Lorenzo Botto ran the Ogden Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:41:01. This was a personal record by 8 minutes!
Love this course — starts in a flat high place, follows the lake then down the canyon with views of waterfalls. The final three miles are on a running / biking paved trail through woods and fields, ending with a straight mile downtown. The organization and the volunteers are fantastic. Possibly the best organized HM I have been to so far. Started out rainy and drizzling, with some periods of wind , and while not freezing it was pretty chilly — the elevation at the start was about 5000.
Susan Waldstein ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon with a finishing time of 2:24:49.
Well I didn’t get my PR, I felt as ready as I could be up till about mile 8, I thought I might have it in me, knowing there was a long flat stretch, then the sun hit and I was baking Ocean parkway in Brooklyn with no relief. I couldn’t drink enough water, by mile 10 my right lower back and the ball of my left foot were screaming. Mile 12 and 13 I alternated between walking and running, nothing could make me go any faster. This was not my worst half but I really wanted a 2:14 and was off by a lot. Not sure why it went so bad other than we have had no time to acclimate to the heat. The great part was hanging out with my run fam lots of RC people Lwando, Christine, Brigitte, Elaine, Karen. I’ll be back next year to get my PR at this race.
Amit Pathak ran the Colfax Marathon and finished this race in the time of 4:07:07.
Running at altitude was something I wanted to do. I just ran Salt Lake City Marathon last month. I happened to be in Denver this weekend so decided to run. I was not looking for a PR as I really didn’t train much. But I am happy with the time 4:07:07.
It was cold and chilly throughout the race. I was looking for possibly doing 4 sub and I was on track until mile 21 when I think I “hit the dreaded wall” as it was a drag until the end of the race. But all in all I thoroughly enjoyed the race and the atmosphere!
Jim Paterson ran the Chicago Spring Half Marathon and finished in a time of 2:11:35.
This one was touch and go right up until race time due to potential bad weather in the area. Ended up we had a windy overcast 72F with no rain which was great. The race was an out and back along the trail on Lake Michigan which was a little cramped in some places. With 4000+ runners that is to be expected. The goals for this race was A -around 2 hours. B- under 2:30. C- get the race in. The first 6 miles went well – maintaining a pace under 10 min/miles. At the turnaround I was on track for Goal A. At mile 9 we started heading in to a strong wind and it was getting tougher. By mile 10 I bonked and from there on it was a matter of just finishing. On the last mile, it must have been a 20-30 mph wind right in your face. That sapped whatever energy was left. Finished with a respectable 2:11:35 – not my best but considering the injury rehab I’ll take it.
Melissa Cassidy ran the Women Run the Cities 10 Miles and finished this distance in the time of 1:10:39.
Overall I thought this race went okay. I was hoping for more of 6:45/6:50 pace, but today was not the day for that. My shins felt better than they have, and so did my hamstring. I started off strong but I think a little fast. I hit a big uphill at the halfway mark and had a hard time bouncing back from that. I am thankful that I did not feel any major pain while running, but my legs just felt dead. I just couldn’t get them to move naturally like I had earlier in training before my shin started hurting. Thankfully I took extra time to warm-up before the run and decided to ditch a layer. It was 40 degrees and rainy, and I completely overdressed!
For my next race I’m hoping to hit around a 1:30 half, which means I would need to run faster than I did for the 10 mile today. I think if I figure out my shin issue and continue to work on strengthening it could be a reachable goal.
Werner Heselmans ran the 20km of Brussels and finished with a time of 1:19:55, which was a PR!
This race, with 40,000 runners was only one week after a marathon. Normally I use this race as a training. This year, I tried to keep the speed equal until the end. I ran a negative split, so I succeeded.
Mathias Landby ran the Hackney Half Marathon and completed this race event in the time of 1:32:54. This was a new personal record by 4:30.
Today was all out, or crash and burn. My primary goal was set for 1:35(-ish) (which felt intimidating), although Coach Dylan had advised the paces for the current training cycle were dialed for a 1:33 – 1:34 target. In late March I ran a new 1:37:25 HM PB, so shaving off another couple of minutes so soon felt like a big ask.
