My Profile
@jeffruns
Southfield, MI Raving since 2016 Active 7 years, 9 months agoAbout Me
My Races
Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.
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Half Marathon
Marathon
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(Marathon or Ultra) + Half
Marathon + Ultra
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Future Races
Personal Bests (1)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result |
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| Mountains 2 Beach Marathon & Half Marathon | Marathon | Ojai, CA | May 29, 2016 | 3:50:17 |
Future Races (0)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Paid |
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Past Races (5)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result | My Raves | My Performance |
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| Mountains 2 Beach Marathon & Half Marathon | Marathon | Ojai, CA | May 29, 2016 | 3:50:17 |
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| OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon (Indy Mini) | Half Marathon | Indianapolis, IN | May 7, 2016 |
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| Martian Invasion of Races | Half Marathon | Dearborn, MI | Apr 9, 2016 |
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| Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend | Marathon | Lake Buena Vista, FL | Jan 7, 2016 | 4:07:09 |
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| Detroit Free Press Marathon | Marathon | Detroit, MI | Oct 18, 2015 | 4:04:33 |
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Mountains 2 Beach Marathon & Half Marathon
What an AWESOME race!
Mountains 2 Beach Marathon & Half Marathon
I imagined hearing America singing "Ventura Highway" as I ran into Ventura passing the numbered cheer sections. The weather was perfect. The course was perfect. I mean, who wouldn't want … MORE
I imagined hearing America singing “Ventura Highway” as I ran into Ventura passing the numbered cheer sections. The weather was perfect. The course was perfect. I mean, who wouldn’t want a 3 mile uphill at the start to calm that “coming out too hot” impulse followed by a full 20 miles downhill (with one or two rolling hills thrown in for quad relief!). Oh and a mild uphill near the end just to keep you honest. Then there was the scenery. It was So beautiful! And aid stations seemed to pop up every mile or two. There were plenty of sheriffs deputies out to keep the cars on their side of the cones. I started in the last wave with the 3:45 plus people so if the course had been narrow, I think I would have felt it. From the very start I didn’t feel like I was having to go around people. Going around walkers and whatnot eats into a person’s energy reserves. That wasn’t a factor at this race!
The expo was well organized, though being from Detroit I didn’t know where Anacapa Hall was located in the Ventura County Fairgrounds at first. I loved the pasta dinner and it was for a good cause. The pace team was awesome and we go to meet our pacers at the expo. Hanook and Gabe ROCK! I saw the M2B staff setting up the Boston gong the night before and wondered if I’d be able to ring it. I DID GET TO RING IT! This marathon beat my previous PR by 15 minutes. I met a woman from San Diego who told me she beat her previous PR by 30 minutes at this race. Maybe they should call it mountains 2 PR!
The after party was awesome. I was able to run down and get my after-run ice bath in the Pacific near a couple of dozen surfers in wet suits. The snacks were tasty and there was beer available for purchase. Good beer. Then there were the complimentary massages. Did I mention complimentary massages? WHAT AN AWESOME RACE! I’ll be back (after Boston of course!)
OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon (Indy Mini)
US's Largest Half Marathon for a Reason!
OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon (Indy Mini)
This race is well organized and just plain fun. Yes I kissed the bricks. The half marathon race begins downtown next to the JW Marriott then goes out to the … MORE
This race is well organized and just plain fun. Yes I kissed the bricks. The half marathon race begins downtown next to the JW Marriott then goes out to the Indy 500 track to do one full lap. Then the race runs back downtown by a slightly different route so it’s not strictly an out and back.
If you want more distance, be sure to sign up for both the 5K and Half. They let you start with the elites in the 5K and as long as you can do a 10 minute pace you are back in time to start the half with one of the early corrals.
This year Meb Keflezighi ran with us! He was at the expo and signed autographs well beyond his scheduled time then he ran with us in the race!
Martian Invasion of Races
A fun, out of this world race!
