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My Races
Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.
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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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Slacker Half Marathon | Half Marathon | Dillon, CO | Jun 25, 2022 | 2:03:16 |
Future Races (0)
Race | Distance | Location | Date | Paid |
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Past Races (10)
Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result | My Raves | My Performance |
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Portland Marathon | Marathon | Portland, OR | Oct 2, 2022 |
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Slacker Half Marathon | Half Marathon | Dillon, CO | Jun 25, 2022 | 2:03:16 |
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Frozen Trail Runfest | 15K | Eugene, OR | Dec 4, 2021 |
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America’s Finest City Half Marathon & 5K | Half Marathon | San Diego, CA | Aug 15, 2021 |
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Cascade Lakes Relay | 216 Mile Relay | Diamond Lake, OR | Jul 30, 2021 |
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EWEB Run to Stay Warm | Half Marathon | Eugene, OR | Nov 18, 2018 |
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California International Marathon (CIM) | Marathon | Folsom, CA | Dec 3, 2017 |
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Santa Rosa Marathon | Marathon | Santa Rosa, CA | Aug 27, 2017 |
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Eugene Marathon | Half Marathon | Eugene, OR | May 7, 2017 |
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Bizz Johnson Marathon Events | Half Marathon | Westwood-Susanville, CA | Oct 11, 2015 |
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Portland Marathon
Great Fall Marathon in Oregon
Portland Marathon
The 2022 Portland Marathon was very well organized and produced, in a scenic city, with great race-day energy. While the course is fairly challenging, and not the fastest, I definitely … MORE
The 2022 Portland Marathon was very well organized and produced, in a scenic city, with great race-day energy. While the course is fairly challenging, and not the fastest, I definitely recommend the event and would (likely will) run it again.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Production: You can tell that the organizers know what they are doing and care about hosting a quality, enjoyable event. Communication (emails, social media) leading up to the event was on point. Pre-race morning was extremely smooth, from bag check to portable toilet lines running efficiently.
SWAG: really great for an event of this size. We got 50-year anniversary Boco running hats with entry and the shirts are high quality and a great fit. Medals were great too, with a rotating centerpiece of 50 on one side and the rose logo on the other.
AID STATIONS: simply the BEST of any race I’ve run! Stations every 2 miles through the first half, then every mile through mile 26. Each station was on point with Nuun lemon-lime, water and toilets. The volunteers were excellent and that is no small feat with that many aid stations. Seriously, this got me through the last 10 miles of the event when the hills and warm temps were catching up with me.
Portland vibes and spectators: Portland is beautiful, and I enjoyed the range of neighborhoods, scenery, bridges, and positive, fun energy of spectators and volunteers. It seems (based on a prior review) there were many more spectators out this year, and it appears that the newly-organized race is only going to grow – rightly so.
Finish festival: waterfront views, plenty of grassy areas and shade, plenty of portable toilets, and good post-race fuel options. Immediately out of the finish chute, you received your medal and a rose; then water, chocolate milk, granola bars, and a sparkling CBD beverage were available. In the finish fest area more largely, they had live music, and complimentary local craft beer, Voodoo donuts, and pizza. What’s not to love?
DOWNSIDES:
Challenging (aka not flat and fast) Course: almost 900’ total gain and it felt like a lot of rolling hills with limited flat sections. The course also has a LOT of turns, and overall felt tougher than expected. If you train with a lot of hills, you’ll likely enjoy the course more. I did some hill training but not a lot and it definitely affected my performance. However, even with the hills and difficulty, the route was an enjoyable tour of Portland, actually offered a decent amount of shade, and variety of neighborhoods / districts.
Weather: the graphic on the race raves page for this race in 2022 is not accurate – the low overnight was 58/60, and it felt warm before the race even started at 7:10 a.m., and reached mid-70’s by the time I finished. This weekend was unseasonably warm for Portland, and not quite the pleasant fall racing weather I hoped for, however, it also wasn’t rainy, so not all bad.
Definitely an event worth running, especially if you’re looking for a fun, well-organized race in a beautiful city and don’t mind a bit slower time. I hope to be back again!
Slacker Half Marathon
Well-organized, scenic, fun event
Slacker Half Marathon
This event is really well run and organized; I can see why it’s been around for 20 years. I ran this as a purely fun challenge and to experience local … MORE
This event is really well run and organized; I can see why it’s been around for 20 years. I ran this as a purely fun challenge and to experience local Colorado running, while here on vacation. I live and train at only 400’ so was a bit worried about the altitude, but planned to take it easy and felt better than I expected to (I did have two days to acclimate).