There was a 1:35 pacer I wanted to stick with, but I ended up one zone behind him, with the 1:40 group. I was quietly wondering if I might catch up with the 1:35 pacer… With the race underway I felt strong, having to rein in a few k where the pace was slipping below 4:25. At 20k I caught up with, and overtook, the 1:35 pacer. Suddenly it was all over, and I had managed to shave another 4:30 off my March PB.
This training cycle I have felt incredibly strong, with paces I have would never have expected 6 months ago feeling pretty OK. Thanks RC coaches and community for always inspiring and pushing!
Tony Malinauskas ran a race in Wright City, MO and finished in a time of 1:43:13.
This was the Tough Mudder obstacle course race competitive wave. I was the only 60+ year old competitor, but still finished better than half the field. I’m calling this an Age Division win!
Paula Dalziel ran the Cotswold 100 (17 miles) and finished with a time of 3:45:18.
The Cotswold Way is a 100 mile trail across the UK countryside and I had been training for this event for numerous months. The event requires self navigation, so the first day was finding out about how the trail is marked and what to look for. I was also meeting my running companions for the following days and who runs at what speed. I felt strong and, very conscious to pace myself. Happy with the run – I did not get lost.
Marco Aiolfi ran the Popular Brooklyn Half Marathon and finished this race event in the time of 1:37:20. This was a PR by 1 minute 30 seconds!
Run very consistently. First 6 miles were hilly. Second half was flat. Last 2 miles were tough but I pulled it through.
Brad Powers ran the Mountains to Main Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1:30:59.
First place OA. Was hot and humid.
Michael Istre ran the Contraband 5 miler and completed this distance in the time of 0:36:00:03. This was a personal record by 2 Minutes 37 Seconds!
I have been with Runners Connect for 15 months now and I continue to see upward progression in my running ability and fitness. Today’s race is another example of this. I ran this same race in similar weather conditions one year ago and here I am with a 2 minute, 37 second PR!!! I took Coach Dylan’s advice on how to start this race in regards to pacing at the beginning and throughout the race and it paid off for me. I ended up with a result of 24 out of 197 runners and 6 out of 15 in my age class of 35-44. Thank you Coaches!
Today was also amazing because my 14-year old son John Paul raced with me. This was his first official race, and he ended up 1st in his age class of 9-14.
Nils Ackerholm ran the Gothenburg Half Marathon with a finishing time of 1:38:44. This was a new personal record by 6:30.
Decided to go for a bit more aggressive plan than I thought a few days ago, 4:40 tempo instead of 1:40 total time. Started the run and had some difficulty to find the right pace, but got the hang of it after a few km. Running felt easy until about 12 km, then the real race begun. Until the 15 km mark, I kept the pace or rather had run about a minute faster than plan. Unfortunately I felt I had to slow down a bit. I felt tired, but not exhausted as I have felt almost all of my four previous runs in Gothenburg.
The last 3 km was, as always, a test of will power and I finished the run on 1:38:44. Although I missed my planned 4:40 goal by twenty seconds or so I am so happy to beat 1:40:00 with a margin and most importantly I beat my old PR with six and a half minute. To beat my PR has been my motivation to get out in the cold all through winter and spring and I did it. Walking back to the hotel I could not help patting myself on the shoulder thinking how good I am.
Rita Flory ran a Half Marathon race and finished with a time of 2:22:08.
Wasn’t sure how things would go heading into the race. Have run multiple short races lately but training has been subpar due to work/stress/lack of sleep. Also up 6 pounds since nyc half as a result. Warmer weather is an impact as well.
Race started fine and I was on tempo. Paced myself hoping to do a 2:15. Managed through prospect park hills okay and made it to ocean parkway. Then the heat started to get to me around mile 9.5. Stopped for water/fuel at start of mile 12 and ended up walking most of it and part of mile 13.
Goal is to now refocus on training and diet to get ready for fall marathon training. Overall I’m okay with my time – although not my best for this course, not my worse and still did better than the shape half in April.
Jonathan Bogaard ran the Lew Blond 5K and completed this distance in the time of 22:51, which was a PR by 1 second!
