Marathon 47 & 48 in 50 of the #50in50: CT & IL (10/12-10/13/2019)

1. NEW YORK 11/4/18: @nycmarathon

2. NEVADA 11/11/18: @runrocknroll Vegas

3. PENNSYLVANIA 11/18/18: @Philly_Marathon

4. WASHINGTON 11/25/18: @seattlemarathon

5. TENNESSEE 12/1/18: @stjude Memphis

6. ALABAMA 12/8/18: @irunrocketcity

7. FLORIDA 1/13/19: @rundisney #wdwmarathon

8. LOUISIANA 1/20/19: @thelamarathon

9. MISSISSIPPI 1/26/19: Mississippi blues Marathon

10. ARIZONA 2/9/19: Mesa-Phoenix Marathon @phxmarathon

11. TEXAS 2/17/19: Austin marathon @austinmarathon

12. MASSACHUSETTS 2/24/19: Hyannis Marathon @hyannismarathon

13. SOUTH CAROLINA 3/2/19: Myrtle Beach marathon @runmbm

14. ARKANSAS 3/3/19: Little Rock marathon @lrmarathon

15. NORTH CAROLINA 3/9/19: Wrightsville Beach marathon @wbmarathon

16. GEORGIA 3/17/19: Publix Atlanta marathon @atlantatrackclub

17. NEW MEXICO 3/21/19: Dust Bowl Series - New Mexico

18. OKLAHOMA 3/22/19: Dust Bowl Series - Oklahoma

19. KANSAS 3/24/19: Chisholm Trail marathon @chisholmtrail44

20. MISSOURI 4/7/19: Go! St Louis marathon @gostlouis

21. KENTUCKY 4/27/19: Kentucky Derby marathon @kyderbyfestival

22. NEW JERSEY 4/28/19: New Jersey marathon @njmarathon

23. OHIO 5/5/19: Flying Pig marathon @runflyingpig

24. NORTH DAKOTA 5/18/19: Fargo marathon @fargo.marathon

25. COLORADO 5/19/19: Denver Colfax marathon @runcolfax

26. VERMONT 5/26/2019: Vermont City marathon @runvermont

27. UTAH 6/1/2019: Utah Valley marathon @runutahvalley

28. DELAWARE 6/18/2019: Mainly marathons - Independence Series - Bear DE

29. MARYLAND 6/19/2019: Mainly marathons - Independence Series - Elkton MD

30. ALASKA 6/22/2019: Anchorage Mayor’s marathon @anc_marathon

31. HAWAII 6/30/2019: Kona marathon @konamarathon

32. IOWA 7/11/2019: Mainly marathons - Heartland series - Clinton IA

33. WISCONSIN 7/12/2019: Mainly marathons - Heartland series - Sparta WI

34. MINNESOTA 7/13/2019: Mainly Marathons - Heartland series - St Cloud MN

35. RHODE ISLAND 7/21/2019: Violet State marathon

36. CALIFORNIA 7/28/2019: San Francisco marathon

37. NEBRASKA 8/20/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Chadron, NE

38. WYOMING 8/21/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Sundance, WY

39. SOUTH DAKOTA 8/22/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Belle Fourche, SD

40. IDAHO 8/31/2019: Pocatello marathon - Pocatello, ID

41. OREGON 9/21/2019: Pacific Northwest marathon - Eugene, OR

42. MONTANA 9/22/2019: Foy’s to Blacktrail marathon - Kalispell, MT

43. INDIANA 9/28/2019: Mill Race marathon - Columbus, IN

44. WEST VIRGINIA 9/30/2019: Eastern Panhandle marathon - Martinsburg, WV

45. NEW HAMPSHIRE 10/5/2019: New Hampshire marathon - Bristol, NH

46. MAINE 10/6/2019: Maine marathon - Portland, ME

47. CONNECTICUT 10/12/2019: Hartford marathon - Hartford, CT

48. ILLINOIS 10/13/2019: Chicago marathon - Chicago, IL

This was one of my most challenging doubleheader weekends in terms of logistics and travel. I took a train up to Hartford on Friday 10/11, got my packet from the expo and checked into my hotel for the night. I got up early the next day and did a couple of interviews before the race with the local media, including one with Patricia Del Rio of WFSB.

I ran a good race, even with some rain towards the end.

The medal is really nice!

I went back to my hotel for a quick minute to clean up then rushed to airport to catch a flight to Chicago so I could meet up with Ferdinand to run the Chicago marathon. The logistics of getting my packet in time are too much to get into, but it was hard! Somehow I made it in time I stayed with my friend Dave, who happens to live just a few blocks from the start line. Ferdinand stayed in a hotel nearby. On the morning of the race, I met up with Ferdinand and a couple of his friends who were also running the marathon (first timers, too). The four of us ran together for the first hour or so. I wasn’t able to keep the pace probably because I ran the Hartford marathon the day before a little harder than I had planned. I really wanted Ferdinand to PR so I told him to run ahead and I would finish a few minutes behind him. I ran a decent race, not a PR, but a race I felt good about. I met Ferdinand at the end and he did in face PR! I was a few minutes off.

These are two outstanding races. The Hartford marathon is a great Northeastern race with a scenic course. And the Chicago marathon has to be in the top list of any serious marathon enthusiast’s races. It is extremely challenging, logistically, to pull off doing both the Hartford and Chicago marathons in the same weekend. If you can do it, go for it!

PLEASE DOWNLOAD GWENEVIERE’S ALBUM

She was excited about releasing an album that she had just finished, but she passed before she could realize that dream, so we released her album so that we could fulfill that dream for her. Buy & listen to the album here. 