The course: The course goes from about 10,660’ to 8,500’. My Garmin said the total elevation loss was 2,500. The downhill is serious for this event, so if you haven’t run some hills or don’t keep your form on the major downhills, it will be painful towards the end. There was hardly any uphill. I was impressed with the course (aside from the first mile on a rutted dirt road and in the crowded part of the race – not too fun); most of it was on beautiful paved bike path, through forests and with views down the canyon to the finish in super quaint, historic Georgetown.
Organization: I was really impressed with how well the event was run overall. Start area had plenty of port-a-potties, and they even had jugs of water out – and sunscreen to share. Mile markers were on-point, even though I don’t believe it was a certified course; seems like it easily could be. Perfect placement and amount of aid stations, volunteers were awesome, and the finish in downtown Georgetown was great. The shuttles running back to the start / vehicles were smooth and made it all a breeze.
Swag: moderate, but I think pretty good for the size and cost of the event. Seriously, for my $70 entry fee, this was a SUPER deal. Long-sleeved tech shirts are nice; medals are sufficient. Personally, I don’t mind there not being a female-fit shirt option, though that could be nice. Any race that offers free beer at the finish gets my vote and the Pilsner was refreshing.
Areas to improve: I would love to see a course map (like they provide at packet pick-up) on the website, and an elevation chart would be nice. Finish line fuel options could be improved, mostly speaking as a vegetarian, it would be awesome to offer veggie-dogs, or other salty re-fueling options.
All in all, this is an excellent option for a fairly-small, scenic, and fun race. It’s a great deal, well-run, and I would highly recommend – as long as you have at least a day to adjust to the altitude, it’s well worth it!!
Frozen Trail Runfest
Great Local Trail Event
Frozen Trail Runfest
5 Stars for the quality execution of an event this size. Everything ran smoothly, including my same-day registration (no shirts left to purchase, but can’t fault that with a last-minute … MORE
5 Stars for the quality execution of an event this size. Everything ran smoothly, including my same-day registration (no shirts left to purchase, but can’t fault that with a last-minute entry). The scenery is beautiful out at Mt Pisgah / Buford Park, and the weather in 2021 was perfect so the trails were not muddy, as I’m sure they are most years. There are definitely some solid uphill sections, so doing some training runs out there is helpful, or just some similar trails with elevation gain. Highly recommend the event!
America’s Finest City Half Marathon & 5K
Scenic, classic San Diego race
America’s Finest City Half Marathon & 5K
This race has been around for a while (44th year), and you can tell - it is well-organized and a really solid event. The course is moderately challenging (like others … MORE
This race has been around for a while (44th year), and you can tell – it is well-organized and a really solid event. The course is moderately challenging (like others said, early small rolling hills, then downhill, followed by flat, and then a legit hill at mile 11). Finishing in Balboa park was awesome.
Pros: Scenic and stimulating course (especially as a visitor to the city) – sunrise view of the harbor to start the race was totally worth the early wake-up to catch the shuttle. Aid stations were on point and there were plenty of portable toilets at the start. Really enjoyed the Ballast Point beer at the finish as well. Everything ran smoothly!
Things that could be improved: shirts are not dry-fit material, though the cotton-poly blend is ok, and it’s a shirt I will wear (just probably not for running). For how nice the overall event is, it feels like the shirts should be better. Post-race snacks were not very satisfying (e.g. green banana and chewy brand granola bar).
Overall, would definitely recommend this race and I’d run it again (if I’m in town on race weekend, like this year!).
Cascade Lakes Relay
Best Relay!
Cascade Lakes Relay
Cascade Lakes Relay continues to produce a stellar event experience, and 2021 was no exception (this was my 7th year). The event is very well organized and well-run, even while … MORE
Cascade Lakes Relay continues to produce a stellar event experience, and 2021 was no exception (this was my 7th year). The event is very well organized and well-run, even while having to navigate last-minute Air Quality issues, Cascade Relays adjusted the course so we could still have our CLR experience.
Reasons to run this relay: epic central OR scenery (starts at Diamond Lake, ends in Bend), challenging course (dirt and gravel forest roads, elevation gain, and altitude), camaraderie with other teams and overall awesome atmosphere. The event is also capped at a reasonable size, so you are not going to have the crowding issues of other relay events, like HTC.
Things to consider: build a team of people you want to experience a relay with (sweaty, stinky, sleep-deprived van time can be a highlight, with a great group of people)!
