Bob Murney ran Grandmas marathon in Duluth, Minnesota coming across the finish line in time of 3:49:38 which is a 9 minute PR and a BQ.
The anticipation for this race was accentuated by my growing awareness that given my age, I wasn’t too sure how many more chances I’d get to qualify for Boston. I’d tried for the last couple of years, pre-Runner’s Connection, but failed. And as everyone knows, all the unknowns that can affect the outcome of a marathon are always in play – there’s never any telling what may pop up. And Grandma’s was no exception. After a 40-minute bus ride to the start, we were dropped off and had an hour to wait. The sky opened up and dumped rain for the entire hour. Literally impossible to stay dry, despite being draped in a garbage sack and using a plastic bag for a hat. About 15 minutes into the rain, I just decided to take the bath, get soaked and go for it. For whatever reason it worked. Three miles into the run I was on pace, warmer, and focused. At mile 10, I started to flag, ate a gel, put in my worse mile, but r ecovered. Hit the lemon-drop at mile 22 and put in another slow mile, but had the most glorious next 2.5 miles at 8:30pace — all downhill. I knew I was so close, so I tried to stay steady at 8:30 and finished more exhausted than I thought I could be. My Garmin did not record my paces, but I saw I stayed between 8:43 and 8:30 most miles. So the 3:49:38 was a PR by 9 minutes, which gets me into Boston and I am pretty pumped to have the honor of getting to run in that race. I cannot thank everyone at Runners Connect for the great camaraderie, support and inspiration. And special thanks to Coach Jamie for her last minute words of wisdom: so what if it rains — just go for it!
Michelle Hall ran Grandmas Marathon in Duluth, MN finshing in the race in the time of 4:13:53.
Thank you RC Coaches for getting me through 3 marathons in 3 months without injury, while allowing me to achieve my goals! You are the best! The rain poured down yesterday but we had a great time. I paced my cousin for her first marathon. We ran strong and steady through the first 20 miles at around 9:40 pace, then ramped up the pace to 9 min miles to mile 25. Our last mile was an 8:16. If I had known my cousin had so much fuel in the tank, we could have cut off even more time. But, the goal was to have a successful first marathon and she did. No bond, no injury, a strong finish and a good time. My legs feel amazingly good today. No injuries. No sore spots. I have rolled them several times and they are happy campers. Mission accomplished. I caught up with @Brian St. George and @Bobby whom I had met previously at the Running Camp last year. Many thanks to Brian for loaning my 87 year old aunt a lawn chair so she could spectate at the race and cheer us on. That was really special.
Brian St.George ran Grandmas Marathon in Duluth, MN finishing this race in the time of 3;14.
This was not my day for a good race. Even though I was able to stick to my race plan through 15, I never felt quite right. I conceded to my slipping pace and tight calves at mile 19, but knew my family and kids were waiting for me at mile 23. I had envisioned passing them while I was finishing up a well fought, well deserved race after a good training cycle. I had not prepared for an outcome where they would become my only reason to keep going and finish a busted race. As big of a disappointment as my race was for me, I learned that they wouldn’t have known the difference between a great race or the race I had. They were excited to see me and I was very thankful that they gave me something to look forward to after my A, B, & C plans had come and gone.
Shanna Howe ran Grandmas Marathon in Duluth, MN finishing this race in the time of 3:49:01 which is a PR by 11 minutes.
11 min PR for me. First time under 4 hours too. Yay for that! But… This was a tough race. After getting completely soaked at the start due to downpours, (I also left my music behind for fear of ruining my phone- and I need that musical motivation/distraction & use it in long runs all the time- I’ve never run long without it)I stuck to my RC plan, kept pace, ate & drank like I planned and felt good until 13m. Had a few stomach issues, so switched to water from Powerade, still felt OK until 18m. Had a few leg issues, but hoped they would work themselves out before mile 20, where I was supposed to speed up. At 20m, I tried to kick it in and my calves, hamstrings, and quads all instantly tightened. I tried a few more times from 20-22, but it was a no go. I was struggling and barely kept it under 9:00min/mi- anything faster than 8:40 caused instant, hard, leg cramping.
10 min after the finish I was in the med tent, covered in foil blankets, real blankets & hot water balloons while being fed pretzels & diluted Powerade until I stopped shaking & my legs could hold me again (after the nice trainer pushed my abdominal hernia back in for me, though). I almost didn’t want to share this because I don’t want to scare anyone off of running a full or Grandma’s! The race people and the course we’re amazing! I just have NO idea what happened. I’ve NEVER had so much as a tight muscle. All that cramping seemed to come from nowhere. I thought the mental fatigue from no music might take some of the blame for me not hitting either of my goals- but I just don’t know. I’m hoping RC can help me figure this one out because I am stumped. And a bit discouraged. BUT- I DID get an 11-min PR, I DID get under 4 hours. So, there are silver linings in this rain-filled marathon cloud!
