Having already finished my fifty states quest, I was in search of a new PR. My main choices were Houston, Louisiana, and Surf City for a decent course, best chance of good weather, and uncrowned field. I settled on Louisiana after reading many reviews and getting input from other runners, and I’m glad I listened!

The weather on Saturday (10k, 5k, and kids’ race I believe) was rain and thunderstorms and some of those events were cancelled. I arrived that afternoon to great weather thankfully, and it held through Sunday’s events. It was cold (low 30s at the start, probably low 40s by the end, and the sun came out later in the morning. The downside was it was quite windy which made it feel colder) but in my opinion, cold is great to run in so I was thrilled.

The expo was a nice size and they had some slick race specific gear. I’m a sucker for hats and did end up buying a cool trucker hat. Other than that I was in and out in ten minutes.

The start/finish was close to my hotel so I took advantage and left my room a little later, then got a solid warmup in before going into my corral at 6:45. This was key: I was able to line up almost at the front, near the 3:20 pacer (I was shooting for 3:25 or better) and when the gun went off I didn’t have to weave and dodge like at my last race (MCM). This got me on pace from the beginning and kept me from adding distance that would skew my results. I don’t know how many marathoners vs half marathoners there were, but I found the field to be a good size, and once we split at mile 11, it was even better.

The course itself was a nice mix of neighborhoods (beautiful old trees and Spanish moss abound), LSU campus, and a lake that had some very nice views and beautiful houses, though the wind was cutting in many places. The road surface was generally fine, there was only one short stretch of really rough, not-quite-fully-paved surface but that was minor. I also found the course perfectly marked. I was running great tangents for almost the first ten miles and ended up with 26.29 miles (whereas MCM I ended up closer to 26.6). Plenty of police and volunteers and lots of aid stations.

The medal is nice; I love their logo with the tree (hence the hat I bought) and the finisher shirt, while simple, is a super soft cotton or something. It’s very comfy.

The best, and most unexpected perk for me, was the BQ tent where, after getting your official results, you could claim a “I Boston Qualified at the Louisiana Marathon” shirt in blue and gold. Awesome!!

The festival appeared to have lots of food and beer options, but I don’t usually eat right after a race so I headed back to my hotel to warmup. It looked like quite a party!

Overall, this really is a great race with a small-town feeling. It’s wonderfully produced and marked, there were ample volunteers and police out to support, and it felt like a race for runners. I really enjoyed the day and was thrilled with my results. I’d recommend it for anyone seeking a PR, and if you luck out with the weather you can have a seriously great race. Geaux run Louisiana!

I heard JFK50 was a great first-timer's race, and it didn't disappoint. From central Virginia, it was a fairly easy three hour drive up to Hagerstown, MD the day before the race. Packet pickup was at a Homewood Suites across from where my husband I stayed. It's about a 1200 person race I believe, so it was a little crowded but fast. There was some gear for sale and a few vendors. The vibe was pretty exuberant, like a family reunion since many runners seem to do this event year after year. The shirt, in my opinion, is pretty cool. The women's are a v-neck navy blue and I'll be proud to sport it!

I got a lot of advice about this particular course from friends who had completed it multiple times, and I studied all the info on the website beforehand, so I felt fairly prepared, up until a couple of days before the race when western Maryland got 8 inches of snow, on top of all of the rain they received the previous weeks. That threw a small wrench into the works but some things are just out of your control. Other than the trail conditions promising to be bad, the weather itself was perfect, mid 30s to low 40s, no rain.

On race morning you start in a high school gym which is very pleasant since there are indoor bathrooms and it's a warm building! The RD spoke to all the runners in the gym around 5:50am and gave us some great information about the trails, answered questions, and had multi-year finishers stand up in case anyone wanted to tag along with them based on their anticipated finish time. After that we all filed out of the gym and walked the 8-10 minutes or so to the start line in Boonsboro. It was timed perfectly - we stood for about 1 minute before the gun went off right at 6:30am.

The first two or three miles or so are on paved roads and have some serious hills. After that you get on the Appalachian Trail for the next 13 or so miles. There are parts of the AT that are steep up or down, some flat, all rocky, and with the snow and ridiculous amount of mud, all tricky! It was tough going for me, a road-marathoner, and hard to pass people as you end up in single file for a lot of it. Passing means risking your ankles to go through the snow and the unknown rocks dwelling underneath. I decided to listen to my friends' advice and take it very easy on the trail. End goal: get off the trial in one piece so I can run the rest of the race. Mission accomplished - I made it down the final trail switchbacks without one fall but my time reflected my cautious strategy.

The first crew spot is at Weverton Cliffs right after the AT portion ends and my husband met me there so I could change my wet socks and muddy trail shoes for dry socks and road shoes. They felt divine for about five minutes and then I found the mud on the towpath. I had heard from many JFK runners that they all hated the C&O towpath but at the time it sounded liked it would be a nice change from the trail: flat, good surface, no single track trails. It was nice for a few minutes, then I found the mud. It was all mud. So much mud. By that point it wasn't me caring about my feet that slowed me down, it was me trying not to fall in the slick slop that made up much of the path. But I put on a good amount of speed to make up for the slow AT portion.

