M E Hall's Staging Area

I do series of marathons, and the more I do the slower I get. Well, almost. This was my 11 marathon of the series. We had one of those crisp cool days with a lite breeze to start. The early start of course… Maine was there to meet me with a fun day. Suddenly it was Saturday run day, I didn’t have much to prove after 10 days of marathons but a beautiful slightly hilly course unfolded in front of me. The first seven laps were done in 3 hours that’s good for a 72 year old. So I went into overdrive just seven to go. Up the wooded hilly trail to the asphalt rood and past the only spectators to the red turnaround cone. 7 last times. It looked close to finish in 6:30 so the last mile was full throttle. I t was going to be close breaking out of the trees into the parking lot a mad dash past several runners and ring the bell. 6:29:32 I still had 31 seconds to go. Well maybe next race I hit the exact time. Keep Moving my friends, Keep moving.

Pouring rain for 3 1/2 hours. Race pickup was for the series which makes the individual races easy. One Bib for 11 races in this case. I basically gave in at the half because I was wet and cold.

Delaware prides itself to be called “the first state” but to me it was a new state on my way to complete my first time around the 50 states. I went the distance with my #loony #50States #marathonmaniacs #halffanatics friends. It was hot but our brothers at Mainly Marathons feed us, watered and popsicles us to the finish. I love mainly races because they know how to take care of the runners. We of course got swag, series shirts, series medal, race medal, and if you finish the series a series finisher medal. Those that RunRagged (complete both Independence Series and New England Series) received the coveted Belt Buckle. First timers get a special medal and a free second race. Sound pretty Loony to me… but after all I am loony.

I just love running Mainly Marathon races however I was having trouble with Plantar Fasciitis this day. So I cover the foot with biofeeeze and settled for a half. This was good b/c I found strengh for the next day by doing that.

Not only is the course to a Nasccar track it also is one of the most beautiful course I have run. Story is I have already done three marathons in TN. It was time for me to do a half. I also must admit at 72 I need a break every once in a while. So the closest I came to a rest day was a half. So many races and so little time to do them. Keep moving my friends.

Okay this is probably what you don’t want to hear! The expo was a bib pickup at the start line not where it was said to be. One of my friends turned his ankle at the bib pickup. The race had the turns marked on the ground however for the first few miles we had 5k, 10k, half, and full on the same course and of course the signage was hidden under racers feet not to mention that the start was somewhat chaos with slow runners in front of faster runners. There was a turn less than 50 yards from the start. So we first saw the industrial side of Jackson before heading out several miles on a boulevard to turn around for our fourth out and back. The race had lots of turns so on the second lap when we only had 220 on the course it was easy to see the turns. There is a section of out and back close to the capitol that is hilly this was probably my favorite section because with the hills and houses it was quite pretty. I confirm what others have said there are holes to turn your ankles in and holes that might break your leg if your shoe gets caught. It was advertised as having pacers and there were none. It was advertised as having lots of music; on the second lap there was none. Lots of promises but not much substance. I told the assistant race director about the signage problem. No no no I am not going back so many other races I can do.

This was a covid race so the expo was just a bib pickup… the people were very friendly. The bib is solid black with your numbers on it. The race is point to point so there is an early bus ride. We decided to stay at the race hotel to catch the bus there, problem no bus back to the hotel. It would have been better to drive to the bus area. Please don’t spend the extra money.
The race starts about 150 meters above the bus parking area. As promised it was cold at this elevation. The first 3 and 1/2 miles are downhill. There is a surprise uphill between 4 and 5, then down again to mile 10. After that you are running up and down continuously to the finish. This seventy-one year old was very challenged on the back half. This race has good organization but is challenging because of the altitude. I am happy to have finished but so sore afterwards. I would not recommend it to a beginning runner. So happy to have finished State #39.

Hey, it looks like things are pretty much back to normal in Portland. We ran this race sponsored by Foot Traffic. They had put in limited numbers for this year 2021. We were 112 in the Marathon. The first par of the race is from the Pumpkin Patch to the levee. So it was completely flat then up a tiny bit to the levee. I really enjoyed the run down the levee and back. This was the scenic part of the race. However, most of the race is not shaded so the early start and your speed controls how much you bake in the July sun. After those two parts we ran the half course back to the start. As people woke up so did the traffic on the road. Most of the time we had traffic only one direction but when drivers entered the course between roadblocks we were scrambling out of their way. So it is done and number 35 state is in the books. Happy running to all.

