32nd Sub-3-hour Marathon State: The Ohio Redo

You know me, GO SPORTS!

After a dozen or so sub-3-hour marathons, I changed my original 50-state-marathon goal to running them all in under 3 hours; to my knowledge, there are less than 10 people that have done so. My previous Ohio marathon was the first time I ran a back-to-back marathon (2011 Kentucky Derby Marathon on Saturday and 2011 Flying Pig Marathon on Sunday) and my post about that race starts with, "And here we are, a couple of post-race beers, a shot of bourbon, and 100 miles (drive) later..." Needless to say, I had to redo Ohio.

That brings me to Canton, OH for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon. I had never heard of this race until a friend, Carrie, mentioned she was running it. I changed my plans from another OH race and in doing so, was able to add the Eisenhower Marathon 3 weeks ago. Little did I know at the time that Canton was home to the McKinleys and is now the resting place of William and his wife, Ida and home of the McKinley Presidential Library - by now you know my love of presidential history. Everything's coming up Milhouse!

Ohio trips involve a visit with family and beers at Fat Head's Brewery - easily one of our favorite breweries. While surfing channels at the hotel, I stumbled upon a public access music showcase with Strand of Oaks - he rips, check it out! After visiting family and the North Olmsted and new Middleburg Heights Fat Head's locations, we left the kids with Grandma to spoil at will and drove to Canton on Saturday afternoon.

It's 5pm, the expo closes at 6pm, and we still don't have a hotel reservation to this SOLD OUT race! But I did get a good laugh from the volunteer that handed me my GO SPORTS custom bib name. The race hotel and probably the best hotel in the area, McKinley Grand Hotel, had a few reservations open up at reduced rates so we lucked out. The hotel houses artifacts pertaining to President McKinley. It's located half a mile from the start and across the street from Ida McKinley's family home - now the National First Ladies' Library.

The National First Ladies' Library

Burial site of President McKinley and First Lady

We met with Carrie et al. for dinner. After a presidential night's sleep, I awoke in time for a short walk to the start line. The temperature was set to rise to the mid-80s; the faster I get this over with, the better. After a 15-minute delayed start, we were off.

Within minutes, I fell in line with Chuck Engle and a small entourage. Remember Chuck? I've mentioned him in previous posts; he's the guy with 350-some sub-3-hour marathons and likely the first person to have run all 50 states in under 3 hours. I figured I would stay with him but he didn't fare so well in the heat as he dropped off pace after 5 miles. I was soon alone.

I enjoyed the course. It's got some slight rolling hills and shows you what it can of Canton. It's out and back so there is a lot of opportunity to cheer for my fellow runners. In fact, I don't recall being cheered for by runners as much as this race - good midwestern people! It did get a bit warm and the course wasn't so generous with shade. I had a woman ride past me, stop to shout, "you're my hero!", then ride ahead to do it again and again until the end of the race. That ruled. I finished 8th of 1,227 with a time of 2:56:29.

Near the end: kind of hot, kind of wet.

Book of Shadows is a witchcraft shop on the course. I had to go back.

After a shower, we ventured into Cultured Coffee & Waffles Co. for beer and waffles. I know, their name is misleading. We met Christine and walked to Mile 26 to cheer for the rest of the runners. It was wild to see how strong the winds were getting: knocking over the course flags and creating litter cyclones. I ran the last stretch in with Carrie and back we went for more beer and waffles then lunch at BJ's Brewhouse - the best option we had since the Canton Brewing Company was closed on Sunday.

Carrie and I flashing the (Michael) Stehling.

I've mentioned in the last two state entries that I've been going to physical therapy and Pilates to fix this hamstring issue. In addition to that help, my therapist/instructor recommended staying at Gervasi Vineyard (Thanks Rachel!) so we headed there Sunday afternoon. This rustic Tuscan-style winery and villa seemingly doesn't belong: it's a beautiful property with a couple of restaurants, upscale villas around a lake, and a jogging/biking path on the outskirts of Canton. After a nice dinner (their ice wine was really good) and childless night's sleep, The Wife and I enjoyed a peaceful morning 5K and breakfast before reclaiming our offspring.

