Hartford/Newport Marathon Double - 11/12 October 2014 - First Sub 4 Double

Hartford CT - 11 Oct 14
3:54:45 Watch and 3:55:28 Gun
841/2419 Overall and 100/215 M40-44
Ninth 26.2 of 2014 and 20th Career 26.2
11th US State

Newport RI - 12 Oct 14
3:58:08 Chip and 3:58:28 Gun
241/791 Overall and 52/131 M40-49
Tenth 26.2 of 2014 and 21st Career 26.2
12th US State

Early in 2014 while perusing the Marathon Maniacs calendar I had noticed the Hartford CT and Newport RI marathons lent themselves to a very convenient double on the October long weekend.  I signed up. 

Race Plan.  Based on my less than stellar performance at the Lehigh Valley Marathon and even uglier job at That Dam Hill 12Hr on 20 Sep 14, I recognized that I needed to scale back my expectations.  My goal for both races was simple, run 9:00/miles and hopefully escape out of the weekend with my desired sub 4 hour double but I knew in particular that was going to be challenge on Day 2 in Newport RI.


All set for Hartford and Day 1

Race Day Hartford - 11 Oct 14.  Race morning in Hartford was cool (49F) with light rain throughout the entire race.  After meeting up for the Maniac photo it was time for the start by the State Capitol.  With the exception of top-tier runners, the race was not corralled and the first mile congested.  Luckily the half-marathon course split from the full course after the first mile.  After a couple of miles in downtown Hartford, the course than ran along the Connecticut River for a few miles before crossing into East Hartford.  I had got off to a good start but lost a few minutes for a bathroom break around mile 4.  I pushed hard for the next three miles to get back on pace, catching back up with the 3:55 pace group (running 9:00/mile) at mile 8.  I also ran into Kim Burke, a friend from the Annapolis Striders, running the race as part of her preparations for the JFK 50 Mile in November.  Since Kim and I were both targeting a 9:00/mile pace we ran the rest of the race together.  The course continued through a more suburban area of East Hartford a long out & back section to South Windsor CT with a few small gentle rolling rises.  The course atmosphere was quite good through this section particularly given the ongoing light rain.  The course returned into East Hartford around the 23 mile section before crossing back over the Connecticut River to finish in Bushnell Park.  I felt pretty good through whole race, largely keeping my pace under control, although by 24 miles I went from comfortably uncomfortable to just plain uncomfortable. I finished a few seconds ahead of schedule at 3:54:45.  Link to Garmin Connect. 

Running with Kim Burke was the highlight of the race

Hartford Complete

Transition.  After enjoying a quick but cold beer at the finish festival it was time to hurray back to my hotel room in Cromwell CT for a cold plunge and much need hot shower before driving the 90 odd minutes to Newport RI.  Packet pick-up, a nice pasta dinner at my hotel and it was time for bed and the second part of my sub 4 hour double.

Ready for Part 2 in Newport

Race Day Newport - 12 Oct 14.  Morning in Newport arrived cool (46F) but sunny.  The race started from Easton Beach heading into Newport proper.  The start was delayed for about 15 minutes while final preps to get the start line were finished.  I headed out with the 4:00 pace group and generally stayed around the group for the whole race, holding around a 9:00/mile throughout.  The Newport course was definitely more challenging than Hartford with at least double the climbing.  The race started by running in Newport proper along the south edge of the harbour, passing by Fort Adams SP and following the very scenic Ocean Drive around the homes of South Newport.  Garmin Connect. 

Running on Ocean Drive

Congestion was not an issue as the half-marathon started 20 minutes after the full, and the full pack was well spread out before any leaders from the half caught up.  After looping around Ocean Drive, the course returned to Easton Beach at mile 13 before continuing east.

Back into Easton Beach at Mile 13

The course headed out to Sachuest Beach including a short jaunt along Purgatory Rd.  After the out & back section by Sachuest Beach, the course than travelled along the final out & back  toward Black Point which included two solid climbs each way.  I had been running pretty well until the climbs but holding my pace through the climbing section was fairly challenging.  Mile 24 brought the course back to Sachuest beach and the last climb on Purgatory Rd before a gentle downhill to the finish.  The last couple of miles were a little ugly but I was able to roll through the finish line at 3:58:08 and complete the sub 4 hour double for the weekend.  Link to Garmin Connect.