There are cutoffs to be aware of along the way and I was well ahead of those, though take care to make sure your GPS is able to handle a long event. I had to go strictly by my timer and the aid station mile markers, as there are no other mile markers until the last 8 miles, and my watch mileage was messed up and useless.

Speaking of aid stations, the locations varied but roughly they were every 4 or so miles. There were lots of goodies: gatorade, water, bottle/backpack refills, cookies, cake at one aid station, pretzels, candy, PB&J sandwiches, Coke, broth...the best part of ultras is the food! Volunteers were fantastic the entire way.

At long last I left the towpath and made it to the paved road. These 8 miles are rolling hills through farm country but it was my fastest speed of the day even at the end. Here there are mile markers counting down from 8 - invigorating!

The finish line is at another school and was the happiest finish line of my 62 races. I got the coveted JFK medal around my neck and then retreated into the warm school cafeteria with my husband to relish my finish and have a hot cup of coffee before getting back to my hotel to warm up and wash the extensive amount of mud off of my feet, shins, and calves. There were several food and drink options in the cafeteria but I didn't partake except for the hot coffee.

Overall, it was a great event. A note to potential runners that you cannot use personal listening devices so it's a lot of time in your head out there on the trail and path. I talked to several people throughout the day which was a lot of fun, but also spent a lot of time by myself. I carried a lightweight hydration pack with my electrolytes and a little bit of nutrition and s!caps, since aid stations were a little far (compared to a marathon) but had no problem with that aspect at all. The weather was great as I said before. The toughest part this year was simply the trail and towpath condition, but I'd take the mud and snow over actively falling rain or abnormally high temperatures! I'd definitely recommend the race for its history, its fantastic RD and organization, support and volunteers, and camaraderie. I have nothing but fond memories of my first 50 miler..mud and all!

This was actually my third time running the MCM, but the first time was 2006, and the second 2013. I am not a huge fan of big-city, multi-thousand runner events, BUT the Marine Corps Marathon is near and dear to my heart as a Marine veteran.

The expo is at National Harbor. I went on Friday afternoon and found it to be far from empty, but still very fast and efficient. There were lots of vendors and good official gear for purchase (I bought a shirt and the jacket). It's a good thing the merch was good because the official race shirt that came with the bib was pretty repulsive. I'm a fan of the MCM "mock-neck" shirts in general and love my gray one from 2013, but this year's is atrocious. I'll leave that point alone now!

The logistics getting to the start need some work in my opinion. The only negatives associated with the race were before the gun went off (again, in my opinion). I came from a short distance away, just over in Rosslyn where the finish is. I got to the Metro at about 6:05 (Metro started at 6am) and the first train that came through around 6:20 was overflowing with runners. The next one was pretty empty and I managed to get on - at this point it's about 6:30am...still plenty of time right? The start is 7:55am.

Once we unloaded at the Pentagon station, it was like a hoard of zombies. We were slow-walking/shuffling the long distance from the station to the parking lot where the runners' village was. It seemed to take forever. Security itself wasn't really an issue, but it was just so crowded it was impossible to make much headway. I missed the Marathon Maniac photo by a mile because by the time I got to the starting area it was about 7:30am. Luckily I found a portajohn with a short line (note to RD - more portajohns...when you think you have enough, add at least 10% more) and then hustled into the corral. Unfortunately I didn't realize I had entered the green corral and was supposed to be in gold closer to the front. So that took some doing, to get to the front of my corral. The good part is that I made it, and all of the shuffling, jogging, and panicked movement was a good warm-up; I didn't stand still for more than 5 minutes before the Howitzers went off! I also got to see the parachute team with the giant flag and the Osprey flyover. I crossed the start line about two minutes after the clock started.

Note about the corral system: While I appreciate that they had corrals this year, there was still a ton of walker-dodging and people lined up four abreast. I was desperately trying to PR so I was doing a lot of weaving the first few miles, but it does eventually open up.

Enough negatives - the race itself is fantastic. The Marines (YUT) along the course, the crowds, the scenery, the Blue Mile, the monuments, the American flags...it's just unlike any other event. The course takes you back through Rosslyn/Arlington, across the river to Georgetown, down an out-and-back to Woodley Park and past GWU and the Lincoln Memorial, West Potomac Park and East Potomac Park where the Blue Mile is. The Blue Mile, if you haven't experienced it, displays photos of fallen service members lining both sides of the road, along with dozens of American flags being held by members of Wear Blue to Remember and service members. It's the most meaningful portion of a marathon I've ever run. I turned my music off and just soaked it all in. The course also takes you past the National Mall up to the Capitol then back across the river and up to Arlington where you finish near the Iwo Jima Memorial. Amazing. Once you finish (HUGE crowds there) you receive your Eagle, Globe, and Anchor medal from a USMC Lieutenant and proceed through the chute to photos, food, and water before the finish area festival. The EGA medal is of course my favorite medal of all time. This year's was all red and opens to display a challenge coin.

