Alexandra Gates ran the Rock and Roll Marathon San Diego and finished with a time of 05:03:00. This was a personal record by 8 Minutes!
My second full marathon. My first full marathon I didn’t really train for and I was excited to actually train for this one. My goal was to beat 5 hours(First full was 05:11:00), unfortunately it didn’t happen this time but I still took 8 minutes off and finished with a 05:03:00. I was definitely proud that I was able to hold my pace until mile 20. Unfortunately the last 6.2 weren’t too pretty for me and I really struggled the long uphill at mile 22, but its all part of the process. I’m sure in time I’ll get under 5 hours. Overall it was a very fun race. This was the first race my mom was able to attend and I was so happy to see her at mile 20! 🙂
Siobhan Donegan ran the Colchester Causeway 15K and finished this distance in the time of 1:10:08, which was a PR!
This was my first ever 15K which made it an automatic PR. It was on a partly trail / partly gravel course which was a new adventure for me as well. The course also had no mile markers so it felt like a bit of a pacing conundrum initially but I settled into a groove eventually and think I pretty much stayed on pace for most of the race.
The turnaround was out at the end of the causeway with magnificent views of Lake Champlain. I couldn’t really enjoy it though because at that point I was running into the wind! I was happy to get off the causeway return to the quiet of the woods. Soon I started to hear the finish line crowd, which was highly motivating. I had a little energy left, anyway, so picked up the pace a bit and finished in 1:10:08. I was first in my age group (7 women!) and 4th woman overall. It’s a small race and a week after the VT city marathon so just a very low key, community-oriented and super fun race.
Joel Turkel ran the Covered Bridges Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1:37:15. This was a new personal record by 8:11.
Biggest highlight of the day: I got to high five my cheering kids at miles 4, 6, and the finish line. Oh and I also crushed my previous half-marathon PR by 8 minutes and 11 seconds! Big thanks to all of the coaches (especially Coach Danny for coming up with an awesome race plan) and the whole Runners Connect community!
Sheila Roberts ran the Rock & Roll Half Marathon and finished with a time of 2:26:52, which was a PR!
This was a huge accomplishment for me! I started running about a year ago at 57 years old after losing 80 pounds and I was scheduled to run 2 half marathons last year but due to health issues couldn’t participate. I had to stop training for 4 months and developed achilles tendonitis, which has never gotten better since I continued my training. I registered for this event as an act of faith, and resumed my training this March. I got back into Runner’s Connect in May and was able to complete this race. I am not as fast as I was a year ago due to needing to walk short amounts during long runs, but I am hoping to continue to heal and compete in another half this coming fall. I’m so happy to have this race under my belt!! Thanks to the community for your encouragement and words of advice.
Christina MacDougall ran the See Jane Run Half Marathon and finished this race in the time of 2:37:03, which was a PR!
This was my first half marathon ever. When I first made the decision to run a half marathon, my goal was just to finish without injury, with a vague time goal of 3 hours (not really having any idea what that meant). I am not a runner…that’s how I feel deep down and how I’ve always felt…through this journey that is starting to change. I started running to lose weight and get healthy. As my running progressed I decided I wanted to challenge myself, for me. I started training using a training plan from Jeff Gaudette on RunKeeper. Then I came across RunnersConnect and realized based on my training times, I could do more. I contacted Jeff and asked about RunnersConnect and and whether it would be a good fit. I signed up and they put together my training program. I stuck to the plan and pushed through the hard workouts. The coaches and members were amazing and encouraging. I decided on my final time goal of 2:40 the week or so before the race, with a “stretch goal” of 2:30. The race went really well and I finished in 2:37:03. I was ecstatic! I did it. I finished and RAN 13.1 miles. I was so happy that I was giggling as I crossed the finish line (my husband took a video of my finish). This is something I NEVER EVER thought I could do. So many emotions, and what an incredible experience. I feel 90% that I’m a runner now, and I’m thinking about the next challenge. ? Thank you everyone who was part of this amazing journey!
Morgan Daulton ran the Run for the Nun 5k and finished with a time of 23:55, which was a PR by 0:47.
