This race was offered only as a full marathon. It took place in North Bend, which is around an hour East of Seattle. There are so many small mountain towns in this area, and they are all breathtaking! So, much to see. There are water falls and nature trails everywhere. It was fun to show up there with my non-runner wife and just sight see and hike around a bit. I cannot put into words how gorgeous the surrounding areas are. If you're a fan of the Pacific Northwest, I'm sure you already know.

There was no "expo" to talk about. We got our bibs, shirts and information from a Nike outlet store. It was a quick in-and-out experience. But, if you're looking for an expo, this really is not your race. That said, one of the great things about the packet pick-up was the headgear. They told us that we would be running through a tunnel and needed to wear a head lamp or we wouldn't be able to see. Not only did we get this heads-up, but they also had a bunch of head lamps others have worn in years past, but didn't pick up. I grabbed one of those since I was from out of state and really didn't want to buy one. In addition, they were offering free shirts from prior years. You could grab as many as you wanted, if need be. It was great customer service!

The starting situation was pretty good. This was a run -down-a-mountain type of race. So, like other similar races, they wanted to bus you to the start line. But, unlike many similar races, they provided several different options on where you could get dropped off. The top of the mountain was chilly; yes even in August! There were no fire pits or other ways to stay warm. It had a 7am starting time, so that did help. But, they made sure all the potential situations were worked out.

The race was simply amazing. It was all trail, but not twist-your-ankle difficult. No different shoes were required, but it was something I did not expect. I'm guessing that it was a decommissioned railroad route. I saw no train tracks, however there were several spectacular bridges we ran across that only really make sense if there was a train there at one point.

The race gets its name from a 2 mile run (towards the beginning) in which you run through a tunnel. This was a unique experience. I won't call this good or bad; it was both. The good: It was an amazingly tall and well-built tunnel. This is an experience that is really hard to express. I wish I took pictures. But, I was running for time, and did not want to be taking photos along the way. But, it was a monument to engineering from decades ago. The bad: it was hard to get around people with so many folks in an enclosed space. Since it was near the beginning, we were still bunched together. The ceiling leaked a bit, so the ground was wet. This caused us to have to dodge some puddles and have our shoes a bit muddy. Also, this is where we needed those headlights. I suppose as long as you were running next to others, you could kind of see where you were going. But, it was best to have your own. Since this was all in the beginning, they had a spot to drop your light off soon as you got out of the tunnel, and then didn't have to worry about it. Since, I was using a prior runner's light, I just left it there so that it can be used again next year by someone else!

But, the other 23+ miles were the main story of this race. It's billed as a downhill race with a gradual 2.2 decline. It did not feel much like a downward slope, but it was fast and is a good option for those looking for a BQ course. But, it was in the mountains, and as we ran along the range, I was able to see other mountains and clouds that weren't quite as high as the peaks. It looked like something out of a Lord of the Rings movie. It was truly a majestic view from the moment I got out of the tunnel until I crossed the finish line. So, many beautiful scenes. A lot of the bridges we crossed allowed us to look into a valley or watch a river run. I have done a lot of races, including several in the mountains. But, I can honestly say this was the most beautiful course I ever ran on. And if you are an engineer, you really need to check out what your peers did a century ago with their technology; just amazing!

The finish line area was small. They encouraged you to take a shuttle bus from the finish line back to one of those start shuttles. But, while there, they had all kinds of perks. Water, bananas, chocolate milk, cookies, fruit snacks, oranges, chili, fritos were just a start of the numerous items they let you grab at the end to consume. They also had an ice bath for people to soak their feet in to help relieve the pain. There were spots for selfies. And a few massage tables to get in line for. They really treated you great at the end!

The medal was okay. It's a medal; nothing that will go in my top 10 lists. But, it was appreciated. The shirt was just a normal cotton shirt. I may not wear this one often when I have so many others. So, those that run for the bling; this may not be the best. But, it's the course that will be remembered as simply amazing. The tunnel will be recalled as a unique experience. And the elevation reduction was able to help take me to a new PR! Top of the line customer service and a well-ran staff. Not sure what other Washington races are like. But, I highly recommend this one to anyone considering going there!

