Peter Fenn ran the Greater Manchester Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:20:57, which was a PR by 1 minute 14 seconds!
Niklas S ran the Lidingö Backyard Ultra 174.2 km with a finishing time of 25:48:00, which was a PR!
Some background is that I’ve been struggling with a knee injury since my last races in spring and this event, even if I only walked/jogged, marks my return to running. I am very satisfied with the race outcome and that I stayed mentally strong throughout and that I am finally healthy to resume/ramp up my run training for 2020.
Matthew Robinson ran the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:47:09. This was a personal record by 9 minutes!
The energy was amazing. Watched our Canadian Elites compete for Tokyo 2020.
Greg Arampatzis ran the Runner’s World Grand Slam- Half Marathon with a finishing time of 1:43:34.
Runner’s World Half Marathon- Sunday 10/20/19 8am. Race # 4 of 4 for the Runner’s World Grand Slam (This was my 5th race in 4 days).
Overall I felt pretty good heading into this race. My legs weren’t aching but they definitely weren’t fresh either. I worked my way through the corral and joined the 1:45 pacer. I stayed with him for about the first 1.75 miles, until we got to the first little downhill (Mile 1 was 7:46, Mile 2 was 8:05). I kept a 7:54 pace for Miles 3 to 5. The hill in Mile 6 slowed me down to 8:13. I kept playing tag with the 1:45 pacer for the next 5 miles or so. Mile 7 was 7:38, Mile 8 was 8:14, Mile 9 was 8:11. I threw in surges when I felt the pace slipping. I was able to stay under 8 for the rest of the race. Mile 10 was 7:46, Mile 11 was 7:58. I knew if I got to Mile 12 by 1:35 I still had a chance of beating my PR of 1:43:30. I saw the clock at Mile 12 and it was close so I kicked it up a notch and passed it right as it turned to 1:35. I pushed hard in the final sprint…but not hard enough. I missed my PR by 4 seconds.
I know not every race will be a PR, but I also know I could have pushed harder for at least 5 seconds during this race. I’m still very thankful for what my body was able to accomplish in this 4 day span. I’m also thankful for the Runners Connect coaches, training, and community that have helped me get to this point. Overall 152nd of 1013. Grand Slam Results- Combined time of 3:25:52 for 26.2 miles; Overall 20th of 243.
Greg Arampatzis ran the Runner’s World Grand Slam- 10k and finished this distance in the time of 47:30. This was a PR by 56 seconds!
Runner’s World 10k- Saturday 10/19/19 9:30am. Race # 3 of 4 in the Runner’s World Grand Slam. This race started just over an hour after I had finished the 5k race. I made sure to rehydrate, lightly refuel, stretch, and warmup again between races.
I again started at the front and started out fast. I quickly knew this was going to be a challenge, but one I was up for. Mile 1 was 6:41, Mile 2 was 6:56. Mile 3 had the uphills and I slowed to 7:59. Gained some speed back for Mile 4 (7:40 pace), and a little more in Mile 5 (7:26 pace). Mile 6 was slower (7:56), but I kicked it up for that last quarter mile, hitting a 6:34 pace. Net time was 47:30, which was a new PR by 56 seconds. I was absolutely thrilled that so far I had been able to PR in each of the 4 races I had done in the past 39 hours. 4 down, 1 to go. Finished 84th Overall, out of 910.
Chris Jones ran the Yorkshire Marathon and finished in a time of 3:14:15. This was a new personal record by 10 minutes!
It’s taken me 9 years to achieve a London good for age time and I put everything into the training, nutrition, etc to make sure I did it this time.
Greg Arampatzis ran the Runner’s World Grand Slam 5k, finishing this distance in the time of 21:33. This was a personal record by 24 seconds!
Runner’s World 5k- Saturday 10/19/19 8am. Race # 2 of the Runner’s World Grand Slam.(This was the 3rd race of my 5 races in 4 days)
It was a nice and chilly 34F at the start of this race. I started out fast but was able to hold my own with some of the faster runners for a little while. I then got in to my own groove and was just running my race. Mile 1 was 6:55 even wih the slight hills, awesome! Mile 2 then had some slight downhills and was 6:50. Dropped off a little bit going up the very slight incline in Mile 3 but still managed 7:17. Once I got to the home stretch I kicked it up and finished with an overall time 21:33. Finished 55th overall out of 929.
Greg Arampatzis ran the Runner’s World Grand Slam- Trail Run with a finishing time of 33:15, which was a PR!
This was race # 1 of the 4 races in the Runner’s World Grand Slam. (3.8 mile trail run, 5k, 10k, and Half Marathon, for a total of 26.2 miles). The race starts at 3:30 pm which is a very odd start time for a race.
The race started with a short uphill climb and then we headed downhill for a while. There were quite a bit of rocks and roots, but compared to the trails I ran on at Blue Mountain over the summer these were kind of tame. I remained confident in my abilities and leaned into the hills as I decended. I felt like I was zooming by many of the other runners. I eased up too much on a couple of the later uphills, not sure why I did that. But then when I saw the water tower I knew it was all downhill after that. I kicked it into gear and flew down that hill to the finish line. I think that may have been the fastest finishing sprint I’ve ever had (got up to a 5:22 pace)! This was my first time doing this race and it was a lot of fun! Finished 49th overall out of 332 total.
Greg Arampatzis ran the PCS Third Thirsty Thursday 5k and finished this race in the time of 21:57, which was a PR by 19 seconds!