Newport Complete

Sub 4 Hour Double Done

Expo, Start, Finisher Festival, Bling and Travel.  The expo for Hartford was held at the XL Center downtown and it was well organized with a good variety of exhibitors.  The start and finish were near Bushnell Park.  The start line would have benefited with being a little better corralled, although with the half-marathon course splitting off early this reduced race congestion after the first mile.  Hartford had an excellent finishers festival but with the rain leaving many people cold and the ground fairly muddy, there wasn't much of an incentive to stick around.  Parking was Hartford was surprisingly easy if you arrived early, I was able to get a free parking spot only 500 yards from the starting line.  I also attended the race's pasta dinner which was a well done event at the Hartford Club.  The packet pick-up for Newport was held in a pavilion tent at Sachuest Beach which also served as off-site marathon parking.  The packet pick-up was for the marathon seemed to go well but there a big line for the half-marathon.  A few of vendors from the Hartford expo also attended in Newport but the tent was quite crowded.  The Newport start itself was delayed due to the fact the start line was on a road that wasn't closed until about 30 minute prior to the gun.  I did find the self serve lockers at Easton Beach a convenient form of a bag drop.  The finish festival at Easton was a little barebones but had the essentials: water, food and beer.  Bling for Hartford included a long sleeve tech shift, good medal and a water bottle while Newport's shirt was a little bland but the medal was solid.  Newport also provides free race photos (similar to the Blue Ridge Marathon).

Hartford Bling

Newport Bling

The drive down from Toronto to Hartford was about 10 hours, drive Hartford-Newport about 90 minutes and the return trip was around 11 hours of driving.  I stayed in Cromwell just south of Hartford which worked well.  For Newport I ended up staying west of Newport which wasn't ideal given the solid toll on the bridge over the bay.

Final Thoughts.  I achieved my goal of running a sub 4 double and collect my 11 & 12 sub 4 hour states.  The Hartford Marathon was a well run large city marathon although due to the rain it probably wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been.  the course itself is potentially fairly fast.  The Newport Marathon  was much smaller, struggled a little in terms of organization but had a much more scenic (and challenging) course.  Achieving a double on these courses is very achievable with good pace discipline. Now on to a couple weeks of recovery and then serious base building in preparation for a 2015 focussed on running ultra-marathons. 

Lehigh Valley Marathon - 7 September 2014 - Not the Race I Was Looking For

Allentown - Bethlehem - Easton, PA
3:51:35 Chip and 3:52:03 Gun
498/1065 Overall and 48/86 M40-44
Eighth 26.2 of 2014 and 19th career 26.2
Second PA Marathon

Earlier this year when I went looking for a candidate race for a maximum effort at the start of Sepember, the Lehigh Valley Marathon was one of three candidate races based having moved back to the Toronto area over the summer.  I ended up selecting Lehigh Valley as it worked best from geography and a date, not to mention it was not full once I got around to signing up. 

Race Plan.  As I had progressed through my summer training, it became increasingly clear that I was not going to see the improvements I was looking for.  I had not recovered nearly as quickly as I had anticipated from the North Force DC 50 and Hatfield-McCoy as well as losing time over the summer between moving and getting sick for a couple of weeks.  On race morning I decided to push it coming out of the gate and then reassess as the race progressed.

Race Day.  Race morning dawned sunny with temperatures hovering just above 60.  The race started from the Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown PA.

Race Start in Allentown

The start was not corralled and it was fairly congested coming out of the gate.  The race bills itself for its net downhill and almost that comes in a steep hill just after the first mile.  I ran the first few miles strong but it quickly became clear that a BQ (a faint hope to start with) was clearly not in cards and even a PR would be unlikely.  After a couple of aggressive miles I decided to just take what I could get and dropped back to around 8:00/mile pace.  The course ran along roads and paved paths into Allentown.  At the 7 mile point the course crossed the Lehigh River and started to follow the Delaware and Lehigh Canal trail.  The canal trail was well pack gravel and was mostly in decent shape but there was a few muddy spots after rain the night before.  My left calf started to cramp up after about a mile or two on the trail which started to bring my times down toward 9:00/mile.  By the 12 mile point, I decided to stop and try stretching out the calf.  This bought me another few miles of good running.  The midway point of the course made a short out&back loop into Bethlehem PA before continuing on down the D&L trail.  By around the 18 mile point my legs informed me that they were done and I moved into salvage mode for the rest of the race.  At the 20 mile point I hit the only significant climb on the course on a road beside the river.  After the climb the trail was at least paved the rest of the way to the finish.  The last six miles probably averaged around 9:45/mile and I finally crossed the finish line in Easton PA at 3:51:35.  Link to Garmin Connect File.

Last section before crossing the Lehigh River into Easton

Bib Pick-up, Start, Finish, Bling and Travel.  The packet pick-up and expo were held in Bethlehem at the site of the old Bethlehem Steel Pant which was interesting.  Packet pick-up was relatively quick.  There was a small expo of local running shops and Runner's World Magazine (which is from the Lehigh Valley area) which I found rather crowded. 

