No matter how many marathons we run, London is always special. This year I ran my best London Marathon to date, feeling a huge sense of accomplishment finishing in 3:38 and realising how far I’ve come since my first marathon at London in 2008 where I dragged myself to a 5:27 finish. The weather on the day was perfect and the amazing crowds seemed larger and louder than ever. Full details of a race that will always be remembered.
We managed to fly out to Indiana the day before returning to the UK for the London Marathon and checked off another US State. Always nice when unexpected plans come together and it had the added bonus of tiring us out for the overnight flight across the Atlantic. The most unique part about this race was the game of guessing the celebrity at each mile marker. Very inventive and a good way to pass the miles. Full details.
The Ohio River Road Runners Club Marathon, or the ORRRRRRRRRC Marathon as we called it, was our 60th and 50th marathons respectively. Located in a place in Ohio that no-one had heard of, we found a great event taking us through peaceful roads, past farms, corn fields and llamas. Leah won 2nd place in her age group and we notched up State 41. Full race report is here.
A return to Texas to conquer the sub 4 for Marathon #59 saw us head out to Irving, just west of Dallas. We had a laugh at some street addresses, enjoyed a well run event and came home with 3 medals between us. Full report is here.
Marathon #58 and now into the 40s with State #40! Biting cold wind and yellow water made this a tough marathon in New Jersey. We ran from Cape May along the coast and through the scenic barrier islands, finishing in Sea Isle City. The best way not to relax after a marathon? … Throw coffee over yourself, don’t eat for 12 hours and attempt to drive through downtown New York City. Full write-up here.
While back in the UK we couldn’t pass up the opportunity of running a European marathon and hopped over to Spain for the perfectly timed Marató de Barcelona. With no pressure on us to run a sub 4 for our State count (although we still did), we were able to enjoy the run, take in the sights and make it a typical city visit afterwards, exploring the tourist attractions. Further details and pictures are here.
Marathon #56 and I won it!! Ok, only 18 people took part, but I’ll still take it. Unexpectedly ran one of my fastest times and we both checked off our Sub 4 for New Mexico, a State that can be tough to run a good time in due to heat and elevation. Perhaps it helped that our rental car massaged us all the way there and back. Race report now online.
Flight cancellations made this marathon harder to get to than it should have been but once there we had a great run. A beach town in the off-season, it was cold with not many tourists but that gave us an unusual view of the place without the crowds. We found the course fast, well organized, with great support. Full race report here.
We were apprehensive going into our 3rd marathon in the year (especially considering it’s still January!) and after running hard the weekend before in Hawaii. As is turned out, we couldn’t have asked for a better marathon or result! Very relaxing surroundings and enjoyable. We all ran the wrong way right off the start line though which was funny. Full write-up is here.
We had a whale of a time (ha-ha) in Hawaii. It was humpback whale migration season so this marathon saw us running alongside the oceanfront on Maui island watching the whales leaping in and out of the water. This tropical paradise was more amazing than we had even imagined and we didn’t want to leave. We’ll never forget marathon #53. Full report here.