Most peaceful coffee I've had in a while.

At least they were exhausted.

Next up: Fargo Marathon on May 20th.

37/50 - Eisenhower Marathon

Carry on wayward son! Yes, I'm listening to Kansas while typing this

I registered 2 days before this race, just as I was about to get in the car for the 10-hour road trip. Ok, this race was on my radar for a few months but I've got a nagging hamstring strain that won't leave me alone. After the Snickers Marathon 5 weeks ago, I needed to address it: physical therapy, Pilates, rest. Just before leaving, I got a call from my son Mars' school that he fell off the playground equipment. After an ER trip and 4 staples in his head, I was on the road. Poor kid.

Abilene "City of the Plains", Kansas was considered the wildest town in the west as a bustling stockyard for cattlemen traversing the Chisholm Trail after the Civil War. It is also the birthplace of the cowboy boot; true story. Nowadays, it is home to the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Dwight Eisenhower's boyhood home, and about 7,000 people. The main drag is lined with stately colonial homes surrounded by less fortunate dwellings. I couldn't find anything wild (oh, I looked) but President Eisenhower was a fascinating man!

President Eisenhower's boyhood home

Boots made for Ike as President

While looking for Kansas marathons to run a sub-3-hour race, this one came up as the best option. Most of my research for this 50-state marathon goal comes from Marathon Guide. This is a small race that combines the marathon with a half marathon, 10K, and 5K and is set up as 2 half marathon loops. I like these. You get to survey the course then you know what to expect on the second loop. For small races, it ensures you're never alone for too long.

I've mentioned before that I don't have a pre-race regiment. Enter Joe Snuffy's fried chicken. This homey diner is reminiscent of your grandparents' wood paneled, drop ceiling basement - probably with similar cooking. I listened as the pre-dinner staff meeting unfolding in front of me discussed the exotic special item for the evening: gyros. Or is it gee-rohs. Or maybe guy-roos. No one could be quite certain. This place knows fried chicken.

It was as greasy (and delicious) as it looks

The first loop went well. You climb slightly uphill to the 6.5-mile turn around then coast back down to the start line. I fell into second place after a few miles and that hamstring kept its mouth shut. Lap number 2 brought the sun and warmer temperatures - the day would reach the low 80s. I realized at this point that 2nd place was secure so I dialed it back a bit. There is a part of me that truly enjoys the thrill of just finishing under 3 hours. I like to get to a point in a marathon where I determine that I can still run a sub-3-hour race by dialing back the remaining miles to a 7-minute pace. It's a dance with the clock and any miscalculation can cost me the entire goal. By finishing in 2:58:33, I kept it exciting and had minimal pain in the hamstring. I now have 31 sub-3-hour marathon states completed. Another one bites the dust!

I won $300, I'm a paid runner! Time to take myself seriously, get some sponsors, and post my running exploits incessantly - complete with a lot of unnecessary pound signs. Or I can just hit up the donut shop on my way out of town and spend with reckless abandon. I think you know what I did. #donuts.

This is Mary Eisenhower, Dwight's granddaughter, handing out the awards

From Abilene, it's 2.5 hours to Kansas City, MO (I could have made it longer as I stopped to consider a visit to the Wizard of Oz museum but hunger won). Kansas City, KS is not a city to me because all the great BBQ is on the Missouri side. I drove straight to Danny Edward's BBQ for burnt ends. It's another 4 hours to St. Louis where I met with friends at Perennial Artisan Ales (a highlight of the St. Louis Marathon blog post 2 years ago).

You know it's good by the bars over the windows and doors

Rural America is beautiful. I love to drive through areas of wide open space, poverty and wealth, historic land and buildings, stocked with podcasts, music, and NPR. Having conversations with locals is what moves me to see more and see differently. Try it. I haven't been to a state marathon I haven't enjoyed because of it... or maybe I just enjoyed 4 peaceful days without the kids.

