Robin Whitley ran the Berlin Marathon and finished with a time of 6:54:44.
This was my first sub-7h marathon since 2019. The first half in 3:15 was my fastest half since early 2019; my sister was at that point and I hyperventilated a bit because of the time. That right there is a win. Me stumbling on something and making my back angry is, not new. After the buses got to me, I was determined to do 26.2 miles unofficially or officially and knew I’d press forward until they told me I could not. I trudged pass the aid station clean up trucks and the buses about 32.5k. I slowly sped up a bit again…marshals were cheering for us not telling me to move over to the sidewalk. I continued passing people I’d started with.
When I turned the corner and could see Brandenburg gate, I was pretty sure I’d made it – they held off pulling the fence across this time – there was an 80yo on the course who did the 1st and now the 50th Berlin Marathon which is why I think they relaxed the cut offs. I’d made it…an official finisher.
Take aways – The terrible travel day had an impact. I need to focus on more core (not surprising) and continue strength/mobility work. NYC #8 in four weeks! Just under five months until Tokyo (real work there!)
Rob Cruz ran the HalabiRun Marathon with a finishing time of 4:30:00. This was a massive personal record by 30 minutes!
I didn’t quite hit my goal of a 3:59 marathon finish, but I’m still pleased with my performance. It was a 30-minute personal record (PR) compared to my first marathon just 10 months ago!
I actually ran this race in pajamas, which made things interesting 😂 I was on pace for the first half, but started cramping in the second half. My nutrition and hydration were on point, so I suspect that running in pajamas may have restricted my natural form.
But honestly, I can’t complain! I had a great time, and I’m proud of the effort. I’m excited to keep grinding and improving from here!
Phil Smith ran the Urban Cow 5k, finishing this distance in the time of 17:41.
First place masters and third overall. Feels like I’m getting closer to the groove.
Marjy Friedrichs ran the Run for the hills 5K and finished in a time of 22:23.
The first mile was on the road, but the rest was largely a trail race. This is partly why I went out fast for the first mile – knowing I would have to slow down because of the gravel and roots when I got to the trail. Although I didn’t run a 5K PR, I did run a mile PR in the first mile! Unintentional, but a nice bonus. Overall I came in second, missing the first woman by only a second and a half. (The race organizers gave me a time of 22:08, but I think their clock was off!)
Vijay V ran the San Jose Rock n Roll 10k and finished with a time of 49:10, which was a PR by 24 seconds!
This was a decent race but not really satisfying. Since this training cycle didn’t specifically focus on 10K as such, I wasn’t expecting a great PR but had I shaved off a few more seconds, I would’ve been a happier man.
At the 5k mark, I was feeling pretty good and I was almost sure I would hit 7:45 but I kept slowing down at crucial points. And I couldn’t summon the heart to finish the last 400 meters strong – I think I still had gas in the tank; just not the will.
It looks like I won’t have any major breakthroughs yet in races – I will probably just chip away a few seconds or minutes here and there every race (depending on the distance); I think I will still be able to improve consistently over a period of time. Among other things, it was a slightly warmer day so I should’ve hydrated a bit better.
Siuberto Socarras ran The Dunn’s Run 5k and completed this distance in the time of 30:39. This was a new personal record by 2:07.
This was my first 5k PR in my age category. Also first time coming in 3rd in a larger group of runners. The accomplishment was long time in the making leading to an improvement in pace of 42 seconds and an improvement in finishing time by 2 minutes and 7 seconds. In 2023 I injured my foot in a 5k and 21 months later I finally completed a 5k at a better level of fitness. The strides in my running schedule I believe helped my form and speed. Thank you RunnersConnect.
Connie Ward ran the W Half Marathon and finished in a time of 2:36:01.
It was just a last minute add race for the season. 2000 feet of climbing—just really fun trails! Beautiful fall colors! Training for the Rut made this feel quite nice! Thank you for all your training!
Joe Allen ran the Barkcamp Half Marathon and finished this race in the time of 2:23:04.
This was one of those perfect October days to run. It was 56 degrees at the start and 65 at the end with just a little wind and no humidity. I run this course all the time and know that the beginning is one of the hardest parts as it’s a gradual hill that just keeps climbing for the first mile. We ran the course twice, so knowing what was ahead, I settled into a good pace, picked it up on the downhills and just put my head down for the steep hills leading to Miles 3,4 and 5. I also compartmentalized the course which made it mentally easier in the second loop as I ticked off the hardest parts and knew when I could go faster on the downhills. Ran negative splits and finished the last 3/4 mile with a nice kick to the finish. I was by far the oldest runner and finished 7th out of 16 runners. Every once in a while you have a magical day to race and this was one!
Darci Whitney ran the Wineglass Marathon with a finishing time of 4:06:22.
Everything was going according to plan, but around mile 17 I started to get twinges of cramping in my right calf. My nutrition was spot on but I took an extra gel and added electrolyte drinks over the next few miles. By mile 22 the cramping was much worse. Got sprayed with Bio Freeze and made it to 24.5. At that point every time I tried to run it was constant cramping. Didn’t finish strong. The things that were different were the course itself (flat/downhill) and running on the right side of the road.
In the big picture of things, I finished my 25th marathon today! Feeling grateful that I’m able to do what I love and experience new places.
El Jones ran the Dewey Goes Pink 5k, finishing this distance in the time of 22:50.
ALWAYS A GREAT RACE! AMAZING after party from 11-5! Took masters and got a $50 G/C for Starboard! Placed 45th OA out of 1985 (most walked 😜) and 10th female out of 1244! Dewey beach 🏖️ NEVER disappoints!! Over 1.5 million raised for Delaware breast cancer in the last 10 years!!
Christina Kach ran the Wineglass Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:59:27. This was a PR by 4 Minutes!
Everything came together. The race was in mid 40s to low 50s (my ideal race temps) with medium humidity, and 39 dew point -with lots of cloud cover. My morning/pre-race logistics all went perfectly. No restroom issues. Fueling worked. I stick exactly to the race plan. I MEAN LOOK AT THOSE SPLITS. I speed up a little at miles 9 and 10 – my legs had SO much in them and I’d done so good holding back the first 8 miles. When I crossed the 10 mile marker, knowing I had 3.1 to go I looked at my watch 1:33:XX….right on target for 2:01…OR…I could try to run a 27 minute 5k? I ran a 26 minute 5K! I thought I’d just made it to squeak over the finish in 1:59:55. I gasped when I saw HOW MUCH under 2 I was, 33 seconds….a FULL FOUR MINUTE PR (since January 2024!)