Great local race for a good cause. Went out a touch fast, struggled a little in mile 2 and then executed the finish pretty well. Happy with this effort only two weeks after my goal half marathon.
Maureen Burdock ran the Nitro Trail 5K, finishing this distance in the time of 27:10.
It was a PR if you take into account that it was on trails, not roads. Also, it’s the first time that I left with an age group winner medal, which felt very nice! 2nd out of 17 women, age group 45 – 49, and 6th woman out of 79 overall. This isn’t something I had expected, even at a small local event like this one, so it added to my satisfaction. But even without that, I just had a really good race and felt stronger than I had anticipated.
Mihael Lorbeg ran the Night Run Maribor 10k and completed this race event in the time of 0:43:35.
Another great race. The temperature was perfect. Two hills on the way so we were slowed down a bit. At the 9th kilometer we had to climb 100 stairs and the we ran around the pond and again down the same stairs. It was great. My Garmin showed 9,7km so I’m not counting my time as a personal best nevertheless I’m soooo satisfied with this run.
Amanda Fuller ran the Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon and finished in 2:00:58, which was a PR by 2 minutes!
I really wanted to beat 2 hrs! But Great run and a perfect day! Very proud of my effort as at least 5 inclines that were unexpected. My strava has recorded 22 .1 km so if I’m comparing it to my best time for a previous half on another course of 21.1km (and a few years ago) it is a much better time as I covered 22 km. Effectively 6-7 mins faster than the previous run. I also stopped for water at the stations 4 times so this could be a consideration for next time. Hips /glute pain didn’t appear which I was soo happy about. 60th overall for females my age group! ?
Kumar Rao ran the TCS 10K Bangalore and finished this race in the time of 0:50:47.
The TCS World 10K in Bangalore is considered the premier 10K race in India, and as it is held in my town, I try to participate in it each year. But this year I was not quite sure what target I should have for this race, having just run the Boston 2 Big Sur challenge 3 weeks ago. So decided the goal pace on the basis of the only speed workout that I had done in several months. Trying to do better than last year’s time of 49:27 was probably a mistake.
However, finished in 50:47 and won the first place age group award out of 22 in the M 70+ category. Overall place was 810 / 12,716. According to the official chip times, first 5k was in 24:33 and second 5k was in 26:14. Severe cramping at 9.5 km caused me to stop suddenly, which made me feel unstable. I jogged a little, ensured the cramp was not coming on again and resumed my run. According to the Garmin data, I lost exactly 90 seconds because of this.
Kingsley Gibbens ran the Tails and Trails Half Marathon with a finishing time of 1:35:00.
I get to race with my dog and it was on trails fun to run.
Dmitry Dodin ran the Popular Brooklyn Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1:54:57. This was a PR by 2 minutes and 15 seconds!
I was not able to follow the training plan due to a knee injury that prevented me from running all of Jan and some of Feb. I ended up borrowing workouts from this plan, but mostly trying to build back the milage without re-injuring myself. I did not think I could hit my goal of 1:50. I decided to go out with the 1:55 pacer and see if I can speed up at the end to try and get close to 1:50. 2 things worked against me, the pacer was terrible ended up finishing 2 mins ahead of pace and was running very inconsistent pace. The second thing was the heat. I am still pleased with the result, but still feel like 1:50 (my original goal) is something I would have hit if it wasn’t for the injury that prevent me from following your plan.
Mark Southgate ran the Pinehurst International Olympic Triathlon 10k and finished with a time of 2:48:57, which was a PR!
First ever Olympic length triathlon. Pleased with the swim at an average of 1:52/100 yards. Ride was hilly but managed to average 20mph and only got passed by one other rider so again pleased with that. The run was super hot, finishing at 90F, and super hilly so had to back off pace to ensure I got home safely. Lost maybe 2 mins on the run because of the heat and some fatigue. Overall time was 2:48:57 which beat my stretch target by a minute. Second in the novice category and would have been second in age group too. Very pleased overall.
Priscilla Yang ran the Horseneck Half Marathon with a finishing time of 1:46:03.
I have never felt like quitting in a race before, but got close to it here. I wasn’t racing for a PR, but I hope this was a good mental and physical stimulus.