This was such a great surprise! I was getting over a slight headcold, so I was going to try to keep the pace around 8:15. My first mile was 7:45, which happens often and I scolded myself for going out too fast yet again. Then my second mile I managed another 7:45. I couldn’t believe it. So I thought, better just gut it out as best you can and maybe you’ll PR. And I did! I seriously didn’t know I had it in me to break 24 min. So YAY!
Diego Ballesteros ran the Run the River for Hope 5k, finishing this distance in the time of 20:57. This was a PR by 1:40.
This was just a last minute race I wanted to do to determine my level of fitness and speed. I had not done a 5K since September last year, so i wanted to test myself. I like the results and this is a good motivation to continue to train towards the goal of a first marathon.
Geoff Hablow ran the Classic 10k and finished the race event in the time of 49:41.
This is annual 10k and where I had PR last year. This year, pace was not as quick but with the humidity, wet weather, fairly happy with the results. First 4 miles are up hill and the last 2 are slightly down hill which helped with final splits of 7:49 and 7:39 for miles 5 and 6 and at 6:51 pace for last 400m around track.
The cool thing about this race is that one of the race directors is Frank Giannino who holds record of running across America and they have former gold medalists and world record holders attend the events all weekend long.
Jon Daniells ran the Rock and Roll Half Marathon with a finishing time of 1.48.22.
Weather was great and course was fast, really ideal for good outcome. My goal was 1.50 and I beat that without much problem. Haven’t come in below 1.50 in over 3 years, very happy to be getting back towards my PR zone. Still need to cut another 4 minutes or so to PR again.
Natalie Biasin ran the Aasics Stockholm Marathon 2016 and finished in a time of 3:45:28. This was a personal record by 5 minutes!
This has to go down as one of my most incredible experiences. I beat my PR by 5 minutes despite this being a tough course, with some hills, particularly in the final stretches. I ‘hit the wall’ at around 35km and was down to a 5.43 pace for km 33 – 34 with an elevation of 30m over 500m distance. But I just kept thinking I have to get this PR as I’ve trained so hard and I just need to take this km by km now to the end. And I managed to pull out a 5.04 pace km at 35km and then around 5.20s – 5.40s to the end. Running into Stockholm stadium for the final 200m I got excruciating cramp in my lower left leg but just pushed through smiling and burst into tears of joy as I crossed the finishing line. What a day. I loved it! All the hard training paid off and got me through those last 8km. I really slowed down during that last 8km – definitely not a negative time marathon so perhaps I could have had a better race strategy but I am honestly just so thrilled with my time and not sure I would have made my 3hr45min marathon target any other way! Thank you Runners Connect!
Thanasis Kypraios ran the 3rd Together We Can – Race 10k and completed this distance in the time of 44:25.
I registered for this race, because it is more a charity event than a race event. When the race started, I took advantage of the low competition level and got placed in the first five and before the second km, I was fourth. I had vision contact with the first three but they were going faster and faster and I couldn’t join them… After the first 5km on road, we went through the forest, on a sandy and narrow path. I finished the race thinking I had taken the fourth place, but my name was announced as winner of the 3rd place. Impossible, I thought, but the 2nd runner explained to me that he was running without chip, so his time didn’t count. I was third. Bronze medal, first time in my life!
Carmen Lopez-Acevedo ran the Corre Con Todas Tus Fuerzas 5k and finished this race in the time of 35:10.
A friend who just started running decided to do this 5km race with me so instead of trying to PR I decided to run with her and pace her, her best 5km time was 37 minutes and we aimed for 35. Finished in official time of 35:10, but by my watch we did 5:11km which was 6:53 min/km so below 35 mins, she was very happy!! It was a nice easy run for me, the weather was beautiful and it was different doing a race just to enjoy being in it! This pacing thing is fun, never thought I could do it.
Samantha McMenamy ran the Twin Lobster Half Marathon and finished in a time of 2:08:33.
It was a rainy day, but more of a constant drizzle, but surprisingly nice. I started with the 1 mile “race” that I didn’t run as a race, but a warm up (10:48 pace). It really helped me to be warmed up once the half started. I really wanted to stay under a 10 minute pace. I felt strong and comfortable until about mile 11. Then I wanted to stop, lol. Or slow down. I dug deep to keep going and deeper to keep it under a 10 minute mile. My Garmin shows I ran 13.30, putting me at a 9:40 pace.
