March/April Madness

Well, the past three weeks were certainly a fun stretch of running. I lead pace groups for four marathons in a span of 20 days and was within 42 seconds of my target time for all four. I also never positive split a course by more than 18 seconds, other than Charlottesville, which was intentional due to the nature of the course.


Newport News One City Marathon. 3:45 pace leader. This was the inaugural year for the event.

(Early part of the One City course. Photo credit Newport News Daily Press)

Distance: 26.69 miles
Total Time: 3:44:38
Pace: 8:25
First half: 1:52:10, 13.35 miles
Second half: 1:52:28, 13.34 miles
Weather: Low 40's at the start. Low 60's at the finish.

Course Difficulty: A few small hills in the beginning and around miles 15-16. Not much shade the second half, and some wind in the more exposed places. Overall, a pretty flat and fast point to point course.

Course Scenery: Quiet and pleasant roads the first half and then opening up to a more city like feel with some scenic stretches by the water.

Crowd Support: Honestly, better than expected. The first 10 miles are fairly quiet, but the final half felt pretty energized with schools, clubs, and bands cheering along the course.

Logistics: Not bad, though there was some confusion with shuttle buses in the morning, especially for relay teams. Some volunteers seemed inexperienced to handle typical marathon related questions. A couple finish line volunteers came across a bit snappy to tired runners. Otherwise, 99.99% of the volunteers were amazing.

Pre-race: Chilly wait in a parking lot with no place to stay warm. Some people waited 90 minutes due to the time gap between getting dropped off by shuttles and the marathon start.

Post-race: Very windy and chilly by the waterfront. Not fun if you are cold and sweaty. Free beer and pizza hit the spot. Layout was good, but very muddy due to rain the day before. Live entertainment was good, but far too loud.

Bling: The medal was fairly nice. It's a runner going through the victory arch, which is exactly how the finish looked. A nice nod to the city of Newport News.

Highlights: Giving a high five to Elvis, helping a 63 year old man named James qualify for the Boston Marathon, and being a part of an inaugural local event.

(Photo credit One City 26.2)


Shamrock Marathon. 3:45 pace leader.

Distance: 26.46 miles
Total Time: 3:44:18
Pace: 8:28
First half: 1:52:01, 13.30 miles
Second half: 1:52:17, 13.16 miles
Elevation gain: 102 feet
Weather: High 40's to mid 50's. Winds 7-15 mph.

Course Difficulty: Flat and fast, with the exception of sometimes heavy wind. However, this year, the wind was a non factor for most runners. The only hills are the short climbs over the Rudee Inlet bridge at miles 2.5 and 9 and some slight inclines in Fort Story. The final 10k of the marathon is a net downhill with a fast finish on the boardwalk.

Course Scenery: A nice mix of oceanfront board walk, open road, military bases, and downtown Virginia Beach. Good variety, though some will find places like Fort Story a bit mentally draining.

Crowd Support: Pretty good, aside from the quiet six mile stretch on Shore Drive and Fort Story. Even without spectators there are enough fellow runners, soldiers, and volunteers to keep you energized all day.

Logistics: Good. Parking is still a bit rough, and expo parking can be an adventure, but still better than what you'd see at a race with 30k runners. The mile from 4 to 5 is still long at 1.20 miles and the mile from 5 to 6 is short at 0.90 miles.

Pre-race: It can be a cold and windy wait for folks, though many people huddle inside hotels and around a few fire pits to stay warm.

Post-race: Fantastic. Free beer, good food, and awesome live music inside a huge beachfront tent. Honestly, it's one of the best finish line parties I've experienced.

Bling: The medals were unique this year, but still nice, and plenty big. The black and glittered green looked better in person than in photos. The challenge medals were simply beautiful, especially the King Neptune.

Highlights: Shamrock, aka J&A Racing, treat their pace leaders extremely well and granted us access to the VIP tent all weekend. I had a lot of fun hanging out with the rock star pace team from Minnesota, which included talented runners Dan LaPlante, Jim Winkels, Don Sullivan, and Ben Drexler. I also got to hang out with running luminary Bart Yasso, US Mountain Running Champion Joseph Gray, and one of the owners of Yuengling.

(Chilling in the VIP tent. Photo credit Bart Yasso).

(Myself and Ben Drexler showing off our Whale Challenge bling. Photo credit Ben Drexler @_6run2)

(The sweet Running Etc. pace team shirts)


Emerald Isle Marathon. 4:00 pace leader.