The course itself has its challenges; there are some hills, especially in the first four miles, but it's not bad. We had spectacular weather this year though I know past years have been very hot. Aid stations were I think every two miles or so. They did a great job having tables and volunteers stretched over quite a ways to give you ample opportunity to grab a cup.

I did score my PR and BQ and couldn't be happier that it was at the Marine Corps Marathon. It was a tremendous day! I highly recommend the MCM as a must-do marathon.

This was Marathon #61 and I was coming off a tough, slow, hot, hilly race in Vermont in July. This was just what the doctor ordered. It was the first year of the race but hopefully they’ll put it on again next year!

First, it’s very small. The race was capped at 350 runners and there was a waitlist if you didn’t jump on it quickly. It’s only a marathon, no half or 10k. I met some runners who did make it off the list to run though. They have a nice informative website and good communication before the race. Also good pics of the course on Facebook. This race does something unusual (that I love, personally): they mail your bib and some race info ahead of time and there is no expo. Not being a fan of expos, I was happy with that!

The pre-race situation is easy. Park at Greenfield Community College in MA (plenty of parking) and ride the bus up to Marlboro Community College in VT. They recognized that they need more portojohns so I’ll leave that alone. I had no issue. The start line was very pretty and quiet; there was a trio from the college playing Zydeco music on guitar, violin, and accordion which was cool.

The start went off without a hitch. You run through the woods on a dirt/gravel path most of the race. It was a great surface and the trees made it shady and soooo refreshingly cool. You’re by the river the majority of the time and it’s just beautiful!! I didn’t take many pictures since I was feeling so good (and set a PR by a few seconds) but it’s gorgeous. It was a semi-warm day overall at the end but I didn’t feel it until the last four or five miles out in the open and even then, not anything compared to Virginia!

There were a handful of aid stations and cheering spectators, but don’t run this race for crowds. It’s a beautiful run on a nice surface through the woods, not a city race.

The RD was blowing a funny horn at the finish as runners crossed the finish line and the medal you receive is a really pretty wooden medallion which fits the theme. The shirt is really good too, a nice forest green tech with the logo.

Overall opinion is this is a great event. Well marked and well organized, I’d do it again. The weather really cooperated, having been rainy prior to the race week (and washing out part of a bridge that they still somehow managed to finagle getting runners across!). Just an overall well done event put on by runners, for runners. Great race!

I have run all fifty states but some races are still must-do events, and Mad Marathon was supposed to be one such race. I’d heard it was beautiful but challenging and it lived up to both counts.

Waitsfield is a beautiful little town and worth visiting. There are tons of little B&B’s to choose from (Yellow Farmhouse Inn was lovely). Packet pickup is near where the race begins/ends and takes about thirty seconds. There is also race morning pickup which to me, is always a nice perk even when I don’t need it. There is no city traffic to fight through on race day and it’s overall a peaceful setting for the start and finish. I love races like this!

The start area is literally around the corner from the finish chute and festivities so logistics are easy in terms of parking and having extra stuff. I parked about 20 yards away which was awesome. After a Marathon Maniacs photo we all walked to the start, listened to a beautiful singing of the National Anthem, and then began the 26.2 mile meat grinder.

Lots of people flew off the line only to come crashing back to earth after the first few monster hills. This is not a PR course in my humble opinion. Coming off a PR last month, and coming into this race with a new fueling and nutrition plan, I had already tossed time goals out of my mind and planned to focus on scenery. Plus, it was very warm though blessedly not a humid day.

The course is just gorgeous. It runs along roads both paved and dirt (no rock or debris issues), by pastures, picturesque barns, valley views, over and next to rivers, and through covered bridges. I took several photos on the move to try and capture this Tolkien-esque area. This also helped take my mind off all of the hills. There are many, many hills, but thankfully the last five miles or so are flatter so at least you don’t get crushed right up to the finish. I’ll point out one more time that it’s hilly; I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people walking during a race (including me, up the hills!). Don’t get excited about a downhill because you’ll pay for it on the other side.

There were aid stations roughly every two miles with amazingly cold water. They also had Gatorade and some had gels. It was pretty hot by 10am or so, and combined with the hills those stations were like an oasis.

The finish chute is cool, with flags and a faux covered bridge finish arch. The medal is very nice and substantial (I don’t care for the pink shirt, but that’s just me). You also get a hug from the race director which is a nice personal element.

This is not a race you run for a personal best or crowd support. This is a race you run because you know it’s going to be tough but beautiful. It was both and also well worth the effort.