Marathon #181 (country* #40): Isle of Man Marathon, Ramsey, Isle of Man

3:53 finish, 54/97 place overall.

Small but fairly scenic rural race on the northern end of Isle of Man in the middle of the Irish Sea, about halfway between Ireland and Britain. Isle of Man has its own separate government, but as a Crown Dependency of the United Kingdom, it’s not fully its own country and depends on the UK for defense and foreign policy. The culture, climate and scenery are similar to rural parts of the UK, but it has its own unique history and identity.

The course is a little hilly but nothing too crazy, and with ideal weather - cool and cloudy - my time was okay. Good to be back in the normal range after the miserably slow hot and humid Malaysia marathon three weeks ago.

* Although Isle of Man is a Crown Dependency of the UK, Marathon Globetrotters counts it as its own “country.” Their list is the standard used by many international marathon runners.

Garmin map and performance details

Upcoming Marathons

9/13/26: Marathon #182 (second round state #45): Sundance to Spearfish Marathon, SD

10/11/26: Marathon #183 (country #41): Budapest Marathon, Hungary

11/23/26 Marathon #184 (second round state #46): Route 66 Marathon, Tulsa, OK

Marathon #180 (country #39): Score Marathon, Putrajaya, Malaysia

4:45 finish, 994/4823 place overall.

Large urban race through the streets and highways of Putrajaya, a city just outside of Kuala Lumpur that serves as Malaysia’s administrative capital. Strangely it has the feel of a big city American marathon with overly enthusiastic announcements in English, pop music at the start and finish, and well organized support on the course. The big difference though is that, like other races in tropical locations, it runs in the middle of the night to minimize the effects of the extreme heat. Even with a start around 2am, it was about 80 degrees Fahrenheit with brutally oppressive humidity. The course is fairly flat but the weather is the biggest challenge.

This was one of my slowest road marathons ever. I went in expecting to be slower than usual due to the weather, but it was even worse because of sleep deprivation and the back-to-back two-week turnarounds (third marathon within a month) - something I had never done before and probably won’t do again. Just glad to get the country done without having to bail.

Garmin map and performance details

Photos - Malaysia

Photos - Singapore

Marathon #179 (country #38): Samoa International Marathon, Apia, Samoa

4:04 finish, 2/16 place overall.

Very small and unusual but friendly race on the island of Upolu, the most populated island of the independent nation of Samoa (separate from the neighboring U.S. territory of American Samoa). They are very welcoming to foreign runners and even have a little parade the day before through the center of Apia, the capital city, displaying the flags of each country represented. Unlike anything seen in a larger marathon, the race director personally knows each runner by name, where they’re from, and a little of their background.

Like other marathons in tropical locations, it starts in the middle of the night to avoid the intense heat, and for a tiny race like this (only 16 full marathoners), that means running alone in the dark for much of the race. For this reason, rather than regular aid stations, they have individual support vehicles driving behind each runner to carry what they need, provide light, and help ward off the many loose dogs on the road that constantly bark at and chase runners.

With less than two weeks since my last marathon, lack of sleep, and tropical weather, I was expecting to be slower than usual. With a flat course and a nice breeze, my finish time just over four hours wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

Garmin map and performance details

Photos

Marathon #178 (second round state #44): Grandma's Marathon, Duluth, MN

3:53 finish, 2949/9594 place overall. Very popular and well-supported race based in Duluth, a small city at the western tip of Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota. It has been sponsored for 50 years by Grandma’s Restaurant in Duluth, which is the reason for its name. It starts in the small town of Two Harbors and runs along the lakefront, with some nice views, to the finish in downtown Duluth. This year, being even more crowded than usual due to it being the race’s 50th running, they had delays with the buses to the start line, forcing me to start near the back of the pack and weave around many slower runners for the early miles. Luckily this caused only a minor slowdown and, with a fairly flat course and good weather, I was still able to finish under four hours - not needed for the state but always nice to get when possible.

Garmin map and performance details

Photos