Pretzel City Sports.(My first of 5 races in 4 days)…This was the final race of this series for 2019. This is an evening race. But it is on a (mostly) flat rail trail, and almost everyone was wearing or had some sort of light on them, so it wasn’t difficult to see where you were going.
I felt good going into the race and felt like I could definitely do better than my 22:26 time from last month (which was a new PR then). The temperature was a perfect 52F, which helped me to maintain a comfortable breathing rhythm. My legs felt strong and I kept my mind strong too.
I finished with a time of 21:57, which was not only a new PR but also achieved my goal of a sub 22 5k by the end of 2019. I placed 16th out of 108 and won the award for Top Overall Clydesdale.
Kumar Rao ran the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:50:28.
This was supposed to be a “Recovery Tune-up Race”, after just 3 weeks of the Berlin Marathon, so I did not have a specific goal or pacing plan and decided to run it by feel. The run felt like a moderate tempo till around 13 km, after which I tried to pick up the pace. In the last 2 Kms, I felt I may get a cramp in my right calf, so slowed down a little to let the feeling pass.
Official finish was 1:50:28, and I won the first age-group prize among 31 in the 70+ age category. Ran continuously with hydration and fuelling on the go, focusing on form. Pleased with this tuneup race as it gives much confidence as I start the training cycle for the marathons next January and April.
Gloria Pena ran the Columbus Marathon and finished in a time of 5:56:32.
I finished this marathon under 6 hours (I’m a race walker) that was a good accomplishment, even though I thought I could finished closer to 5:36, probably not. I finished 5th among women walkers. I started faster that I was planned. First mile 1 minute faster and later on allow myself to walk 1-10 sec ahead. At half marathon I was almost 3 minutes ahead of my race plan. At mile 17 I couldn’t keep on the pace but I was glad that I could got through a long 2-mile-hill without cramping. Cramps showed up at mile 20 to stay till I finished 20 minutes behind my goal. It was warm and went worse after the first 3 hours. The idea to quit was in my mind after mile 18 I just wanted to stop but I didnt. I’m already signed for Flying Pig on May 2020 and it will be a full marathon hopefully a best race.
David Lenz ran the Surf the Murph 50k and finished this race in the time of 7:58:45.
I was not totally fit to run this. Had not run alot of miles because of a hamstring. Too bad, did it anyway. The race had a bunch of options, half, marathon, 50k, 50 mile, 100k, and 100 miles. The course was a loop of 16.8 miles with about 1500 feet of elevation gain. I dropped down from the 50 mile to the 50k because conditions were less than ideal. The race starts in the dark for the first hour+. That was surreal. Started raining at the start of the race. Not forecasted. Lasted 4 hours. Made the course very slippery and muddy so time wasn’t great. Then the sun came out. Absolutely beautiful autumn foliage. Wasn’t my best race but finished intact.
Terrie Ebert ran the Palo Duro Canyon 25K and completed this distance in the time of 2:53:57, which was a PR!
I was really looking forward to this race because it was a new challenge in a place I had not run before. Palo Duro Canyon is BEAUTIFUL! Definitely some technical climbs and descents, but the trails were so pretty I just wanted to see more! It was a good balance I felt of ups and downs with some smoother trail in between. I feel like my downhill skills really improved from my March 55k at Antelope Canyon. I love how engaged I am when running the trails. Honestly I got to mile 10 and couldn’t believe it was just 5 and some change to go! The last 1.5 I was tired, lots of climbing by then but it was a smooth section last few so I just told myself “ it’s just a real pretty long run, you do one every week!” Lol Just a fantastic day, I was hoping for under 3 hours so happy with result. My husband also ran it just under 4 hours which was a really big accomplishment for him! Thank you Coaches for all you do!
Andre Arseneau ran the Kathy’s Run 5k, finishing this distance in the time of 23:16.
On a whim I registered for this 5k race Thursday night and ran it today. My chip time was 23:16, 2 seconds over my PR. Had the actual distance been 5k I would have had a 20-25 second PR! Sigh. The course was nice and flat and I felt good throughout. There was a loop plus a straight out and back portion and we did the route twice. There were a lot of walkers. So second time on the straight was like playing Frogger around walkers going both directions. With proper prep and a good course a new PR is out there! All in all, 7th overall and first in my age group. Happy with that.
Joel LeMar ran the IMT Des Moines Marathon and finished with a time of 4:17, which was a PR!
I’m trying to decide how I feel about this. I was way off goal pace 4:17 vs 4:40 goal but I also completed my first marathon! I’m also trying to decide why I was off so much. I think from the fitness side all the hills in the first half of the race came back to bit me in the last 6. Up until mile 19 or 20 I was hitting all the paces just fine. I knew it would be a struggle at the end but didn’t know how much of one. I was taking in fuel just fine (5 gels throughout the race with no GI issues at all) and as far as I know I was hydrating just fine. I don’t think energy was the problem. I just crashed and burned the last 6 miles. Bottom line. I completed my very first ever marathon and no one can take that away from me!!!!!
Darci LaFave ran the Oktoberfest 10K and finished this distance in the time of 45:58. This was a personal record by 1:51.
This is a local race that I’ve been doing for the last 8 years. They have different distances which makes it good for everyone. The last time I ran the 10K was in 2017 and I improved my time by 1:51! Here I am two years older and almost two minutes faster. The bonus was that I was the overall female winner!!