Next up: Ohio in a couple of weeks.

So serious

36/50 - Snickers Marathon

Albany, GA - Birthplace of Ray Charles under scandalous pretenses

First of all, the Snickers Marathon and Half Marathon in Albany, GA is very well done. I'm a race director and though I sometimes take for granted the effort that goes into staging races, I do notice the little touches that make a great event. Albany is not a city you would immediately think to visit when you think of Georgia. However, the routing of this course showcased the diversity and beauty of a city steeped in civil war and civil rights history. Translation: a lot of turns! And though I ran 24 of these miles completely alone, I was never confused. That's pretty remarkable.

After a solid run of 12 marathons in as many months, I finally succumbed to a strained hamstring in October and took some time off to rehabilitate. I wasn't sure I would be healed in time to run this race so in true fashion, I waited until 2 weeks prior to book anything. Of course, no plans are the best plans.

Arriving in Atlanta Friday afternoon, I made the 3-hour drive to Albany via highway roads dotted with pecan farms (a beautiful site to see), small cotton mill towns, giant mossy oak tree-lined streets, and the occasional plantation mansion. Most hotels were booked but I found one yesterday and it worked out just fine: takeout from a great little Italian place nearby, the ID Network's murder mystery shows, asleep before 8pm. This is what escaping the chaos of my everyday life looks like.

Pecan orchard - the uniformity alone is beautiful

With 8+ hours of sleep the night before a race, 45 degrees and sunny at the start, and a leftover cannoli in the fridge, I really had no excuse to not meet my sub-3-hour goal. These trips are not cheap to have to revisit and with 29 completed going into this one, I'm feeling the pressure to fund my kids' 529 plans. I had a goal of starting with 7-minute-miles then running comfortable to a 2:55 finish time. I'll spare you the suspense: I nailed it - 2:55:30 for state #30. Well, except for the "comfortable" part. I felt the hamstring sing from mile 16 on and dealt with an unexpected calf pain for 24 miles. Still, I wasn't about to redo Georgia, as beautiful as this state is.

Taking it in stride

With Snickers and Miller Coors as sponsors, this race has some impressive prize money and as such, draws a fast field for 500+ marathoners. My time, which would normally put me in the top 5 for a race this size, landed me in 20th place! Prize money be damned, I was more interested in the free post-race massage and let me tell you, I am going to be chasing the dragon here - best damn massage I've ever had! Unreal. He worked the hell out of those issues I mentioned above. I miss him already.

What now? It's a beautiful day and a 3-hour drive to Savannah, I'd be stupid not to! So off I went. Now if you've stayed in Savannah on a weekend, you know the hotels in the Historic District are $250+ and mostly booked. Hell, it's hard to just find parking. See my comment above about "no plans are the best plans". Let's see how this unfolds, shall we?

There are so many nooks and crannies in this city that the best way to experience it is to walk, so for the next 8 hours, that's what I did. I walked to the south end of Forsyth Park then zig zagged my way back through all of the Historic District neighborhood through its 21 squares, stopping to take in the sites and shops at will. Did I mention you can walk the streets with alcohol? Well, you can. And of course I Strava'd it, 9 miles. HERE.

Forsyth Park - 30 acres of serene park space and open alcohol

I've been missing playing in a band lately so I set out for some live music. Damon and the Shitkickers ripped it up with some outlaw country at The Jinx, a cover band on the street went from Prince to Rage Against the Machine seamlessly, and In Business closed my night with some solid booty-shakin' funk at Congress Street Social Club. Parked 2 blocks away in front of the post office, I passed out in the car for 5 hours until sunrise, pleased with the extra $250 in my pocket.

"This shit ain't gonna kick itself!"

A room with a view

As part of my adventures that evening, I mingled with a mother and daughter at Moon River Brewing and regaled them with stories of how an alligator becomes a designer handbag (the daughter works for a NYC designer and I worked for a family that farms alligator skins for those bags). THEY bought ME a drink and told me to visit Tybee Island. So when I woke up, I drove to that sleepy old school beach town for a stroll on the beach. I then headed back to Savannah for breakfast at Clary's Cafe before the 3.5-hour drive to explore Atlanta until my 9pm flight.