Marathon 45 & 46 of the #50in50: NH & ME (10/5-10/6/2019

1. NEW YORK 11/4/18: @nycmarathon

2. NEVADA 11/11/18: @runrocknroll Vegas

3. PENNSYLVANIA 11/18/18: @Philly_Marathon

4. WASHINGTON 11/25/18: @seattlemarathon

5. TENNESSEE 12/1/18: @stjude Memphis

6. ALABAMA 12/8/18: @irunrocketcity

7. FLORIDA 1/13/19: @rundisney #wdwmarathon

8. LOUISIANA 1/20/19: @thelamarathon

9. MISSISSIPPI 1/26/19: Mississippi blues Marathon

10. ARIZONA 2/9/19: Mesa-Phoenix Marathon @phxmarathon

11. TEXAS 2/17/19: Austin marathon @austinmarathon

12. MASSACHUSETTS 2/24/19: Hyannis Marathon @hyannismarathon

13. SOUTH CAROLINA 3/2/19: Myrtle Beach marathon @runmbm

14. ARKANSAS 3/3/19: Little Rock marathon @lrmarathon

15. NORTH CAROLINA 3/9/19: Wrightsville Beach marathon @wbmarathon

16. GEORGIA 3/17/19: Publix Atlanta marathon @atlantatrackclub

17. NEW MEXICO 3/21/19: Dust Bowl Series - New Mexico

18. OKLAHOMA 3/22/19: Dust Bowl Series - Oklahoma

19. KANSAS 3/24/19: Chisholm Trail marathon @chisholmtrail44

20. MISSOURI 4/7/19: Go! St Louis marathon @gostlouis

21. KENTUCKY 4/27/19: Kentucky Derby marathon @kyderbyfestival

22. NEW JERSEY 4/28/19: New Jersey marathon @njmarathon

23. OHIO 5/5/19: Flying Pig marathon @runflyingpig

24. NORTH DAKOTA 5/18/19: Fargo marathon @fargo.marathon

25. COLORADO 5/19/19: Denver Colfax marathon @runcolfax

26. VERMONT 5/26/2019: Vermont City marathon @runvermont

27. UTAH 6/1/2019: Utah Valley marathon @runutahvalley

28. DELAWARE 6/18/2019: Mainly marathons - Independence Series - Bear DE

29. MARYLAND 6/19/2019: Mainly marathons - Independence Series - Elkton MD

30. ALASKA 6/22/2019: Anchorage Mayor’s marathon @anc_marathon

31. HAWAII 6/30/2019: Kona marathon @konamarathon

32. IOWA 7/11/2019: Mainly marathons - Heartland series - Clinton IA

33. WISCONSIN 7/12/2019: Mainly marathons - Heartland series - Sparta WI

34. MINNESOTA 7/13/2019: Mainly Marathons - Heartland series - St Cloud MN

35. RHODE ISLAND 7/21/2019: Violet State marathon

36. CALIFORNIA 7/28/2019: San Francisco marathon

37. NEBRASKA 8/20/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Chadron, NE

38. WYOMING 8/21/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Sundance, WY

39. SOUTH DAKOTA 8/22/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Belle Fourche, SD

40. IDAHO 8/31/2019: Pocatello marathon - Pocatello, ID

41. OREGON 9/21/2019: Pacific Northwest marathon - Eugene, OR

42. MONTANA 9/22/2019: Foy’s to Blacktrail marathon - Kalispell, MT

43. INDIANA 9/28/2019: Mill Race marathon - Columbus, IN

44. WEST VIRGINIA 9/30/2019: Eastern Panhandle marathon - Martinsburg, WV

45. NEW HAMPSHIRE 10/5/2019: New Hampshire marathon - Bristol, NH

46. MAINE 10/6/2019: Maine marathon - Portland, ME

We drove up to Portland for the long weekend and checked into the hotel. Ferdinand was going to run both marathons this weekend with me. On early Saturday morning on 10/5, the plan was we would drive from Portland to Bristol, NH to run the New Hampshire marathon then drive back to Portland, spend the night then run the Maine Marathon on Sunday 10/6.

On our first night in Portland, we all ate a bunch of lobster chowder. Portland is a great place to go out to eat.

Ferd and I ran a really good race in New Hampshire. We met a couple of great people that we ran with for a bit. One of them PRed by running with us. We were really happy to share that moment with her. The medals were pretty cool.

We drove back to Portland right after the marathon. Ate more lobster (rolls) and more lobster chowder. We picked up our packets from the expo and went to bed early to be ready for an early start the next day.

We finished in a very decent time considering that we ran 2 hilly marathons back to back. We met a couple of other people who had done the back to back NH and ME marathon that weekend, too.

Two amazing marathons, perfectly timed for a double header weekend. I highly recommend these two scenic marathons. I highly recommend them both and if you do attempt this double header, stay in Portland and eat a bunch of the local food!

PLEASE DOWNLOAD GWENEVIERE’S ALBUM

She was excited about releasing an album that she had just finished, but she passed before she could realize that dream, so we released her album so that we could fulfill that dream for her. Buy & listen to the album here. 

Marathon 43 & 44 of the #50in50: IN & WV (9/28-9/30/2019)

1. NEW YORK 11/4/18: @nycmarathon

2. NEVADA 11/11/18: @runrocknroll Vegas

3. PENNSYLVANIA 11/18/18: @Philly_Marathon

4. WASHINGTON 11/25/18: @seattlemarathon

5. TENNESSEE 12/1/18: @stjude Memphis

6. ALABAMA 12/8/18: @irunrocketcity

7. FLORIDA 1/13/19: @rundisney #wdwmarathon

8. LOUISIANA 1/20/19: @thelamarathon

9. MISSISSIPPI 1/26/19: Mississippi blues Marathon

10. ARIZONA 2/9/19: Mesa-Phoenix Marathon @phxmarathon

11. TEXAS 2/17/19: Austin marathon @austinmarathon

12. MASSACHUSETTS 2/24/19: Hyannis Marathon @hyannismarathon

13. SOUTH CAROLINA 3/2/19: Myrtle Beach marathon @runmbm

14. ARKANSAS 3/3/19: Little Rock marathon @lrmarathon

15. NORTH CAROLINA 3/9/19: Wrightsville Beach marathon @wbmarathon

16. GEORGIA 3/17/19: Publix Atlanta marathon @atlantatrackclub

17. NEW MEXICO 3/21/19: Dust Bowl Series - New Mexico

18. OKLAHOMA 3/22/19: Dust Bowl Series - Oklahoma

19. KANSAS 3/24/19: Chisholm Trail marathon @chisholmtrail44

20. MISSOURI 4/7/19: Go! St Louis marathon @gostlouis

21. KENTUCKY 4/27/19: Kentucky Derby marathon @kyderbyfestival

22. NEW JERSEY 4/28/19: New Jersey marathon @njmarathon

23. OHIO 5/5/19: Flying Pig marathon @runflyingpig

24. NORTH DAKOTA 5/18/19: Fargo marathon @fargo.marathon

25. COLORADO 5/19/19: Denver Colfax marathon @runcolfax

26. VERMONT 5/26/2019: Vermont City marathon @runvermont

27. UTAH 6/1/2019: Utah Valley marathon @runutahvalley

28. DELAWARE 6/18/2019: Mainly marathons - Independence Series - Bear DE

29. MARYLAND 6/19/2019: Mainly marathons - Independence Series - Elkton MD

30. ALASKA 6/22/2019: Anchorage Mayor’s marathon @anc_marathon

31. HAWAII 6/30/2019: Kona marathon @konamarathon

32. IOWA 7/11/2019: Mainly marathons - Heartland series - Clinton IA

33. WISCONSIN 7/12/2019: Mainly marathons - Heartland series - Sparta WI

34. MINNESOTA 7/13/2019: Mainly Marathons - Heartland series - St Cloud MN

35. RHODE ISLAND 7/21/2019: Violet State marathon

36. CALIFORNIA 7/28/2019: San Francisco marathon

37. NEBRASKA 8/20/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Chadron, NE

38. WYOMING 8/21/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Sundance, WY

39. SOUTH DAKOTA 8/22/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Belle Fourche, SD

40. IDAHO 8/31/2019: Pocatello marathon - Pocatello, ID

41. OREGON 9/21/2019: Pacific Northwest marathon - Eugene, OR

42. MONTANA 9/22/2019: Foy’s to Blacktrail marathon - Kalispell, MT

43. INDIANA 9/28/2019: Mill Race marathon - Columbus, IN

44. WEST VIRGINIA 9/30/2019: Eastern Panhandle marathon - Martinsburg, WV

On Friday evening on 9/27/2019, I took a quick flight out to Indianapolis, IN and then drove to nearby Columbus, IN.

I checked into the hotel. I got really lucky as my hotel was only 2 blocks from the start line and bib pick up. I picked up my bib and went to bed. I got up early the next day, had breakfast in the hotel which was ready early for marathon runners. I ran a good, decent race and was happy with my time. I walked back to the hotel, washed up and went to check out. I discovered that the hotel had a mascot named Miles. He was super friendly and loved pictures.