Bobby Smith ran Grandmas marathon in Duluth, MN finishing in the time of 3:30.
I’ve heard a lot of great stories about the Grandma’s marathon and so I knew that it had to be my MN marathon. As I work to complete a marathon in all 50 states, I look for marathons that stand out or offer something special for the runner. Grandma’s did not disappoint. This was an enjoyment run so my focus was not to PR. Rather, I enjoyed spending time with friends, meeting some runners during the race, soaking in the atmosphere, and taking in the amazing views. Grandma’s is special and I would highly recommend the race to anyone looking for a mostly flat and enjoyable race. The crowd support was amazing for a point-to-point race and when you get downtown Duluth the crowd is deafening!
Troy Hanson ran Grandmas Half Marathon in Duluth, MN finishing in the time of 1:47:13 which is a PR by 3 minutes.
Running a PR and the first time I ran in this iconic race in the town where I met my wife. Just wanted to thank all at RunnersConnect (especially Jamie and Jeff). Since joining RC this year (4 months ago?), I have been able to drop over 8 minutes off of my half marathon time. Almost unbelievable. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Alison Scofield ran Grandma’s half marathon in Duluth, MN finishing this race in the time of 1:52:59.
This race ended up being pretty tough for me with the weather, some humidity, and I think general stress leading up to the race about the weather. I was a little too fast in the beginning miles, so when I really started to feel it after mile 6 then things got interesting. Although I was able to hold a somewhat steady pace, it was definitely work from miles 6-11. However, I’m pleased that when the going got tough, I kept going. I only missed my PR time by 15 seconds, and this is a course best for me. Onward and upward!
James Barrand ran the Banff Marathon in Banff, Canada coming across the finish line with the time of 3:31:5 which PR of 10 minutes and 13 seconds.
This was my 3rd attempt at completing this race. The first year the race was cancelled due to some widespread flooding, which ravaged our town. The next summer, on my 2nd attempt, I ended up bonking hard and pulled out of the race at KM 37. It was a very humbling experience and it was my first marathon attempt. I ended up making lots of mistakes leading up to that race and during, but they were good lessons at the same time. After that experience, I signed up with RC and finally completed the race this year on my 3rd attempt. It was a great experience and I was so happy to finally cross the finish line. I probably ran a little more conservatively than I needed to as I was a little worried about bonking like I did on my 2nd attempt. Happily, I didn’t and I felt fairly solid the whole way and even crushed my previous PR by over 10 minutes. It was a great day!
Jon Douglas ran the Lighthouse Run 10 miler in Racine, WI finishing this race in the time of 1:15:26 which is a PR by 10 minutes and 33 seconds.
It was a great day for the Lighthouse Run, sunny and in the lower 70s with little humidity. It was a small race, about 500 runners, part of it along Lake Michigan in Racine. After starting out too fast in my last race in May, I focused on my strategy and started out a little slower. Gradually throughout the race I increased my pace and earned a 10 minute PR for the 10 mile distance.
Dennis Hetland ran the Manitoba Marathon in Winnipeg, Canada finishing this race distance in the time of 3:52:06.
Well, that didn’t go as planned. Not sure if it was the upper respiratory thing I had for three weeks prior or the warmer than wanted weather or….. The first few miles were at pace but a struggle mile 10 I just realized if I wanted to finish I needed to cut back so I did. Frustrating as this pace was slower than my last half which I ending feeling great ready to run more. I felt I put the effort in training and hit most if not all the training runs and paces up to the last three weeks when I got sick. Shifted gears thinking I might be able to salvage a PR but my Garmin was off but .2 miles so my last two mile kick was in vain. Oh, well. Another time, another day.
Patrick Douglass ran the Mule Haul 8K in Fort Hunter coming across the finish line with a time of 38:04 which a PR of 22 seconds.
Another PR and I was a proud father. My 11 year old ran the race with me and did an awesome job. We didn’t place but it was a great day.
Bjorg Klem ran the NYRR Five-Borough Series: Queens 10K in Queen, NY finishing this race in the time of 55:41 which is a PR of 1 minutes and 20 seconds.
This was a first 10k this year where i haven’t tacked on additional mileage in training for a longer race, so it was a welcome change to simply run 6.2 miles as fast as i could! It is a pretty flat course but i knew a PR would be hard with temperatures in the mid 70s and humidity at 93%. They had predicted thunderstorms (even postponed the race an hour because of it) but luckily the rain and thunder held off. Can’t wait for fall temperatures!
Jonathan Bogaard ran the Cove School One Step at a Time 5k in Winnetka, IL coming across the finish line in the time of 25:29 which is a PR by 1 minute and 2 seconds.
