Sunday, September 24, 2023

Marathon #144 (second round state #30): Quad Cities Marathon, Moline, IL

3:47 finish, 101/541 place overall. Nice small race along both sides of the Mississippi River in western Illinois and eastern Iowa - starting and ending in downtown Moline, IL. Most of course is along riverfront paths with some sections through residential areas and an army base. Mostly flat and not too hot until the later miles. Decent sub-four finish.

Race map and details

Saturday, August 26, 2023

Marathon #143 (country #27): Stavanger Marathon, Norway

3:53 finish. Nice race in and around Stavanger, a small port city on the southwest coast of Norway about four and a half hours south of Bergen. No major crowds or anything, but friendly volunteers and small groups of enthusiastic spectators. Starts and finishes downtown with some urban and residential sections, but most of the course is on bike paths through wooded areas alongside lakes and a nearby fjord. Lots of short steep hills that seemed to never stop, but weather was ideal and my time was decent. 

Race map and details

Photos

Saturday, August 5, 2023

Marathon #142 (country #26): Taupo Marathon, New Zealand

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.

Race map and details

Photos

Saturday, May 27, 2023

Marathon #141 (second round state #29): Bayshore Marathon, Traverse City, MI

3:40 finish, 470/1397 place overall. Nice scenic race along the lakefront near Traverse City in northwestern Michigan. Mostly flat with ideal cool weather; one of my better finish times.

Race map and details

Saturday, April 29, 2023

Marathon #140 (sub-four state #42, second round state #28): Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon, Louisville, KY

3:47 finish, 236/1048 place overall. Nice race starting in downtown Louisville, running through Churchill Downs, then over the bridge and along the Ohio River on the Indiana side before doubling back to finish near downtown. Not too hilly with ideal running weather; another sub-four state done.

Race map and details