Gary Beyer ran the ASB Auckland Marathon and finished this race in the time of 3:49:31, which was a PR!
This was my first road marathon! Thrilled with my time and my 11th place in age group 54 – 59. I started off slow as I was told by the RC coaches and also the Auckland Marathon spends the first 12 k or so with hills, not including the 1k harbour bridge one. After getting through the hills section and all the way up to about the 28k mark I felt pretty ok. 34 – 37k I crashed pretty hard and it was hard to maintain my pace with most of my fellow runners slowing down around me too. Luckily a runner game cruising past me and I was able to use my imaginary lasso around him and be ‘towed’ behind before he too dropped off the pace. I did the same with other runner almost all the way to the end. I had an interesting last 100m when two runners close to me decided to take off in a mad sprint to the finish line. Naturally I could not let that go unanswered and took off to pip them at the post – boy, was that a bad idea… Much leg pain has been the nature of the rest of the day 🙂
Goals for next year: Run four days a week instead of three. Do more strength training. Do a few more longer runs.
Jan Mermin ran the Hartford Marathon and finished with a time of 3:18:17. This was a new personal record by 1:21.
I ran faster than I let myself hope I could. 3 years ago I PRed at Wineglass, which is a downhill course. Ever since then my goal was to beat that time on a non-downhill course. I thought maybe I could do that this tune but I didn’t expect to beat it by over a minute. It was also a great marathon. Nice course, very well organized, lots of support, bands and djs, great atmosphere. Maybe my favorite so far.
Shanthi Lackey ran the Empire State Half Marathon 10k with a finishing time of 0:47:06.
Ended up having a foot injury about 2 weeks before the race. Dropped down to the 10K which was less competitive all the speedsters were doing the 1/2 and Marathon. Took it easy to start a little foot pain but I decided to get after it anyways. By the end I caught up to the lead female minus 2 seconds. Ended up with 2nd and 1st in AG which is always a great feeling. My foot didn’t seem much worse the next day about the same. So all and all it went well.
Sarah Mandina ran the MO’ Cowbell Half Marathon and finished in a time of 2:01:29.
I knew going into the race that it wasn’t going to be the PR I was hoping for. My wonderful vacation in Thailand didn’t allow me to keep up with my training schedule. THEN I found out I was moving to Scotland for work. So running has had to take a back seat with all the amazing changes going on in my life. I’m looking forward to easing back in and finding some cool races in the UK!
Catherine Tams ran the GoodLife Fitness Victoria 1/2 Marathon and finished in 1:54:55.
I am so incredibly happy with this race. I went out faster than I initially planned the day before, but right on what my sister in law encouraged me to do. She knew I was trained well and pushed me to pick a faster time while I was in the start line. During the race I felt very strong, even through the continuous uphill portions. It was definitely not a flat course. And I’m glad about that. But who knows. Maybe if it was flat, I’d have made my PR from my first half ten years ago! Happy 10 years of long distance running?
Robert Walton ran the Runners World Magazine 5K and completed this distance in the time of 0:25:16.
One of my better 5K races. Not a PR but a very solid time for me despite holding back knowing I was racing a 10K an hour later and the half marathon tomorrow.
Robert Walton ran the Runners World Magazine 10K and finished with a time of 0:53:37. This was a personal record by 2:47 minutes!
This was a surprise. I was not going for a PR just looking for a decent time. When things felt tough I just kept pushing.
Michael Istre ran the ICCS Panther Run 5K and finished this race in the time of 20:39. This was a PR by 1 minute 40 seconds!
This was my first competitive race against my 15 year old son who runs cross country. We both have been pushing each other in training for the past month ahead of this race. Today my finishing time of 20:39 was a PR by 1 minute, 40 seconds and I am extremely proud about that…and it’s a testament to the RunnersConnect training program. I ended up losing the race to my son by 13 seconds (who also received a huge PR), but I’m a winner because the smiles on his face today after his accomplishment were priceless.
Jonathon Suggs ran the Dramathon and finished this race event in the time of 4:25:23.
My first marathon! The Scottish countryside is absolutely beautiful and inspiring. It was a tale of two half’s. The first went to plan, right at GMP. Things were going pretty smoothly until mile 16. A mini wall, but at mile 17 I caught a second wind! Unfortunately that only lasted for a mile or so. Around mile 20 the real wall hit and there was no recovering. I couldn’t stomach any more GUs and it was struggling bus city up until the last quarter mile and I pulled together a good showing at the finish line. I was wrecked, but I had a good time.
Glenn DeCou ran the Octoberfest Trail Run Half Marathon and finished with a time of 2:13:19.
So much for sticking to the plan. I also went faster than scheduled for the first part of the race. That came back to bite me around mile 9. Had to walk a little bit to recover. It helped my wife and daughter were out to cheer me on around mile 12. That gave me the push to finish strong. Not a PR, but the fastest I’ve run in 5 years and did beat my goal time. Pleased with the results.
Diane Knowles ran the Stone Arch Bridge 10 mile and completed this distance in the time of 1:14:49.
A small race in southern NH where it all went right on fairly hilly (yet beautiful) course, with the last .25 ALL downhill which was wonderful. I was elated to see 1:14:4x as I approached the finish. Felt strong throughout, with large stretches on my own in no man’s land, given it was such a small race. Very happy about this one!
Yoi Ohsako ran the Run for Rwanda 5k, finishing this distance in the time of 21:24.