I ran such a good race that I was in the top 100 finishers and got another nice medal for it.

I flew back to NYC to rest for a day before my next race, the Eastern Panhandle marathon, on Monday 9/30 in Martinsburg, WV. I decided the most efficient way for me to get to there was to rent a car in NYC and drive down early in the morning on Monday, run the race, then drive back the same day right after the race.

The course was very scenic and was a multi-loop race.

It was lightly raining towards the end of the race. There were these really interesting green fruits(?) that looked like brains growing off of trees all along the course.

The medal was pretty cool.

Overall, the both races were great. I highly recommend them if you’re looking for September marathons in IN and WV.

PLEASE DOWNLOAD GWENEVIERE’S ALBUM

She was excited about releasing an album that she had just finished, but she passed before she could realize that dream, so we released her album so that we could fulfill that dream for her. Buy & listen to the album here. 

Marathon 41 & 42 of the #50in50: OR & MT (9/21-9/22/2019)

1. NEW YORK 11/4/18: @nycmarathon

2. NEVADA 11/11/18: @runrocknroll Vegas

3. PENNSYLVANIA 11/18/18: @Philly_Marathon

4. WASHINGTON 11/25/18: @seattlemarathon

5. TENNESSEE 12/1/18: @stjude Memphis

6. ALABAMA 12/8/18: @irunrocketcity

7. FLORIDA 1/13/19: @rundisney #wdwmarathon

8. LOUISIANA 1/20/19: @thelamarathon

9. MISSISSIPPI 1/26/19: Mississippi blues Marathon

10. ARIZONA 2/9/19: Mesa-Phoenix Marathon @phxmarathon

11. TEXAS 2/17/19: Austin marathon @austinmarathon

12. MASSACHUSETTS 2/24/19: Hyannis Marathon @hyannismarathon

13. SOUTH CAROLINA 3/2/19: Myrtle Beach marathon @runmbm

14. ARKANSAS 3/3/19: Little Rock marathon @lrmarathon

15. NORTH CAROLINA 3/9/19: Wrightsville Beach marathon @wbmarathon

16. GEORGIA 3/17/19: Publix Atlanta marathon @atlantatrackclub

17. NEW MEXICO 3/21/19: Dust Bowl Series - New Mexico

18. OKLAHOMA 3/22/19: Dust Bowl Series - Oklahoma

19. KANSAS 3/24/19: Chisholm Trail marathon @chisholmtrail44

20. MISSOURI 4/7/19: Go! St Louis marathon @gostlouis

21. KENTUCKY 4/27/19: Kentucky Derby marathon @kyderbyfestival

22. NEW JERSEY 4/28/19: New Jersey marathon @njmarathon

23. OHIO 5/5/19: Flying Pig marathon @runflyingpig

24. NORTH DAKOTA 5/18/19: Fargo marathon @fargo.marathon

25. COLORADO 5/19/19: Denver Colfax marathon @runcolfax

26. VERMONT 5/26/2019: Vermont City marathon @runvermont

27. UTAH 6/1/2019: Utah Valley marathon @runutahvalley

28. DELAWARE 6/18/2019: Mainly marathons - Independence Series - Bear DE

29. MARYLAND 6/19/2019: Mainly marathons - Independence Series - Elkton MD

30. ALASKA 6/22/2019: Anchorage Mayor’s marathon @anc_marathon

31. HAWAII 6/30/2019: Kona marathon @konamarathon

32. IOWA 7/11/2019: Mainly marathons - Heartland series - Clinton IA

33. WISCONSIN 7/12/2019: Mainly marathons - Heartland series - Sparta WI

34. MINNESOTA 7/13/2019: Mainly Marathons - Heartland series - St Cloud MN

35. RHODE ISLAND 7/21/2019: Violet State marathon

36. CALIFORNIA 7/28/2019: San Francisco marathon

37. NEBRASKA 8/20/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Chadron, NE

38. WYOMING 8/21/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Sundance, WY

39. SOUTH DAKOTA 8/22/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Belle Fourche, SD

40. IDAHO 8/31/2019: Pocatello marathon - Pocatello, ID

41. OREGON 9/21/2019: Pacific Northwest marathon - Eugene, OR

42. MONTANA 9/22/2019: Foy’s to Blacktrail marathon - Kalispell, MT

I took off early on Friday and flew into Eugene, Oregon and went straight to pick up my bib for my first of two marathons this weekend - the Pacific Northwest marathon.

I got up the next day and ran a good marathon and headed to the airport.

On my way to my second marathon, I flew through Salt Lake City and got to see Gwen’s parents again for a few hours for lunch.

Once I got into Montana I went straight to the hotel. The next morning I got up very early to get to the race start.

I picked up my bib and a huge can of bear spray which runners were required to carry. We boarded a bus and we were taken to the start.

The race included a 5,000 ft climb. I felt unprepared for the race compared to the other runners. I was dressed like a road marathon runner, and the rest of runners were dressed like rugged trail marathon runners complete with camelbacks, trucker hats and beards. I didn’t carry any food or water on me. I went miles at a time without food or drink, because the course was very mountainous and the aid stations were spread far apart. I saw a lot of what I presume to be bear poop, but didn’t see any bears.

The views were amazing!

I completely underestimated the time it would take to run such a challenging trail marathon. About 3 hours into the marathon, I calculated I wasn’t going to make my flight home, so I called Delta while on the course. Because I had flown so many miles with them on 50 in 50, they were able to reschedule me on another route home. It took me forever to finish the race, but I got through it. My new itinerary took me through Salt Lake City again, so I got to see Gwen’s parents again for the 2nd time in a weekend.

The medal is amazing! It was made by a local artist using wood from the local trees.

Overall, both of these marathons are amazing course and the scenery is just breathtaking. I highly recommend them.

PLEASE DOWNLOAD GWENEVIERE’S ALBUM

She was excited about releasing an album that she had just finished, but she passed before she could realize that dream, so we just released her album so that we could fulfill that dream for her. Buy & listen to the album here. 

Marathon 40 in 50 of the #50in50: ID (8/31/2019)

