We had a spare weekend in California so we managed to fit in a casual marathon around Quarry Lakes Park along with some driving down Route 1. It was a great way to finish off marathoning in 2014 and explore some new areas in California. The olallieberry pie was a big highlight. Full report now online.
For my 50th and Leah’s 40th Marathon we got to meet Dean Karnazes at the Seattle Marathon Expo and get a copy of his 50 Marathons in 50 States in 50 Days book signed! Although it was cold we had great fun exploring Seattle and an enjoyable marathon running through the city and the surrounding area. Back to form we felt strong throughout the race and completed our 20th marathon of the year. Full details here.
Marathon #49 definitely didn’t go according to plan and was actually the only one in the year where we didn’t achieve sub 4 after initially setting out to. Set in Shawnee Mission Park, it was a nice picturesque marathon but it took place in below freezing weather with some snow and hail storms thrown in. Although we didn’t run sub 4 we completed the State, which 2 miles into the run seemed like a daunting enough task for me! Full details here.
Marathon #48 saw us running the only marathon in the US that crosses 3 different States (no, it only counts for 1!). We started in Utah, ran through Arizona and finished in Nevada, running through spectacular desert scenery along with our friend Bob. The heat of the desert sun and the (unexpected) hills made this a tough race. However, I won my age group! Full write-up here.
Marathon #47 in West Virginia was special because of the history of the Marshall University Football team. Also with one of the best finishes ever, we ran into their stadium and then along the length of the football field holding an American football, all the way into the end zone for a touchdown! Uh, I mean, the race finish. Full write-up is now here.
Marathon #46. After our 20km trail running “rest weekend” following the Hartford Marathon, we were in beautiful New Hampshire running among the autumn / fall leaves and around lakes and streams. Full report is now online here.
Marathon #45: The Hartford Marathon in Connecticut. Did you have to rain the entire time?! Another big learning experience for us though, we’re still learning more mentally and physically in every race. Read the full report here, and hope if you run the race you have better weather than we had in 2014!
Marathon #44. We checked off Wisconsin with the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon. Read about my fascination being in a US high school, a lot of pain (we’re not indestructible!), and the finish line incident. Full article is here.
Marathon #43, the Monument Marathon, was really tough. Read about the brutal course under less than ideal circumstances, Leah singing, 2 snake encounters, wild turkeys, spectacular scenery, sun, trail, sun, a skeleton and did I mention sun? Full article here.
Marathon #42. And then we completed the other Dakota State! The Bismarck Marathon was our choice for North Dakota. We encountered a lot of bugs, a funny reminder of a British comedy classic, some home-made ice-cream and a good bottle of red. Read the full article for all the details.