Bethlehem Steel Plant

The start area was a rather barebones but was well supplied in the porta-pot department.  The finish festival was good, including a free beer, food and massage beside the finish line at the convergence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers.  The race provided  school transport back from the finish line to the start for those who had parked at the start.  Race bling include an averageT-Shirt, cinch gab and decent medal. 

I drove to the race from Toronto which was about a 6.5 hour drive.  I stayed in Allentown in order to be close to the start which worked well.

Final Thoughts.  My final result was not at all what I was looking for but it was what I got.  The race itself was fairly well organized but I do think if I was pushing to get a BQ, I would run a race without a gravelled section.  My summer training clearly had not been as effective as I had aimed for and I have to wonder if I made an error in fusing some elements of the Hanson Marathon Method into my program without the recovery and build up time after my June races.

Hatfield McCoy Marathon - 14 June 2014 - No Feuding, Just Challenging Running

Williamson WV
3:49:30 Gun
42/513 Overall and 7/32 M40-44
Sixth 26.2 of 2014 and 17th career 26.2
Tenth US State

West Virginia does not have that many road marathon options and given the number of positive comments about the race I heard from various Marathon Maniacs, it was a natural fit to conclude my spring marathon campaign.  I was looking forward to seeing if the race lived up to the reputation I heard about along with its billing by the Weather Channel as one of their 15 Toughest Marathons.

Race Plan.  I had some struggles in trying to plan for this race as I tried to weight the impact of a likely warm & humid day, potentially difficult course and having run my first 50 mile race the previous weekend.  In the end looking at a promising weather forecast, I decided to push for 3:45, aiming to run the first half in 1:55 and then take advantage of a flatter second half in 1:50. 

Race Day.  Race morning dawned bright and relatively cool but humid.  The Hatfield - McCoy Marathon starts in the parking lot of Food City in Goody KY.  I arrived with plenty of time to spare and spent some time talking with some of the over 175 Marathon Maniacs participating in this years race.  After the traditional Maniac Photo, it was time to get warmed up for the start which was rather loosely organized. 

Over 175 Maniacs Participated this year

It is a relaxed start

With a blast of the McCoy pistol we were off at 7am.  The first two miles were generally flat along US 119 before heading onto KY 319 through the village of Hardy.  I allowed myself to get pulled along with some of the faster starters, heading out a little to aggressively at under an 8:00 minute/mile pace.  The start of the third mile saw the beginning of steady climb that brought my pace back towards a more sustainable 8:30 min/mile with the climb getting progressively steeper as we approached the top of Blackberry Mountain (1270') at 7.5 miles into the race.  The descent of Blackberry Mtn was very steep, dropping close 500' in just over a half mile.  I was able to run that section quite fast but under control without overly trashing my legs.  By the 9 mile point to course had flattened out into a gentle descent parallel with the Blackberry Creek.  I was still running strong around an 8:30 min/mile but I could start to feel the effect of both the climb and the previous week's North Face 50 Mile in my legs.  The Blackberry Mtn section takes runners past many of the sites from the historic Hatfield - McCoy feud in the 19th Century.  I reached the midway point of the race at Matewan, WV at 1:49:30.  This year's Hatfield - McCoy Marathon also offered a variety of half marathon options, including running the first half of the course, the second half of the course, or both halves (double half marathon for 3 medals).  The second half of the course saw us cross back into Kentucky, running River Rd parallel to the Tug River, rolling in elevation by 50' to 75'.  I generally sustaining around 8:30 min/mile until near mile 16 when River Rd transitioned into "River Road needs a few decades of catch-up maintenance" into "River Track".  A thunderstorm on the previous day had left the track with a number of slick muddy sections that brought the pace down.  Near mile 18 the course reached the Tug Valley Country Club and crossed back into West Virginia over the infamous swinging bridge.  The challenge in crossing the bridge was that the runner induced vertical sway of the bridge made controlled running a bit entertaining.  Once over the bridge, the course followed a paved gold cart path for about a half mile before crossing back into Kentucky.  The last miles in Kentucky were a series of steady rolls along River Road before rejoining US 119 at the 25 mile point.  The course was more open through this section and the bright sun and climbing temperatures made this section a challenge.  I found my pace slipping down towards a 9:00 min/mile over these last miles.  The final mile of the course crossed back over the Tug River into Williamson WV, finishing in downtown area.  I met my family with 150 yards to go and my son was able to pace in to the finish at 3:49:30 to be greeted by the Hatfield & McCoy.

Crossing the line

My Map My Run file is linked here. 

Bib Pick-up, Start, Finish, Bling and Travel.  Race pick-up was held just south of Williamson at the Belfry High School.  This year's race pick-up included a 50 States Marathon Club Reunion as well.  The pre-race pasta dinner was in the school's cafeteria and was free to runners.  As mentioned above, the start at Food City in Goody was relaxed.  There was no race day parking at the start but plentiful shuttles were available from downtown Williamson.  The finish in Williamson was excellent and included concerts, BBQ and a street fair as well as a kid's race. 