• NEW YORK 11/4/18: @nycmarathon

• NEVADA 11/11/18: @runrocknroll Vegas

• PENNSYLVANIA 11/18/18: @Philly_Marathon

• WASHINGTON 11/25/18: @seattlemarathon

• TENNESSEE 12/1/18: @stjude Memphis

• ALABAMA 12/8/18: @irunrocketcity

• FLORIDA 1/13/19: @rundisney #wdwmarathon

• LOUISIANA 1/20/19: @thelamarathon

• MISSISSIPPI 1/26/19: Mississippi blues Marathon

• ARIZONA 2/9/19: Mesa-Phoenix Marathon @phxmarathon

• TEXAS 2/17/19: Austin marathon @austinmarathon

• MASSACHUSETTS 2/24/19: Hyannis Marathon @hyannismarathon

• SOUTH CAROLINA 3/2/19: Myrtle Beach marathon @runmbm

• ARKANSAS 3/3/19: Little Rock marathon @lrmarathon

• NORTH CAROLINA 3/9/19: Wrightsville Beach marathon @wbmarathon

• GEORGIA 3/17/19: Publix Atlanta marathon @atlantatrackclub

• NEW MEXICO 3/21/19: Dust Bowl Series - New Mexico

• OKLAHOMA 3/22/19: Dust Bowl Series - Oklahoma

• KANSAS 3/24/19: Chisholm Trail marathon @chisholmtrail44

• MISSOURI 4/7/19: Go! St Louis marathon @gostlouis

• KENTUCKY 4/27/19: Kentucky Derby marathon @kyderbyfestival

• NEW JERSEY 4/28/19: New Jersey marathon @njmarathon

• OHIO 5/5/19: Flying Pig marathon @runflyingpig

• NORTH DAKOTA 5/18/19: Fargo marathon @fargo.marathon

• COLORADO 5/19/19: Denver Colfax marathon @runcolfax

• VERMONT 5/26/2019: Vermont City marathon @runvermont

• UTAH 6/1/2019: Utah Valley marathon @runutahvalley

• DELAWARE 6/18/2019: Mainly marathons - Independence Series - Bear DE

• MARYLAND 6/19/2019: Mainly marathons - Independence Series - Elkton MD

• ALASKA 6/22/2019: Anchorage Mayor’s marathon @anc_marathon

• HAWAII 6/30/2019: Kona marathon @konamarathon

• IOWA 7/11/2019: Mainly marathons - Heartland series - Clinton IA

• WISCONSIN 7/12/2019: Mainly marathons - Heartland series - Sparta WI

• MINNESOTA 7/13/2019: Mainly Marathons - Heartland series - St Cloud MN

• RHODE ISLAND 7/21/2019: Violet State marathon

• CALIFORNIA 7/28/2019: San Francisco marathon

• NEBRASKA 8/20/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Chadron, NE

• WYOMING 8/21/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Sundance, WY

• SOUTH DAKOTA 8/22/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Belle Fourche, SD

• IDAHO 8/31/2019: Pocatello marathon - Pocatello, ID

I flew into Salt Lake City a couple of days before the marathon and stayed with Gweneviere’s family. It always nice to see and visit them. The next day I drove up to Pocatello, ID to stay the night before the race. They made a nice poster with Gwen and me for the race I race in Provo a few week earlier.

The landscape here reminds me of Wyoming and Nebraska. Big Sky country.

The speed limit was 80 in Idaho and there were plenty of cars going much faster than that!

The Pocatello Marathon gave me bib #50 in honor of our 50 marathons in 50 states campaign. What a really nice gesture.

The race course itself was breathtaking. A lot of incredible landscape. The course was very fast with quite a bit of downhill. Like Utah, the air in Idaho was cool and dry, so you can get dehydrated quickly. Keep that in mind if you run this race. I would love to do this course again.

PLEASE DOWNLOAD GWENEVIERE’S ALBUM

She was excited about releasing an album that she had just finished, but she passed before she could realize that dream, so we just recently released her album so that we could fulfill that dream for her. Buy & listen to the album here. 

Marathon 15 in 50 of the #50in50: North Carolina (Wrightsville Beach)

15 of 50 states in the #50in50 done:

• NEW YORK 11/4/18: @nycmarathon

• NEVADA 11/11/18: @runrocknroll Vegas

• PENNSYLVANIA 11/18/18: @Philly_Marathon

• WASHINGTON 11/25/18: @seattlemarathon

• TENNESSEE 12/1/18: @stjude Memphis

• ALABAMA 12/8/18: @irunrocketcity

• FLORIDA 1/13/19: @rundisney #wdwmarathon

• LOUISIANA 1/20/19: @thelamarathon

• MISSISSIPPI 1/26/19: Mississippi blues Marathon

• ARIZONA 2/9/19: Mesa-Phoenix Marathon @phxmarathon

• TEXAS 2/17/19: Austin marathon @austinmarathon

• MASSACHUSETTS 2/24/19: Hyannis Marathon @hyannismarathon

• SOUTH CAROLINA 3/2/19: Myrtle Beach marathon @runmbm

• ARKANSAS 3/3/19: Little Rock marathon @lrmarathon

• NORTH CAROLINA 3/9/19: Wrightsville Beach marathon @wbmarathon

On 3/9, I got up early in my Wilmington, NC hotel to ran the Wrightsville Beach Marathon.

I parked at the finish line on the UNC-Willmington campus and took the race shuttle to the start line. The race start was 6:40am, which was an interesting choice. I ran with the 4:00 pace group. The weather was cool and crisp, and the temperature was 48. I stuck with the pace group until around mile 20, and then I needed to take a walking break for a couple of minutes to bring my heart rate down. The course is scenic with ocean views and fairly flat.

Our pacer was really consistent and dependable. I ended up finishing in 4:05, which I was satisfied with. I’ve been generally consistent with my time. I want to chip away until I get to my goal time at NYC marathon 2019. Here are my splits:

The finisher’s festival on the UNC was really well done with lots of food and drinks. Publix was the big sponsor. They brought out food in a big way for finishers and took care of them. The medals were really nice and colorful:

I flew back right after the race on Saturday night, which I was excited about because I would be sleeping in my own bed on a weekend night. I haven’t done that much of that in the last few months, because of all the traveling for races.

I got home just a little after 9pm, hung out with the cats, and went to bed soon after.

Next marathons/states on the schedule:

• 3/17 GA (Atlanta)

• 3/21 NM (Clayton)

• 3/22 OK (Guymon)

• 3/24 KS (Wichita)

Join me on the #50in50 for the Gweneviere Mann Foundation, with many ways to get involved.

PLEASE DOWNLOAD GWENEVIERE’S SONG

She was excited about releasing an album that she had just finished, but she passed before she could realize that dream, so we just recently released a single "What I Can Be" off of her album for her so that we could fulfill that dream for her. Download it here

Together we will save lives through early detection programs for lung cancer and brain tumors.

I ❤️ you Gwen.

-Yasir

Marathon 12 in 50 of the #50in50: Massachusetts (Hyannis Marathon)

12 of 50 states in the #50in50 done:

• NEW YORK 11/4/18: @nycmarathon

• NEVADA 11/11/18: @runrocknroll Vegas

• PENNSYLVANIA 11/18/18: @Philly_Marathon

• WASHINGTON 11/25/18: @seattlemarathon

• TENNESSEE 12/1/18: @stjude Memphis

• ALABAMA 12/8/18: @irunrocketcity

• FLORIDA 1/13/19: @rundisney #wdwmarathon

• LOUISIANA 1/20/19: @thelamarathon

• MISSISSIPPI 1/26/19: Mississippi blues Marathon

• ARIZONA 2/9/19: Mesa-Phoenix Marathon @phxmarathon

• TEXAS 2/17/19: Austin marathon @austinmarathon

• MASSACHUSETTS 2/24/19: Hyannis Marathon @hyannismarathon

I got up really early around 4am to get ready to run the Hyannis marathon. It’s a 4 hour drive from NYC.

My friend Barrett drove the way there and I slept most of the way.

When we got to Hyannis, it was raining, cold and windy. The Hyannis marathon is famous for its bad weather. Gweneviere ran the 10k last year. It was her last organized run that she did.

Because the weather was so bad this year, I thought about skipping the race and doing another Massachusetts race later in the year, but I knew how hard it was to put my schedule together, and changing anything on the 50 marathon schedule would throw everything off.

