Sunday, September 13, 2026

Marathon #182 (sub-four state #48, second round state #45): Sundance to Spearfish Marathon, WY & SD

3:45 finish, 37/131 place overall.

Nice small marathon in the northwestern Black Hills of South Dakota and a little of eastern Wyoming. It starts deep in the national forest at around 6,200 feet and runs mostly downhill through the scenic Spearfish Canyon to the finish in the small town of Spearfish, SD.

Even with the high elevation, the downhill course and good weather helped make it one of my faster finishes and get SD done under four hours as needed.

Garmin map and performance details

Sunday, August 9, 2026

Marathon #181 (country* #40): Isle of Man Marathon, Ramsey, Isle of Man

3:53 finish, 54/97 place overall.

Small but fairly scenic rural race on the northern end of Isle of Man in the middle of the Irish Sea, about halfway between Ireland and Britain. Isle of Man has its own separate government, but as a Crown Dependency of the United Kingdom, it’s not fully its own country and depends on the UK for defense and foreign policy. The scenery and culture are similar to rural parts of the UK, but it has its own unique history and identity.

The course is a little hilly but nothing too crazy, and with ideal weather - cool and cloudy - my time was okay. Good to be back in the normal range after the miserably slow hot and humid Malaysia marathon three weeks ago.

* Although Isle of Man is a Crown Dependency of the UK, Marathon Globetrotters counts it as its own country. Their list is the standard used by many international marathon runners.

Garmin map and performance details

Photos