Marathon #43 (state #31): Mesa Falls Marathon, ID

4:06 finish, 51/142 place overall. This was the ID race I had to skip last year due to injury, and this year it ended up being two weeks after Crater Lake, which I had already planned. As I learned from the NYC-Philly combo in 2010, two-week gaps are not ideal for me but can be done without major detriment, so I signed up. Course was at high altitude, but mostly downhill, beginning in a national forest near Yellowstone and finishing in the small town of Ashton. Maintained sub-four pace for first two-thirds of race, but the two-week gap caught up with me in the later miles as I resorted to a painfully slow jog. Ironically my time was almost 20 minutes faster than two weeks earlier, but that is due to this course being significantly easier than Crater Lake.

Race map and details

Marathon #42 (state #30): Crater Lake Marathon, OR

4:25 finish, 29/69 place overall. Probably the most scenic marathon I've ever run, with Catalina as a close second. Even with the constant hills and elevations ranging from 6,000-8,000 feet, the nearly constant views of the Cascades and Crater Lake made the challenge more than worthwhile. The only downside, if there was one, was that the organizers decided to add an out-and-back for the last four miles that went up and down an extremely steep trail - steeper than anything we had run earlier in the already very hilly course. With that "insult to injury" aside, this will be a race to remember with very friendly support and top notch scenery.

Race map and details