After so many years of hearing from runners of all experience and speed levels how great the TCS NYC Marathon is, I finally got to experience it first hand. Have to say, it didn't disappoint.

My experience will be skewed a bit because I was lucky enough to be on a VIP bus for transportation to Staten Island, so a lot of what many people cite as a downside of this race was really easy. Even still, it was almost a 2 hour ride to the start which is pretty intense by any measure. I was definitely thankful to be on a coach bus for this ride.

Starting area was very large but extremely well-marked and I had no trouble finding my corral with plenty of time to spare. Start line was a bit weird - I was in A Corral, and though we did enter the corrals according to our letter, at the front they simply combined A and B to all mix and start as one. Usually the point of lettered corrals is to avoid having faster runners stuck behind less fast runners and cause a lot of congestion. But by starting A and B together, that's what happened. Didn't affect my race at all because I was not gunning it from the start, so I wasn't bothered. But logistically it seemed strange. And I'll readily admit that this could be due to some unavoidable logistical constraints given the start on Staten Island, etc. that I'm just not aware of.

Everything else about the race was great - aid stations were top notch and managed beautifully. Crowds were a lot of fun although a bit subdued at times (most likely due to the misty/rainy conditions). Course elevation and difficulty were actually a lot easier than expected, but that's only because I was expecting it to be an absolutely BEAST of a course, given so many cautionary tales.

Make no mistake, it's hilly, and some of them are long climbs. But the downhill finish in Central Park was long and luxurious, and I felt like I was flying by then. Again, but not racing the course outright, I know I didn't have the full experience of how hard it can be. But I definitely pushed for the last half and found the course to be interesting, challenging but reasonable, beautiful and exciting! I really loved the finish in Central Park - SOOO much energy and just a cool setting.

Fleece-lined poncho with a hood at the finish line was so, so clutch! It's a long walk out of the park and if you don't have dry clothes (ahem, this guy), that poncho is a life-saver. I walked a few blocks west of the park (1-2) and easily caught a Lyft back to my hotel.

Medal and T-shirt were both top drawer - really nice long sleeve top with lots of sizing options, and the medal is big but not gaudy with a really sharp design.

My race was great, didn't think I'd have much fitness but was able to run conservatively for the first half and push harder and harder the second half. Misty and rainy off and on, but with temps around 60 that mist was perfect to bring down temps but not soak you through and invite chafing.

This race is worth the hype. Everything about it felt BIG and well-run. Highly recommend!

There really are no words.

First, I'd be remiss if I didn't include a link to our special episode of The BibRave Podcast all about my and my crew/pacers' race-day experience. There were a lot of highs and lows, and this is definitely worth a listen 😉 https://blog.bibrave.com/2017/10/03/bibrave-podcast-leadville-special/

Registration: I signed up for their training camp in order to lock in a spot for the 100 with my friend and cousin. This was SO valuable. The camp was eye-opening, very educational, so much fun, and I felt offered a lot of value. Highly recommend.

Aid Stations: Stop it. The aid stations at Leadville are SO well done. I had some stomach issues at mile 50 and they were able to assist or help my pacer get everything we needed to (eventually) keep moving. So well stocked, so full of expert volunteers, can't say enough.

Course: I mean, again, what can you say? Views on this course are everything you'd expect from a race of this stature. Views of Turquoise Lake, up and down Powerline, coming down into Twin Lakes, up and over and back up Hope Pass - all of it simply (and actually) breath-taking. Weather was amazing and I don't think the course could have been more favorable.

Race management: World-class. From safety and support to energy and fun, the Leadville Team is as good as it comes. To pull off a race this long, and of this size, with such grace is just crazy. Hat's off to the management.

Overall: Leadville is truly a special place and a special race. The town fully embraces the runners and spectators, showing incredible support and enthusiasm to have everyone in town doing epic shit. It's a commitment both from time and money, but the rewards easily outweigh any expense. If you're into the ultra scene, and you're feeling a "hundo" coming on, Leadville deserves a place at the top.

Pic: Pizza Steve, Me, Matt at the start of the Leadville 100

So many amazing things about this race, no wonder it's a lottery entry with hundreds on the waitlist.

First - the parking/access/start/finish area: This race embodies what makes ultras great - laid-back vibe, easy parking, plenty of bathrooms, chill start area, awesome post-race hangout area with free food (pulled pork!) and beer (10 Barrel!). Wins across the board.