The whole event is at altitude and a lot of it on challenging terrain. The organizers may move the event to June for 2022 (should be announced soon), due to climate change and the ongoing issue of wildfires and air quality in OR; whether it’s in June, or end of July / early August, I expect CLR to continue to be a great event.
Definitely consider CLR if you are looking for an awesome relay race experience!
EWEB Run to Stay Warm
Fast and beautiful late Fall Half
EWEB Run to Stay Warm
This is a well-organized and popular race among locals, but it's welcoming for all levels, and is probably the second largest local Half marathon other than Eugene in the Spring. … MORE
This is a well-organized and popular race among locals, but it’s welcoming for all levels, and is probably the second largest local Half marathon other than Eugene in the Spring. Having run this race several times (between the half and 10k), most years it ends up being great race weather, which is a plus for November in Oregon! The entire race is on the river path along the Willamette in Eugene-Springfield, and if this weren’t my normal running route, I’d probably feel it were even more scenic and appealing, but it really is quite pretty and great for a fast time or PR. This is still a smaller race, pretty non-existent spectators, but there is adequate fuel on the course and it’s big enough that you won’t really be running alone, if for long. The long-sleeved race shirts are always one of my favorites, and it’s definitely a fun event overall. Also, convenient that it’s always the Sunday before Thanksgiving!
California International Marathon (CIM)
Well-organized, great event!
California International Marathon (CIM)
CIM was a fantastic experience for my second full marathon! The weather was perfect, the course was great, organization excellent, all helping me to a PR. Pros: Organization - emails, … MORE
CIM was a fantastic experience for my second full marathon! The weather was perfect, the course was great, organization excellent, all helping me to a PR.
Pros:
Organization – emails, race expo, buses/shuttle to start, were all executed flawlessly. The bag check was a breeze (thank you, volunteers!). The bus to the start made things smooth for those out of town (like myself). Although departing at 5 a.m. sounded (and felt) early, it was great to get to the start and have time to relax and get the anxiety down a bit. You have the option to stay on the bus where it’s warm until 15 minutes to start, or get off to use one of the plentiful port-a-pottys, and then get back on – or stay out and watch the sunrise!
Weather – a perfect day, cool but crystal clear, staying between 45* and 55*.
Course – definitely does have rolling hills, but they are mostly done within the first 15 miles which is pretty ideal. I enjoyed the coast into the finish in downtown Sacramento, and the hills were never too much (but enough to feel on the knees if you don’t regularly train on hills). Minimal turns, good crowds and cheering, wide streets making it fairly easy to run with 9000 other marathoners, and enjoyable running through various little towns en route from Folsom to Sacramento.
Shirt and swag – I loved the race shirt, and the fact that the female fit was actually long enough for once (I’m not even that tall!). Also I enjoyed the other goodies that I’ll acutally use, including the socks, belt, and head/neck band.
Aid stations: consistently placed every 1-2 miles, well-stocked and organized, all with Nuun first, then water (except for one where I couldn’t find water!), some had food, and 4 had Cliff gels.
Cons:
My only area of constructive feedback would be the finish line area and that, in general, I prefer Gatorade to Nuun. At the finish, I would have loved to have some electrolyte/carb drink right there with the water (Nuun tent was hard to find in a far corner), as well as something like oranges or chocolate milk. The warm breakfast sandwich was tasty (and I loved that they had a vegetarian option!) but a bit hard to digest, not having first found the simple carbs I needed. The delicious canned coffee drinks were a great plus, which I enjoyed after my stomach stabilized a couple hours later! Overall, the finish area felt crowded and less well-signed / organized than the rest of the event and race. Still a cool finish spot at the Capitol, though. And I loved having the palm trees in background of photos.
Overall, CIM is really well done, a great course, with a good mix of elite, fast runners and BQers, but also plenty of average runners like myself trying to break the 4 hour mark or just finish. I definitely recommend this race and hope to run it again myself!