I picked up my bib and then went to the start line. I wore my thick ski gloves to keep my hands warm and dry. I also wore a disposable rain parka. I needed them. I kept my nutrition under my cap. It was a very wet cold and windy run. The course itself was beautiful. I have run this marathon for 3 years straight. It’s always cold and sometimes wet. I kept a conservative 9:30 pace for most of the way. My Apple Watch failed again around the 3:49 mark. Here’s all the data I got out of it:

​And here are my splits:

I am going to have to get my watch replaced. The watch is only 6 months old. I ended up finishing without major issues and in 4:21. I’m ok with that.

I drove back while Barrett slept part of the way.

Next marathons/states on the schedule:

• 3/2 SC (Myrtle Beach)

• 3/3 AR (Little Rock)

• 3/9 NC (Wilmington)

• 3/17 GA (Atlanta)

• 3/21 NM (Clayton)

• 3/22 OK (Guymon)

• 3/24 KS (Wichita)

Join me on the #50in50 for the Gweneviere Mann Foundation, with many ways to get involved.

PLEASE DOWNLOAD GWENEVIERE’S SONG

She was excited about releasing an album that she had just finished, but she passed before she could realize that dream, so we just recently released a single "What I Can Be" off of her album for her so that we could fulfill that dream for her. Download it here

Together we will save lives through early detection programs for lung cancer and brain tumors.

I ❤️ you Gwen.

-Yasir

Marathon 11 in 50 of the #50in50: Texas (Austin Marathon)

11 of 50 states in the #50in50 done:

• NEW YORK 11/4/18: @nycmarathon

• NEVADA 11/11/18: @runrocknroll Vegas

• PENNSYLVANIA 11/18/18: @Philly_Marathon

• WASHINGTON 11/25/18: @seattlemarathon

• TENNESSEE 12/1/18: @stjude Memphis

• ALABAMA 12/8/18: @irunrocketcity

• FLORIDA 1/13/19: @rundisney #wdwmarathon

• LOUISIANA 1/20/19: @thelamarathon

• MISSISSIPPI 1/26/19: Mississippi blues Marathon

• ARIZONA 2/9/19: Mesa-Phoenix Marathon @phxmarathon

• TEXAS 2/17/19: Austin marathon @austinmarathon

I woke early at Erica and Greg’s Place in East Austin to run the Austin Marathon. Greg made me coffee and I made a hummus muffin sandwich, and a banana. The coffee did it’s thing pretty quickly.

Greg drove me to around 8th and I-35. I then walked to 2nd and Congress, where the start line was and near the pace group Ferd and I were running with. Ferd was staying at a Marriott hotel near the start. We met up with Aaron and Stephen Berry, my nephews. They also had a couple of other friends running, Hunter and Jason. Stephen had a knee injury, and was wearing a brace.

Ferd, Hunter and I went to Ferd’s room to use the bathroom one last time. We then got out and started running with the pace group. The mass start was very crowded, with all 11,000 marathon and half marathon runners starting at the same time. The race organizers should do a better job managing the amount of runners in their race. They should at least do wave starts. The field was way too crowded all the way until mile 8. This is also one of the races where the runners don’t get much direction from the racer organizers on how to seed themselves. I saw friends Shannon, Javier, Greg, Erica, Dan, Ines and Brad at multiple times throughout the race. It was great to see them.

The weather was mostly good in the 50s with decent humidity up until around 9am. From 9am-11am it was a little warmer and humid. The course was a bit difficult with many steep inclines. There is also a very steep incline at mile 26.

Ferd and I finished at 4:14, not bad considering the hilly course and the temperature.

Here are the splits:

Stephen somehow managed to finish with Aaron in 4:50. Hunter finished in an amazing 3:11, wow. Jason finished after Aaron and Stephen.

The best part of this race is the race medal which doubles as a Texas-sized belt buckle. I’ll wear it to work at some point.

Overall this is a difficult race, with issues that can be fixed  like managing the start of the race to handle the amount of people.

If people are going to do a Texas race, I don’t recommend Austin. I will be looking at Houston for next year, which I’ve heard great things about.

After the marathon, we all met at East Tavern for food and drinks. It was nice to be with everyone. We then went back to Erica and Greg’s to shower and relax.

After a little bit of relaxing, I met up with some more friends for dinner. I saw Kaleb, April, their kids, Sam, Maggie (her birthday), Javier and Shannon at Lupe Tortilla.

Next marathons/states on the schedule:

• 2/24 MA (Hyannis)

• 3/2 SC (Myrtle Beach)

• 3/3 AR (Little Rock)

• 3/9 NC (Wilmington)

• 3/17 GA (Atlanta)

• 3/21 NM (Clayton)

• 3/22 OK (Guymon)

• 3/24 KS (Wichita)

Join me on the #50in50 for the Gweneviere Mann Foundation, with many ways to get involved.

PLEASE DOWNLOAD GWENEVIERE’S SONG

She was excited about releasing an album that she had just finished, but she passed before she could realize that dream, so we just recently released a single "What I Can Be" off of her album for her so that we could fulfill that dream for her. Download it here

Together we will save lives through early detection programs for lung cancer and brain tumors.

I ❤️ you Gwen.

-Yasir

Marathon 10 in 50 of the #50in50: Arizona (Mesa-Arizona Marathon)

10 of 50 states in the #50in50 done:

• NEW YORK 11/4/18: @nycmarathon
• NEVADA 11/11/18: @runrocknroll Vegas
• PENNSYLVANIA 11/18/18: @Philly_Marathon
• WASHINGTON 11/25/18: @seattlemarathon
• TENNESSEE 12/1/18: @stjude Memphis
• ALABAMA 12/8/18: @irunrocketcity
• FLORIDA 1/13/19: @rundisney #wdwmarathon
• LOUISIANA 1/20/19: @thelamarathon
• MISSISSIPPI 1/26/19: Mississippi blues Marathon
• ARIZONA 2/9/19: Mesa-Phoenix Marathon @phxmarathon

I did some media the day before the marathon at Fox 10 in Phoenix. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk about Gweneviere and the foundation. 

I woke up on race day at my Phoenix hotel really early at 4am.

When I got out to the where runners were staged to jump onto buses to head to the start line, I waited in line for one for about 15 minutes. We then drove out for about 40 minutes up mountain.

When we got to the start line it was at a much higher elevation, cold and still dark outside. I was struck by the size of the cacti! They were also everywhere, just like in cartoons.

The area was super quiet, too. The race had set up heating lamps and fire pits, and they also had a lot of Porto Potties. I was going to meet up with one of the local donors to run with me at a 4:00hr pace, but ge texted me to tell me that his car wouldn’t start so he wasn’t going to make it.

About a week before the race I had started to mentally get ready to break 4:00hr for the first time. I was excited about this race because it has a 1000 ft net elevation drop over the course. It’s incredibly fast with 26.8% of the field BQing.

I decided to run with my Nike Vaporflys (instead of my Zoomflys). I also decide to run with only my Apple Watch (with cellular signal) and not my phone. I usually run with a small waist pack with my ID, insurance card, a credit card, a $20 bill, nutrition, and sometimes my phone. I actually forgot my waist pack, but it turned out to be a good thing. A couple marathons ago I realized that I preferred tucking my nutrition under my ball cap because when my hands get really cold I’m not able to open my waist pack zipper to get to them. One time a year ago at the 2018 Hyannis Marathon, I had to ask a volunteer to help me open my waist pack.