Chip time: 21:24; Pace: 6:53/mile; Overall: 19/1189; Age group: 3/82 (Male 40-49); Gender: 19/494 (Male)
I started the race well for the first 2 miles but having to get around walkers on the 3rd mile killed it, forcing me to take poor tangents. But all in all, a wonderful race with my church.
Bob Muehring ran the North Coast Harbor 15K and finished in a time of 1:09:11.
Fairly flat course near with start/finish and some parts of the course near Lake Erie. 1st place in age group, 9th overall. Age group award was a knit hat with the race name embroidered. Was quite chilly despite the wind blowing from the south and not off of Lake Erie, wind chill at the start was 34. I wasn’t quite ready for this distance today as the cold/sinus issues I’ve had for the last week or so are still hanging around, thus I think it affected my endurance. Course wasn’t well marked at a couple places after mile 8, which probably cost me a sub-1:09, but I was aiming for 1:12, with a sub-1:10 being the icing on the cake, and I got it, so I have nothing to complain about.
Jack Brajcich ran the Shikanoshima 10k and finished this race in the time of 0:42:37.
Race around an island with lovely views of the sea. Happy with the relaxed start, even pace through about 6km, picked it up to the end. 26km on the day with the warmup and cool down.
Kaustav Saha ran the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon with a finishing time of 1:44:22. This was a new personal record by 5 minutes!
Having IT pain develop in the last week before the race made me nervous whether I would be able to run the paces I had trained for, or worse, even finish the race. However, it luckily turned out not to trouble me.
Kept a consistently fast pace, crossing 10K in under 48:30, which was well within my target time. Was able to sustain a pace faster than 4:50 all the way till KM 18, though it required a lot of effort post 13 KM. However, post 18KM, I started developing a cramp in my left calf so had to slow down.
While at one point it felt like I could have hit a time of 1:42 or lower if I kept up the pace, I am happy overall with how the race turned out, especially as it was a significant PR! This was also my first HM in 4 years as I had only run 10K races since then.
Jagroop Singh Baath ran the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon and finished with a time of 2:26:57.
Finished the Race ….That pretty sums up today’s event….extremely overcrowded so managing pace and avoiding people pushing you or colliding with you was impossible ….changed my goals to just finish it without getting injured and took to walk breaks to get space on road to run and also for hydration….No cramps or anything this time around.
Erik Viik ran the Amsterdam Marathon with a finishing time of 3:09:54.
I felt surprisingly strong until 30km, the HR was low and the pace felt easy. I had my own gels and ate them at regular intervals. Carried 2dl of electrolyte drink in hand, then my support group gave me another bottle at 14km. At 21.1km felt fresh. After 30km just could not lift legs anymore at the same pace. Surprisingly, I did not feel any sudden increase in my HR at that point, I did not have any heavy breathing, just could not keep the same pace as during the first half (4:30min/km or under). At the same time I knew that only 10km was left, and I knew I can run them at least around 4:50 pace. I am happy to go under 3:10.
Richard Willis ran the OCR World Championships 15km Age Group 45-49 and completed this race event in the time of 2:20:36, which was a PR!
Goals on this were:
A. Clean run.
B. Keep Band.
C. Good position. Before running I didn’t really know what a good position was, so that’s why it was my C goal.The conditions were brutal, especially as one of the last age group waves. Rain all through the night and all day made for plenty of mud and every obstacle slippery. So I didn’t hit my A goal. As soon as we got to the Gorilla Bars I knew it was going to be tough.
Nuclear rings – Concentrating so much on double tap and gripping the rings, forgot about momentum and ended stranded on the 3rd ring!
Valkyrie – Skipped a couple of rings on the 3km, and rushed it while attempting the same and just missed and came off. Got it easily the 2nd time while hitting every ring.
Force 5 Rig 2 – In the 3km, tried Scotty’s idea of skipping bars 2 & 4, and it went easily. Tried again and slipped off the wheel. Got it 2nd time with exactly the same technique.
Ninja Rings – Came off near the start the first attempt.
Gibbons – Took 3 goes, but got through it. Just need more practice at this one.
Skitch – This was the hardest, handles felt really wet and slippery.So hit goal B in a time of 2:20. Must have wasted at least 10 mins with the retries. Hit goal C as well with a 10th place. More than happy with that, and much higher than I thought possible. I thought that top 20 would have been fantastic. Still really happy with how it went and have a target to beat next year, which I think I’ve qualified for with a 10th place.
Nicolas Mimoglou ran the Semi-Marathon du Bois de Vincennes Half Marathon and finished in 2:05:18. This was a PR by 9 minutes, 24 seconds!
First really rainy race! The RC schedule really made me make huge progress: not only I recovered after last year’s fracture but I also felt the progress I made. I could apply the lessons I learned: think each mile as it it were the last one, take care of my posture when I felt I was running in place! At the beginning I started to run with a pace leader but I stopped after the 8th kilometer and then I was “alone” with my watch. I’m very proud of my PR! Almost 9.5 minutes at the HM, 11 minutes at the 15K. Maybe I could make a better PR but the rain made the earth muddy and slippery. But still, it’s a great timing for me. Thanks to all of you, RC coaches and fellow runners for your advice, experience, motivating messages. And now, ready for next April’s marathon! :grinning: :thumbsup:
Trey Brush ran the Atlanta 10 miler, finishing this distance in the time of 1:13:46.