Are you a McCoy?

Good, You're not a McCoy

Race premiums included a technical T-Shirt and draw bag as well as a good race medal and mason jar trophy. 

The Bling

Travel to Williamson from the Maryland mid-Atlantic was about a seven hour drive.  Flight options into the region are rather limited with the closest airport around 90 minutes away in Charleston or Huntington WV.  Commercial lodging is very limited in the region.  I stayed in Logan WV which was about a 30 minute drive from Williamson.  The race organizers do arrange for cots at both the Williamson and Belfry fire departments which can accommodate around 75 - 100 people. 

Final Thoughts.  I really enjoyed the Hatfield - McCoy Marathon.  This is a very well run event with a huge amount of local community support.  It is also a rather challenging race, although not quite a physically tough as the Blue Ridge Marathon.  With the big climb over Blackberry Mtn and likely warm/humid middle of June weather, this is not an easy race.  You also need to plan your travel arrangements well in advance for the race since accommodation is limited and fills early.  In hindsight, I may have pushed a little too hard in the first half of the race, but I don't think a time  under 3:45 was in the cards for the day.    

End of a great day

Next up, a easy of couple of weeks for recovery and then it will be time begin a hard push for a maximal effort at the Lehigh Valley Marathon on 7 September 2014. 

North Face ECS DC 50 Mile Race - 7 June 2014 - A Challenging Introduciton to the 50 Mile Ultra Marathon

10:49:51 Chip and 10:49:58 Gun
141/257 Overall and 16/29 M40-44
Second ultra of 2014 and Third overall ultra
First 50 Mile Ultra Marathon

One of my primary running goals for this year was to run my first 50 Mile Ultra Marathon and looking at options back in December 2013 the North Face Endurance Challenge Series DC seemed like a reasonable option on relatively flat terrain.  I found however, that this was still a challenging race.

Preparation and Race Plan.  I had started building trail running into my training back in January and had tried to include a second longer run on the weekend in addition to my normal Saturday long run.  I had completed a 50K back in February and ran  a back to back marathon weekend at the end of April.  In addition, I ran a good portion of the course in a May training run.  I was a little unsure of what I was capable of running and decided to aim to average around 11:00 minute/mile which would bring me in soon after nine hours. 


Race Morning

Race Day.  Race start was schedule of 05:00 which meant a very early start to the morning.  Conditions were quite good at the start with temperatures hovering around 55F.  The start at Algonkian Regional Park was well organized and the race go started on time.  The start was brisk, looping a soccer field, before heading out on paved path and gravel road, which allowed the pack to get space out a little.  The start of the third mile saw the transition onto single track Potomac Heritage Trail running through a marshy area and then along side a golf course, where I had my one fall for the day, catching my foot on a tree root.  This section of the course was in fairly good shape but with a few spots with slick mud.  I ran this section at a good clip averaging between 9:30-10:00 minutes/miles.  Around the six mile point, the course traversed through a series of small but sharp climbs and descents in Seneca Park before dropping back onto the Potomac River flood plain. 

Potomac River Floodplain

There was one significant creek crossing around the nine mile point. 

Creek Crossing

Mile 11 brought another series of sharp climbs onto bluffs above the Potomac River before dropping back down to the river and entering into Riverbend Park.  The course through Riverbend Park was a series of gravel road, meadow and single track that finished with a steep 150' drop from Artillery Bluff into Great Falls National Park.  I pulled into main Great Falls aid station at the 14.8 mile point at 2:42 into the race.  My stop at the aid station was not as quick as it should have been but I was soon heading out to begin the first of the three seven mile loops around Great Falls NP.  The first section of the loop was a moderate one mile climb on a gravel road before transitioning onto the rolling  "Ridge Trail" which was largely double track.  This section began with an out and back onto the Difficult Run Trail which included a fairly sharp 100' descent/ascent down to Difficult Run. 

Difficult Run at Great Falls NP

Next up was the Swamp Trail which included a sharp single track descent and then a somewhat technical 800 yard section of rock hopping. The loop then concluded with a couple of miles along the historic ruins of the Patowmack Canal and short technical section along the Great Falls gorge before finishing the loop at the Great Falls aid station. 