Santa Rosa Marathon
Fun race in wine country
Santa Rosa Marathon
Santa Rosa is an overall good event, although this year the record high temps were a curve ball for finishing my first full marathon! The best things about this race … MORE
Santa Rosa is an overall good event, although this year the record high temps were a curve ball for finishing my first full marathon! The best things about this race were the course, overall flat and fast (with a mix of small town and wine country), the expo and finish line area (loved the Lagunitas beer!), consistent and solid aid stations, and swag. I especially enjoyed the bottle of Runners Red wine to take home! The downsides / areas to improve would be organization at the start line (there was no clear direction / signage about where the corrals were and there was a giant clog of everyone trying to get to the right area for the start – which was late. Simple signage, and maybe a map of the start area at the expo, would have solved this issue! Also, the overall organization / communication could be much better. For example, multiple emails stated there would be NO on-site parking at the expo, but it was extremely difficult to track down the info on where we would be able to park / how to get to the expo. Obviously, this would be a non-issue for locals, but traveling out of state it was more confusing. The other downside was that, while the course is a beautiful route, I found it quite crowded during the first 5-6 miles on the bike path (for those around a 9:00 pace, at least). I also heard the the faster marthoners ran into the slow half walkers on their way back in, which sounds frustrating. Seems like the event might be out-growing the route…
Overall, this was a solid race and I had a great experience for my first full marathon! I would recommend it, especially if you’re looking for a late summer marathon.
Eugene Marathon
Tracktown race top notch
Eugene Marathon
Eugene is my hometown, but as I run more races in other towns/cities, I am consistently reminded with how wonderful an event the Eugene Marathon is. I have run the … MORE
Eugene is my hometown, but as I run more races in other towns/cities, I am consistently reminded with how wonderful an event the Eugene Marathon is. I have run the half the last four years, but since I train here, I also regularly run much of the course for the full. Having now finished two fulls myself, I can say I definitely plan to run the Eugene full, and anticipate it being a fast and enjoyable race.
Pros:
Finishing on Hayward Field – let’s face it, other than a race like Boston, I think finishing on the track at Hayward is top notch. It feels amazing to hit that track for the last .15, and there are always lots of spectators to cheer you to the finish!
Course – the race follows a nice mixture of city / neighborhood streets, going through the University of Oregon campus, and past the football stadium, onto the river path that hugs the Willamette river. It is overall very flat, with a slight incline miles 2-4.5, a couple hills (not too big though) at mile 8.5, and 14ish, and then small rolling hills along the bike path the last few miles (for the full only). Again, overall very flat and fast, and once more runners discover this as a good BQ course, I can see the participation exploding!
Fans – people in Eugene love running, and if they don’t run, they still appreciate it as the legacy of this small city. The crowd support /spirit is great for an event this size. From a guy playing an electric guitar in a field by the river, to kids and families drinking coffee and eating donuts, offering “free hugs,” the crowd adds a fun element to this race.
Finish line – the finish area is excellent. Rather than a street curb, you are ushered onto the artificial turf soccer fields, where hot pancakes, live music, and usually plenty of sun greet you. The beer tent is great, though you do have to buy your beer (maybe one of these days they’ll change that!). Also, plenty of refillable water stations, and the last two years part of the finish line swag is a water bottle.
Organization – I feel this is a well-organized race, and at the same time, it is my hometown, so it’s more familiar to navigate.
Cons:
Shirts – the shirts could be better! They are fine, good quality Nike t-shirts, but I’ve been disappointed that 2 of the last 3 years were white. Also, I consistently feel that the shirts don’t fit quite right (no matter the size) – the female ones are just not long enough. I feel like the shirts could be better in order to match the overall quality of this event.
Highly recommend this event, to anyone from a first-timer, up to anyone trying for a PR or even a BQ, this is a great race!
Bizz Johnson Marathon Events
Beautiful course, small-town event
Bizz Johnson Marathon Events
This is a really well done event for a small-town race, with an ideal course surface (slight downhill on fine gravel, on an old converted railroad track trail) through the … MORE
This is a really well done event for a small-town race, with an ideal course surface (slight downhill on fine gravel, on an old converted railroad track trail) through the foothills of Lassen National Park. They have several events to choose from: I ran the half marathon on Saturday (as opposed to the out and back option on Sunday), and I was really happy with that choice, since the first 6 miles are especially beautiful. It is a small race, which can either be awesome or boring, depending on what you’re looking for – but the natural beauty and fresh mountain air (it is at elevation) makes it super enjoyable. The weather was perfect both years I ran it (2014 and 15) – would do it again if scheduling allows! The slight downhill cancels out the elevation as far as impact on pace (in my experience), and the grade is very slight so you won’t destroy your quads – though I can’t speak to the first 13 miles of the full marathon. They do a great job at the finish line with post-run snacks too, especially for a small event – M & Ms, oranges, hot soup / chili, and a free Sierra Nevada beer. The shirts are all right, and the medal is lacking, but those should not be the reasons you choose this race anyhow! If you’re looking for a beautiful, mellow fall race on a great surface, this is a good choice.