After returning from a holiday/vacation the night before, we realised we could fit in a marathon the very next morning. So why not?! We signed up last minute for another repeat State. We ended up missing the start, running off into the mountains in the dark and we had our bag lost with our car keys. Drama from beginning to end but looking back on it we can laugh… now. Race report online here.
We couldn’t go on holiday and not find a run to do! Not a marathon, but a nice 10k to start off the holiday, which is always good to use as an excuse to eat and drink as much of whatever you want from there on. There weren’t many tourists taking part but we managed to scoop a trophy each to take home with us. A small write-up can be found over here.
Of all the marathons we’ve done this is among the ones that I am the most proud of completing. The Pikes Peak Marathon is one of the toughest marathons in the world and quite honestly I was nervous every day from the moment we signed up to the day of the event. This is a long blog post, but it was a long marathon and a huge experience! If you’ve got the time, give it a read.
Iowa in the middle of summer, it was never going to be easy. The heat and humidity were draining and made for a tough run. The organisers did a great job though and made sure all the runners got the liquids they needed. State #48 achieved and it took a lot of pushing but we also got the sub 4. Other big milestones were that it was my 70th marathon and Leah’s 60th! Full report here.
We loved the Vermont City Marathon! Not only was it a great event and popular with the Maniacs group, but also with a long Memorial Day weekend we were able to actually relax for once after the run and truly enjoy the post-race beers. It also meant we didn’t feel even slightly guilty at consuming vast amounts of Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream at the original iconic factory. All the details 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.
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.
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 #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 #40: Run With The Horses in Green River, Wyoming. Leah wins her first marathon!! Other features of this tough course were 8,000 feet altitude, our concern for sage bush, hills hills and hills and not even realising how well we were initially doing. Read the full article for details!