Such an amazing race! I don’t even know where to start on this conversation. I suppose MY story for the 2021 Chicago Marathon started in mid-2020 with a group called OAR. I ran down a mountain in June 2020 to run the Revel in the Rockies course. Due to the pandemic, the race was canceled, but several runners decided to get together and run it anyway! One man ran in a fundraising shirt for “Organization for Autistic Research.” As my son and I both have autism, I thought maybe it would be a good idea for me to join them. I researched the organization and found they had a lot of great qualities and did so many amazing things with their funds. In addition, they didn’t have negative attention within the autistic community like Autism Speaks has. I saw that their fundraisers can join several different races, but one caught my attention more than others: CHICAGO! What does Chicago mean to me? I grew up in Wyoming where we are free-agent fans. And because “Frigerator” Perry was on GI Joe as a kid, I became a Bears fan. Because of Air Jordan, I became a Bulls fan. It didn’t take me too much longer to also become a Cubs and Blackhawks fan way before I ever visited the city. So, I made my decision to run for Autism and see my spirt-city in the process.
Upon getting to Illinois, the city was great. A fast-paced city full of culture, history and people of all kinds. The weather was warm. In fact, for October, it was a bit inconsistent. And one of the big worries for everyone was going to be the unexpected heat for race day. As I got around the city, I took advantage of all transportation types. I used Lyft, the subway and even rental bikes! I spent time along the lake shore. And saw some of the great tall buildings. Such a spectacle! Sadly, none of my sports teams were playing in the city on the days I was there.

The expo was huge. While the pandemic is still going around, I wondered how big or small the expo would be. Of course, the whole race was canceled in 2020, but I figured there would be a lot of cut backs in 2021 as well. I cannot say if it was any smaller or larger than past years. But, I can say the expo was MUCH larger than most expos I’ve been throughout my racing career. To make sure all racers were “safe and healthy,” we had to present our vaccination cards or negative test results at the entrance of the expo. When presented, we got an arm band that would get us into the expo and the race the next day. The expo had all the normal vendors and 3 different places we could get a free sample of beer! I spent around 3 hours in this location seeing all the booths and vendors that were there. One of the best expos I’ve seen. Top notch really!

Then race day came. There was a staggered opening. There were 3 “official” waves with different start times. However, there were many corrals in each of those waves. So, there were runners being let go every 5 – 10 minutes or so. Sadly many of the runners I started with were slower than me at the start, and I had to dodge a lot of walkers. This may have impacted my time somewhat, but for a huge race like this, that is to be somewhat expected. The course was amazing. There wasn’t one spot in that 26+ mile run where there weren’t hundreds of spectators cheering us on. That was amazing to see. So many signs. So many friends. So many runners. It was truly an amazing running experience. They also disallowed camelpacks and other like-items. So, they had Gatorade and water stations all over. I really don’t think I went a mile without seeing these volunteers helping us out. And the course was super flat. At no point did I feel like I was attacking a huge hill. There were, of course, ups and downs. But, it really felt flat the whole way around.
The finish line is going to be where I have to deviate my experience with others. After crossing, there was the typical bananas, water bottles, Gatorade and other foods. They also had a finisher’s area where you could get free beer and hang out with other runners; but I didn’t go there. Instead I went to the OAR area with other fund raisers. It was located in a hotel across the street from the start line. I was able to get a free massage, coffee, and a nice lunch. It was nice to meet with other people who were fans of running and autistic people. We got a lot of pictures and every kind of food you could think of. Sadly there wasn’t free beer there. But, it really was an amazing experience! And…. I completed my first MAJOR marathon. Will I run the other 5? Maybe. All and all, this was one of the best racing experiences I ever had. I suggest everyone runs the Chicago Marathon and help out with OAR.

This is the 2nd year this race has gone on. Though I had a number of critiques during the inaugural event, this one went much smoother. First of all, last year there was a huge parking issue (you can see my review for that for more info). This year, the start line/finish line was pretty much the same spot for all distances. And there was more then enough parking for all! So, that was good.