The view from under Tybee Island pier at sunrise

Atlanta is a great city with too much to see in one day. With that said, there are two things I love: history and hipsters. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site is emotional and given America's current state of affairs, the history within is frighteningly foretelling. Follow this up with a visit to Margaret Mitchell's gravesite at Oakland Cemetery and it would drive any Gone With the Wind lovin', equal rights advocate to the brink of a stiff drink. And so I headed to The Porter Beer Bar in the Little 5 Points neighborhood - an eclectic mix of restaurants, resale shops, and bars. Before splitting for the airport, I stumbled upon The Vortex for a great burger with a side of shut-the-hell-up-this-is-the-way-we-do-things. Seriously, it's on the menu - peruse their Policies tab on the website to see what I'm talking about.

Yep, that's apt

35/50 - Des Moines Marathon

That 50th marathon look

50 marathons! Let's reminisce a bit: this all started back in 2001 when I was dating a girl who wanted to run the Chicago Marathon one day. I signed up for the 2001 Chicago Marathon a week later, not knowing exactly what a marathon even was. Stupid me. After that race, I swore I would never do another, yet here we are, 50 marathons over the past 15 years. I also never saw that girl again.

That 1st marathon look of not knowing what the hell you're doing

Let's get nerdy with the stats: the Des Moines Marathon was my 50th marathon, 35th different state marathon, and 31st sub-3-hour marathon. My slowest was the 2010 Pikes Peak Marathon (5:46:57) and my fastest was the 2014 Memphis Marathon (2:47:23); you could put two of those Memphis races into that Pikes Peak race and still have time for lunch! Pikes Peak is a tough one and is one of my favorites. My first sub-3-hour marathon was the 2009 Boston Marathon (2:59:06) - the race that kicked off this goal of running a marathon in every state. It was a perfectly executed race for me; I'll never run it again.

My average pace for all 50 marathons? That's 3:07:33. And my average pace for the 35 best state marathons I currently have? That's 2:57:30. Interestingly, my median marathon times are the couple I did in Wisconsin: the 2014 Wisconsin Marathon (2:58:57) and the 2013 Lakefront Marathon (2:58:39). Go Wisconsin!

All I have to show for it is this collection of ribbons and metal alloys

And now Des Moines... This was my 9th marathon this year and 12th in as many months. That schedule was starting to take its toll. Knowing that and knowing how poorly I've been training (read: not cross-training at all), my plan was to just get this one under 3 hours so I wouldn't have to go back to Iowa. Oh right, my ultimate goal is to complete a sub-3-hour marathon in each state. By that measure, the Des Moines Marathon narrowly got me to 29 states (there are 6 I have to redo - VT, ME, FL, OH, SD, OR) with 19 seconds left on the clock. But we'll get to that...

Michael and I made this a quick trip. After a Saturday morning shakeout run with the Libertyville Running Club at home, we drove the 5 & 1/2 hours to Des Moines. Have you been to the Iowa 80 - World's Largest Truck Stop? Michael hadn't. It's really not much to see but they do have a Caribou Coffee so...

We got to Des Moines, went to the expo, then to my delight, Michael had researched and mapped out the best and closest breweries and eats worthy of mention in a marathon blog that's more about beer and food than running. It's like he reads these! First stop: Court Avenue Brewing Company for lunch and, well, beer. Then after checking into the hotel and a few hours of yelling at people on t.v. - we were watching Tiny House Hunters on HGTV - we were ready to eat again.

Next up on the list of places: Zombie Burger + Shake Lab. This is a place 1995 me would love! Milkshakes were set to a mid-90s punk rock soundtrack - Operation Ivy & Social Distortion right off the bat. Everything is simple and fresh (think In-N-Out Burger), zombie-themed, AND delicious. Based on how crowded this place was and the recommendation from a local friend seconding this place, I'd say it's a must when in Des Moines. Back to the hotel for some murder-mystery shows. I'm starting to realize these are not Michael's favorite but they're my guilty pleasure.