We rush from Eisenhower Marathon in Kansas to do this race the next day. We were able to find parking and pickup our bibs with lots of time to spare. The race start was supposed to be Covid 19 proof however many of the runners weren’t wearing masks. We had staggered wave starts. The first 13 miles of the race is rollers in neighborhoods with a lot of shade. Unfortunately the second half is on a different loop. We were exposed to 88F temperature with little to no shade. There were lots of drink stops fortunately. As I am slow I worried about the 3:15 cutoff for the first have which I easily beat at 2:50 however after reaching mile 18 I had race officials coming to me every mile asking me to speed up. I did and was on course to finish at 6:30 when at mile 22 the police required me to get on the non-existent sidewalk. Of course they removed the markings of the course. So instead of finishing at 6:30 I finished at 6:50 after going a long ways off course. Who’s fault I believe the Police and the city’s. However, it wish the race well they can’t control the weather or the police. Cheers, see you out there.

Nice place to have a race. We were a little shocked that covid19 rules weren’t followed. Lots of runners starting with no masks and no distance between runners. The course was scenic in a gated community. We did see the Ocean at one location. The first three and last three miles were down a highway. The final three involved dodging some traffic. The bling was a medal fanatic, sunglasses, and a soft cotton shirt. No shirts left the correct size for my wife. Again at the finish, the medals were given out by non-masked individuals who wanted to shake our hands. Then came the knuckle bump which I didn’t do either. But finally they were happy with an elbow bump. I guest that’s life in GA.

This race depends on weather especially wind. It is totally flat except for 2.5+ miles of bridge. The course 1-5 is alongside a lake then at miles 6-20 are on the highway to Greenville- this is exposed to wind especially the bridge. This time the wind was moderate and enjoyable. Was able to push my hamstrings which are still healing. So I made reasonably good time… the next part 21-26 is in town running which to me was the nicest part. We ran through a gated community where I had sausage and beer. Remember go easy on the sausage in a race. So I kicked some on the last three miles which of course is pancake flat. There was a small after party with runners distanced from one another. I was able to meet some people from around the country. Thanks John Conner, RD for a great race.

I picked up my packet just before the race. In the packet was my shirt, bib, and pins. The race is flat on concrete paths beside the Trinity River. It is more scenic than the paths in Tulsa. The course is a double loop so we crossed four bridges which provided some up and down. Everything was smooth and though I heard some complain about the course being on concrete you did have the option of running on the gravel path parallel. The best part was the weather. I was prepared for it to be hot but instead we had a covered sky all day. I was able to run comfortably and for long periods.

No expo due to Covid19, Start was planned as a trickle start however everyone was standing on top of one another. The first half was fast for me but of course it was hot on the second… my fault back of the pack runner. But I pushed myself and finished. If it had been cooler I would have done better. The race is well arranged for spectators not so much for runners. When running down the main street (Douglas) runners are in the middle of two lanes of traffic very well marked. But not so good if you are looking for shade from the sun. So I liked the new start venue however there weren’t as many neighborhood streets once again no shelter from the sun.

Day before pick up at race hotel.. The bib worked for all three days which is great. The RD, I know personally and she puts on a great race. So about being the new kid… with only 30 some marathons I was the least experienced runner. These guys are mostly over 300 marathons. The whole idea is to get together as a group and run, run/walk marathons. They are all out there just to finish…. spending lots of time talking on what is going on in their families. I would say this is more of a meeting of runners with running on the side. Very enjoyable and low stress.

Branson is a great place for a race and the RD made sure it wasn’t all hills. Unfortunately, the day was very humid and even with an early 5:00 start it was 70F. I quickly knocked out the half but then the sun came out. It was burning hot and humid. Then for the last lap #6 the storm came in and I was able to finish before lightning started. In all I am very tired now and have the tough back half of the year to finish now. But I successfully completed YTD #9.

Pro… race day packet pickup
Pro .. lots of porta-potties
Pro.. well organized start/ finish and water stops
Pro ..water bottles at water stops rather than cups
Pro..Horseshoe AG awards, nice medal and cotton shirt
Con..Huge hill coming in to the finish
Con.. weather, humidity, lots of rain so an hour delayed start

We did this race because I couldn’t really find any others to do. Was I ever surprised. Races don’t have to be big to be fun. The race had 17 marathoners. But I knew a lot of them and met the ones I didn’t know. While exciting scenery can be fun sometimes it is just wonderful to run and circle and talk to so many people. I have really forgotten how much I love the banter out on the race course. It was an easy run except for the summer heat but I am here to tell you I would do it again.

I think this was a significant time for all of us. Little did we know that in a few days we would stop working and stay home. This was our last hoorah before masks and being indoors became the normal. As I look back today, I really wonder if I realized what we were doing as we climbed up that immense hill that highlight the LR course. Yes we pushed and continued to push… until we found the top. And a few miles latter grabbed hold of that plate sized medal. Was this just a preview of the things to come. Did we realize that 2 years later we would find a real victory. Who knows what importance our next race will be. Let’s just “run the race set before us.” Keep moving my friends, keep moving.

The people that go to these races are very friendly. This is an out and back with repeats in a state park. Little or no elevation. One pit stop for each lap, so you never lack anything.