4:02 finish, 106/274 place overall. Scenic race along Lake Taupo, New Zealand’s largest lake in the center of the North Island, about three hours from Auckland. Ideal running weather - cold at the start but warmed up nicely into the 50s. It’s a little hilly, and an added challenge is the way they lay out the course on narrow sidewalks and paths with huge numbers of shorter distance walkers participating at the same time as the full marathon runners, making it congested even in the later miles. Still, lakefront sections are very scenic and it’s well supported. Considering my lack of training coming off of a minor injury, my time was slower than usual but not as bad as expected.
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.