(I'm somewhere in the middle of that pack. This was when we merged with the half marathon, and only 8 runners with me were marathoners. Photo credit SOS Photography)

Distance: 26.50 miles
Total Time: 4:00:03 (Had to stop for cars a mile from the finish, otherwise I would have been under 4 hours)
Pace: 9:05
First half: 1:59:53, 13.22 miles
Second half: 2:00:10, 13.28 miles
Weather: Hi 30's to low 50's. Wind 10-25 mph.

Course Difficulty: Surprisingly hilly, especially through the neighborhoods from miles 2-7. The out and back final 10 miles are mostly flat, but still lots of undulations where the running path overlaps entrances to stores and shopping centers. Strong head wind the final 8 miles, and the last mile is a rather hilly and windy bike path. Far hillier than you'd expect so close to the ocean and lots of turns the first half.

Course Scenery: A bit disappointing considering how beautiful Emerald Isle is. The most pleasant parts were watching the sunrise over the huge houses in the beginning and the few miles along the oceanfront road from miles 12-18. However, running the bike paths and main roads was fairly uninteresting, and you never actually see the ocean or beaches from the course because they are always obstructed by houses.

Crowd Support: Non existent, other than the friendly volunteers. The marathon only had 200 runners, which meant we were extremely spread out. We did merge with the half for six miles, which was the only time we ran with a substantial crowd, but after they turned back we were alone again. Other than some locals, runner's friends and family, and curious people who came out to their yards, there wasn't much crowd support. If you run the full, just plan for a fairly quiet day.

Logistics: 6:30am start meant we ran the first few miles in the dark. Not super safe on an unlit bike path, and several runners tripped on bumps and/or ran into dividers on the path. Parts of course were not closed to traffic and you have to be mindful of turning cars and traffic lights the final 5-6 miles. Other busy intersections and crossings were, however, managed well by volunteers and police officers. Mile markers were spray painted on the ground and sometimes easy to miss, though there were a handful that were marked with small signs. Lots of turns on the course, but volunteers were at all of them, and the combination of color coded arrows and signs made the course easy to follow.

Pre-race: They had a tent with heaters to stay warm which was nice. Parking was close to the start/finish, which meant a nice short walk.

Post-race: No food at the finish, other than water, bananas and mini Cliff bars. The only "real" food was a burrito truck you had to pay for. Granted the burritos were good, but it didn't thrill runners that their only option for food was buying something from a vendor. There was a post-race banquet, but it was at 5pm, which was a good 5-7 hours after most people finished their events. Unless you were staying the entire weekend, and staying nearby, it was not feasible to stick around and come back at 5pm. They should have just had the reception going as runners were finishing so we could have access to food and entertainment right then. Hopefully they didn't waste a lot of food on no shows, because it didn't seem like many people went.

Bling: A fairly traditional medal featuring runners and a colorful beach theme. Not small, but small compared to what medals look like nowadays.

Highlights: Running with a steadfast pack of 8 runners for 16 miles. Of that group only one, Catherine doing her first marathon, was able to stay with me. We ran the final 8 miles together until I urged her to run ahad at mile 24. Her goal was to finish her first marathon under 4 hours, and she did so by finishing 30 seconds ahead of me. Well done! I also loved the guy with the hand crank bike. Despite all the hills and half dozen speed bumps he was always grinning.


Charlottesville Marathon. 3:45 pace leader.

(Charlottesville Marathon Finish. Photo credit BadtotheBone.biz)

Total Time: 3:44:22
Distance: 26.72 (actual 26.2 mile split was just under 3:40)
Pace: 8:23
First Half: 1:51:10
Second Half: 1:53:12
Weather: Low 50's to low 60's. Very windy, with gusts of 35mph.
Elevation gain: 1,210
*Thanks to my co-pacer Scott Adams for managing the pacing after my gps died one mile in. I also worried we went out to fast after we split 1:51 for the first half, but he assured me the second half hills would catch up and the pace was good. Sure enough, between the hills and wind, we came in right on target pace. It also helps that Scott is a speedy veteran of numerous marathons and also knew the course well.

Course Difficulty: It's a tough course. Compared to courses like Richmond, Shamrock, and Marine Corps, people should be aware this course significantly more challenging. Total elevation gain is 1,210 feet for the current course, compared to Richmond with 550 feet of gain, 845 for Marine Corps, and a little over 100 feet for the pancake flat, but often windy Shamrock course. Some of the hills are short and steep, or as long as half a mile. With all the out and back sections, just remember that what goes up, must go down, and vice versa. The race starts with a steep downhill followed by long uphill, which is basically a prelude to the rest of the course. There is a climb with switchbacks around mile 15, a half mile uphill at 16, another short steep grunt near 18, the notorious hill at mile 24, and a few more smaller hills just before the finish. There aren't many true flat sections, so you are either going up, or down most of the race. The heavy wind on race day made the 2015 event harder than usual. Expect the course to run at least 5 minutes slower than your typical marathon time, unless you excel at hills, and possibly more if you have windy conditions like today. Also, with all the twists and turns, expect to factor in an extra 0.3-0.5 miles.