Remains of the 18th Century Patowmack Canal

Although for the most part the loop was not overly technical, there was enough rolling trail that I struggled to keep my pace much below an 11:30-12:00 minute/mile average.  Throughout the run down from Algonkian park and the first loop I had also struggled with getting some debris into my shoes which led to a few extra stops.  In addition I found that speed lace lock on my Hoka's was not keeping my shoes as tight as I would have liked.  I finished the first loop of Great Falls (21.7) miles at 4:15 and the second loop (28.6 miles) at 5:35.  By mid-morning the temperatures had cracked into the 70s and were headed for the low 80's but for the most part the course was shaded and the humidity wasn't too bad.  I also found that by the second lap that I was struggling to eat, particularly any solid food which was going to come back and bite me later.  I finished the third lap of Great Falls (35.5 miles) at 7:14 into the race, switched over to my Brooks ASR shoes and headed back upstream for the last 15 miles to the finish at Algonkian Park.  I ran well leaving Great Falls NP, with a solid climb back onto Artillery Bluff and put down a couple solid miles (10:30-11:00 minute/miles) before bonking just after the 39 mile point.  I struggled into the next aid station (painfully slow) and was able to take on a couple of gels and some candy, finding enough energy to get back into the game.  The next nine miles were largely run around at a grinding 13:00 minute/mile with regularly walk breaks.  The final few miles of the course were somewhat less shaded and the bright 84F sun did little to improve the situation.  I was able to muster a little extra speed over the last mile or so to meet-up with my family and cross the finish line with my son. My first 50 mile ultra was complete at 10:49:51.  Links to my MapMyRun files ( Part 1 & Part 2 ). 

Race Bib Pick-up, Start & Finish, Bling and Travel.  Race packet pick-up was available at either the North Face stores in Georgetown and Tyson's Corner on the Thursday/Friday prior to the race or at the start on race morning.  The start/finish area was well laid out with normal amenities including North Face gear, food and Sierra Nevada beer.  On-site race day parking was limited to the 50 mile runners, with the other participants parking off-site and taking a shuttle to the start/finish area.  Race bling was typical including a race technical shirt, medal, Buff (the purpose of which I'm still trying to determine) and water bottle.  I simply drove to and from the race, but with a 05:00 start there are a number of local hotels around Dulles Airport. 

Race Bling

Final Thoughts and Lesson's Learned.  The North Face 50 Miler ended up being a little more challenging than I had first appreciated.  In particular, race day reinforced the need to continue to work on my ultra marathon nutrition to avoid bonking, continuing to develop my technical trail running to gain speed on single track and the need to get through aid stations more efficiently.  Although I really like the cushioning in my Hoka Bondi's, I think I will be switching from the speed laces to normal laces to get tighter fit on the shoe.  I really enjoyed the North Face 50 Miler and it was definitely a little more challenging than I first appreciated.

First 50 Mile Ultra Marathon in the books

Now on to the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon next weekend in Williamson WV on 14 June 2014. 

St Michaels Half Marathon - 17 May 2014 - Third Place in Age Group & PR

1:39:23 Chip and 1:39:32.4 Gun
41/1260 Overall and 3/57 M35-39

I had not raced at the half-marathon distance since the 2012 Marine Corps Historic Half preferring to race at the full or ultra marathon distances, but having a chance to pick-up a bib on a transfer, I decided to give St Michael's a shot.  The race bills itself as "Ridiculously flat and ridiculously fun" but a number of runners I had talked to about the race had warned me that their organization was a little suspect. 

Race Plan.  After finishing racing four marathons in 16 days at Cincinnati Fly Pig Marathon on 4 May 14, my focus had shifted to preparing for the North Face ECS DC 50 miler on 7 June 14.  I had two weeks since my last race but I was not tapering, so my race plan was simply to head out at marathon pace around a 7:30 minute/mile and try to hand on for 13.1 miles.

Race Day.  I got to St Michaels about an hour prior to the scheduled start, picked up my bib and got warmed up.  The race includes a 10K and 5K in addition to the half marathon and the 10K was scheduled to start first at 7:30 with the half marathon starting 10 minutes later using the same start line.  The 10K started about ten minutes late and there was no really ordering of getting people lined up for the half marathon which led to a bit of a free for all at the start line.  I was lucky enough to be near the start and was able to start fairly easily but for a faster runner trapped further back it was probably rather ugly.  I got off to a good start, running a couple seconds a mile under pace.  The course headed out through St Michaels and then looped around a golf course, rejoining the main road around 4.5 miles.  Through the first six miles, I was running very well and was about 30 seconds ahead of plan, but after that point some fatigue set in and my pace eased back to closer to 7:40 min/mile.  I was able to hold that for the most part for the rest of the race.  The course was then largely an out and back along MD 33, turning around at 7.75 miles.  Once back into St Michaels around 11.5 miles the course then ran along a rail trail to the finish.  I largely was able to hold my 7:40 min/mile pace through the end, setting a new PR at 1:39:23 which was good for 41 overall and third place in the M35-39 age group.  The finish area was very congested and not well set up which made the finish a little frustrating.  I have linked to my Map My Run file here. 