I do like this race overall but you have to appreciate running in Atlanta to enjoy it. It might be the hardest course in Atlanta. I feel much less trashed after the Atlanta half on Thanksgiving. They don’t hide the hills from you in this race. You just have to know it is hard going into it. Last year, I really went after it. This year, I backed it off. I would have liked to have been faster but I am okay with today.
Robert Walton ran the Runners World Magazine Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1:57:10, which was a PR by 2 seconds!
Wow, did not expect to PR. I was going out hoping to run 9 min miles and finish around 2 hours, figuring I would fatigue and finish at 2:02 or 2:03 or so, but mile after mile I kept being around 9 min per mile overall. I realized I was close to a PR when I passed the 13 mile mark and the clock read 1:57. My fastest mile was the 13th just slightly faster than the 2nd. I wonder what I could do on a flat course without having run a 5K & 10K the day before.
Louise Apsey ran the Fleet 10k and finished this distance in the time of 0:41:06, which was a PR by 48 seconds!
Felt a bit nervous about this race as it’s my home town. Had a plan in mind, was hoping for around 41:30 did the first few miles a bit quicker than planned but felt so comfortable, I could hear runners around me huffing and puffing but I felt really relaxed so ignored watch and kept on pace. Around mile 4 I was in 4th place managed to overtake and luckily stay ahead ? Really pleased with my 3rd place finish and new PR 41:06, better than I was hoping for but now I’m thinking if only I could of got under 41 mins ?
Cindy Kelly ran the Baystate Half Marathon and finished this race in the time of 2:58:31.
This was my first half marathon, and I was very nervous. The weather was cold but sunny, and actually really nice for running. I was able to run the entire distance!
Jennifer Thomas ran the Fall Backyard Burn 10 mile and finished with a time of 1:45:09, which was a PR!
I had a blast. It was cold (for us) and raining pretty hard. The course was muddy and, especially on the second loop, messy. The race began with .5 miles of pavement uphill. During my last race, I got stuck early on behind a slow group and then the trail narrowed and it was hard to pass. I therefore wanted to use the wide pavement to get a better position which required running hard up the hill. Not how I normally start a race. But it worked and freed me up to use the downhills to good effect for the rest of the race.
I also experimented in this race with running at a harder than usual effort for the first half. I ran at an easyish 2/2 breathing pattern for the first loop. When I workied about blowing up during the second loop, I just reminded myself how much time I have been working on this level of effort. As always, I walked up some of the big hills and careened down them.
I felt good for the whole first loop. During the second loop, especially during miles 6 and 7, I had some moments where I felt like I needed to slow down to preserve effort for the end, but I told nervous Nellie to go away and reminded myself that I had plenty left even if my muscles and brain were telling me otherwise.
For the last 2-3 miles, I did a lot of self-talk, especially when I was pushing myself to run up the moderate hills. There was a woman who was about a tenth of a mile in front of me for the last few miles. Having her ahead of me and trying to catch her definitely shaved some time from my total.
I got second in my AG, beating at least one of the people who beat me by several minutes 2 weeks ago. And I was over 2 minutes faster than the previous race which was slightly less hilly and dry and fast.
Joshua Ross ran the Duke City Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1:41:15. This was a personal record by 1:21.
This was a good flat course and enjoyable race. People were friendly and outgoing. I PR’d but felt good the entire course. I even missed one turn and probably lost 30 seconds until another runner pointed it out.
Andra Ghent ran the Bull City Race Fest Half-Marathon with a finishing time of 1:44:55.
Fabulous race. I didn’t PR but I got second in my AG (2/61) and met my “”C”” goal of being grateful for every one of the 13 miles I was able to run. Grateful my body let me run, grateful for the advice and support of the coaches and other athletes on RC, grateful to the race organizers, grateful to my bf/ training partner, and grateful to all the volunteers.
No PR for a few reasons: 1) It was unexpectedly SUPER hilly! Almost 900 feet of elevation gain on this. 2) weather was pouring rain. My shoes were soaked even before the race started. 3) Phone died at mile 7 so no music for last 6 miles.
My half PR is 1:43:36 but all conditions were perfect that day and there was only 200 feet of elevation gain in that race. I stayed with my goal pace until around mile 10 but I kind of just threw in the towel after that as it felt like they had saved all the hills for last. Had I known how hilly the race was, I probably would have aimed for a more conservative pace. In my defense, the race website did not post the course elevation profile so this was not a failure to plan.
I have always been a particularly weak runner on uphills and today was no exception. After this training cycle is done, my plan is to do a serious 2-3 months of strength training. I thoroughly enjoyed the first 8 miles of the race. The race was very well-organized with lots of support.
Michael Schiel ran a Half Marathon race and finished with a time of 1:47:20. This was a new personal record by 3:30.
AWESOME! According to my Garmin, I made personal records in my 1 mile (6:25), 5K (23:20), and 10K (48:31) during this race, and this time beat my 1/2 marathon PR (made just 3 weeks ago at my first race) by 3:30. My goal was to run faster than the 5:12 pace from my race three weeks ago – I was aiming for 5:10. But I totally kicked that, as my Garmin tells me my pace was 4:56!
It felt really good the whole way. My legs felt good, and my training totally came through. Big thanks to the coaches and their training plan. The course had lots of easy, gentle down slopes which I took advantage of, and I attacked the hills. I am so pleased with the results, and feel fabulous about the day.