Martian Invasion of Races
This is one of the most fun races I've ever participated in. It's an out and back course mostly on Hines Drive in Dearborn. The weather was COLD and it … MORE
This is one of the most fun races I’ve ever participated in. It’s an out and back course mostly on Hines Drive in Dearborn. The weather was COLD and it was snowing the day of the race. Funny. Last year it was warm enough for short sleeves! I ran the 26K which was made up of a 5K followed by a quick return to the start to run the half marathon. Well actually at my 5K pace I had to stand around in the cold waiting for the start of the half marathon.
There are plenty of aid stations. There is plenty of crowd support and a very good pace team. The expo was awesome and there were good deals at the Running Fit booth.
Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend
A Great Marathon
Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend
This marathon is well run. It's just plain awesome. There are tens of thousands of runners in what must have been 20 corrals and Disney let off fireworks for the … MORE
This marathon is well run. It’s just plain awesome. There are tens of thousands of runners in what must have been 20 corrals and Disney let off fireworks for the start of each and every corral. They spared no expense.
By the way, did you know your marathon bib is a fast pass? So there are two schools of thought regarding this marathon. One is run it. One is start at the back, jog it and ride the rides on the clock. Yes I know, what hardcore marathoner would do a thing like that but this is Disney. You’re saying you aren’t willing to add a big fat minute and forty seconds to your marathon time to ride Expedition Everest? Think of it as a modified Jeff Galloway run walk method, only this is the run ride method. Run a little faster up to Everest, ride the thing, then run a little faster up to Aerosmith’s Rock’n Roller Coaster, ride the thing… and so on, run a little faster up to GM’s Test Track, and so on…
One thing I did not like was getting up so early to run. It made for a long day but at least we got to finish before it got really warm. It was humid enough and they announced at the start that we should go 30 seconds slower in these conditions. I managed to go only 3 seconds slower but if I’d known about that fast pass thing, who knows?
I paid extra for the VIP tent. This was a good decision as I had a nice breakfast immediately after the race. I also paid extra for a massage. Another good decision.
One thing that struck me is how many runners were willing to stop and wait in line to get their pictures taken with Disney or Star Wars characters. Once I got near the end and realized I wasn’t going to PR, I slowed down, ate pretzels and got my photo taken with Mike from Monsters, Inc. I will be doing this marathon again and maybe I’ll even do the Dopey Challenge (48 miles over 4 days) next time!
Detroit Free Press Marathon
A unique marathon experience!
Detroit Free Press Marathon
I enjoyed running this marathon. It was my first marathon so I didn't know exactly what to expect. And you know what? The organizers forgot to include a moving sidewalk … MORE
I enjoyed running this marathon. It was my first marathon so I didn’t know exactly what to expect. And you know what? The organizers forgot to include a moving sidewalk from mile 20 to mile 26.2. The NERVE. (Just kidding of course!)
The scenery was beautiful and improved as the day wore on. Crowd support was excellent in spots and non existent in other spots. Indian Village had a beer stop. That’s what I’m talking about, though serious runners probably aren’t looking for beer at mile 16. Pacers were available for a wide variety of finishing goals.
There were a few (minor) down sides…
One thing I didn’t like was the seriousness of crossing the border. And by seriousness, I mean the US side. Canadian customs were relaxing and cracking jokes with us about the Michigan Michigan State football game the night before but when we were returning to the US, the agents were pretty much standing at attention scrutinizing everyone that ran through the tunnel. Not one of the moments I’d hold up as showing the hospitality of my country.
Then there were the restrictions. You MUST wear your bib on your upper body. This is a race that started out snowing, then had fierce winds when we ran across the bridge, then sweltering heat as we ran back into the US through the tunnel and finally more fierce winds when we got to Belle Isle. There was simply no way to dress for this entire race. Clothing adjustments were required. They should have let us put our bibs on our bottoms where they wouldn’t get in the way of the half dozen clothing adjustments we needed to make. Then they wouldn’t let us bring our own liquids. Seriously? So this is definitely a “live off the course” race. Which isn’t all that bad because aid stations were plentiful.
Despite these minor down sides, I recommend this race. There is a US-only half marathon for anyone not wanting to bother with bib placement and liquid carrying restrictions. There is an international half for those wanting to cross the border but wanting to run less than a full marathon. Lastly there’s a 5K the day before (which I also ran) that works well as a “tune up” run.