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@lysne

Salem, OR Raving since 2021 50 States hopeful/finisher Active 1 month ago

About Me

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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
Marathon Newport, OR 2013 4:16:24
Half Marathon Portland, OR 2013 1:45:58

Future Races (2)

Race Distance Location Date Paid
Marathon Louisville, KY Apr 27, 2024
Marathon Missoula, MT Jun 30, 2024

Past Races (15)

Race Distance Location Date Result My Raves My Performance
Marathon Port Angeles, WA Jun 4, 2023 4:25:49
Marathon Houston, TX Jan 15, 2023 4:27:32
Marathon Mesa, AZ Feb 12, 2022 4:37:02
Marathon Folsom, CA Dec 5, 2021 4:36:29
Marathon Albuquerque, NM Sep 25, 2021 4:43:19
Marathon Laketown, UT Jun 12, 2021 5:09:04
Marathon Cokeville, WY Jun 11, 2021 4:26:46
Marathon Boise, ID May 18, 2019 4:34:35
Half Marathon Salem, OR Oct 7, 2018 1:57:04
Marathon Newport, OR May 30, 2015 4:21:54
Marathon Las Vegas, NV Nov 16, 2014 4:21:47
Half Marathon Vancouver, WA Jan 26, 2014 2:05:16
Half Marathon Portland, OR 2013 1:45:58
Marathon Newport, OR 2013 4:16:24
Marathon Seattle, WA 2012 4:35:35

My Raves

This race was a big surprise to me, and in a positive way. In short, the logistics and execution on this small race was excellent--these folks know their course, their … MORE

This race was a big surprise to me, and in a positive way. In short, the logistics and execution on this small race was excellent–these folks know their course, their neighborhoods, and how to deliver the best course experience.

I signed up for this race to run with a friend (his first marathon). I was dreading it a little because I knew it was Port Angeles, and I expected a wet or cold and dreary race, which isn’t really my jam. We lucked out with spectacular weather in the 60s and sun.

The start logistics were simple and well executed–take a city bus (reserved) from Port Angeles up to the tribal casino hotel. At the hotel , runners could wait outside, or even go inside to stay warm and pick up snacks, or a coffee, which really was a nice surprise–the wait was completely comfortable.

The race itself is fairly no-frills with a simple start and dash on a walking trail that winds back eventually to neighborhoods and Port Angeles, with a finish just outside the sponsor hotel.

The course itself is neither flat nor exceptionally challenging. It is a fairly shaded course (think running on a paved nature trail most of the way), with some interesting areas to run through (including a long bridge trail), and some challenging small segments (.2 mile type segments) approximately mid-way. Towards the end you get to run along parts of the Strait of Juan de Fuca (or perhaps just Puget Sound), although the views were more limited than I was expecting–until right near the last several miles.

The crowd support is small, as would be expected in a small community, but pretty enthusiastic. In one area that’s particularly challenging (a steep hill) a drum circle/group on top welcomes the runner up top, which really was a cool experience, and just really showed that the organizers cared about their course and their runners.

Support on the way was excellent, with a variety of water and gatorade, and various snacks seemingly a couple miles apart and consistently.

All in all, this was a really pleasant local race, and it was a thrill to finish the line with a new marathoner.

DIFFICULTY
3
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
3
SWAG
2

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I really loved this race. Out of the 11 I've now completed, I would put this at or near the top for a combination of reasons: the gentle course, excellent … MORE

I really loved this race. Out of the 11 I’ve now completed, I would put this at or near the top for a combination of reasons: the gentle course, excellent logistics before and during the race, the nice weather, the very solid aid stations, and the surprisingly enormous crowd support on the course (they say 200,000+ and I actually wouldn’t doubt that, it was at least 100,000 by my internal counter.) The only ‘knock’ I’ll give is for the folks who like swag, the medal was bland, the T-shirt was bland, and the goodie-bag was…a bag. (The expo was quite nice though). If there’s one thing though that blew me away was the City of Houston. I had never been to the city, and I really enjoyed my stay in the downtown area, and I thought that the course selection did a nice job in showing off some nice neighborhoods and parts of the city. (I would not call it a beautiful run though, it was definitely an urban run with a fair amount of running through sprawl.) I loved Houston and look forward to returning. (I’d run this race again in a heartbeat but need to factor in that I’m running in other states as well.)

DIFFICULTY
1
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
2
SWAG
1

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?

This was the second race for me in two days--I signed up for the Wyoming and Utah legs of the Bear Lake Trifecta. I had never run two marathons before … MORE

This was the second race for me in two days–I signed up for the Wyoming and Utah legs of the Bear Lake Trifecta. I had never run two marathons before and had no idea whether I would even make the finish line, let alone finish, or what that would like like. (And I’m not a particularly gifted runner.)