Rebecca Myer ran the Great Ocean Road 23k (Half Marathon) and finished with a time of 2.27.
A hilly course along a coastal road. Weather was perfect. I was quite unwell before the run and felt a bit drained on the day, so was really happy with the outcome!! Thanks so much for your support Coach Claire!
Diane Knowles ran the Horseneck Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1:40:24.
Three minute improvement over last year on the same course and felt *so* strong on a course with a few nice rollers. Big thank you to the RC coaches and their masterful planning and advice! These workouts were just absolutely perfect prep. (And – I got to meet Pricilla Yang and her lovely family!). Next stop: 1:38 or better. ?
Grant Crabtree ran the Fargo Marathon and completed this race event in the time of 3:49:48.
I was well-prepared and things went rather smoothly. It was rainy and windy with cool temps. First goal was to break four hours, second, run a BQ time and third, if possible, better my 3:49:13 I ran two years ago and which I call my “old man” PR. Came within 35 seconds of setting that new “old man” PR. Also wanted to run a negative split. Ran a very evenly paced race with a slight negative split (1:55:33/1:54:15), so I captured that goal as well. Really happy with my performance. Placed 349th out of 1362 finishers and 5th out of 49 in my age group (60-64). If I were only a few months older, I would have placed first in the 65-69 group.
Eric Reichenbach ran the Run to Remember Half Marathon with a finishing time of 1:57:41. This was a personal record by 2 minutes!
This was my 3rd attempt to break 2 hours in a half marathon. This is my most important run of my year. I don’t run this race for myself, I run this race for my fallen brothers and sisters who can’t. Today deep in my heart I believe that my fellow veterans carried me to the finish line and a very Personal Record.
Yoi Ohsako ran the President’s Cup 5k, finishing this distance in the time of 22:09.
This course had 2 loops where we had to climb a relatively steep rolling hill twice. I started really slow today because I did not have a chance to adapt to this heat. I felt quite dehydrated during the race. My legs were not tired because I was basically going at half marathon pace for this 5k but I had a hard time breathing in this heat and humidity, which made me slow down.
Wendy Forman ran the Sugarloaf Marathon and finished this race in the time of 3:54:17.
Rained from the start. Really cold once everything got wet. Didn’t take my salt tabs with the rain coming down so hardin the second half. Didn’t make my goal but effort was great and I was happy even though I fell short.
Johnathon Huffman ran the North Olympic Discovery Marathon (5 mile) in 0:37:22. This was a new personal record by 7:00.
Pre-race went perfectly so good practice there. Then headed up to the front on the side and found there is a fence and no room. Folks queue up really early and there are no corrals. So made my way towards the back and off to the side. Fortunately it’s chip-timed but just couldn’t get out of the crowd the first two miles. I decided to roll with it the first mile and when we bottlenecked to a near-stop entering a residential street it spelled an 8:31 first mile when I was going for 7:15. For mile two I figured it couldn’t hurt to weave. Weaved and weaved to eek out a 7:33. Then it finally opened up on the side and I went as fast as possible the rest of the way to make up time with a couple of sub-7 minute miles. The great thing was I did this race 4 years ago, before I really started running and joined RC and had a 44:18. That’s 8:55 a mile and I remember really pushing at the end. Funny to think now I was so frustrated with an 8:31 first mile just a few years later?
Rodrigo Jara ran the Media Maratón Internacional de Asunción Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:22:37. This was a personal record by 1 minute!
PR by 1 minute and 3rd place AG. Really happy with the result!!
Logan Berry ran the Keys Ultra 50-mile and finished this distance in the time of 9:45:29, which was a PR!
I ran the 50-mile ultramarathon at the Keys 100 in Florida. It is run along the overseas highway, on road shoulders and sidewalks, from Marathon to Key West. My first big monster was Seven Mile Bridge. By about mile 8 of the race I took my first of many walk breaks, a necessity in an ultra. Mile 15 to 20 was a pretty low point mentally.