All wrapped up, trophy in hand

Expo, Finish, Bling and Travel.  I did race day packet pick-up, so I didn't have a chance to see the mini-expo on Friday.  Packet pick-up seemed relatively well run but perhaps a little short staffed with volunteers.  The finish area was very badly laid out and not well signed.  They had an OK selection food but finding the area was a challenge.  The finish festival was in downtown St Michaels and was a good event but again it was not well signed and required some searching to find. 

St Michaels Finish Festival

The race shirt and medal were both good.  I was able to drive to St Michaels on the morning of the race which was about an hour drive from the Annapolis area. 

Final Thoughts.  The St Michaels Half Marathon is a race that is well suited to picking up a fast time and was a fun event.  It is improving but still suffering from some organization issues.  Compared to some of the other half marathons, it is on the pricey side for a local race.  I am glad I ran the race and I had a good time.  Now back to focusing on preparing for the North Face ECS DC 50 mile on 7 June and Hatfield-McCoy Marathon on 14 June. 

Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon - 4 May 2014

3:43:58 Chip
577/3980 Overall and 76/333 M35-39
Fifth 26.2 of 214 and 16th career 26.2
Ninth US State

I had first heard about Cincinnati's Fly Pig Marathon about a year ago and with all of the positive reviews I had seen, it was a natural fit into running four marathons in a 16 day span.  Having just come off my first back-back weekend on 26/27 April, I was curious on how I would perform.

Race Plan.  Based on running around an average 8:30 minute/mile pace at the Gettysburg Marathon (second day of the back to back), I was planning to head out around that pace for the first 16 miles and then try and push down toward 8:00 minute miles the rest of the way in if possible. 

Race Day.  Flying Pig has an early 6:30 am gun and I got to the start line near Paul Brown Stadium from my hotel across the river in Covington KY just after 5:40.  I have linked to my Map My File here. 

An early morning start

With the Marathon Maniac photo at 6:00 am, I probably would have been a bit better served getting there around 5:15. 


Flying Pig Marathon Maniacs

The race started out heading west toward Great American Ballpark before crossing over the Ohio River into Covington KY for about one mile.  The course looped back into Cincinnati through a relatively flat section through the downtown.  I struggled to keep my pace down through the first miles and by the  time I hit the main hill in Eden Park I was running around 90 seconds under my projected pace.  A bathroom break there however put me a little behind schedule and I pushed the pace a little through the middle section of the race to get back on my planned pace.  The course support was excellent but the section around Mariemont Square (15-17 miles( was especially outstanding.  The temperatures which had been moderate at the start did start to creep up a little by 15 miles into the race.  Coming out of the Mariemont Sqaure area is was becoming clear that I was not going to be able to drive the pace down below 8:30 and in fact I was going to be hard pressed to sustain that pace.  My pace sagged a little through the next four to five miles before stabilizing in the last few miles.  The section along the Columbia Parkway following Mariemont Square was a little boring but it moved into a really well supported section along Riverside Drive with a few rolling inclines.  The race finished by Great American Ballpark on a nice quick downhill finish. 

Headed to the finish

Course support was excellent with water stations located about every mile along the course.

Expo, Finish, Bling and Travel.  The Fly Pig Marathon had an excellent race expo with a wide variety vendors in the convention center.  Bib pick-up was across the street at the race hotel.  The finish festival was well done, although the recovery area was perhaps a little too extended and the baggage pick-up was a bit of hike.  The rest of the finish festival was quite good in a park along the Ohio River.  The medal and shirt are somewhat unique and in addition the marathon participants received a nice mini duffel bag. 

Flying Pig Marathon Shirt and Medal

There were a wide variety of hotels within walking distance of the start line including several in Covington KY.  I traveled to the race by car, splitting the trip to Cincinnati over Friday evening/Saturday morning with a long drive back on Sunday to Maryland which was a little ambitious.

Overall, the Flying Pig Marathon was an excellent race which I really enjoyed.  It had a good course and an outstanding race day experience.  This is definitely a race I would like to run again.

 

Blue Ridge Marathon/Gettysburg North-South Marathon - 26/27 April 2014 - First Back to Back and Five Maniacal Stars

Blue Ridge Marathon - 26 April 2014
4:45:05 Chip/4:45:21 Gun
208/482 Overall and 27/47 M35-39
Third 26.2 of 2014 and 14th career 26.2
4th VA Marathon

Gettysburg North-South Marathon - 27 April 2014
3:43:15 Chip/3:43:46 Gun
99/467 Overall and 14/36 M35-39
Eight US State

Two of my goals going into 2014 were to run a back to back marathon weekend and achieve my Maniac Fifth Star (Ruthenium).  Looking at the various schedules showed the option of running the Blue Ridge Marathon "America's Toughest Road Marathon" in Roanoke, VA along with the Gettysburg North-South Marathon in the last weekend of April.  Coupled with running Kentucky Derby Festival (KDF) Marathon on the 19th April would give me three states in nine days which would meet the requirement to achieve my fifth maniac star, let me pick-up a Pennsylvania marathon and get to see how tough the Blue Ridge Marathon really was.