Kyle Hatfield ran the Columbus Marathon and finished this race in the time of 3:10:45.
Pretty pleased with this effort! Maybe got out a little quick, but was rolling early. Had some leg issues from my sciatica starting around 17. Fought through these, but it was too much to overcome the last few, with some heavy cramping. Glad I qualified for Boston. I’ll work to recover and strengthen my back, then get back after it!
James Althauser ran the Columbus Marathon and completed this race event in the time of 3:03.25.
I know I was in shape to run under 3:00. Everything was on pace and I was ready to run fast for the last 4 miles. I really felt great but shortly into mile 24 my hamstrings cramped a little and I had to but it only cost me about 30 seconds. I got going again but in mile 25 they cramped really bad and I couldn’t even stand up straight for 2 and a half or 3 minutes. After that I got going again and I finished the race okay. This was really frustrating because I really felt strong otherwise. I felt like I could have run those last 4 miles as fast as my hamstrings would have let me and wasn’t even tired or struggling.
Gena Heminover ran the Grand Rapids Marathon with a finishing time of 3:47:22. This was a PR by 1 minute and 30 seconds!
We just came back from doing a world record in the UK four days before this race so I’m happy I was able to do this race with a PR.
Jelena Sommer ran the TCS Amsterdam Marathon and finished with a time of 3:56:22. This was a personal record by 4:23.
My A goal was to run @5:35/ km and finish at 3:55:35 which I missed by 47 seconds. B goal was to run sub 4 which I did and extremely happy about it! I have improved my PR from 2017 by 4:23. It’s my 5th marathon and I have been chasing sub 4 since 2015.
In the first part of the Marathon there were several bottle necks along the course to the point that people had to stop and walk a bit several times, which was really annoying. I tried to catch up with the lost time and went a bit faster then 5:35. My pace was about 5:25-5:30 quite a substantial part of the run.
Jaron Brown ran the 7 Bridges Marathon and finished this distance in the time of 3:27:57. This was a massive personal record by 14 minutes!
This was a redemption race for my blow-up in Boston in the spring. I knew I could run a sub 3:30 marathon and attempted to do so in Boston, but got a bit too aggressive, especially considering the weather conditions in Boston. I’m very satisfied with today’s results.
Lee Pearce ran the York Marathon and finished this race in the time of 4:00:06.
Well I’m pleased it’s 12 min PB but gutted I’m 6 seconds over 4 hours but had absolutely nothing left in legs so can’t complain.
Michelle Tischbein ran the Hershey Half Marathon and finished in a time of 3.14.
I walked this with a friend that wasn’t able to run as well as previous years. The rain was a pain but it always fun to get out and experience the crowds and of course the medal and T-shirt ?
Jerry Kargman ran the NYCRuns Brooklyn Half Marathon and finished in 2:45:59.
Age Group 1st place, but don’t be too impressed. There were only two runners in the 75-79 category. I truly thought (A) a PR was all but a foregone conclusion (B) breaking 2:30 (AG 142:11) was quite likely, although not guaranteed (C) I had a non-trivial shot at sub 2:25. (AG 1:38:47). As you’ll see, I accomplished none of these goals.
I did not observe the fact that even though I didn’t go out fast (first two miles were above my average pace), I was running far above my maximal HR for the first 3+ miles – 144, 159, 170 average for miles 1-3, peaking at 190, Yikes! I might have started walking then and there had I known.
My on course nutrition, usually spotty, was spot on, with GU gels at 4, 7.5, and 10.5 miles, along with Gatorade and water at perhaps 5 aid stations. A strategy to attack the infamous, insidious, and downright cruel Prospect Park hill, thanks to reading Coach Ruairi’s timely post on uphill running. I came in ahead of 428 runners, all of them, and the 5103 who finished, younger than me. I was the absolute oldest of 5103. Amazing!
On the positive side of the ledger, but small comfort given the performance and the time:
1) I finished. When you know you’re having a bad day and you’re going to be disappointed in the final result, it’s tempting to DNF. I’ve never done that, once starting, and I didn’t today.
2) I ran my (and many others’) nemesis, the Prospect Park hill, with nary a walking step. I was determined not to walk it, and I didn’t.
3) I worked hard, even if didn’t have the results to show for it. My average HR, sustained over nearly 3 hours, was 147,which is 95% of pro forma max.
4) I improved on one metric. average stride length was the longest it’s ever been at .79 m. That may be a reflection of the ancillary exercises and stretching that I’m finally starting to do.
Terry Whelan ran the Ventura Half Marathon with a finishing time of 1:32:00. This was a PR by 4 minutes!
What a race! It was hotter than anyone expected, so had to adjust pace and hydration to fit the day. Everything went well and I had just enough in me to reach the finish. The mile splits do not capture the terrain, its mainly down hill other than mile 1 and 5. I held my losses on those hills to near my plan. Took a GU just before the start and another at mile 5. This was sufficient for this distance.
Tony Malinauskas ran the Spartan Super(OCR) 12k and finished in a time of 2:04:32.
Podium! 2nd place in age division! This was also a qualifying race for the OCR world championships for 2020, and these results qualify me. I completed all obstacles without any penalties, and the splits showed that I moved up 37 positions among males from 30 minutes into the race till the end.
Ed Hubbard ran the Paramus Terri Roemer 10k, finishing this distance in the time of 0:51:30.