Course Scenery: It's a pretty course and provides a good tour of Charlottesville. You pass through local parks, the Rivanna River, and some of the more popular areas of downtown. The time of year also means you get a glimpse of the first blooms of spring, and the dogwoods and flowers were gorgeous along the course. The course has three distinct out and backs, so you get to see fellow runners and front runners most of the day.

Crowd Support: Not a ton, but there were enough clusters of enthusiastic volunteers, students, and locals to keep you feeling good. Don't expect live music or marching bands on the course and the town can be a little quiet earlier in the morning.

Logistics: Very easy, and race day packet pickup was a breeze. Parking, the start, and the finish were all within a block of each other, which meant very minimal walking. Access to and from was very easy. Traffic support by police at intersections was amazing and as well managed as a big city race. However, despite numerous markings and volunteers, we saw at least 3 half marathon runners miss their turns and accidentally join the marathoners.

Pre-race: Very easy access with parking close to the start. The only downside is that parking is expensive at $2.50 an hour with a max of $20 for the day. Richmond Marathon parking was only $5, and all other races this spring were free. Grabbing packet pickup items was very fast if you showed up earler, like before 6:15am, and there were no porta potty lines if you showed up 30-45 minutes before the start. You could easily wait in your car to stay warm and only be a 5 minute walk from the start.

Post-race: A pleasant and cozy atmosphere in court square. They had a small band playing which was nice, not too loud, and fitting for Charlottesville. The free beer and pizza tasted good, and I enjoyed some ice cream from the ice cream truck. Getting to relax, catch up with runners, and enjoy the spring sun was quite pleasant.

Bling: Charlottesville has been notorious for its small finisher medals, but this year was different. The medal this year was much bigger with a solid brass design. It was a nice tribute to UVA, with orange being used for the full medals and blue for the half. The UVA Rotunda building, or something that very much resembles it, is featured on both the medals and shirt design. The back of the medal is also a bottle opener. Shirts were a blue short sleeved technical with a similar logo as the medals.

Highlights: Running with a fun group and joking about UCan, Eye of the Tiger, and tackling the tough course with some humor. We got to reel in a few runners towards the end and got them into the finish looking strong.

Anyway, I had a fun 20 days. I realized my body is definitely capable of running marathons at easier efforts every weekend if it wanted to. But, that's not my goal. My only objective was to help other runners reach their objectives and I hope to continue that by pace leading many more marathons and halves to come.

The Graveyard 100- A Very Special Race

Good races are not hard to find, but truly special ones are far and few between. Sure, there are plenty of fun and well organized running events out there. There are events that hedge more on their history and lore to drive the race experience, rather than the experience in and of itself. But, once in a blue moon you find an event, sometimes by accident, that ends up being the diamond in the rough we all hope to find.

I wholeheartedly believe that Brandon and Heather Wilson's Graveyard 100 is such an event. I think great race experiences comes down to the elements of challenge, course beauty, creativity, and race support. All too common these days is the culture of seemingly valuing the bling and swag of an event more than the personal journey that transpires between the start and finish lines. I totally get it if people are all about cool medals, chip timing, aid every two miles, and live runner tracking, but sometimes it's refreshing to see an event that values the "test" of what running a 100 miler is, and not all the glitz. If you want to voyage into the unknown, where the reward is in the miles in between, by all means the Graveyard 100 is for you.

The Graveyard 100 is not meant to be an easy race to finish. Many ultras, not that it is a bad thing, now cater to runners to ensure nearly everyone finishes. I've even witnessed established older ultras adding more aid and tweaking logistics to make it easier for runners. Don't get me wrong, but isn't one of the alluring factors of an ultra supposed to be that it isn't easy? And yet, some people seemingly have the attitude of wanting to do something hard, but in the easiest way possible. Again, there's nothing wrong with that, but one reason the Graveyard 100 is special is because it is not that kind of race.

I like that regardless if you are an elite, back of the packer, or prior champion, there is no certainty you will finish this race. It all comes down to risk versus reward, and in that sense the Graveyard 100 offers some incredible rewards. I think if you ask any person, myself included, how they felt when presented their Graveyard buckle, they would say with a tired satisfied smile, it was well worth it.