I also did the full last year; and the half this year. So, there may be some issues that differ for me, specifically. I paced this year as well. I held the 1:50 sign to help those who were looking at a PR. How did I do? Well, it kind of depends on what you consider. First of all there was no timing mat for the half. So, everyone had to just use their own Garmin (or for me Fitbit). And there were no half markers. We would run along the course and occasionally see a mile marker, but it was for the full, and it didn't match up with where we were at. That said, the full runners told me that it wasn't marked correctly for their course either! So, if you were running with your watch, it was an accurate course. But, pacers need accurate mile markers, which we did not get. I ended up crossing at nearly 1:50 exactly according to my fitbit, but my coach though I came in late by a few seconds. Again that was because I didn't cross the starting line when the gun went off and there was no timing mats. So, I did alright, I just didn't get credit for it, per se.

The course was much better. There were vast improvements. We got to run by the capital and several of the more notable spots in Cheyenne. If I had my wish, we would've ran along the tracks of Central and East; but I grew up in that town and ran track. There was a very difficult hill around mile 6 that caused a lot of slowing for some of the runners. I was prepared for it, so I was okay. But, that's not to say it was easy; it wasn't. Also, the web site didn't show the course map (for the half) or the elevation chart. So, I think it caught a lot of runners by surprise. I actually asked these from the race director. She provided all that for me. But, it wasn't updated on the site.

The medal was pretty cool. Most of my runner friends agreed. The shirt was very basic and plain. I actually liked the shirt much better last year. With all the other race shirts I have in my closet, it's doubtful I'll ever wear that one again. But, do you race for shirts? Do you already have too many?

You may think I'm, in general, dissatisfied with it. Quite the contrary. There were a lot of great parts. The scene was fun. One friend of mine told me, "I never knew a town like this actually still existed." So many were so impressed with the old school feeling of "Ole Cheyenne." It's the biggest town in a very small state. A place where there are more antelope than people. So, if you're going there for a big event, you're in the wrong place. But, as far as Wyoming races are concerned, this is probably the best one to do. If you're a 50 stater; I strongly suggest this race to cross of Wyoming. I doubt it will be anyone's favorite race. But, it's not bad. I will try to do it every year. They made so many vast improvements over the past year, that I'm sure it will just keep getting better and the director will make appropriate adjustments.

Had a fun time at a race recently. And I would like to tell you about it.  First of all, I suppose I should say this is my 3rd time running this course. Well, kind of.  I ran the marathon 2 years ago and then the half last year.  I had actually signed up last year to run the full, but didn’t feel that I got enough long runs in to do a full marathon. I requested to change to the half, and I was immediately granted that request; no problems given.  I figured I was running well, and would try to PR for the half instead of struggle with a full. I didn’t PR, but it was one of the fastest runs I had done. 

Let’s begin this year’s story with the expo.  I agreed to help out by volunteering for a shift of bib check-ins.  This gave me the opportunity to have some pizza (on a day I was carb loading) and a very nice volunteer tech shirt.  The shirts were offered for long sleeve, short sleeve or no sleeve.  So, that was pretty cool and unique to this event.  For those checking in for the 5th year, entrants were given a free coffee mug. It was a nice way to thank participants for their loyalty over the years.  I suppose I’ll get mine in 2021!

The expo was held in the campus of the Colorado School of Mines.  A place I wish I had attended college.  The city of Golden, CO is in the mountains and has some breathtaking views around the expo location.  Inside, there was a good number of vendors that provided a number of services.  It was far from the biggest expo I had been to, but far from the smallest too.  One of the fun areas offered participants temp tattoos with the Revel emblem, “26.2” and other fun items to have on you while you run.  Another area had a big sign with all the entrants.  Lots of photo booths were available to take selfies with props and backgrounds.  It was a very fun experience.

The start of the race is always a bit of a frustration for me.  The race itself doesn’t start until 6.  But, since it’s a downhill race, they make everyone park at the bottom, close off the road and have busses take everyone to the top.  This concept itself is fine.  But, they make everyone get there from 3:30 – 4:15.  This is very early to get there when the start time isn’t until 6.  Yes, the bus ride up takes about 45 minutes.  But, that means if you are on the last bus, you have to stay at the top for around an hour.  And at the top of the mountain, before the sun comes up, and at 10,000+ ft, it is bitter cold. There is a bag check, so you can remain in sweats for a bit.  But, that truck leaves around 20 minutes prior.  So, there’s just no way to dress to run 26.2 miles, but also not freeze at the top before the race starts.  Other races, like the Utah Valley, will have fire pits at the top to help out.  Also, there were dozens of port-a-potties.  But, from the length of the lines, it was clear that there were not enough to go around.  Again though, this was my only frustration of the race.  And I may be making it sound worse than it actually was.  I just want to be honest with my analysis. 