It was going to be a cold morning (34°F). I decided to wear my short sleeve #50in50 shirt, arm warmers and #50in50 cap.

I looked for the 4:00 hr pace group and found only 4:05 and 3:55. The race had decided cut 5 minutes off each pace group due to new BQ times. I went with 3:55 because of the characteristics of this really fast course. My PR before Mesa-Phoenix was 4:04 (NYC 2018). I had never, up until that point, run with a sub 4 pace group. The race started promptly at 6:30am with fireworks.

This was one of the rare races that I had run alone. I was a little emotional, because I knew I was going to run a sub 4 for the first time. I thought about Gweneviere and talked to her for a little bit. I wanted her to know at that moment that I was going to go to run that race for her.

It was a super fast start. Most people seeded themselves properly so there wasn’t a lot of dodging around slower runners. The start us a big descent. The view of the city below was pretty amazing. We were surrounded by desert mountains and big cacti. The start is pretty remote, with no spectators for the first couple of miles, so it was very quiet and peaceful. All I could hear were the pitter patters of thousands of feet. The first few miles flew by quickly. Our pacer, Farrah of East Valley Runners, kept us on track. Her pacing was perfect. My heart rate stayed in a range I was comfortable with, occasionally slightly higher on small inclines. The race had GU at miles 7, 13 and 19, so I brought a couple along with me under my cap.

I have been taking nutrition every 4 miles, but I’m going to take more now. I feel like I need them every 4 miles until mile 20 (caffeine free), then at mile 21 and 23 (with or without caffeine depending on how I feel). I felt comfortable with that amount during the race. I don’t like taking caffeine generally because it sends my heart rate up higher than I like it during a race.

At the halfway point, Farrah handed pacing off to Gene, another member of East Valley Runners. Gene and I talked a bit about nutrition and Instant Pot recipes. I told her about how I make 2 gallons of almond yogurt in the Instant Pot with a recipe I developed after months of experimenting. She shared some of her recipes. At about the 17 mile mark, my watch started to give me a low battery (10%) warning. I was surprised, because I had kept my watch off until 5am (1.5hours before the start). For the next race, I will turn it on 10 minutes or so before the start. If it fails again, I will have to get it replaced because it’s only 4 months old and shouldn’t crash that early into a race. I told Gene about Gweneviere and why I’m running 50 marathons in 50 states in 1 year. She also shared some stories about friends and family.

About the 21 mile mark, I decided to take a 1 minute walking break. I needed it. I felt mostly ok, but my heart rate needed to come down. I took some nutrition and drank some extra fluids.

I started up again and had to feel out my pace because I was flying blind without my watch. A couple of times (mile 23 and 24) I asked volunteers what the time was so that I could gauge my pace to see if I would make it under 4 hours, and it seemed like I was. I kept a steady pace and followed a few people that seemed to be at a 9min/mile pace. I ended up crossing the finish in 3:57:06, a new PR.

After the race I thanked Farrah and Gene and visited their running group’s tent. Gene gave me a big hug.

I said thank you to one of the sponsors of the race, Offerpad, and to Wendy Jacobson, Director of Operations for the marathon.

The finish festival was amazing. Sprouts, the title sponsor, brought tons and tons of food. There was French Toast, fruit, chips, Creamies and more. They really took care of the runners. In terms of food, this finisher festival rivals the Louisiana Marathon festival in Baton Rouge. I was really thankful for all the delicious treats at the end of both of races.

I highly recommend the Mesa-Phoenix if you are looking for a super fast downhill course in the West, early in the year. You will likely PR and have a great time. They also have a nice finisher medal. Check them out for next year. 

Next marathons on the schedule:

• TX (Austin) 2/17
• MA (Hyannis) 2/24
• SC (Myrtle Beach) 3/2
• AR (Little Rock) 3/3
• NC (Wilmington) 3/9

Join me on the #50in50 for the Gweneviere Mann Foundation, with many ways to get involved.

PLEASE DOWNLOAD GWENEVIERE’S SONG

She was excited about releasing an album that she had just finished, but she passed before she could realize that dream, so we just recently released a single "What I Can Be" off of her album for her so that we could fulfill that dream for her. Download it here

Together we will save lives through early detection programs for lung cancer and brain tumors.

I ❤️ you Gwen.

-Yasir

Marathon 6 in 50 of the #50in50: Rocket City (Huntsville, AL)

On 12/8, I completed marathon #6 in my #50in50 goal (50 marathons, 50 states, 50 weeks) at the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, AL. We are gaining more awareness for our foundation and its mission.

I arrived early on 12/7 into Huntsville and headed over to the Huntsville Museum of Arts to pick up my packet.

It was a small expo with a relaxed atmosphere and small town feel

I got my race bib, 1776, which I thought was kind of cool.

The next morning I arrived at the race start, prepared to in cold and rainy conditions. I had an unused rain poncho from the Seattle Marathon from a couple of marathons ago. It came in handy this marathon.

Many of the runners waited inside the Von Braun Center, where the marathon starts and finishes, to stay out of the cold and rain.

Finally, at 7:00am on the dot, the race started. I thought about running a 4:04-4:05 marathon, but decided to run with the 4:15 group instead because of the weather. I didn’t want to wear myself out early and wanted to play it safe.

The course was pretty nice with some small rolling hills. The course winded by the US Space and Rocket Center where runners got to see several rockets and space vehicles. The biggest challenge was the weather. It was rainy and cold the entire time. It reminded me a bit of the Hyannis Marathon that I’ve run for the past 2 years. It takes place in Cape Cod, MA. It’s been cold and rainy for the 2 years that I’ve run it. I finished the race in 4:15 thanks to my pacer Katie.

The post race food was great. They had bagel, PB&J, and soup.

The medals are really cool.

I got my obligatory pic with the race’s signage.

After the race, I showered up then drove down to Birmingham to see my old co-workers/friends from my Mental Floss magazine days with Will, Cary and Winslow.

Will’s family took me to see Birmingham’s famous Vulcan statue.

We got a couple of pics with the statue.

Here’s the view of Birmingham from the observation deck.

And a view from inside the informational exhibit next to statue.

Overall, I enjoyed the Rocket City Marathon and recommend if you are looking for a southern marathon in the December. It’s a nice small town marathon with easy, rolling hills.

Next marathons on the schedule:

• AL (Rocket City in Huntsville) 1/13

• FL (Walt Disney in Orlando) 1/20

• LA (Baton Rouge) 1/26

• MS (Mississippi Blues in Jackson) 2/9

• TX (Austin) 2/17

Join me on the #50in50 for the Gweneviere Mann Foundation, with many ways to get involved.

PLEASE DOWNLOAD GWENEVIERE’S SONG

She was excited about releasing an album that she had just finished, but she passed before she could realize that dream, so we just recently released a single "What I Can Be" off of her album for her so that we could fulfill that dream for her. Download it here

Together we will save lives through early detection programs for lung cancer and brain tumors.

I ❤️ you Gwen.

Marathon 1 of 50 in the #50in50

Marathon 1 of 50 complete: New York City!

We are now on the road to 50 marathons in 50 states in 1 year.

This race was all for my love Gweneviere and to honor her memory through the Gweneviere Mann Foundation (gwenmann.org).