Race Plan.  My race planning for the weekend was driven by the short six day recovery following KDF Marathon the weekend previous and my goal to run Gettysburg as my Pennsylvania sub-four hour marathon.  The plan for Blue Ridge was to take it as easy so as to save something for Sunday.  I was aiming to run the flats in Roanoke around a 9 min/mile (nothing is flat on this course), the hill anywhere between 10 to 12 min/miles (with power walking on the steepest portions) and watch my pace and form on the down hills.  The race plan for Gettysburg was very simple, run steady 9 min/miles to come in just under four hours. 

Blue Ridge Marathon Course.  Attending the pasta dinner for the Blue Ridge Marathon I heard numerous comments about how it was a beast of a course and that the runner's pain was race organizer's pleasure, and they were accurate in the comments.  The Blue Ridge Marathon course has 7,430 feet of vertical change throughout with 3,710 of climbing and 3,720 of descent with an published elevation profile that doesn't really show any changes under at least 50 feet.  The course starts (950') out rolling for the first mile before heading into 400 foot climb up through mile 3.

Two Mile marker at Blue Ridge Marathon

  Splitting off from the half marathon and 10K, the course then rolls (a couple of 200 foot climbs/descents) for the next two miles before beginning a 750 foot climb over the next two miles to the top of Roanoke Mountain (2,146') at the 7 mile point.  After clearing the top of Roanoke Mtn, the course drops over 800 feet over the next 2 miles before transitioning into a rolling (see previous definition) three mile section that includes about a half mile run along the Blue Ridge Parkway itself.  At the 12 mile point, the ascent to Mill Mtn (1,746') begins which was about 300 feet up to mile 13 and the Roanoke Star, leading into another 2 mile 800 foot descent. 

Roanoke Star on Mill Mountain

After an easy mile along the Roanoke River greenway, the course begins a gradual climb that picks up steam at mile 17 leading toward the top of Peakwood drive (1,607') just before 19 miles.  Following Peakwood Drive the course does another steep 600 drop over the next 1.5 miles, a sharp 200' climb through 20 mile marker before settling into a rolling six miles to the finish. 

Gettysburg Marathon Course.  The Gettysburg North-South Marathon course is run almost entirely to the north of the town through some rolling hills.  The course departs from the North-West side of Gettysburg and travels through the a section of the July 1 1863 battlefield (MacPherson/Seminary Ridge) where Gen AP Hill's Confederate Corps clashed with the Union Cavalry and Gen Reynolds Corps. 

MacPherson Ridge in Gettysburg

Gettysburg Battlefield in the first mile of the race

Slowly climbing in elevation the course starts into a 15 mile figure-eight North-West of the town at the 3 mile point.  The course is rolling (occasionally sharply) with significant hills in the 7-8 mile, 11 mile and 15 mile sections.  The course begins to flatten out after 15 miles although there is a sharp climb around 19 miles. The course then turns back south towards Gettysburg, with a very gentle but rolling descent the rest of the way in.  The course passes just east of the Barlow Knoll area of the battlefield just before the finished where Gen Ewell's Confederate Corps flanked Gen Howard's Corps on 1 July 1863, driving the Union south of the town to onto Cemetery Ridge/Culps Hill section. 

Blue Ridge Marathon.  Saturday morning started bright and mild in Roanoke.  I ran the race in T-Shirt and my lowest mileage pair of Saucony Hurricane training shoes.  I arrived at the start line around 6:45 am after a bit of hunt for a parking spot.  I have linked to my Map My Run file here.

Maniacs before the Blue Ridge Marathon

Meeting up with several other Maniacs we had  had a couple of pre-race photo's taken before watching the Official Unofficial Blue Ridge Double Marathoners arrive at the start line at 7:20.  The Official Unofficial Blue Ridge Double Marathon is a number of runners who start out around 2:30 am, run the course in reverse aiming to arrive at the start just before the gun, and then run the course again. 

Blue Ridge Marathon start

Heading out after the start, I was mostly successful in keeping my pace down through the initial few miles and began using power-walking on the steepest sections of the course.  I stopped for a number of photo breaks along the way before reaching the top of Roanoke Mtn around 75 minutes into the race with my pace varying significantly from 8:00 to 12:00 min/miles. 

Blue Ridge Parkway

View toward Roanoke from Roanoke Mountain

Roanoke Mountain Peak

Reaching the top on Mill Mtn around 2:21, I had a good photo break before heading off into the second half of the course. 