On my first walk break I decided to walk when I got to a (road cone, telephone pole, tree, etc) then run at the next. Then I decided instead of letting landmarks determine my game, my mantra was “run until you can’t, then walk until you can.” I pulled into the next aid station, which was also the 50k start. After a fresh pair of socks, a Gatorade bottle and a Payday bar and I was back on the road. All of the sudden I had energy, I wasn’t too hot, and I was PUMPED! I threw down a couple 8:30 miles. Mile 26 – a little bit of rainfall cooled things down to 80° and I was even better.
At mile 33 the rain stopped and it was now crazy humid and blazing sun, heating to 106° where it stayed until about mile 48. I was miserable. I had beat the bridge demon and the heat demon, but now I was fighting heat and fatigue together. I stayed in the fight by picking off 50k stragglers. It was getting harder to run at all.
At mile 45, now finally on Key West, I had to wait for a crosswalk signal to cross the street, which cost me 2 minutes. Mile 48 – a crewmember came to pace me to the finish. I crossed the finish line in 9:45:29. I had given it my all, which was enough. The first 2 finishers were elite females, the next 4 were “regular guys” and I had come in 5th overall and 3rd male. The male winner beat me by 8 minutes, and the #6 guy was 20 seconds behind me, super close for a nearly 10-hour race.
I came to this race really needing a win after so many bad races, and I undeniably got it. Never in my dreams did I think I would be on the podium in an insanely difficult ultra, my first 50-mile. Demons were conquered in glorious battle! Never give up the fight!
Danielle Schroder ran the Leiden Half Marathon with a finishing time of 2:01:45.
First road race after 6 months of injury. 16 minutes slower than my PB but I’am very happy that I was able to participate in the event.
Philippe Delecheneau ran the Great Ocean Road Half Marathon and finished in a time of 2:21:48.
Great Ocean Road Half Marathon, full marathon and Ultra are iconic races around here. They have a reputation for being hard because of their hills, but at the same time it is a very picturesque race along the rugged side of Victoria. Weather was perfect, very fresh at the the start around 8-9 degrees, but sunny after that.
I knew it was going to be hard. I wasn’t coming for a PB. I was just out of abdominal surgery. I was confident I could do something nice, even if I am not use to hills, but I wasn’t prepared for that kind of hills lol. It started 500m from starting line, a 2 km climb which killed my legs, with cramps in right calf. (i never get cramps..), anyway what goes up, must come doing… up and down, last 8-9 kms were not too bad , just never got the energy to do a surge.
Gerbrand Hendrikse ran the Leiden Halve Marathon and finished this race event in the time of 1:23:55.
Because of my cold from the past two weeks, I was not in top form today. My estimate was that between 1:23 and 1:24 should work today. So my goal was to stay under 4:00/km pace. I succeeded. I managed to keep up the pace and just finish in 1:23, I was very satisfied with that.
Elizabeth Olacio ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon with a finishing time of 2:46.
First half in over 6 months!
Sandra Keller ran the Horse Capital Half Marathon and finished with a time of 2:45:21.
I went into this race feeling better than I have in 3 years. I fully expected to beat my fastest time for this race and secretly was hoping to PR. At least three major mistakes. #1 I did not look at the heat/pace calculator. I decided If the going got tough I could tough it out and wanted to keep with my goal pace. #2, I went out too fast my first 5 miles. I’ve never gone fast from the beginning so now I can say I’m not ready yet. #3, I still have a lot to learn on the nutrition side of things. I had a good warm mile before the race. And felt things were going fine miles 1-5. Not sure if it was the heat or nutrition but I started feeling tired around mile 6, but still thinking a decent pace was doable. However around mile 9 my Heart Rate jumped close to 190 and I decided to add in walk breaks at the hills. The weather has fluctuated wildly so I’ve not gotten acclimated to warmer temps. My breathing was fine, I never felt out of breath. Not sure what the elevation gain was but I think they threw in some extra hills. The race ended up being on the smaller side with only 415 runners in the HM. But I was still super surprised to learn that I got the 3rd place AG award out of 13. Recovery has been good. Lots of positives. The hill training has made my body tougher, just need to get some hot weather endurance. And yes definitely have to find time for strength training. The race course was gorgeous.