The race is run almost entirely along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), treating runners to extremely well-maintained, gorgeous paths and breathtaking views of Timothy Lake, Mt. Hood, and classic Pacific Northwest forest. The actual trail is just prime - soft pine needles on top of mostly even, not-too-rocky dirt trails. See my pic below to get a taste of the views - just incredible.

Aid stations - again, showing what makes ultras great. Incredibly helpful volunteers and a huge spread of food which allowed me to practice eating a bunch of different foods while experimenting with different amounts of salt and sweet while easily getting enough calories. Plus, tons of ice for when the day got hot (it did, but not too bad - about 45/50 at the start and probably 75 at the finish but sun felt hotter).
At one point, a volunteer asked what I needed and when I told him water for my hydro-vest, he insisted I take it off and let him fill it and replace it in the pack while I went to power-eat. I came back and he was holding up the vest so I could put my arms through and be on my way. So helpful!

Overall - this was an "easy" ultra when it comes to vertical gain - only about 5,500. But most of that was on the back part which made it a lot more challenging. I ran it as a training run for the Leadville 100, so my training partner (Matt, pictured on left) took it easy for about 45 miles and picked it up from there to finish strong. My race couldn't really have gone better - I felt strong and well-stocked the whole way, and I clearly saw how much better I do by pushing the calories. Here's my strava file if anyone cares about that. https://www.strava.com/activities/1074301139

Highly, HIGHLY recommend this race, and I can't think of how a 50 mile race could be done better. Kudos to the race management - Go Beyond Racing - on another killer event.

Always a great time at the PTS! As usual, this was a well-run, well-attended Portland Trail Series event - great course through Forest Park with lots of hills and a FAST downhill finish. The route for this race was only about 4.5 miles long, but I think some of them get as long as 5.5 or so. Also as usual, some killer prizes raffled off at the end, compliments of PTS' sponsors (nutrition, Hydroflask, etc). Parking was tougher because I was running late, but I was still able to park very close to the Leif trail head and jog up to the start.

These races perfectly exemplify what trail racing should be about - good-spirited competition with a totally laid-back atmosphere in a beautiful setting. Can't wait till the next one!

This was my second runDisney event, and it's safe to say I'm a full convert. There is just so much going on, so much to see, so much excitement from the massive group of participants, and the management of a major marathon. Seriously, these races are great for casual and serious runner alike!

I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon (if still feels funny to say that) as part of the annual Running USA conference, so it was fun to run with the rest of team BibRave and to also see so many industry friends. Race morning was cool but not cold, and based on the heat and humidity we saw in subsequent Orlando mornings, we were damn lucky on race morning.

As usual, traveling to the race was a breeze, and by following recommendations from Disney re: when to get on shuttles, etc., we made it to the start line without encountering any traffic. Shuttle picked us up right outside our hotel, dropped us off near the bag check, and we began the long walk to the start. Frankly, this didn't bother me at all, and I appreciated the time to loosen up before the race.

The true magic, no, miracle of Disney is the number of Porta Potties. Not sure they'd love that brand association, but it's seriously the most PPs I've seen at a race by far! There were massive banks of them everywhere, and Jess, Julia and I basically ducked in whenever we wanted, just because they were there. This is a huge expense, so I was really impressed how all in Disney went on the bathrooms. Kudos!

Race course was pretty solid - we started in Epcot, ran through Magic Kingdom and back to finish at Epcot. Running toward a huge purple sphere is pretty cool, even if you're not a Disney person, and Cinderella's castle never disappoints.

Aid stations were great, though I didn't use them much. But they had plenty throughout the course. Lastly - the SWAG. So good - absolutely fantastic medal, a prefilled box of food for you to just grab on your way to bag pick up, and bag pick up took like 1 minute. Seriously, Disney just moves massive amounts of people around with out those people having to make a single critical thought - it's just mindless, and participants are free to enjoy the experience rather than worry about where to go. So nice.

My race - I was feeling sore but pumped for the race - pumped because RUSA had a challenge so I wanted to see if I could finish with a high place. I started at 6 minute miles and tried to stay there as long as I could, and if things went well, maybe go a bit faster toward the end. I was able to run at that pace pretty comfortably and gradually move my way up until I was in 5th place behind the 1st female and 3rd male. They were starting to slow down a bit, so I moved forward and finished in 3rd overall. I know the 4th male could have given me a hell of a run, but he was clearly having a ball running with the first place female. So much fun to see her cross, and all the characters were there to congratulate her on the win.

Again - highly recommend Disney races now that I've done more than one, and I definitely understand the hype.