This year's run was a deeply emotional and meaningful experience. If you don't know the story, back in 2008 Gweneviere survived a brain tumor/had a craniotomy. The procedure caused her to have anterograde amnesia, but she was a fighter and continued to thrive through her music, writing, and running. After her surgery, we set a goal to run the 2010 NYC Marathon, and had run it every year (except for 2012 when it was canceled; we ran Harrisburg that year instead). She went onto graduate with honors from New York University writing program, attended The Juilliard School, and was due to start her MFA in Creative Writing at Columbia University this Fall. With every amazing accomplishment, Gweneviere inspired me to set new goals for myself whether it was serious (like learning how to swim so that I can complete 4 Ironmans) or not so serious (like winning championships in the Tour de Donut bicycle races).

I am humbled that the Gweneviere Mann Foundation received incredible press coverage on ESPN, CBS New York, ABC7NY, StoryCorps, Committed Podcast.

I met and was inspired by fellow NYC Marathon runners Nev Schulman, Tiki Barber, Teri Hatcher who were all running for great causes themselves.

Next marathons on the schedule:

• NV (Las Vegas) 11/11

• PA (Philadelphia) 11/18

• WA (Seattle) 11/25

• TN (Memphis) 12/1

• AL (Huntsville) 12/8

Join me on the #50in50 for the Gweneviere Mann Foundation, with many ways to get involved: http://gwenmann.org/50in50

***Please download Gweneviere’s song***

She was excited about releasing an album she had just finished, but she passed before she could realize that dream, so we just recently released a single "What I Can Be" off of her album for her so that we could fulfill that dream for her. Download it here: https://www.gwenmann.org/music/

Together we will save lives through early detection programs for lung cancer and brain tumors.

Monthly marathon race report: Hyannis marathon 2018

In 2018, I'm continuing to run 1 marathon every month like I did in 2017. All except 2 of the marathons I'm running this year are completely new to me. The ones I'm repeating this year are Hyannis, which I ran last week, and NYC, which I've run since 2010. 

Many of the same things I reported on last year are the same: 

• It is one of the most picturesque races I've ever done
• The marathon course is 2 loops and passes by the beautiful beaches of Cape Cod
• Hyannis is an awesome little race & town in the Cape Cod area
• Very scenic, mostly flat course along the beach
• You get a nice medal!
• You can find chowder and cod everywhere 
• Everyone we met in Cape Cod was nice 
• Both the marathon and half marathon courses are USATF certified

Here's my video race report from the 2017 race:

One thing was a bit different from last year—it was very wet. It rained the entire race. It was also pretty cold, but I didn't mind that part as much because I've gotten used to cold runs living in NYC. I noticed the weather forecast for the race before we drove to Hyannis and I was hoping it would clear up before race day, so I didn't pack rain gear. 

The day of the race, it was clear that the rain was going to happen for sure so I got a big trash bag from the hotel staff, poked holes for my head and arms in it, and planned to run with the first few miles of the race. 

I arrived at the race an hour before the 10:00am start and stayed warm at Race Expo inside the Hyannis Resort & Conference Center, which was right next to the starting line. I met the great Bill Rodgers, while wearing my garbage bag, and he gave me some great advice: "keep it steady and stay warm". He seemed to get a kick out of the bag.

3 miles into the race, the rain and wind weren't letting up, so I kept the bag on. I also kept on some cheap cloth gloves I bought at the expo I counted at least 2 dozen others with bags on, so I felt a sense of camaraderie with them. 14 miles into the race it started raining a little harder and the wind was blowing much harder, so I decided at that point I wanted to wear the bag for the rest of the race just for the fun of wearing a bag for an entire marathon. I was also happy being dry and warm underneath it. I had to wring the water out the gloves at this point. 

Up until the 23 mile mark, I was having a decent run considering the conditions, but then I felt a throbbing pain in my right knee joint. It got to the point that I had to walk the last 2 miles. It has since cleared up and not lingered. I hope it was because of the cold and the rain, and not something more serious. Several years ago before I got into running, I tore my right ACL (and got a patella tendon repair) and I haven't had any trouble with it. I've been lucky.I also had to take the insert out of my right shoe because it kept bunching up and making walking uncomfortable.

I was happy to finish the race. It wasn't pretty, but it's finish nonetheless—with the bag still on on my shoe insert in hand.

My wife picked me up after the race. It was still so windy, that our big golf umbrella broke into pieces when it caught the wind.

I love the finisher medals they give at this race.

Think about putting this race on your calendar for next year! http://hyannismarathon.com

Monthly marathon race report: Icebreaker International Marathon

I ran my 1st monthly marathon of 2018 on January 28 - the Icebreaker International Marathon & Half Marathon in East Meadow, NY on Long Island. This was a new marathon for me. In fact, 9 of the 12 marathons I’m running this year are new to me. There are so many marathons every weekend (and some weekdays!) and they all offer a different experience. Notably, I don’t have any indoor or trail marathons on my list this year. I ran two of each of those last year. 

This race was a short 40 min drive for me from Manhattan, and inside Eisenhower Park. There were about 100 runners, most of them were running the half, and about 40 us were running the full.

The half was 4 loops of the park and the full was 8 loops. 

One interesting tidbit about this race - it was selected by Marathon Adventures to be the North American venue for its “Triple 7 Quest,” involving seven marathons or 7 halfs on 7 continents in seven days. The course was well-marked, staffed with plenty of volunteers, and they and a lot of race food/drinks as well as a lot of post-race food.

There was 1 race food/drink tent set up near the end of the loop. They had the usual Gatorade, water, and also Pepsi. They had bananas, pretzels, orange slices, and my favorite during this race-peanut butter and banana sandwiches cut into quarters.

I ran a pretty good race. We got fairly lucky with the weather, which was hovering around 48 degrees with some light rain during the first hour. I spent all of January cross-training, lifting, and doing a lot of intervals. I think that helped me quite a bit on this race. I tried to take it easy because I had a 24 hour bike race (the Sebring 24 RAAM qualifier) in Florida 2 weeks after this race, where I did 410 miles, won my age group, and qualified for the 3,000 Race Across America bicycle race1

Overall, I recommend this race if you live nearby in NYC or Long Island and really want to run a marathon in January. 

Oh and the finisher medal are really fun. Try this race out next year! 

My full 2018 schedule:

• Jan 28 Icebreaker (NY)
• Feb 25 Hyannis (MA)
• Mar 24 Savin Rock (CT)
• Apr 14 Garden Spot Village (PA)
• May 6 Queens (NYC)
• Jun 30 NE Series (NY)
• Jul 8 Mad (VT)
• Aug 5 Drake Well (PA)
• Sept 29 Hamptons (NY)
• Oct 20 Brooklyn
• Nov 4 #TCSNYCMarathon
• Dec 9 Roxbury (CT)

Check out these great stories from Culture Trip

I was recently honored to be featured in 2 stories by Michael LoRé of Culture Trip. 

The first story is about a profile piece and includes a fun video of our interview. 

The Culture Trip: Profile of Yasir Salem

And the other piece Competitive eating success stems from innovation, intelligence and technique is a chat about how competitive eating has evolved over the years and what the playing field is like these days.

Competitive eating success stems from innovation, intelligence and technique

Race report: Tour de Donut Austin 2017

A couple of weeks ago on Nov 12, 2017, for the 2nd year in a row I won the Tour de Donut of Austin bicycle race, a 24.8 mile ride w/3 donut stops where competitors eat donuts for time credits. 

