (#32- ND)
Tag line: "Where we Lack in Hills, We Makeup in Spectators"
Ratings...
2010 Sheels Fargo Marathon ~ May 22, 2010
Fargo, ND ~ FargoDome!Year Running: 6th
Registration Fee:
Runners: 1885 Completed, 757 Females
Available Races: 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon
Average Finish Time: 4:19:58!!
Average Finish Time: 4:19:58!!
BQ %: 13.32%
Overall Race Ratings: 4.1/5.0
Overall Race Ratings: 4.1/5.0
Average Calculated Rating: 4.3/5.0
~ This big isn't big on hills or variety of things to do or so. However, it makes up for those things by their people. The spectators and volunteers are so happy to be there and they make you proud to be running. The pace leaders and runners are fun too! The swag and expos are fantastic and it's a great finish into the Fargo Dome. The course can use a little work (flat flat flat) but I don't suppose there is much to be done about that in Fargo!
Race Director: Let's play race director...
~ Get that powerade watered-down! It's far too sugary. I know (after flying in) there are no hills to be found, but something has to be done about that flat flat course. Then again, I guess a lot of people like all flat-- crazies.
Event Organization: 3.5/5.0 (now broken into 2 parts, see below as well) As far as "event organization" we'll go ahead and include things like Host hotel, website use, ease of travel to the event and to the actual race, etc.
Distance from Airport to Expo/Race: ~1.5 Miles
Rental Car Required: Absolutely not
~ The airport, hotel and fargo dome are all on the same block-- it just so happens this block contains everything IN Fargo. I did NOT expect Fargo to be so so small! It was unreal. I think there were about 3 restaurants that were close (wendys, BW3's and Applebees). Their website is very helpful and they send out information to keep you connected. The plus side, you don't need a rental car if you get into the hotel next to the dome andddd you're RIGHT next to the Dome. Down side? Not too much going on in Fargo and not too many restaurant options.
Rental Car Required: Absolutely not
~ The airport, hotel and fargo dome are all on the same block-- it just so happens this block contains everything IN Fargo. I did NOT expect Fargo to be so so small! It was unreal. I think there were about 3 restaurants that were close (wendys, BW3's and Applebees). Their website is very helpful and they send out information to keep you connected. The plus side, you don't need a rental car if you get into the hotel next to the dome andddd you're RIGHT next to the Dome. Down side? Not too much going on in Fargo and not too many restaurant options.
Race Organization: 3.8/5.0
Hydration Color/Type: Powerade (Purpleish-blue)
Gel Type/Flavors: GU- Variety
~ I have never felt so sick in my life after chugging full strength powerade through a marathon. I felt full and had a buzz from sugar high that was NOT good. Water down the powerade, please! Aside from that, there were tons of aid stations and port-a-johns throughout. There were supposed to be 2 GU stations at 11 and 19. I saw the first, but no dice on the second. Either they ran out or I completely missed them. The course ends running into the fargo dome with a few big jumbo-trons that show off your arrival-- if anybody is looking for you, they'll have a tenth of a mile to get their cameras out and ready once they see you coming.
~Post Race Food: .
Course: 3.3/5.0
~MarathonGuide Rating
Garmin Distance: 26.25
~ Flat, flat, and more flat. I guess you would call this pretty scenic, but the best scenery are the thousands of spectators out to watch you! You start and end the race at the Fargo Dome, with the last tenth running INTO the Dome and over the finish line. Apparently you run through both 1) "downtown fargo" as well as run into Minnesota (neither of which I even noticed).
~ This is probably the biggest thing that comes to Fargo each year and you can tell the community is behind it in full force! There is never more than a 100 yd gap withOUT spectators. They're crazy about the race and the runners.
Pace Group: 5.0/5.0
~ I had a chance to run with a few pace groups and they were all EXACTLY ON! They were also HUGE-- I've never seen such large of pace groups run for so long together. The leaders were fun and informational and took care of their runners.
~ No corrals necessary. Runners were a lot of fun! I saw a lot of familiar faces with all the maniacs and 50-staters. One particular face stuck out as we were doubling back past the slower runners-- Dean Karnazes. Ummm Dean, whatcha doing back here? Apparently he had some ultra-crazy-long race and this was his quick 26.2 mile cool down that he was "taking easy." Uhhh huh.
Expo: 4.9/5.0
Expo: 4.9/5.0
~ The expo was held all weekend (including post-race) at the Fargo dome and had a HUGE variety of sports apparel and gear, primarily from Adidas. It wasn't an expo in the sense that there were tons of booths with vendors, it was a few vendors with tons of stuff to buy. They also had some GREAT Fargo Marathon apparel. I'm always on the lookout for marathon gear that you can wear outside of just running!
Swag: 4.75/5.0 ~T-Shirts: These were long sleeve, light, half zips in purple and black with some sort of race logo on the back. They're made of some funky material that was warm, but sweatwick. Unlike anything I've ever gotten at a race. 5.0
~Medals: The medal had some sort of cool psychedelic design on the ribbon and the face of the medal had the same race logo on it. VERY colorful and definitely sticks out! 4.5
~ Goodie Bag: Nothing crazy extra.
Results...
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