The race started at 8am Sunday and we were 4 blocks from the start. This is sleeping in when you have 3 little kids at home. As I'm walking to the start corral, I stumbled upon a familiar face from college; Megan and I were friends and orientation leaders at NIU back in 2000/2001. I met her husband and friends then off we went. In our corral, Michael and I ran into Tom, also from the LRC, then kicked this off at a reasonable pace (6:45 min / mile).

It was warm and humid with an eerie, dense fog hanging around all morning (see race photo above). It might as well have just rained; we were drenched. Despite that, Des Moines has some great sights on display along the course: the stately homes along Kingman Blvd, Gray's Lake, and the Iowa State Capitol were some of the highlights. Of course things got a bit ugly on the hilly part around the Capitol (mile 23 - 25). Whose idea was it to put that there?!

Put a little gold on your dome

We were pretty consistent through mile 21, running together (crossing the timing mats at the same time to give those tracking us back home something to speculate over) and posing for every photographer. However, I was done. We both were. I faded knowing there was a 3-hour pace group that would soon catch up and keep me on track. Michael faded a little less. Sure enough, the first pacer passed me around mile 23 and the second pacer caught me around mile 24 and took me in with a finish of 2:59:40. Just enough to check Iowa off the list.

Shout out for 2 consistent 3-hour pacers! Not many races even have pacers for that group. Honorable mention to the guy running a 6:30 min/mile then walking 20 seconds that we passed (and who passed us) 26 times! I've never seen that strategy for a sub-3-hour marathon.

This race knows how to have a good time. It is well-organized and has a most righteous afterparty. Massage tables lining the finisher chute, free food from many vendors, and a street fest with beer and entertainment made it worth the price of admission.

I only drink beers that match my outfit

There was only one thing left to do before the drive home... Coffee at Mars Coffee Bar. My son Mars would approve. Oh, and a stop at Maid-Rite to introduce Michael to the classic Iowa burger joint... Or is it a Texas sloppy joe place? 60% of the time, I'm telling the truth but I ALWAYS say it with conviction. So I was half-right Michael, it IS an Iowa thing but more sloppy joe than burger.

34/50 - St. George Marathon

After all, this is Utah

I love the state of Utah. There is something different, almost otherworldly, about it that sets it apart from others: the red sandstone arch formations, colorful gorges & canyons, the Great Salk Lake, the Mormon religion... In & Out Burger. All of it fascinates me.

Our story begins after a flight into Las Vegas, lunch at In & Out Burger, and a 2-hour drive to St. George, UT the day before the race. The St. George Marathon is held on a Saturday - as are many races in Utah - for reasons I can only assume have to do with the followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and their more disciplined observance of the Sabbath.

After the expo, we toured the winter home of Brigham Young - founder of Salt Lake City and 2nd president (after Joseph Smith) of LDS. Brigham Young was responsible for relocating the church from Illinois to Utah after Joseph Smith was killed by an angry Illinois mob. Just imagine, Illinois could have been the land of Mormonism! Nothing makes you feel like an outsider more than refusing a free copy of the Book of Mormon from the Elder (who claimed to have done mission work in Libertyville, IL) facilitating the tour. Instead, I asked to see the golden plates. He wasn't so accommodating after that.

Brigham Young's winter home, now a place for the LDS hard sell

St. George is not a party town on a Friday night. We opted for a good night's sleep since we had an early morning bus ride to the start. Similar to the bus debacle at the 2015 Revel Rockies Colorado marathon that Michael (who, along with Cheryl, joined me for this marathon) and I attempted, getting to the start looked to be questionable when we arrived to load the buses at 5am.

In hindsight, we should have known better given that they were incentivizing runners with some great raffle prizes if you loaded the buses between 4-4:15am. So here we are with about 6,000 of the 7,500 participants standing in unorganized chaos hoping for more buses to arrive. In the end, they did arrive and the race was delayed by only 8 minutes. We were on one of the last buses.