In this race, each donut eaten gives you 3 minutes credit at the first stop, 6 min at the 2nd stop, and 7 min at the 3rd stop. I ate 37, for a 'donut adjusted time' of -1 hour and 45 minutes. Both new course records. 

Here's a video of the my race from last year. 

Monthly marathon report: NYC marathon

Just a couple of weeks ago, I ran my 7th NYC marathon. This race holds a very special place for my wife and me. NYC Marathon 2010 was the first marathon we both ever ran. To learn a bit more about we ran ran that race, watch this great StoryCorps video about my wife's story—my inspiration for doing all these marathons, triathlons, as well as wacky races and competitions. 

One of my favorite parts of the NYC marathon is actually volunteering at the Expo the day before race—handing out bibs to runners. Speaking off bibs, I had a special bib this year with my name on it!

Follow me tomorrow as I run my 26th marathon overall, 12th marathon this year, & 7th #nycmarathon. I'll be looking to run my best #tcsnycmarathon yet!

221 Likes, 12 Comments - Yasir Salem (@yasir_salem) on Instagram: "Follow me tomorrow as I run my 26th marathon overall, 12th marathon this year, & 7th #nycmarathon...."

There was a bit of hype this year with some of the runners and I was lucky and honored to be included in a Runner's World piece and TV promotions for the race.

And this this fun piece on AM New York: 

The race went really well. The temperature was just right and the rain held up. The crowds and bands in every borough were great as always. I ran my fastest NYC marathon yet (4:41) and came in just 2 minutes behind Prince Royce and 3 minutes behind Tiki Barber

1/2 Honored to be on this! Final #s:
1 Daniel Humm 3:12
2 @KevinHart4real 4:05
3 @TikiBarber 4:38
4 @PrinceRoyce 4:39
5 @yasirsalem 4:41:33 https://t.co/OWaoZc5PhA

— Yasir Salem (@yasirsalem) November 6, 2017

Runner's World did this great follow up on their pre-marathon article:

And there were a few other great articles on the NYC Marathon that I was also honored to be featured in: 

• Competitor Running
• Hollywood Life
• Food & Wine

The medals were nice, as always.

And my wife and I celebrated another successful NYC marathon together. We plan to run this marathon as long as we're able to!

There is no run quite like the NYC marathon. If you ever have the chance to run it, do it! It is my favorite run and is a special race for my wife and me. And if you every have a chance to hear the stories of any of the other 50,000+ runners that finish it every year, you'll see that it's a special race for them, too.

Race report: NYRR 2017 Airbnb Brooklyn half marathon

I recently ran NYRR's Airbnb Brooklyn half marathon. This is the second time I've run it — the other time was a couple of years ago. I'm a big fan of this run and kudos to New York Road Runners for making this race even bigger and better than before. Around 27,000 people ran this year's race, making it the biggest half marathon in the U.S.!

Before the race I did a fun interview with NY1 about my participation in the race. 

Yasir Salem is a #marathon runner. The twist? The competitive runner from #Manhattan is also a competitive eater. https://t.co/VSB443gGte

— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) May 18, 2017

Bib pick up was at Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 2. There was also a fun pre-party, with music and other entertainment. NYRR put al ot of work into it. It was my first time out to that area of the park and I want to go back to explore the bike path a bit more. 

It's a gorgeous day for Day 2 of the #AirbnbBKHalf Pre-Party Presented by @newbalance! We open at noon and we'll be here until 10pm. Come get your bib, get advice from our coaches, shop & snack!

A post shared by newyorkroadrunners (@nyrr) on May 18, 2017 at 9:00am PDT

On race day, I took the subway from Manhattan to Brooklyn. The start was organized, stress-free, and easy to navigate. I settled into my corral with plenty of time to spare.

Race day has arrived! Have fun out there runners-we'll see you at the finish line in beautiful Coney Island. Don't forget to tell your friends and family to download the NYRR App so they can live track you! #AirbnbBKHalf

A post shared by newyorkroadrunners (@nyrr) on May 19, 2017 at 9:00pm PDT

The first 7 miles of the race were in and around Prospect Park. There were a lot of people out early cheering and encouraging the runners.

In terms of elevation, there were 2 hills during the first 5 miles. The 2nd one was a bit longer than the first. Mile 6.5 onward is downhill, and from mile 7 to the finish was a straight shot down Ocean Parkway. The course had plenty of water/sports drink and even an energy gel station. There were patches of people here and there cheering along the way.

What's really great about this run is that the finish line is always on the boardwalk! You get to finish right on the Coney Island boardwalk with a big crowd of people. It's a real treat to end the race on the beach. When I got to the finish line, NYRR's Peter Ciaccia and I had a Nathan's hot dog. Ok I had two! I love this gif NYRR made!

Competitive eater @yasir_salem getting a post race snack from @peter_ciaccia! 🌭😂#AirbnbBKHalf

A post shared by newyorkroadrunners (@nyrr) on May 20, 2017 at 7:43am PDT

All runners got a nice finisher's medal. All of NYRR's half marathons have a distinct look.

Nice @nyrr Brooklyn Half Marathon medal! @airbnb

A post shared by Yasir Salem (@yasir_salem) on May 21, 2017 at 12:14pm PDT

Overall, I recommend this race as your first half marathon experience. It doesn't get much better than this. It's also a great early season long run to fit into a marathon training schedule. I'm running the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington, VT on May 28th and this race fit perfectly into my training. 

If you want to read a little more about the race, check out NYRR's site: http://www.nyrr.org/races-and-events/2017/airbnb-brooklyn-half

Monthly marathon race report: Hyannis marathon

In 2017, I'm running 1 marathon each month. 

My February marathon this year is one of the most picturesque races I've ever done. The marathon course is 2 loops and passes by the beautiful beaches of Cape Cod.

• Hyannis is an awesome little race & town in the Cape Cod area
• Very scenic, mostly flat course along the beach
• You get a nice medal!
• You can find chowder and cod EVERYWHERE 
• Keltic Kitchen has amazing french toast (I'm not even a huge french toast fan) 
• Everyone we met in Cape Cod was nice 
• Both the marathon and half marathon courses are USATF certified
• Find about them and put this race on your calendar for next year: http://hyannismarathon.com/

My gear in this video:

• Brooks Ghost shoes: http://amzn.to/2mpbL3b
• Tripod for iPhone: http://amzn.to/2n7cbyF
• OtterBox for my iPhone: http://amzn.to/2mpv6Rw

Monthly Marathon Report: I ran the Arena Attack Indoor Marathon

In 2017, I'm running 1 marathon each month. 

My January run is one of the craziest races I've ever done: The Arena Attack Indoor Marathon at UMass Mullins Center in Amherst, MA.  It's a difficult race. I recommend it if you are looking for an unusual challenge and can in circles for hours without losing your mind.

• The race is entirely indoors, run counter-clockwise for 133 laps! 
• Each lap is about 317 meters
• The race is organized by the Southern New England Athletic Association.
• Find about them and put this race on your  calendar for next year: http://www.sneaa.org/arena-attack-race-series/

My gear in this video:

• Brooks Ghost shoes: http://amzn.to/2mpbL3b
• Tripod for iPhone: http://amzn.to/2n7cbyF
• OtterBox for my iPhone: http://amzn.to/2mpv6Rw

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