I love that Graveyard is the hardest "easy" 100 miler you will likely encounter. People see the flat elevation profile and say "piece of cake!". Crewed runners see that they can receive aid from their crews every 4-9 miles at water stops, and think "this shouldn't be too bad". There are no big climbs, no mountains above 10,000 feet, no technical rocky sections or river crossings, and yet the percentage of people who drop is higher than at most "harder" one hundreds. Why is that you wonder? For those that have been on the course, well, you know the answer.

This race is a crucible in numerous capacities. It will test your mind, and for some it will torment their mind. You will start at the north end of Currituck, see sunrise as you pass Currituck sound to your right, and run through small coastal towns like Corolla and Duck. You'll think "this isn't too bad". Then as your legs start to experience the initial onsets of fatigue you will pass through Kitty Hawk and Nags Head. You can see miles down the road and miles behind you. This is usually when it hits you that this is going to be tougher than you thought. Runners ahead fade into nothing more than little dots on the horizon and you'll swear those mile post signs can't be accurate. But, they are.

After 45 miles you will exit the creature comforts of society and begin your adventure into the land of dunes. This is where the isolation begins. You will pass the Bodie Island lighthouse to your right, cross over the iconic 2.5 mile long leviathan that is the Bonner Bridge, and into Pea Island. After this, you are in the second half of the race, but the hardest is yet to come. You'll see mirages on the road that look like shiny wet spots, but as you continue on you'll see nothing but more road. Depending on the year, you may be running on sand, into a flood plane, or completely dry asphalt. You might get hit with a light sting of fine sand swirling through 20 mph winds or intense sun radiating from the blankets of off white dunes. Embrace this stretch that takes you from the ordinary and into a magical world of sand and ocean. Ten miles later you will finally get a faint glimpse of Rodanthe in the distance.

For most runners, Rodanthe is where reality starts to set in. This is where most drops occur, and at 100k into the race, this is where the real journey begins. At this point, the long miles have started to take their toll, and 10-16 hours of exposure to the sun, pavement, wind, and cold have depleted even the heartiest of souls. This is also where good planning can mean the difference between a finish and yet another DNF. Warm dry clothes are invaluable, but the lack thereof is usually a turn for the worse. Uncrewed runners have even bigger thoughts to consider. They've gone 18-22 miles between full aid all day, but now must endure the longest stretch without aid at just over 24 miles. The mental battles to quit, or keep going rage on. For some it's an easy decision to end their day, and for others it's a long debate whether they want to venture back out into the chilly night for another 8-12 hours.

From Rodanthe to Hatteras it's a long lonely dark road. Runners battle to stay positive and deal with the monotony. Salvo and Avon provide slight respite from the tunnel vision developed by running a solitary strip of tar while being guided by the small light of a headlamp. Local cars that previously whizzed by every few minutes, some alarmingly too close, are a now rare sight. Every once in a while you'll see headlights in the distance and swear they aren't moving. Believe it or not, that "stationary" car in the distance is actually moving towards you at 55 mph, just from five miles away. If you are lucky enough to have a clear night, take a moment to look up and soak in that splendid night sky. It's amazing how many stars you can see when there's no ambient light around. Then, you'll see lighthouses and the blinking lights of water towers on the edge of your view and you now know to absorb the fact you will not get there for another two hours.

(Hatteras night sky. Photo credit coll100ertexample.blogs)

If your brain hasn't numbed by the time you reach the final aid station at mile 87, it might by the time you finish. After leaving Hatteras lighthouse, which will feel like forever to reach, you will experience more of the same in regards to never feeling like you are getting closer to objects in the distance. It's a double doozy if you are not familiar with Hatteras as it will seem like forever to reach the finish, even when you know it's less than 5 miles away. At this point, you pretty much just want to be done and off your feet. For some it will still be night and for others it will be the next day. Years like this one you'll get to witness a rare sunrise accompanied by rising full moon and be reminded of what a special journey you are about to finish. Finally, before you've even realized it, you will be at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum and be handed your buckle by race director Brandon. You will likely be too tired to assess what you just did, and in all likely only be thinking of getting warm, getting a shower, some food, and going to bed.

(2015 Champion Marco Bonfiglio with race director Brandon Wilson. New course record of 13:01. Photo credit John Price)

The next day you will wake up sore, have some new blisters, and probably a few less toenails. Then you'll remember everything that you went through to lose those toenails, to get that winter sunburn, that gritty sand in your socks and those two swollen feet. Then, you'll take a glance at that buckle and hopefully you'll give a little smile and realize it was all so worth it.