With those caveats, this was an amazing race, and my second favorite of all time (the first being the Wyoming leg I ran the day before).
This race had a small field, with 70 or so runners, many of whom were 50-staters. That made for a very cool vibe–a very friendly supportive–which helps in those remote quiet areas of the race.

The marathon itself is an out-and-back run leaving the small town along Bear Lake into fairly quiet farming areas, and some dirt paths at one point. It’s a gorgeous and scenic race, mostly on quiet farming roads (traffic safety could be an issue in theory, but there’s not a lot of cars–most are traveling in support). The race is at altitude, in the 6,000-foot range, but I didn’t experience extra fatigue or suffering (I aggressively stayed hydrated).

This race is more challenging than the Wyoming leg, with a challenging hill on a somewhat rocky trail near the 8-9 mile mark, which was especially hard coming in with dead legs having run the day before. (That hill is the reason I name this my second-favorite race–I’m not a trail runner so it was a challenge and I liked Wyoming a little more because of it.) No way is this a PR or BQ course. Especially when weather is factored in, with it being fully exposed to the sun (we had 70-80 degree temperatures by the end.) But I really liked the course and thought there were good choices made with the course.

The overall course setup, with an out-and-back, was an excellent idea for such a small race. The out-and-back allowed for setting up aid stations about 2 miles apart that would serve both directions, and also cut (in half) the number of volunteers necessary to man the tables. The aid station support was the best I’ve ever seen in any race, with a huge spread of options at *most* tables (and some variety along the way too)–water, gatorade, gels, pretzels, chips, fruit snacks, bananas, etc.

In terms of spectators, there are not many, there were a few in the town at the start and finish (maybe Miles 1-2 and 25-26.) Don’t expect many locals except perhaps at the start and finish. However, I found that the spectator support was surprisingly good, and that came from the runners themselves, but especially the family/friends of other runners who drove along and supported their runner, and from the aid station crews. Over the race, there were 5-10 or so cars stopping at various points along the race, and you could get to know those supporters. I liked that kind of intimacy and had a lot of conversations with those supporters at the finish line.

I was really impressed with this race. I loved the accomplishment of finishing a “back-to-back” marathon for the first time, which is something that is offered here (with the Trifecta, you could run three days in a row if you wanted to.) And it’s in a gorgeous area with an RD and a small crew of volunteers who know how to use their resources carefully to put on a really solid and well-supported race.

DIFFICULTY
4
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
5
SWAG
2

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I really did not know what to expect when I signed up for this race out of the blue--I signed up for the Wyoming and Utah legs of the Bear … MORE

I really did not know what to expect when I signed up for this race out of the blue–I signed up for the Wyoming and Utah legs of the Bear Lake Trifecta. I had never been to Utah. I signed up because I like running in different states and because it was there. It is a 50-stater draw, which I didn’t really realize what that meant, but I liked it, and the vibe of the runners (very friendly, not competitive, and very supportive.)

This race ended up being my favorite of the 8ish marathons I have run thus far. It is a very small-town race, with a small field of 50 runners. The marathon itself is an out-and-back run in a beautiful area on quiet farming roads (traffic safety could be an issue in theory, but there’s not a lot of cars–most are traveling in support). The race is at altitude, I think in the 6,000-foot range, but I didn’t experience much in terms of extra fatigue or suffering (and I came from sea level the night before). The race is fairly flat but with some legitimate rollers that make you remember it’s Wyoming–it is not a PR or BQ course to say the least. Especially when weather is factored in, with it being fully exposed to the sun (we had 70-80 degree temperatures by the end.)

The setup was, in my opinion, a brilliant idea, as the out-and-back allowed for setting up aid stations that would serve both directions, and also cut (in half) the number of volunteers necessary to man the tables. (Keep in mind the City of Cokeville has 500 people per the city sign). The aid station support was the best I’ve ever seen in any race, with a huge spread of options at *most* tables (and some variety along the way too)–water, gatorade, gels, pretzels, chips, fruit snacks, bananas, etc.

In terms of spectators, there are basically cows, with one exception. Don’t expect many or any locals except perhaps at the start and finish. However, I found that the spectator support was surprisingly good–and that came from the friends/family who drove along and supported their runner, and from the aid station crews. Over the race, there were 5-10 or so cars stopping at various points along the race, and you could get to know those supporters. I liked that kind of intimacy and had a lot of conversations with those supporters at the finish line. (I ended up toward the front of the pack, finishing eighth with a 4:26 time, so I mention that the spectator support could seem a lot less if you were running a fair bit slower, since there will be fewer support).

Again, I was really impressed with this race. I came in with uncertain expectations and expected that I probably wouldn’t like it or that it would be “meh.” My expectations were totally wrong–I loved the race (and the race the following day.)

DIFFICULTY
3
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
5
SWAG
2

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?