Marathon #152 (country #27): Lisbon ECO Marathon, Portugal

4:53 finish, 88/143 place overall. Small, scenic but very tough course running mostly through Monsanto Park, just west of Lisbon. Race starts and finishes in the middle of the city, which is hilly to begin with, then quickly moves onto mostly unpaved paths and trails (which I’m very slow on) with very steep, endless hills. Much slower than average time but not unexpected considering the course - one of the hardest I’ve done aside from Pikes Peak and Zermatt.

Race map and details

Upcoming Marathons / Goals

Upcoming Marathons

5/26/24: Marathon #153 (Can. prov. #8): Saskatchewan Marathon, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

6/29/24: Marathon #154 (country #28): Midzomer Marathon, Apeldoorn, Netherlands

7/14/24: Marathon #155 (country #29): Kamphaeng Phet Marathon, Nong Pling, Thailand

8/17/24: Marathon #156 (country #30): Paavo Nurmi Marathon, Turku, Finland

Marathon Goals

- Countries (as many as possible given time and travel constraints)

- Second round of 50 states, also trying for at least one in each state under four hours

- Canadian provinces 

- Additional local marathons if needed to maintain fitness and fill in calendar

Marathon #151 (second round state #35): Mission Run in the Ozarks Marathon, Mountain View, AR

4:16 finish, 1/7 place overall. Tiny rural marathon in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas, about two hours north of Little Rock. Nice scenery but extremely hilly and unseasonably warm. Very friendly volunteers providing support along the course, but otherwise it was more like a solo training run. I did not need the state for sub-four (only for second round), and considering the conditions and short two-week turnaround from last marathon, I went in expecting the slow finish. Only goal was to get the state done with the added benefit of a long hilly training run for an even hillier course in Portugal next month.

Race map and details

Marathon #150 (sub-four state #43, second round state #34): Des Moines St. Paddy's Marathon, IA

3:43 finish, 46/202 place overall. Nice small race mostly along park and riverfront paths, starting and finishing downtown in front of the Iowa state capitol. A little windy but otherwise ideal weather with a flat course; decent sub-four finish.

Race map and details

Marathon #149 (second round state #33): Lost Dutchman Marathon, Apache Junction, AZ

3:45 finish. 42/320 place overall. Scenic desert race starting in the Superstition Mountains and finishing in Apache Junction, about 45 minutes east of Phoenix. A little hilly and warm near the end, but still about ten minutes faster than last time at this race 12 years ago.

Race map and details

Marathon #148 (second round state #32): Mobile Marathon, AL

3:42 finish, 13/61 place overall. Small low-key race through mostly residential areas of Mobile, starting and finishing downtown. Very flat with ideal weather; better than average finish time.

Race map and details

Marathon #147: Rehoboth Seashore Marathon, DE

3:55 finish, 282/861 place overall. Scenic race along the coast of southern Delaware. Flat course with good running weather, but a little tougher in the second half than last few marathons.

Race map and details