Well, this year, I had been training to qualify for the Boston Marathon and would use this downhill race to qualify; or at least attempt to.  I recalled it having a mile of uphills around the halfway mark, but the rest being downhill, so that’s how I trained for it.  And in the process, I began running better than I had ran before.   I wanted to use this race, this year, for my BQ as I had just turned 40 and my qualifying time would drop.  However, it appears there was about 3.5 miles of rolling hills; with most of those hills being significant.  They started around mile 11 and continued until approximately 14.5 miles in.  This slowed me down more than I was training to.  But, I have to stress, the hills were my own fault. 

The course itself was great.  The scenery was magnificent.  Everywhere you looked were mountains, streams, trees, and other natural beauty.  It all looked picture perfect, and if I wasn’t trying to run fast, I supposed a person could spend much of the time just collecting photos of the majestic scenery.  I really think this race is a must do for any runners living in Colorado for aesthetic beauty alone.

And the aid stations were great as well.  I don’t think I went more than a couple miles at any one point before seeing another aid station.  All aid stations had some great smiles from the volunteers There was also water, gu, Power Aid, and other aids at most of these stops.  There were also much-needed port-a-potties at these stops in case they were needed. 

The crowd participation is worth noting too. I saw a fair number of spectators cheering people on.  And unlike some races, this one went through tiny little mountain communities where only a handful of people lived.  So, to get any crowd support at all was noteworthy.  But, to get this amount of crowd support was remarkable!  It was fun the whole way down. 

The finish area was spectacular!  There was an announcer on a microphone that was listing everyone’s name as they were crossing the finish line.  They had more volunteers than were necessary welcoming finishers as they crossed with water and a BIG medal.  The sometimes-necessary first aid tent was right there at the finish line as well. 

But, then the party area after was great.  Free pizza and pie was an option to everyone.  The bag check was nearby if you need to get comfy shoes.  There was a beer garden avail for those of age.  I was able to get a free massage with no line! And then there were so many stands to get pictures.  There were props and signs saying all kinds of things:  BQ, PR, 13.1, 26.2, etc.  And of course, there was a beautiful mountain scene in the horizon as well.  There was also a stand for runners to go by to get their official results printed up.  Those who qualified for Boston could get a free passport prop to show off what they accomplished.  It was a very fun loving area that had something for everyone. 

How did I do?  Well, I don’t know how to answer that.  I did not qualify for Boston.  I got some very bad cramps and was not able to push myself to continue “running” after around mile 18.  I did some run/walking as well as some legitimate jogging.  But the cramps preventing me from running the whole way.  That said, I did the first half with sub-7 min miles This ended up being my PR for the 5K, 10K, half marathon and even full marathon.  So, I got a PR; just no BQ.  In fact, you can say that this was my best run I ever had.  I did great.  And this downhill, fast course really helped accomplish that.  I thank God, my supporters and my wife for being able to do this well.  Who would have though my fastest race would come AFTER I turned 40?!

Had a fun time at a race recently. And I would like to tell you about it.  First of all, I suppose I should say this is my 3rd time running this course. Well, kind of.  I ran the marathon 2 years ago and then the half last year.  I had actually signed up last year to run the full, but didn’t feel that I got enough long runs in to do a full marathon. I requested to change to the half, and I was immediately granted that request; no problems given.  I figured I was running well, and would try to PR for the half instead of struggle with a full. I didn’t PR, but it was one of the fastest runs I had done. 

Let’s begin this year’s story with the expo.  I agreed to help out by volunteering for a shift of bib check-ins.  This gave me the opportunity to have some pizza (on a day I was carb loading) and a very nice volunteer tech shirt.  The shirts were offered for long sleeve, short sleeve or no sleeve.  So, that was pretty cool and unique to this event.  For those checking in for the 5th year, entrants were given a free coffee mug. It was a nice way to thank participants for their loyalty over the years.  I suppose I’ll get mine in 2021!