While today’s race was not a PB, it was my best time for this particular race by 45 seconds, and this race had a very challenging hill segment at the halfway point (i.e. not a great course for a PB). My mile paces were pretty consistent, with the exception of Mile 5, which was off my average by 15 to 20 seconds. This was somewhat inexplicable, although when I look back on it, I think I just lost my my mental focus on my cadence. So that’s one lesson learned. The good thing is that when I saw my pace for Mile 5 on my Garmin, I mentally bore down and got back on pace for Mile 6 and had a good kick for the finish. So I guess the second lesson was in seeing the power of intention and not worrying to much about the physical discomfort at the tail end of the race. Everything considered, this was a gratifying effort for me, and it showed me that I’m on track in terms of fitness for a goal HM in one month’s time.
Ashley Macneill ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon with a finishing time of 3:45:54. This was a PR by 3 minutes and 22 seconds!
Great weather, fast course, no injuries!! The PR could have been bigger but I decided after mile 20 to take my time as I had a flight at 5pm and I had hip injuries leading up to the race. I was very worried about running. I am beyond happy with the PB and how the race felt. I have never ran as fast as I did as consistently as I did (until the last 6 miles).
Deana Fraser ran the ASB Auckland Half Marathon and finished with a time of 2:01:23. This was a massive personal record by 30 minutes!
Wow this course was tough! With an Elevation Gain of 157 m I would describe the course as rolling topped off with crossing the Auckland Harbour Bridge at 15 km which seem to take for ever to get to the top. Last year I suffered with a calf strain having to walk the second half of the course, so this year I worked to improve my endurance and strength to get a better result. My goal was a sub 2 hours, however I was a little unsure how to tackle the course. I knew I needed to have a bit of time up my sleeve before crossing the Harbour Bridge but it was not quite enough. Although I was just over 2 hours I was happy with my effort and certainly felt stronger in the last 5 km compared to my last half marathon.
Danielle Schroder ran the Lissabon Marathon and finished in a time of 4:40:53.
This was the first marathon in 18 months after multiple injuries and personal circumstances which made it difficult to train. I only wanted to finish. I ran one hour slower than my PB but that was not important. I did it! Now I can really start training again and look to future races.
Denise Brembeck ran the Detroit International Half Marathon and finished this race in the time of 2:27:57.
Wasn’t mentally in the best head space to do this event. I was expecting my piriformis to act up and be a problem. I expected to have to walk more. Instead overall I felt good. I was in the crowd of runners from corral released after mine. –So I had a lot of passing and maneuvering to do. I had forgotten my supplemental water bottle–and had to hit every aid station. Kept carbs going in at good intervals, and took a salt tab just after 8mile mark. I did need to keep reminding myself not to look at my watch much during race but the mile pace notifications were very encouraging. I did tire and have my pace slow toward end of race, but still had some energy in tank to push some just before finish line. It was a great race with amazing weather! Absolutely know that I could have done shaved off a few more minutes with some adjustments (i.e. no portajohn stop & better clothing choices). It is what it is and I’m delighted that my body (and mind :grinning: ) performed so admirably!
Jared Riley ran the Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon and completed this race event in the time of 1:20:37. This was a personal record by 3:42.
My previous PR was 1:24:19. Coming out of this training cycle, I knew I was in PR shape and was having fantasies of going sub 1:20. In discussion with Coach Ruairi, I agreed that this was a bit of a stretch, but I didn’t want to be as conservative as he suggested and go out at 6:20 pace. I did go with his suggested strategy, which was to stay in control for the first 10 miles and then go as fast as I could for the rest.
This is the largest race I’ve done where I belonged near the front. There were so many people running at different paces that was easy to not get sucked in to running somebody else’s race. I just measured the km’s and didn’t worry whether I saw 3:46 or high 3:50s. I told myself that as long as I was running sub 4 I would set a PR, and that the effort level was more important than pace.
Finally when I hit the 16 km marker I allowed myself the freedom to increase the pace. One guy passed me around 17 km, but that was it. I made up 18 places from 15km to the finish.
I was completely surprised when I saw the time on the clock. I had not looked at my watch since the 5km point of the race, so a final result in the 1:20s was as good as I could have expected. I’m fairly certain I could not have found those 37s without pushing myself into the red zone too early in the race, so I’m very happy.72/9967 OA
65/5208 Men
5/522 M45-49Once again, the training plan and coaching here at Runner’s connect has proven it’s value 🙂 I definitely would not have done this without you guys!
Christopher Knutson ran the IMT Des Moines Marathon with a finishing time of 3:35:41.
Race plan: Run 8:30/mile for 15-18 miles, then see if I can/want to turn it up for the last 8+miles. My half marathon pace from one year ago was 8:37, so even if I ran 8:30 for the full marathon, I would be happy.
Got off to a decent start. If anything I probably started out too fast, but not as fast as mile 2. Tried to throttle it back to my goal pace of 8:30 to avoid going out too fast. Somewhat successful as I hit 8:29 pace for mile 3. Then it was up the Grand Ave climb. Surprised to see I hit 8:30 going up that hill. Miles 3-8 of this course are pretty hilly; I took advantage of the downhills, even slight downgrades to pick up the pace without overexerting myself. This strategy worked out pretty well to keep at or below my 8:30 target pace through the hills in Mile 3-8.