At the Roanoke Star

Halfway

On the descent, I had one my regret of the day, that I didn't take up the offer of a Mimosa around the 13.5 mile marker.  After a solid mile along the Roanoke River greenway, I began the long climb into Peakwood.  The fan support which had been good up to that point, was outstanding throughout the entire neighborhood including a variety of unofficial aid stations and sprinklers, culminating with champagne shooters at the top of Peakwood (where I most definitely learned my lesson and partook in). Following a flying descent from Peakwood, I rolled into the final section of the course.  I found that the temperatures which had warmed from around 52 at the start, to 60 at the half were now becoming a factor (hitting 71 by the finish), which in conjunction with the hills drained me of energy over the last five miles.  After five rolling miles, the race finished up with a nice descent into the finish line. 

America's Toughest Road Marathon in the books

The course served GU Brew as the drink on course which proved tolerable but I was glad I had carried a Gatorade hand bottle throughout.

Transition.  Transitioning from Blue Ridge to Gettysburg saw a quick stretch after the race followed up by a short ice bath at the hotel.  The four hour drive north up I81 was not the most pleasant drive as my legs were more than a little sore.  I arrived in Gettysburg just in time to pickup my packet before closing before heading off to my hotel in Hanover and a little dinner.  There were several sessions with The Stick on Saturday afternoon/evening.

Gettysburg North-South Marathon.  Sunday morning dawned crisp and sore in Gettysburg.  Luckily a light warm-up run, Motrin and some caffeine improved my view on the world.  The weather would remain cool all morning, with a long sleeve tech shirt serving well for the race.  I have linked my Map My Run file here. 

Gettysburg Battlefield

I headed out from the start, grabbed few photos of MacPherson Ridge, and was well set on a 9:00 min/mile around the 5 mile point, although I was struggling to keep my pace down since I was feeling much better than expected.  I rolled through the hills around mile7/8 losing almost no time with my pace starting to climb.  I hit the half way point for a 1:54:29 split and my pace stabilized around an 8:30 min/mile around the 15 mile point.  I ran fairly steady for the next few miles and feeling fairly good began to asses my ability to run a 3:45.  I started to push the pace after the 20 mile point down to an 8:00 min/mile before starting to flag a little bit over the last few miles, rolling in at 3:43:15.

Gettysburg Marathon wrapped up

I was very happy with my race management at Gettysburg as I think I probably got the best possible result I could have expected.

Expo, Finish, Bling and Travel.  The expo at the Blue Ridge wasn't bad considering the race size.  Although it didn't have a large number of vendors, it did have an excellent Fleet Feet section and it was very well organized.  I attended the Pasta Dinner, which had Ms Zoe Romano as a speaker, (first person to run the Tour De France course).  Her presentation was outstanding and the dinner itself was fairly good for a race pasta dinner.  The finish festival for Blue Ridge was excellent, which was tied into Roanoke's music weekend and include a variety of vendors, a decent variety of post race food and beer.  The medal for Blue Ridge was rather unique and a clear challenge to the ultra community but the t-shirt was average.  The race didn't have a specific finisher's shirt but did have a design your own t-shirt option which I exercised.  The Blue Ridge Marathon is also claiming to have free photo's but I'll believe it when I see it. 

Blue Ridge Marathon T-Shirt (left), Medal and my designed T-Shirt (right) 

Since I arrived at the Gettysburg packet pick-up just as it closed, I'm not 100% sure of what they had on offer, but it did not appear to be much,  The finish area for the race was functional with OK food, but only minimal vendors.  The Gettysburg T-Shirts (Blue or Gray) were OK but the medal itself was very good. 

Gettysburg Medal and Confederate T-Shirt

Neither race offered a good venue for finisher photo's.  I traveled to both races by car, driving to Roanoke of Friday afternoon and then to Gettysburg on Saturday.  The four hour transit time is long but viable since both races had morning packet pick-up.

Final Thoughts and Lessons Hopefully Learned.  The Blue Ridge Marathon was an excellent race.  Although it was the most demanding 26.2 road course I have seen, it was a very well organized event with great community support.  I would love to run this race again.  The Gettysburg North-South Marathon was a well run smaller scale race, and I through it was trading on its name a little too much.  With only a minimal amount of time in the battlefield, I thought the race needs to add a little more to the event.  The race blends well into a number of the other club based races that I have run.  I confirmed that running two marathons in a weekend was achievable so long as the first race was ran under control and the transition time was planned out in advance.  I felt my race management of Sunday was some of the best I had achieved.

3 Races in 9 Days = 5 Maniac Stars - Ruthenium Level Achieved

Five Stars Achieved

Next up - Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati OH on 4 May 2014.