About Me
My Races
Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.
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Half Marathon
Marathon
Ultramarathon
(Marathon or Ultra) + Half
Marathon + Ultra
Other
Future Races
Personal Bests (2)
Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result |
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Louisiana Marathon | Marathon | Baton Rouge, LA | Jan 17, 2016 | 3:48:43 |
Baltimore Running Festival | Half Marathon | Baltimore, MD | Oct 17, 2015 | 1:49:09 |
Future Races (0)
Race | Distance | Location | Date | Paid |
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Past Races (25)
Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result | My Raves | My Performance |
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Grand Rapids Marathon & Half Marathon | Marathon | Grand Rapids, MI | Oct 17, 2021 | 4:19:41 |
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Tunnel Vision Marathon | Marathon | Snoqualmie Pass, WA | Aug 15, 2021 | |||
Queen Bee Montana Marathon & Half Marathon | Marathon | Billings, MT | Sep 20, 2020 | 4:27:31 | ||
Mesa Marathon | Marathon | Mesa, AZ | Feb 8, 2020 | 4:24:39 | ||
Hartford Marathon & Half Marathon | Marathon | Hartford, CT | Oct 12, 2019 | 4:22:34 |
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Eugene Marathon | Marathon | Eugene, OR | Apr 28, 2019 | 4:27:04 |
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Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas | Marathon | Las Vegas, NV | Nov 11, 2018 | 4:33:46 |
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Utah Valley Marathon | Marathon | Provo, UT | Jun 9, 2018 | 4:25:31 | ||
Mercedes-Benz Marathon Weekend | Marathon | Birmingham, AL | Feb 11, 2018 | 4:28:29 | ||
Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend | Marathon | Minneapolis, MN | Oct 1, 2017 | 4:20:33 | ||
San Francisco Marathon | Marathon | San Francisco, CA | Jul 23, 2017 | 4:34:28 | ||
Little Rock Marathon | Marathon | Little Rock, AR | Mar 5, 2017 | 4:10:52 | ||
Bank of America Chicago Marathon | Marathon | Chicago, IL | Oct 9, 2016 | 3:59:01 | ||
Novo Nordisk New Jersey Marathon & Half Marathon | Marathon | Oceanport, NJ | May 1, 2016 | 4:07:25 | ||
Louisiana Marathon | Marathon | Baton Rouge, LA | Jan 17, 2016 | 3:48:43 | ||
Philadelphia Marathon | Marathon | Philadelphia, PA | Nov 22, 2015 | 3:52:46 |
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Baltimore Running Festival | Half Marathon | Baltimore, MD | Oct 17, 2015 | 1:49:09 | ||
Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon | Marathon | Cincinnati, OH | May 3, 2015 | 4:11:59 | ||
New York City Marathon | Marathon | Staten Island, NY | Nov 2, 2014 | 4:11:07 | ||
Baltimore Running Festival | Marathon | Baltimore, MD | Oct 18, 2014 | 4:13:53 |
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Myrtle Beach Marathon | Marathon | Myrtle Beach, SC | 2014 | 3:55:57 | ||
Delaware Marathon Running Festival | Marathon | Wilmington, DE | 2013 | 4:09:22 | ||
Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend | Marathon | Lake Buena Vista, FL | 2013 | 4:23:45 | ||
Yuengling Shamrock Marathon | Marathon | Virginia Beach, VA | 2012 | 4:08:29 | ||
Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend | Half Marathon | Kissimmee, FL | 2011 | 2:10:04 |
Grand Rapids Marathon & Half Marathon
Well-organized race. Fun event!
Grand Rapids Marathon & Half Marathon
I chose this as my Michigan race and am happy I did. The race director and his crew are passionate about what they do and it shows. All of the … MORE
I chose this as my Michigan race and am happy I did. The race director and his crew are passionate about what they do and it shows. All of the little things that can make or break a race were done well. Plenty of porta-pots. Well stocked, plentiful aid stations. Well marked course. Efficient packet pick-up/expo. Great swag – a nice medal, traditional socks, a gaiter and a nice race shirt.
It’s not a large race (numbers probably down being the first year back after the pandemic) but you can tell that the crew & volunteers care about your experience, and throw in a little bit of fun to boot. (The obvious example would be the “Celebrity” Pace Groups, based on the marathon results of the rich and famous… the 3:14 “Pi” group, the 4:13 “Kevin Hart” group, the Oprah and Dubya paces… etc. A nice touch).
The course is largely flat, scenic in spots and not so scenic in others. There are some downtown segments and some park/lake/bike path stretches and it makes for a fine overall circuit.
The weather this year was nearly perfect and all of these factors led to running my best race time since March 2017. Add in some great bar/restaurant spots I found near my hotel, and this was probably one of my favorite races in recent seasons. Your mileage may vary – but I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Hartford Marathon & Half Marathon
A fine marathon weekend
Hartford Marathon & Half Marathon
This was my CT race and I'm totally ok with having chose it. Lots of positives: Nice, easy course. The weather was great (cloudy in the 50s). The downtown part … MORE
This was my CT race and I’m totally ok with having chose it.