I passed an assisted athlete in mile 9, I was inspiredl. I passed the marathon leader at mile 9.5. More inspiration. The 12 mile marker was inside Drake University’s stadium, while rounding the blue track of Drake Relays fame. The first time I was ever in that stadium was in high school. It was exciting to circle that track. I passed the halfway point at 1:49. Quick math told me this was 4 minutes faster than my half marathon from a year before. Still feeling really strong at this point.
Mile 15 was heading into Ashworth park, and and pretty good net downhill. I’d been trying to target 8:30 the whole race to this point. I knew I was running faster than that, but decided to target 8:20 for the next few miles. Mile 18 is where the marathon rejoins the half marathon route (mile 5 half marathon), so by the 20th mile, I was starting to pass half marathon walkers. At mile 24, I took my last Maurten gel with water. 2.2 miles togo. Now it was into the last incline of the race.
Flatlands. Getting tired. Glad to be close to the finish, but only 1.2 miles to go, I knew I could make it. Long flat straightaway. Easy running. Half a mile to go. Two more turns. 0.2 to go and I’m giving it all I have left. There’s my family. There’s the finish line…
3:35:44, 8:14 min/mile pace. 25th in division. This was my first full marathon, but I feel like I can call it a PR. 28 seconds faster than my half marathon pace from 1 year ago. The first half of the race was a PR for my half marathon time. So was the second half (negative split)
I’m really grateful for the support of my family, good PT which enabled me to have a really strong, consistent last 6 weeks of training for this race, and awesome coaches here on RC answering questions and doing schedule adjustments. Also great support and encouragement from other RC runners. You guys rock.
Sandra Keller ran the Urban Bourbon Half Marathon and finished in a time of 2:17.00. This was a PR by 3 minutes and 6 seconds!
Finally! It has taken me 5 years to PR at the Half Marathon. My previous PR was 2:20.07 in 2014. I finally learned how to train right and avoid injury. Thanks to all the coaches and runners connect members who kept me going this summer. Group dynamics really work.
Krishna Akkaram ran the Naperville Half Marathon and finished this race event in the time of 1:37:07.
Achieving something I couldn’t think was possible at the start of this training. If I remember correctly when I filled out for new training cycle report I said I want run a faster HM, but 1:40 HM would be too ambitious. But here I am I not only went sub 1:40 but went beyond and did 1:37:07. I am not only happy with the time, but with my overall progress. Same race 2017 – 2:10, 2018 – 1:54, 2019 – 1:37. And also other thing to celebrate is 50 lbs of weight in last two years (Feb, 2017 – Now).
Race plan: TRY for 1:40 Half Marathon. No pace group from the pace leaders, so made the plan to run conservatively for first half and try to go for the last 3.1 miles. I did two things for the first time, got into the corral with no hurry and was standing near starting line and started with the gun time. That was really cool, usually back of the pack in all the races I lined up.
Since started almost on start line, had not worry about zooming in and out of other runners, since warmed-up pretty good with my warm up, started with 7:40 for the first mile. Settled with bunch of 5 -6 other runners who I believe were running for 1:40 HM too. By mile 4, couple of them took off and couple of them dropped off, but I wan’t worried I liked the flow I had and rhythm I was having, so kept going and kept on telling my myself don’t do anything stupid until mile 10. Miles just flew so quick this time around, I got to mile 10 in no time. There were couple of uphills but nothing scary managed them pretty good, slowed down going up and speed up coming down.
Last 3.1 miles plan, as all coaches here talked about, pick someone ahead of you reel them back to you. This what did from mile 10 – 12, passing someone and giving myself few cheers when ever I pass someone. But at mile 12, I was passed by this dude but I just stuck to him on his back and surged with him, surge for me and it looked easy for him. But I think may be at I just crossed him like 1 sec before., pretty cool finish.
Thank you all the coaches, Runners Connect has played major roll in my progress, I am so glad to know guys.
Rob Hubertus von Pflug ran the Cologne Marathon Relay (my part 12.7 K) and finished in 01:19:53.
It was unsual warm 23 C for October in Germany just on that day and unfortunately my left leg and gluteus area were still quite painful, so no way to push for a good time…..
Lorena Trevino ran the Chicago Marathon with a finishing time of 3:54:15. This was a new personal record by 0:18:43.
It was such an amazing day for me!, I was so inspired, everything went fine, my oatmeal at 4:00 am, I got to my corral in time, weather was beautiful and perfect. I felt so good, with my gels, my hydration, my stomach was perfect, never had to stop, the cloths I wore, my only stop was for two seconds to hug my daughter (and sister) at mile 22, and then saw them again before Finish line, such a wonderful moment, I was also inspired by my dad whom I dedicated this Marathon too since he lived in Chicago during his youth. Unfortunately the Garmin issue in Downtown Chicago proved to be true but fortunately I was wearing my pace bands both in miles and kilometers and that helped a lot, I relied on them and the markers and that was fine. Broke my PR by 18:43 minutes!!! First flat Marathon! The other 3 were San Francisco, I guess I was biased, so Chicago Marathon gave me a more real feel to a Marathon. I absolutely LOVED IT. THANK YOU RUNNERS CONNECT, thank you coaches, you gave me the perfect training to do this!!! So happy :kissing_heart:
Darrell Schroeder ran the Okanagan Half Marathon and finished with a time of 2:17:34.
2:17 is the slowest time I’ve put up in three years. It started OK. I stayed on pace through the first 7k and then just ran out of energy. Eventually the 2:15 pace bunnies passed me and I tried to put on a surge to stay with them but it just wasn’t happening today.
