Sunday, June 7, 2015

Marathon #66 (state #49): Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon, Deadwood, SD

4:14 finish, 91/358 place overall. Tough but scenic course on rail-trail through Black Hills. First half is gradual but relentless uphill, topping out at over 6,000 feet; second half is gradual downhill, finishing in historic town of Deadwood. Cool at start but warmed up fast with heat and not much shade in later miles. Hardest marathon in almost two years. Maintained normal marathon pace for first eight miles in spite of uphill, but altitude got to me in middle miles, and even with second half downhill, pace did not recover. Slowest finish time in awhile, but not unexpected given the course and conditions.

Race map and details

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Marathon #65 (state #48): Fargo Marathon, ND

3:49 finish, 458/1535 place overall. Cloudy and cool, flat course - ideal for fast time. Unique indoor start/finish in Fargodome football stadium. Course runs through residential areas, parks, and college campuses in Fargo and neighboring Moorhead, MN. Nice crowd support for such small cities. Fairly consistent pace throughout, only minor slowdown at end. Best time and first sub-3:50 in almost three years.

Race map and details

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Marathon #64 (state #47): St. Louis Marathon, MO

3:53 finish, 352/1354 overall place. Cloudy and mild, ideal for running. Okay course starting in downtown St. Louis, crossing river briefly into Illinois, then through various neighborhoods of the city - with some hilly sections - and finishing back in downtown. Started very fast, slowed down considerably late with hills, but ended with a time consistent with recent marathons. No complaints overall.

Race map and details

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Marathon #63 (state #46): Little Rock Marathon, AR

3:56 finish, 309/2442 place overall. Chilly with on and off drizzle. Somewhat hilly course through mostly residential areas, starting and finishing in downtown Little Rock. Enthusiastic and friendly support from locals in spite of bad weather. Felt consistently strong through most of course; minor slowdown with hills in second half. Nice to be back under four.

Race map and details

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Marathon #62 (country #3): Marathon Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas

4:07 finish, 47/170 place overall, 3/13 age group place. Hot and humid, especially in later miles with direct sun. Relatively flat and scenic course - start/finish near downtown Nassau, crossing briefly into Paradise Island, then running along north shore of New Providence Island with nice ocean views. Heat got to me worse this time than it has in awhile, with major fatigue and slowdown in later miles. First finish over four hours since September, but ironically somehow good enough for a third place age group award.

Race map and details