While I did not need to run a marathon in Washington DC to complete my 50 states goal, the 50 BQ club that I belong to requires members to complete a marathon in the District of Columbia. Being that this is a tiny blip on the map area- wise, there aren’t a ton of races … More Abebe Bikila Day Marathon (September 2019)

Of all the races on my calendar, Alaska and Hawaii were the two that had me the most worried. Both require long flights and are expensive destinations, and I hoped that Jim and I wouldn’t have to re- run either. I’ve had some great marathon performances this year, though, so I felt good going into … More Juneau Marathon (July 2019)

I chose this little marathon on Sauvie Island—just outside of Portland—because it advertised a flat course and cooler temperatures for a July race. I figured that it would also be a nice tune- up for Juneau in late July. I would have loved to run Revel Mt. Hood after my success at Mt. Charleston in … More Sauvie Island Marathon (July 2019)

The Tunnel Marathon race series advertised a fast and scenic course, and most everyone I know who has run one of these events agreed with this assessment. After such a successful finish in Las Vegas, I decided to shoot for a sub 3:20 at the Light at the End of the Tunnel. This is the … More Light at the End of the Tunnel (June 2019)

I ran the Vermont City Marathon in 2016, which was the year that they black flagged the course for excessive heat and humidity. I was able to finish under 4:00 and before they shut down the race, but the 3:48 that I ran here remains my slowest marathon time and did not qualify me for … More Vermont City Marathon, Take Two (May 2019)

Back in 2017 at Grandma’s Marathon, I got into a pre- race chat with another runner that Jim and I know. She mentioned that one of her goals was to run a 3:20 marathon. That sounded insanely fast to me, and I remember telling her that I couldn’t even imagine taking that much time off … More Revel Mt. Charleston (April 2019)

My plan for early April was to run the Eisenhower Marathon in Abilene, Kansas; however, this race ended up conflicting with our kids’ school musical, so I had to find a last-minute substitute. Fortunately, The Wicked Marathon in Wamego was the week earlier. The course didn’t look as flat, and the race was smaller; it … More Wicked Marathon (March 2019)

California has a billion marathons and some fantastic race options. Since one is offered just about every weekend, I looked for a fast- ish course that fit well into my calendar. The Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach ran along the ocean, so I figured that the course would be flat, and I have exhausted … More Surf City Marathon (February 2019)

When I began mapping out my marathons around the country, I assumed that Jim and I would run Rock and Roll New Orleans for our Louisiana race. Then the event switched its date from February to March, which is a less appealing time to run in the south. I stared asking around for other options, … More Louisiana Marathon (January 2019)

I’ve mentioned in this Blog before that there are states where I don’t care what marathon I run, and there are others where I’m 100% set on a particular race. Tennessee was one of these states. I have heard that Memphis puts on a top- notch event, so I wanted to be sure that Jim … More Saint Jude Memphis Marathon (December 2018)