The expo was held in the campus of the Colorado School of Mines.  A place I wish I had attended college.  The city of Golden, CO is in the mountains and has some breathtaking views around the expo location.  Inside, there was a good number of vendors that provided a number of services.  It was far from the biggest expo I had been to, but far from the smallest too.  One of the fun areas offered participants temp tattoos with the Revel emblem, “26.2” and other fun items to have on you while you run.  Another area had a big sign with all the entrants.  Lots of photo booths were available to take selfies with props and backgrounds.  It was a very fun experience.

The start of the race is always a bit of a frustration for me.  The race itself doesn’t start until 6.  But, since it’s a downhill race, they make everyone park at the bottom, close off the road and have busses take everyone to the top.  This concept itself is fine.  But, they make everyone get there from 3:30 – 4:15.  This is very early to get there when the start time isn’t until 6.  Yes, the bus ride up takes about 45 minutes.  But, that means if you are on the last bus, you have to stay at the top for around an hour.  And at the top of the mountain, before the sun comes up, and at 10,000+ ft, it is bitter cold. There is a bag check, so you can remain in sweats for a bit.  But, that truck leaves around 20 minutes prior.  So, there’s just no way to dress to run 26.2 miles, but also not freeze at the top before the race starts.  Other races, like the Utah Valley, will have fire pits at the top to help out.  Also, there were dozens of port-a-potties.  But, from the length of the lines, it was clear that there were not enough to go around.  Again though, this was my only frustration of the race.  And I may be making it sound worse than it actually was.  I just want to be honest with my analysis. 

Well, this year, I had been training to qualify for the Boston Marathon and would use this downhill race to qualify; or at least attempt to.  I recalled it having a mile of uphills around the halfway mark, but the rest being downhill, so that’s how I trained for it.  And in the process, I began running better than I had ran before.   I wanted to use this race, this year, for my BQ as I had just turned 40 and my qualifying time would drop.  However, it appears there was about 3.5 miles of rolling hills; with most of those hills being significant.  They started around mile 11 and continued until approximately 14.5 miles in.  This slowed me down more than I was training to.  But, I have to stress, the hills were my own fault. 

The course itself was great.  The scenery was magnificent.  Everywhere you looked were mountains, streams, trees, and other natural beauty.  It all looked picture perfect, and if I wasn’t trying to run fast, I supposed a person could spend much of the time just collecting photos of the majestic scenery.  I really think this race is a must do for any runners living in Colorado for aesthetic beauty alone.

And the aid stations were great as well.  I don’t think I went more than a couple miles at any one point before seeing another aid station.  All aid stations had some great smiles from the volunteers There was also water, gu, Power Aid, and other aids at most of these stops.  There were also much-needed port-a-potties at these stops in case they were needed. 

The crowd participation is worth noting too. I saw a fair number of spectators cheering people on.  And unlike some races, this one went through tiny little mountain communities where only a handful of people lived.  So, to get any crowd support at all was noteworthy.  But, to get this amount of crowd support was remarkable!  It was fun the whole way down. 

The finish area was spectacular!  There was an announcer on a microphone that was listing everyone’s name as they were crossing the finish line.  They had more volunteers than were necessary welcoming finishers as they crossed with water and a BIG medal.  The sometimes-necessary first aid tent was right there at the finish line as well. 

But, then the party area after was great.  Free pizza and pie was an option to everyone.  The bag check was nearby if you need to get comfy shoes.  There was a beer garden avail for those of age.  I was able to get a free massage with no line! And then there were so many stands to get pictures.  There were props and signs saying all kinds of things:  BQ, PR, 13.1, 26.2, etc.  And of course, there was a beautiful mountain scene in the horizon as well.  There was also a stand for runners to go by to get their official results printed up.  Those who qualified for Boston could get a free passport prop to show off what they accomplished.  It was a very fun loving area that had something for everyone. 

How did I do?  Well, I don’t know how to answer that.  I did not qualify for Boston.  I got some very bad cramps and was not able to push myself to continue “running” after around mile 18.  I did some run/walking as well as some legitimate jogging.  But the cramps preventing me from running the whole way.  That said, I did the first half with sub-7 min miles This ended up being my PR for the 5K, 10K, half marathon and even full marathon.  So, I got a PR; just no BQ.  In fact, you can say that this was my best run I ever had.  I did great.  And this downhill, fast course really helped accomplish that.  I thank God, my supporters and my wife for being able to do this well.  Who would have though my fastest race would come AFTER I turned 40?!