My Profile

@jasonlong1212

Readyville, TN Raving since 2019 after the finish line Active 4 years, 10 months ago

About Me

  • Running club(s):
  • Rave race:
  • Race that's calling my name:
  • I run because:

    I hate it.

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 (1)

Race Distance Location Date Result
Marathon Wartrace, TN May 4, 2019 2:57:56

Future Races (0)

Race Distance Location Date Paid

Past Races (2)

Race Distance Location Date Result My Raves My Performance
Marathon Wartrace, TN May 4, 2019 2:57:56
Marathon Wartrace, TN May 5, 2018 3:25:25

My Raves

I returned to this race after cutting about 15 minutes off of my marathon time over the past year. I knew I was in shape to go sub-three here, and … MORE

I returned to this race after cutting about 15 minutes off of my marathon time over the past year. I knew I was in shape to go sub-three here, and there are no flat cold courses around here this time of year for a PR. So why not make a small name for myself and be the first to break three hours by tackling the 2000 feet of climb on a day in the upper 60s? The 26.2 doesn’t have the lore of the 40 mile course, so there’s an opportunity to start some.

Don’t expect the typical aid stations. Don’t expect there to be cups. Don’t expect people offering help. You can (A) drop your own drinks off beforehand, (B) bring your own cup and be prepared to stop for a few seconds when needed, or (C) bring a crew. Yes, if you’re a middle-of-the-pack person going at 9:00/mi, you’ll likely be in a group that will receive all the offers in the world. If you’re an elite or sub-elite, you’re on your own. There was a time or two that I could have used a bottle of water to pour down my back, but I had my Gatorade hidden on course, and that would have to do.

The scenery is great and pastoral. There are plenty of hills. The distances are longer than what is claimed. This is not a PR course. For the 26.2, you will want to add 2% for hills (2000 ft of climb), 1% for extra distance (26.5 GPS by my watch instead of the normal 26.4), and 2-4% for heat (60F-80F). A three hour marathoner over a flat course in cold weather can expect a 3:10-3:15 on a typical day here. The 2019 event also featured a large mud pit that caused injuries and slowdowns. A road was being replaced, which isn’t the fault of the directors, but some cheap sawdust or something would have been nice.

I ended up taking the overall win and got a trophy that is still more than double in size of anything that I have earned before or since (except for last year’s). There are also special shirts you get according to your finish time. The shirts for the half marathoners were not ready as promised because they changed the time standards and actual course six days beforehand. This change might also have been the reason that the lead half-marathoner took a wrong turn and lost the race. Most of the runners feel that the race is being pulled in two different directions by the two race directors. Some people like the spastic nature of it, but I prefer predictability and organization. The people are very nice.

DIFFICULTY
5
PRODUCTION
3
SCENERY
5
SWAG
4

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?

I must confess that I picked this race because it was less than thirty minutes from where I live and the participation rate at the 26.2 distance is relatively low. … MORE

I must confess that I picked this race because it was less than thirty minutes from where I live and the participation rate at the 26.2 distance is relatively low. I thought I was near the end of my running career due to injuries and wanted to get a marathon victory before I hung up the shoes. Things improved in that regard, and I ended up winning and running a 2:59 at a different race the month before. I had already registered for Strolling Jim, and there were no refunds (I believe), and I had a friend participating in the 40 miler, so I showed up to use it as a training run.

The most important thing you should know is that there are no cups. This is nothing new to ultra-marathoners apparently, but it can throw off the shorter distance people. There are plenty of manned and unmanned stations with water, but there will not be people handing drinks out like there are at most races. It might be difficult to determine who is part of the official race and who is part of a private crew, but people will be happy to help you out. I was under the impression that the cupless policy applied only to the unmanned stations, so I went without a cup. I was lucky enough to have someone offer me a couple of bottles. You might have to stop for a few seconds at the stations with your own gear if you don’t have a crew supporting you, which is allowed (pacers are not).

The scenery is great and pastoral. There are plenty of hills. The distances are longer than what is claimed. This is not a PR course. For the 26.2, you will want to add 2% for hills (2000 ft of climb), 2% for extra distance (26.7 GPS by my watch instead of the normal 26.4), and 2-4% for heat (60F-80F). A three hour marathoner over a flat course in cold weather can expect a 3:10-3:15 on a typical day here. I ended up with a 3:25 because I was still recovering from the marathon four weeks prior and because I did not go out at 100% effort.

As for memorabilia, I ended up taking the overall win and got a trophy that is still more than double in size of anything that I have earned before or since. There are also special shirts you get according to your finish time. After weeks of messaging, they ended up having to mail mine to me because they only had the 40 milers on race day. I have registered for the 2019 race and plan to take home the sub-three gold shirt on that day. I’m in 2:43-2:44 shape now, so I hope that’s enough.

DIFFICULTY
5
PRODUCTION
4
SCENERY
5
SWAG
4

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?