Marathon #89 (second round state #12): Northern Central RR Trail Marathon, Sparks, MD

3:39 finish (PR), 56/285 place overall. Small but well-organized scenic race along a smooth dirt path in rural northern Maryland; fairly flat with a very gradual uphill for the first half and a very gradual downhill on the return. Ideal cool temperatures and flat course made for a fast time, allowing for a personal best marathon finish, beating 2012 Washington State marathon by about two minutes.

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Marathon #88 (second round state #11): Marine Corps Marathon, Arlington, VA & Washington, DC

3:53 finish, 2142/20122 place overall. Very popular and patriotic race, well supported and organized by US Marines. Race starts in Arlington, VA, crosses into DC passing many monuments and landmarks, and finishes back in Arlington at the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial. Course is mostly flat aside from the first few miles in Arlington and the last stretch up to the finish. Weather was unseasonably warm, which slowed me down a little more than usual in the later miles, but still managed another sub-four.

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Marathon #87 (sub-4 state #28, second round state #10): Clarence DeMar Marathon, Keene, NH

3:48 finish, 67/339 place overall. Originally registered for Montreal, which was canceled due to heat, so switched to Clarence DeMar last-minute. Weather in NH was similar, but instead of canceling, this race moved its start time earlier and simply reminded runners to take it easy and hydrate properly. Race is small, but very well organized and supported, running along scenic rural roads of southwestern NH. It did get warm in the later miles, but far from the worst heat I've dealt with in a marathon. Glad to finish sub-3:50 for the third time in four months.

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Marathon #86 (country #11): Longford Marathon, Ireland

3:46 finish, 63/185 place overall. Nice low-key race running through farmland and small towns in north-central Ireland. Course is mostly flat with a few rolling hills. Ideal weather - cloudy and 60ish. A little slower than Ottawa in May, but still better than average - fourth fastest time ever and third best in five years.

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Photos

Marathon #85 (country #10): Zermatt Marathon, Switzerland

5:40 finish. Very scenic but brutally challenging, high altitude, uphill course in the Swiss Alps. As expected, this was my second hardest and slowest marathon ever aside from Pikes Peak. The race starts in the tiny village of St. Niklaus, at about 3,800 feet. The first half is the "easy" part, going along mostly paved roads with a gradual uphill climb to the resort town of Zermatt, at about 5,300 feet. After Zermatt, in the second half, there are prolonged sections of very steep inclines along dirt roads and trails, forcing most people to walk. There are a few short flatter sections in the late miles, and even a couple of downhills, but they save the hardest uphill for the end. In the last two miles, without trees at this altitude, it is possible to see the finish area. It's so steep, however, that looking towards the finish you can only see a line of very slow, zombie-like "runners" working their way up. That last section was painfully slow, but the finish was worth it. At about 8,500 feet, the finish line near the Riffleberg railway station provides great views of the surrounding Alps, and if it were a clear day, the famous Matterhorn mountain. My finish was far from pretty, but considering the conditions and the fact that I'm a crappy trail runner even if it's flat, I have no complaints.

Race map and details

Photos - Switzerland

Photos - Italy

Photos - Germany

Photos - Austria

Marathon #84 (Can. prov. #2): Ottawa Marathon, ON, Canada

3:45 finish, 1199/5307 place overall. Nice, well organized mid-sized race, running through Ottawa and neighboring Gatineau, Quebec. Goes through a mix of urban, suburban, and park/riverfront areas with decent crowd support throughout. Weather was warm but not unbearable, and the course is mostly flat. Ran surprisingly well, with fastest marathon finish in almost five years and second best time ever.

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Marathon #83 (country #9): Paris Marathon, France

4:10 finish. Scenic but very crowded and congested course. With over 50,000 runners (comparable to NYC), there are many narrow choke points - even late in the race - where it was necessary to weave in and out of slower runners and walkers. That said, the race has great crowd support and goes through many parts of the city and past a number of landmarks. With the crowds, unusually warm weather, and logistical issues with my race bib, I wasn't expecting a great time. No complaints given the circumstances.

Race map and details

Photos

Marathon #82 (country #8): Seville Marathon, Spain

3:55 finish, 6333/10122 place overall. Scenic, enthusiastically supported urban course running through many parts of Seville; last few miles through downtown historic district before finishing in the city's soccer stadium. Ideal conditions - very flat, cool, and cloudy - allowed for fastest time since fall of 2015.

Race map and details

Photos

Marathon #81 (country* #7): Bermuda Marathon, Hamilton, Bermuda

3:58 finish, 20/84 place overall, 3/12 age group place. Scenic and hilly double-loop course in and around Hamilton. With the vast majority of runners doing the single-loop half marathon, the second half seemed more like a long training run than a race. The small number of full marathoners allowed for a third place age group finish.

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

Race map and details

Photos