Great local event for a great cause. My plan was to use this as a training race and not worry too much about time. My goal was to focus on getting negative splits. Race was about 2/3rds paved path and 1/3 trail crushed gravel. Race morning I forgot my hat at home and forgot my headphone (to listen to music and pace announcements from ISmoothRun). Decided to laugh at my forgetfulness and adjust. I wore my armband lower to look at my Iphone to check pace and did without the music and the hat. Luckily it wasn’t too sunny so not sunburn on my head. Did a 15 minute warmup, stretched, strides and was ready to go. Started out a little quick but did 8:33 for the first mile (compared to 8:40 goal), 8:29 for the second mile (8:30 goal) and then 7:58 for the last mile (goal under 8) and 7:08 for the last 1/10th. I did not expect a big PR and I’m certainly very happy with that. Almost happier that I ran my negative split goal and that I used the things I’ve learned from RC to run a smart race.
Ranolfo Ugalino ran his first 10K at the Courage Run 10K in Granite Bay finishing this race distance in the time of 56:56.
My first race of this distance.
Emily Pilotte ran the Sharon Timlin Memorial 5K in Hopkinton, MA coming across the finish line in the time of 21:43.
Ran the same race last year and decided to try a different tactic this year. While I felt like I ran a smarter race, I was slower than last year. Go figure! The 5K is not my forte, and I’m not very experienced at racing them. This particular course I find to be tricky because of the hills after mile 1. I need to get better at managing hills and pain at that race pace. Can’t be too disappointed though because I felt I gave it all I had.
Dara Dalmata ran the Sharon Timlin Memorial 5K in Hopkinton, MA coming across the finish line in the time of 19:33.
Great race in my home town run by many Hopkinton Running Club friends. Fun, family day after the race and a great cause raising TONS of money for ALS research! I was hoping to break 19:00 since my PR was 19:04 at this race last year and I felt like I was in better shape but I still had a good race despite taking a bad fall and hitting my head at the start of the race!
Luis Enriquez Ducoing ran the Carrera Día del Padre Half marathon in Mexico City, Mexico finishing this race event in the time of 2:09.
This was a race I wanted to run even before I started Running (2012) but it was always a bad date on my training calendar. I finally got to run this half marathon, which makes me very happy. Time was just OK, hope I’m in better shape for my marathon in October.
Karen Nummi ran the Niagara Ultra 50k in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON finishing this distance in the time of 5:13:53 which is a 6PR for this race distance.
This I my 2nd year running the Niagara Ultra with friends and it is so much fun. Very laid back event without the stress of a marathon. The scenery is beautiful and it’s fun to run from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Niagara Falls and back. A couple even got married at the end of the race this year, still wearing their running gear! Will definitely be back again next year and use this event as training again for the 100k trail race in the UK in July. I love to run!
Mike Smart ran the Trail Marathon Wales (Half Marathon) in Coed-y-Brenin, Wales finishing this race event in the time 1:48:34.
I ran the full marathon version of this race two years ago after struggling with an injury for a while. This year I decided to drop down to the half marathon after again struggling with an injury that stopped me running down hill – and unfortunately if you can’t run downhill you can’t really go uphill either. It turned out that’s not the best training for a hilly (2,300ft elevation) trail marathon! In hindsight I set off too fast (6:06 GAP) for the first mile and then slowly fell off the pace until I crashed at mile 10. It was a real struggle both mentally and physically from that point on and if there was a short cut back to the start I would have been tempted to DNF. I eventually finished in 1:48:34, 37th overall and 35th male. Definite type 2 fun! I would however recommend the race to anyone in the area as the single-track sections are beautiful to run.
Cherisse Haakonsen ran the BAA 10K in Boston, MA finishing this race in the time of 49:53.
The rain made it special but not good special. I wanted to enjoy this race even though I was dripping wet and cold at the start. I started off okay but had a rough second half. Oh well…glad to get it done!
Kenn Walker ran the DIRTY SPOKES “HAW CREEK PARK” TRAIL RUN in Cumming, GA finishing this race event in the time of 44:34 which is a 3 minute PR.
This was my fastest trail 10K to date. I placed 9th overall, so it was also my first top-10 overall finish. I placed 3rd in my age group. It was quite hot and humid but the training and hard work has started to pay off.
Aaron Sobel ran the No Label 5K in Katy, TX coming across the finish line with a time 28 minutes.
Was tough to run hard after a difficult training cycle in which I couldn’t get many workouts done. My new job took precedence – not much I could do about that. So, while time was not what I wanted, it was better than expected (thought I might struggle to break 30 min.).
Rob Hardy ran the Father day homerun 5k in Troy, NY finishing in the time of 23:18.
First 5k in 8 months. Missed a P.R by 7 seconds. Felt really good. What a great race it was. Meant alot to have my son watching for a fathers day race. Next 5k will definitely have a P.R!! Thanks to Coach Sarah! Her guidance is amazing
