Marathon #109 (Can. prov. #5): Treherne Marathon, MB, Canada

4:11 finish, 12/30 place overall. Small rural race on mostly dirt roads through the prairies of southern Manitoba, about an hour and a half west of Winnipeg near the North Dakota border. Weather was miserable - unseasonably cold and windy with mixed rain and sleet, making it muddy and slow. It’s also a fairly hilly course, especially for the area, adding to what would have already been a slower than average finish. With very few runners doing the full and almost no spectators, it was a very isolated run, but those who were out there and the volunteers were very supportive in spite of the conditions. Provinces halfway done.

Garmin map and performance details

Marathon #108 (country #18): Solidarity Marathon, Gdansk, Poland

3:57 finish, 238/688 place overall. Small marathon in northern Poland near the Baltic coast, starting in Gydnia and finishing in the historic center of Gdańsk. It’s held annually on Armed Forces Day, a Polish national holiday celebrating the country’s victory against the Soviet invasion in 1920, allowing Poland to remain independent until the start of World War II. The race itself commemorates the Solidarity shipyard workers union, based in Gdańsk, which played a major role in resisting communism in Eastern Europe during the later years of the Cold War. The course is relatively flat, but it got very warm with almost no shade later in the race, making the finish slow and miserable. Luckily, with a strong first half, I had enough of a cushion to squeak by just under four hours.

Garmin map and performance details

Photos

Marathon #107 (continent #5 / country #17): Knysna Forest Marathon, South Africa

4:25 finish, 232/689 place overall. Very hilly but scenic race on mostly dirt roads in the dense forests around Knysna, about five hours east of Cape Town. Hardest marathon by far in the last two years - almost constant hills and a rough road surface with rocks and potholes to watch out for. The scenery makes up for it though, especially in the later miles with nice mountain and coastline views. Weather was cold at the start and stayed fairly cool throughout, which also helped. Slow finish time, but not unexpected considering the course.

Garmin map and performance details

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Marathon #106 (sub-four state #31, second round state #16): Sugarloaf Marathon, Carrabassett Valley, ME

3:52 finish, 265/408 place overall. Scenic course along the Carrabassett River in west-central Maine, running past Sugarloaf ski area and finishing in Kingfield. Long grueling uphill early in race, but gradual downhill in second half makes up for it, allowing for an okay finish time. 11th sub-four in a row - longest streak ever - but that will most likely end here since the next one has a lot of hills and trails.

Garmin map and performance details

Marathon #105 (continent #4 / country #16): Nagano Marathon, Japan

3:55 finish. Fairly large race in and around Nagano, a small city about 100 miles northwest of Tokyo made famous by hosting the 1998 Olympics. The marathon has been run every year since, passing several of the Olympic sites and finishing inside one of the stadiums. The course itself isn’t too scenic in the first half, with many miles through industrial and commercial areas, but improves in the second half with more mountain views and the stadium finish. There are only a handful of international runners and minimal English is spoken, but it is friendly and well organized with good spectator support. Weather was nice and cool early, but warm later, which slowed me down more than usual. Jet lag was also more than I’m used to, which probably didn’t help. Slowest time in awhile, but still under four hours (10th consecutive sub-4 in nine months, longest sub-4 streak ever).

Garmin map and performance details

Photos