Quick race report on the Big Island International Marathon. THE RACE ROCKS!! The course is along the old coast highway into Hilo. The views are killer since a runner goes through a tropical rainforest for approximately 8 miles with unbelievable views of the ocean. The best was with sunrise in the background, the surfers in an inlet! Just stunning!The course is reasonably fast and though I walked two and a half miles of the half, I was pleased with my time. AND 15/29 for age group! All a PR for me since it's the 2nd half I've done and the first one was walking!greetings to all in Socorro! Thanks to all for the great running support you give!FranHilo for now!
I ran Old Pueblo in southern Arizona. A classic rugged, rocky (like running over apple-sized rocks everywhere), and hilly event. There were stream crossings, sometimes the stream was the trail, some genuine single track with tall grasses on the sides, mining roads that were very eroded, a couple of long uphills (not to be confused with the the regular hills). Check out the elevation profile on the site. It was very beautiful, of course, the Santa Rita mountains were right there and all covered with snow, but the catch was you risked injury by looking up. I bonked a little, but finished happily in the top half of the pack. I drove there the day before, camped at the trail head and just enjoyed being outside. A totally different feel than a marathon.Jan also adds this tip for those on LONG runs/races: If feeling sluggish or tired, try falling. Preferably downhill on scree. The scrapes are a great pick me up and will keep you alert for the rest of the event and for the whole drive home.
