Race: Salina Crossroads Marathon 2025 in Salina, Kansas
Time of Year and Weather: First Saturday in November. Really fantastic day for running — mostly sunny, 45-60 degrees, BUT WINDY. I didn’t mind it too much – better than rain!
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Race: Monument Marathon in Gering, Nebraska, located in western Nebraska
Season and Weather: Saturday of the last weekend in September. Lovely 48 degrees at the start but nearing 80 at the end. Dry and sunny.
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I’m baaaaaack. I’ve had quite a few changes in my life since I ran my last marathon — the NYC Marathon in 2019 — five months postpartum with my first child. But I decided it was finally time to get back into the marathon game. We have some friends who live in Seattle and thought it would be fun to visit them this summer, so I figured there was no better time to check off Washington in my 50 states journey. I chose Jack and Jill’s Downhill Marathon for a few reasons: (1) it was recommended on the 50 States Marathon Club Facebook page, (2) the timing worked out, and (3) it seemed like a friendly enough and pretty enough course for my return. I didn’t train perfectly and won’t go into detail, but in short, my longest run while training was 15 miles, I did a trail half last fall to help get the base going, I’ve been playing a lot of tennis, and I do a weekly cross-training class that is getting my legs super strong, even if my pace isn’t what it used to be. So let’s dive into the specifics–
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Five whole months, I thought. No problem, I thought. It can’t be harder than running a marathon 13 weeks pregnant, I thought. That was me, a year ago, entering the NYC Marathon lottery for the fifth time. I probably won’t even get picked, I thought, reflecting on my previous unsuccessful attempts. But then I did get picked. And then, in June, I had a baby.
What: TCTC Bayshore Marathon 2017
When: Saturday of Memorial Day weekend
Where: Traverse City, Michigan — Cherry Capital and Caribbean of the Midwest. If you make a mitt with your left hand, this race is at the inside top of your pinky.
Weather: Sunny, 60-70 degrees. Felt pretty warm in the final miles of the race. Luckily most of the race is at least partially shaded, so no sunburn for me.
What: The BMO Harris Bank Mesa-Phoenix Marathon, aka The Phoenix Marathon, aka The Mesa-PHX Marathon. (There were approx 17 different hashtags associated with this race at various points — a little bit of an identity crisis, I think.) (Not to be confused with the Rock ‘N Roll Arizona race, also held in the Phoenix area.)
Where: Mesa, Arizona, just a few miles outside of Phoenix. Race started in Usery Mountain Regional Park and ended in the Mesa Riverview shopping center.
When: Saturday on the last weekend in February.
Hi all! Writing here from the comfort of my sweet, sweet air-conditioned home. This Memorial Day weekend I ventured up to Burlington, Vermont and ran the Vermont City Marathon, marathon number 17 for me and state number 12. But it almost didn’t happen! Suspense!
Marathon Name: Mississippi Blues Marathon
Location: Jackson, Mississippi
Time of Year: Saturday in January
I’m still trying to catch up with race recaps for the races I’ve completed in the past. Earlier posts covered the Atlanta Marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, the Virginia Creeper Marathon, the Nashville Country Music Marathon, the Baltimore Marathon, and the Harrisburg Marathon. Next up… my recap and review for the Rock N Roll (Mardi Gras) New Orleans Marathon!
Website: Rock ‘N Roll New Orleans Marathon.
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana.
Time of Year: Sunday in February.
Size: 12,000 runners across events, including a half marathon.
Weather and What I Wore: It was great running weather–clear skies, not windy, comfortable temperature. I wore too-short shorts (which came back to haunt me, and necessitated handfuls of Vaseline as a I neared the end of the race), a short sleeved tech tee, and a hat. I started with a long sleeved tee on top but ended up with it tied around my waist for most of the run.
This is a nice little race. So nice that I’ve done it twice and would probably do it again. Here is my recap of the Harrisburg Marathon.
Website: Aspire Harrisburg Marathon.
Location: Harrisburg, PA. Begins on City Island.
Size: About 700 full marathoners, joined by a small contingent of relayers.
Time of Year and Weather: November. Both times I ran, the weather was great for running, although a bit cold at the start. Luckily there is no waiting around necessary before the start. Towards the end of the race, running in the sun along the water, I wanted to shed all of my layers. But then once I finished, I wanted them all back.
athlettuce 