I had to take a couple weeks off for an injury and came close to not racing. I’m glad I felt so strong despite the setback of an injury.
Hoping to get back under 2 hours in the next 6 months!!
Marco Abreu ran the Echo Half Marathon with a finishing time of 1:42:50. This was a massive personal record by 17 minutes!
I placed first in my age group and 34th overall (184 participants). Considering there was 90% humidity, the feels like temp. was 85 and I was recovering from a sore throat, I would say I had a pretty good day.
Scott Schoenborn ran the Newport Marathon, finishing this distance in the time of 03:28:33. This was a new personal record by 16:44.
It had been my goal since joining Runner’s Connect to qualify for Boston as a 51 year old. Exactly 1 year ago I ran Newport and ran it in 04:03:40. Today I was able to rebound from the Eugene Marathon about 5 weeks ago to run a new PR and slightly clear the sub 03:30 requirement for a BQ time. About 1 year ago I joined RC and had determined I needed a plan and coaching. On my own, I don’t think I would have learned about the easy running principle. By nature I would like to run hard all the time. Now I’m not planning on running another marathon this year.. and will wait to see if my time is enough to be invited. If not, I’ll plan to keep training and try to improve on this time by early next year.
Christophe Cadiou ran the River for Hope 10K and finished with a time of 41:29.
Very far from my PR, but the conditions were not lending themselves to a fast time – mid-70s temperature / 68 dew point / 84% humidity. Actually, adjusted for the weather, my time would be pretty close to where I want to be, so I will take that as a positive. I was also happy with my finish – I was able to catch up on a few runners ahead of me in the last couple of miles, and I won a 2-man sprint at the finish. 11th overall, 2nd in my age group.
Michael Viens ran the Twin Lobster Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:55:00. This was a new personal record by 8 minutes.
First sub 2 hour on the roads. I guess 8 minutes is a big PR for the half. Spent a lot of time working with RC this year, and the results paid off. This is the first real step in my journey, as I recovered from an Achilles injury in July 2014. My weight is down about 25 pounds since that time, and I am feeling better than ever. My (our) training efforts have finally translated to a race result. I am not racing the distance yet, but I am running it, so bonking is part of my past.
Now I have 21 weeks to the MCM, and to BQ I need to double today’s distance and shave close to a minute per mile (20 minutes to BQ, probably 24 to actually qualify). Somehow, I still believe it’s attainable! Thanks RC!
Clas Nilsdon ran the Stockholm Marathon in 3:57:45, which was a PR by 5 minutes!
My second marathon – my first was in October, so I am learning a lot!
Divesh Anireddy ran the San Diego Rock R Roll Marathon and finished with a time of 3.37. This was a PR by 1 minute.
I missed the Boston marathon participation last year by 1 minute, even though I qaulified (3.38). They stopped at 3.37 as they had too many qualifiers. I really worked hard to qualify by running this race. It was good. According to my Garmin it show 3.38 and distance is 26.47.miles. We have to see what the official time is. Below is the breakdown of splits.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1199815288
I feel good after the race. Mile 23- 24 were killers, but still managed to 9min. This is the best I ever felt after a Marathon. I ran 27 so far. It is because good training given by you. Thank you. I keep my fingers crossed hoping to get qualified for Boston Marathon.
April Palmer ran the Hospital Hill Run 10k and finished in a time of 59:36.
This course is very hilly. The weather was perfect. My goal was to shoot for under one hour with 9:44-9:49 the first few miles than 9:30-9:39. My first 4 mile pace ended up at 9:52 and the finish pace at 9:36. I finished 9 out 60 in my age group. Not a PR but with the hills I was really pleased.
Anne-Lise Vivier ran the Retro 4M race and finished this distance in the time of 34:51.
My result was okay, but not great. I could blame the humidity (it rained the whole last mile), but really, I think it is all I had in me today.
Manos Drakopoulos ran a Half Marathon in Athens and finished in a time of 1:54:30. This was a PR by 3 minutes 15 seconds.
