4:40 finish, 121/360 place overall. This marathon was a very last-minute decision - literally three days in advance. Coming off of Pikes Peak the previous Sunday, I had no thoughts of any marathons until October. With the approach of Hurricane Irene, however, I checked online for a 10K or half marathon somewhere to the west to give me an excuse to get out of NY and get a "recovery" race under my belt. My search brought me to Timmy's Challenge, an inaugural event in WV that featured a half and a full. I considered the half, but by this point I was leaning more and more towards taking the plunge on the 50-states marathon goal. If I am going to drive eight hours to WV, why not get a state out of the way, even if I have to walk half the race? Having no idea how my body would react to marathons on back-to-back weeks, I took the chance and signed up. The course was an out-and-back on a rail-trail in rural WV. Warm weather, but not brutal, and a nice escape from Irene that was hitting the northeast literally as the race was happening. Starting off very slow and not caring how bad my time would be, I was pleasantly surprised to finish under five hours - even beating my personal worst (Pikes Peak notwithstanding) in San Francisco two years earlier. Race had some organizational issues, such as not having sports drink (only water) and not having anyone at the finish to hand out medals, but I got another state out of the way and proved to myself that back-to-back weeks were possible albeit far from desirable.
Race map and details
Welcome! This blog gives a summary of each marathon with finish time/place, course info, conditions, and links to performance data and travel photos. There are also separate pages listing marathons in different countries/continents, states, and Canadian provinces as well as general info about my running background, frequently asked questions, and advice for anyone looking to start running or exercising more. This blog is linked on my Facebook page, but I'm very rarely on social media otherwise.