(Ultra legend, past Champion, and 2015 2nd place, Valmir Nunes. Photo credit John Price)

(photo credit Brian Burke)

Like I said, the Graveyard 100 is a special race. I think anyone who has ever finished it will say the same. It's the reason I have been involved with the event every year since its inception. I have been an inaugural year solo participant, a staff member trying to recruit talent like Mike Morton, Valmir Nunes, and Olivier Leblond, a race photographer, aid station volunteer, pacer, and crew member. I can honestly say I am thrilled to see how far this grass roots event has come along. The Graveyard 100 has drawn a wide variety of athletes locally and internationally. The event has now had four different champions representing four different countries; the US, France, Brazil, and now Italy. This year's event also saw America's 2nd fastest non track 100 miler with Marco Bonfiglio's incredible 13:01. Only Ian Sharman's 12:44 at Rocky Raccoon in 2011 is faster. Valmir Nunes also ran one of the fastest American 100 milers by someone age 50, or older with his 14:20. It should be noted that Marco recorded a distance of 161.9km on his gps, or 100.38 miles, and he stopped for ice cream during the race, which means he most likely could have run under 13 hours. Whether you finished in 13 hours or 29:59, amazing things are bound to happen at Graveyard.

(The isolation welcomes you)




---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Lastly, I just wanted to mention some things to runners and crews if you are reading this. Having been on the course and interacted with quite a few people in the four years of this event, I wanted to share some thoughts on how to keep the integrity of the event intact. This mostly has to do with crewed runners and their crew.

First, as a participant or crew person, please try not to complain how far apart the aid stations are, or how far it is to the water stops. This information is available, so be sure to review it before you register and know what you, or your crew are getting into. In the same line of thought, try not to constantly question why management chose the distances they did. It's likely because it was logistically efficient, safe, and provided a reasonable challenge. If you want something easier, nobody is forcing you to do this race. Please respect the fact the race is designed to be a challenge, and we hope your runner knew that.

Secondly, and this is probably the worst infraction we saw. Crews can NOT provide support outside of water stops and full aid stations. It is considered cheating to give any form of aid to your runner at non designated areas. I even saw an "aid station" created by a crew team for their runner that was not at a designated area. If they had done this at a water stop, or parking area for an aid station, it would have been fine. Myself and others witnessed this with multiple crews, and it's troubling. You can cheer your runner wherever you want, take photos wherever you want, but even handing your runner food and clothing at non specified areas is not allowed. There were even crew cars that were seen giving support in non designated places, but had no visible crew tags or signs. Again, not okay and also kind of sketchy. We know you are excited for your runner and want to support them the best you can, just do it within the confines of the rules.

Thirdly, runners had pacers before the 50 mile point, which is not allowed. Even if you meet your runner a quarter mile from an aid station to bring them something, it is not okay. Keep in mind there are uncrewed runners carrying all their nutrition and gear for 18-24 mile stretches. It's not being nit picky on our part, but the point is that no runner has an unfair advantage as another, crewed or solo, and doing things like this IS an unfair advantage.

Fourthly, a few crewed runners did not run all the way to the aid station and just continued running after they got aid from their crews. Note: the aid station is part of the course. Failure to check in, is in fact, the same as cutting the course no matter how small the distance may be. Checking in also helps us know you are still alive and not wandering the course like a zombie. We had several DNF's who never notified us they dropped, and caused us to worry about a "missing" runner, when in reality they got a ride home and were in bed.

Fifth, please keep your lights on when you run during the night. All runners are required to have 360 degree reflective materials, a rear light, and a headlamp. At Rodanthe we made sure nobody left without an functional light source, and yet someone was seen a few miles down the road with no light on, and freaked out a local driver who almost hit them.

All of these major topics are discussed at the pre-race briefing and provided in other race materials. In other words, there is no reason runners and crews should be unaware of the rules. A runner's job is to make sure their crews know what they can and can't do, and vice versa.

My very final thought has to do with crew size. There is currently no limit, but some folks had multiple pacers, multiple crew cars on the course, and teams of at least 5-8 people. At one point, at the Rodanthe aid station, I counted over 20 people in the aid area, not counting volunteers, and only 3 were runners. I fully understand wanting to have your friends and family involved, but it can make it very disorganized for everyone else. If three runners arrive at an aid station at the same time, and each has a pacer (who is also in running clothes) and several crew members, it makes runner tracking very difficult in a busy room. Plus, when runners change clothes, it's harder to tell who is who, and less crowds can help staff keep everyone accounted for and safe. Just try to be considerate with your crew size and realize it does impact aid stations that have limited occupancy and resources.

I think if we can all work together and be responsible crew people and runners, this event will continue to be an amazing experience for everyone involved. Just my two cents. Congrats to everyone, and I will see you again next year!