My Profile

@pgillis

Manchester, NH Raving since 2018 Boston Marathon finisher Active 5 years, 11 months 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 (6)

Race Distance Location Date Result
Marathon Manchester, NH Nov 12, 2017 2:48:36
20 Miler Kittery, ME Mar 26, 2017 2:09:13
16 Miler Derry, NH Jan 28, 2018 1:43:09
15 Miler Brookline, NH Oct 22, 2017 1:40:12
Half Marathon Loudon, NH Oct 1, 2017 1:19:02
10 Miler Auburn, NH Aug 26, 2017 1:01:01

Future Races (0)

Race Distance Location Date Paid

Past Races (10)

Race Distance Location Date Result My Raves My Performance
Marathon Hopkinton, MA Apr 16, 2018 3:02:57
Half Marathon Manchester, NH Mar 24, 2018 1:19:06
16 Miler Derry, NH Jan 28, 2018 1:43:09
Half Marathon Atkinson, NH Dec 10, 2017 1:21:47
Marathon Manchester, NH Nov 12, 2017 2:48:36
15 Miler Brookline, NH Oct 22, 2017 1:40:12
Half Marathon Loudon, NH Oct 1, 2017 1:19:02
10 Miler Auburn, NH Aug 26, 2017 1:01:01
20 Miler Kittery, ME Mar 26, 2017 2:09:13
Marathon Portland, ME Oct 2, 2016 3:00:29

My Raves

Realizing this may sound like a spoiled brat's review, I'll just say I recognize that there are many out there who will never get to run this race and for … MORE

Realizing this may sound like a spoiled brat’s review, I’ll just say I recognize that there are many out there who will never get to run this race and for someone to badmouth it in anyway is blasphemy . I’ve got several sub 3’s (including a 2:48 pr) under my belt at other courses but Boston just always kills me. The weather rarely works out. This year was the worst of the worst. First 5 miles are literally impossible NOT to run too fast anyway but when the torrential downpours and 40 mph wind gusts kicked in right after mile 5, it made it an absolute nightmare. Up to mile 15 was on a PR pace, then hypothermic symptoms set in and the last 11 were an absolute nightmare crawl. There is too much drama leading up to and during this race every year and the weather is always either too hot or just something crazy happens like this year…Run it once but never expect a PR here.

DIFFICULTY
5
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
5
SWAG
4

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?

Pretty unique course, really focused on Elm Street, the main street in Manchester, which is really good for your spectators. They can literally see you 5 or 6 times without … MORE

Pretty unique course, really focused on Elm Street, the main street in Manchester, which is really good for your spectators. They can literally see you 5 or 6 times without having to move more than one or 2 blocks away.

The finisher’s medal is very nice (Shamrock shape as you’d probably guess) although it seems it was originally meant to be on a plaque as the pins are still in the back of it. Millenium Running puts on great races, you’ll always get free beer afterwards. Age group awards are never anything special but you’ll walk away with a beer glass if you place, which is something.

Entry fee is a bit higher than I’d like to see in a half marathon but not totally unreasonable.

The course itself has long uphills and long downhills but it’d be hard to design any course at any distance in Manchester that wasn’t. That’s not to say it’s not a fair course..it’s very runnable and the volunteers do a great job at the aid station and you could run a very good time here which I was able to do (missed my PR by 4 seconds and that was with pretty severe shin splints)

DIFFICULTY
3
PRODUCTION
4
SCENERY
3
SWAG
2

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?

This is a classic for New England Runners, especially those training for Boston. It is very tough to find road races longer than 5k's in the winter in New Hampshire … MORE

This is a classic for New England Runners, especially those training for Boston. It is very tough to find road races longer than 5k’s in the winter in New Hampshire so this one, in late January, is extremely popular despite its difficulty.
The Greater Derry Track Club is a class act organization and this is their top event, in my opinion.
The staging area is at a local middle school and they let you hang out inside the gym right up until the race is about to start..a huge plus. There is a short walk to the start but you get to pass a couple of curious horses on the way which for some reason always amuses me.
They jokingly put “Moderately challenging” on the logo (the shirt was great this year..they added a hood) but don’t be fooled, you are going to be running hill after hill after hill, culminating in a 2 mile portion of almost all climbing about 3/4 of the way through (they also time that portion for a separate award category which is cool).
After that portion, though, if you’ve saved your legs even a little bit, you’ve got smooth sailing for about the last 5k which I’ve seen both sides of. The first time I ran it was bitter cold and I wasn’t ready for the difficulty of the climbs and I had nothing left so it was misery right to the end. The last 2 times, I learned to save something and then you truly finish with a smile on your face. It’s a great test to see where you are in your Boston training or just to give yourself a unique winter road challenge.

DIFFICULTY
4
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
4
SWAG
4

2 members marked this review helpful. Agree?

Since Millenium Running took over and re-designed the course, this has become a much more runnable race and much fairer in terms of being able to PR, which I did … MORE

Since Millenium Running took over and re-designed the course, this has become a much more runnable race and much fairer in terms of being able to PR, which I did by 8 minutes last fall. Starting downtown, which admittedly isn’t the most scenic place, the race gets out of the main part of the city and onto the bikepath along the river, before heading back downtown and onto a nice tour around the city’s recreational trails and hilly streets. For spectators it is nice because the runners pass through the downtown area a few times along the way. Perhaps the nicest addition is the 5-6 mile portion near the end along the newly renovated Goffstown rail trail which is virtually flat and is a welcome relief after running some pretty hilly portions up to that point. The race got a bad rap for years because it was very difficult and too hilly but they recently amended the course and it made it faster. Some pretty fast runners have recently pr’d here and if you give it a shot, it’d be a nice way to check off New Hampshire on your 50 state list.

DIFFICULTY
3
PRODUCTION
3
SCENERY
3
SWAG
1

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?