Lots of positives:
Nice, easy course. The weather was great (cloudy in the 50s). The downtown part of the course was scenic, but a long stretch mid-race was largely forgettable. Crowds were good, and encouraging, especially at the finish. Plenty of aid stations and port-a-pots. Expo was fine. Long sleeve shirt was nice, not particularly garish. Medal was also nice, nothing too crazy nor oversized. After-race party was also pleasant – lots of space, still food and beer available for us slow marathon folk, even after the 1/2 marathon finishers had made their way through.
Not many cons:
The starting corrals were a little cramped, especially with last minute arrivals pushing up through the crowd from the back. (Maybe get there a little earlier?) Food offerings after the race were not particularly impressive, (though I liked the rice mix better than I thought I would). Expo was a little on the small size?
Downtown Hartford was interesting. No problems, but not particularly amazing compared to some other cities/states I’ve visited. (However, I’m not sure the other CT marathon offerings would have been better?). I stayed at a hotel near the start/finish area so it was very convenient. Not a particularly flashy hotel, but again, solid with no problems.
Overall – it was a pleasant weekend. Race organizers did a great job pulling off a very nice fall race.
Eugene Marathon
My choice for OR - happy w/ the pick!
Eugene Marathon
Another enjoyable event for me. The "worst" part for me was the travel - flying into Portland, and driving down to Eugene was not awful, but a chore. Once in … MORE
Another enjoyable event for me. The “worst” part for me was the travel – flying into Portland, and driving down to Eugene was not awful, but a chore. Once in town, everything else was quite pleasant. Expo was small but nice. Starting (and ending) at Autzen Stadium was a good thing – spacious with facilities. Weather was colder than was forecast and I ended up making a trip to Target to scavenge for sweatpants/sweatshirt. But all worked out well. Course was fine, and ending on the field at the stadium was fun. After the race was pleasant too with lots of food/drink options, and plenty of space for everyone. This was a well-run event and I’m glad it was my pick for running Oregon.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas
Running the Vegas strip was very cool!
Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas
While I've avoided Rock 'n' Roll Marathons thus far, I needed to cross off Nevada and was looking forward to a trip to Vegas. Overall, the race was fine. Expo: … MORE
While I’ve avoided Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathons thus far, I needed to cross off Nevada and was looking forward to a trip to Vegas. Overall, the race was fine.
Expo: Was crowded at the convention center, but it was decently organized and had a large number of vendors. While merchandise options online were slim, there was a good selection onsite.
Starting “village”: This was kind of a mess. The Start/Finish lines were obviously convenient to the strip resorts, so that was good. But security was ‘hit or miss’ at the entry points, and from the parking lot to the corrals. There also seemed to be a good deal of confusion on the part of some runners about where they needed to be. Communication could have been better at spots.
I felt the starting corrals were fine. The weather was wonderful. Running on the strip was an experience. I do agree that port-a-pots were scarce, though I found a bank of them with little lines, after a couple miles. But this could definitely be improved. Water/”ade” stations were fine. The full course did take you through some dark run-down parts of town, and there were several locations with unusual switchbacks in parking lots and festival grounds. (I hadn’t seen that in many of my other races so it didn’t bother me that much). The course was very flat. Yay! There was a lot of music along the route, so that was cool. And there were lots of spectators along the strip.
Finish chute: This was pretty standard. I was in a hurry, as my wife and I had late dinner reservations, so I was hobbling through. But food offerings seemed typical. Heat sheets, IIRC. No problems there.
Swag: The shirt was fine, and I love the medal. It was metal cards (a 2, 6, and 2) that fan out over the logo. One of my favorites!
Overall: I don’t regret choosing to run it. While the event did have some shortcomings, I still enjoyed the race and running on the Vegas strip at night is an unforgettable experience!
Philadelphia Marathon
Fun "big city" marathon
Philadelphia Marathon
Course was fun, logistics were smooth. When I ran this, in 2015, lines for security checks were long, but other security gates were almost empty. Race officials could have smoothed … MORE
Course was fun, logistics were smooth. When I ran this, in 2015, lines for security checks were long, but other security gates were almost empty. Race officials could have smoothed this bottleneck (maybe they have in recent years!). That said, I don’t have any other negative memories of this event. The liberty bell medal remains a favorite. Weather was great. I still remember this race very fondly.
Baltimore Running Festival
My hometown race has its ups and downs
Baltimore Running Festival
Ups and downs - literally. The course is tough, with a good number of hills, and the potential for windy, cold October weather. I've done the Running Festival numerous times … MORE
Ups and downs – literally. The course is tough, with a good number of hills, and the potential for windy, cold October weather.
I’ve done the Running Festival numerous times and at all distances. The expo is always solid. Between nice clever medals (usually crab themed) and Under Armor shirts (used to be REALLY soft tech shirts – more traditional now), the swag was a plus.
Back in 2014 – the course ended at the stadiums, now it ends at the harbor. Being a sports fan, I enjoyed running through Camden Yards more. The finish celebration back then, was in the stadium parking lots. Now, it’s at the park near the harbor. A nicer location, but a bit more crowded, from what I hear.
Overall – the race still has sentimental value to me as my hometown event. And even though the course is challenging, the festival is well-run and what I would pick for my Maryland race, even if I didn’t live here.