When I signed up for the HM I could not guess that this weekend would be that hot! So I decided to skip the race which started at 9.30am and do my own race in the morning. Based on my last couple HM specific workouts I believed I had a pretty good estimate of my goal time. So I set my race strategy accordingly. The plan was to be conservative on the first 2k, then run 3 even 5k splits and finally go for it for the last 4.1k.
The splits for this run were the following:
2k @ 5:29 ,
5k @ 5:21
5k @ 5:23
5k @ 5:18
4.1k @ 5:41, Was planning to go ~5:10 but the 19th and 20th Km were my slowest since heat caught up with me! I did manage to go 5:30 for the last one giving all I had.The result was 1:54:30, a 3min 15sec PR from my fastest HM time during a 32k workout w/surges. Although my goal marathon is far away this was a confidence booster mostly about my current fitness where I will build upon! Overall very happy with this one under tough conditions!
Robert Christensen ran the Joe’s 5k and 10k Run with a finishing time of 1:02:54. This was a personal record by 3:30.
This was my second 10k and it felt much better than the first about a month ago so the RC training plan is working great! The course was pretty flat and it was overcast for the entire time….temperature was a mild 72 degrees (F) but the humidity was 94%. Always wanted to enjoy running and this improvement in pace without getting injured gives me hope. Thanks RC!
Matt Roberts ran the NYRR Retro 4 Miler and finished with a time of 38:38.
Raced on “tired” legs after yesterday’s 9 mile run. Was happy I was able to hold a pretty fast pace throughout.
Selva Vasudevan ran the Dam to Dam Half Marathon and finished this race event in the time of 1:52:51. This was a personal record by 9:23.
Today was the day for which I have been training for the last 5 months. The temperature was already 60+ and I was hoping it would not get too hot. The first 3 miles of this 1/2 marathon is mostly down hill. I was able to pick up few minutes here as well as all the down hills I had to run in the course. I kept my pace under 9 miles through out miles 3-10. I picked up the pace again for the last 3 miles and ended up running the last 3.1 miles around 8 miles pace. I did give all that I had at the end and I ended with a PR. I was almost 10 minutes faster than the what I had run last year in the same 1/2 marathon. Overall I was very happy with my effort and my result. Thanks to the RC coaches and the community for training me, supporting me, answering my questions whenever I had one and pushing me to keep getting better. Now on to my first marathon (Wineglass Marathon) in Oct!!!
Jeroen Domensino ran the Mountains to Beach Marathon with a finishing time of 3:19:06. This was a PR by 3:11.
My aim was qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2017. This result will be sufficient. The course is great! It is downhill and due to clouds coming in from the ocean it wasn’t hot as last weekend..
Louis Marchand ran the Serie du Diable #1 5k, finishing this distance in the time of 20:03. This was a personal record by 1:52.
I signed up this summer for a series of 5, 5km local races on Tuesday’s evening. These are very well organized, around 700 peoples and being held in my own town, many friends are present. One month after finishing the Vancouver marathon, I signed up recently for the Toronto marathon for next October. I’ll be focussing in the next couple months on my Speed/Strength/VO2Max to finally increase the mileage around mid-August.
This was only my second 5km ever and my first one was in the summer of 2014. I’m really happy (and surprise) with my finish time regarding the fact that I’m still recuperating from my marathon and actually kind of struggling with my workouts. The next race will be in two weeks and this time I’ll need to crush the 20 minutes mark!
Ted Shih ran the Mountains 2 Beach Half Marathon and finished with a time of 2:27:30, which was a PR by 2:20.
Though my goal was 1:45 I was overall pretty satisfied. I started off at a conservative pace because of the steady slow climb with net gain of ~175 ft in the first 4 miles. Though I could have finished stronger I think with steady training I can achieve 1:45 or better in my next race. I also learned that I could use 1 extra gel for caffeine and energy as I carried 3 and used pre-race, mile 5 and then mile 11. I’d like to experiment and take every 3 miles as I felt a boost after each gel or at least it was perceived. Thanks Runners Connect coaches and members who provided feedback and support and I look forward to the next race.