Michael and I started off conservatively. In true fashion however, I didn't really look at the map until the day before. This fast, downhill course also has quite a bit of long uphill. We were introduced to that at mile 7 at which point Michael turns to me and asks, "are you ok?" Shortly afterward I see that obnoxiously bright yellow/green Libertyville Running Cult shirt he is wearing fade into the distance.

I was just not feeling it. I decided early to run this smart and secure another sub-3 hour state. I have two more marathons in the next month and just ran one three weeks ago. I successfully ran nearly even splits - 1:27:30 for the first half and 1:27:36 in the second half. Michael on the other hand had the race I knew he was capable of since I first met him two years ago, 2:45:56 - a 5-minute PR! Incredible. I think he fully recovered and ate lunch by the time I finished.

Flashing The Stehling

Swimming at the hotel pool in those short hot pink shorts will turn a few heads, even more so in Utah. Afterward, we cleaned up at the hotel and staked out a spot at the finish line to see Cheryl finish. It was approaching 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Cheryl, Michael, and I all had a great race. The course showcases a beautiful display of mountains and canyons, farms and small towns along a mostly downhill highway. The field of runners is FAST and largely Utah residents. These folks are fit; no surprise given the playground they have to train on.

A best-places-to-eat list of St. George doesn't run too deep so we opted for the best for a celebratory lunch at The Painted Pony before a short drive to Zion National Park to hike the splendid canyon country.

Vantage from the Emerald Pools hike in Zion National Park

Before driving back to Las Vegas Sunday morning, we walked to the LDS temple then enjoyed coffee on top of some cliffs within the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve for sweeping views of St. George. This is a great way to start or end a trip to this area and clearly a popular spot.

The Temple... Of doom?

The Libertyville Running Cult does Utah

There was one recommendation from the 2015 Las Vegas marathon I didn't make it to that we could now remedy before our flight: Frank's Tiki Room. This old school tiki room located off-strip is housed in a dark room with Polynesian-punk kitsch everywhere. Naturally, we bought mugs to commemorate this successful trip.

How can you not want one of these to take home?

Finishing with a cartwheel

33/50 - Salmon Idaho Marathon

The Salmon River and me (not pictured) naked as a bird in its icy waters

"I'm gonna win, win, win. I'm gonna win in Hawaii, I'm gonna win in Arkansas, I'm gonna win in Oklahoma, I'm gonna win in Idaho. And some of you are friends and you are going to call and you're going to say, Mr. Brunette, please, we can't take it anymore, we can't have you win like this, Mr. Brunette, you're driving us crazy, you're winning too much, please Mr. Brunette, not so much and I'm going to say I'm sorry, I'm going to keep winning because we are going to make running great again!"

Salmon, in central Idaho, isn't the easiest location to get to but it sure is worth it! We flew into Salt Lake City and drove about 5 hours to Hailey, ID, which is located steps from the Sawtooth Mountains. Hailey, along with the towns of Ketchum and Sun Valley, make up the Sun Valley region. In short, it's beautiful.

After settling into The Inn at Ellsworth on Thursday, we found a brewery. Hailey, unlike Ketchum and Sun Valley, lacks that ski resort town appearance and instead feels like a small town that people have called home for most of their lives as evident by the cute elderly couple we spotted leaving the brewery in this 1955 Bel-Air on what appeared to be date night.

On their way to Make-Out Point, I'm guessing

Hailey also has one of the most impressive public skateboard parks I have ever seen

Before breakfast at the B&B, we enjoyed a hike up Buttercup Hill - a 20-30 minute steep hike to the top offering 360 degree views of the mountains, town, airport, and alfalfa fields (no potato farms spotted yet) below.

Mike "Buttercup" on top of Buttercup Hill

The drive to Salmon from Hailey passes through Ketchum and Sun Valley then traverses the Sawtooth Mountains via a steep and harrowing, at times one lane, dirt and fist-sized rock road (quite similar to the marathon's terrain, in fact) through portions of open range cattle farmland for 40 miles (who cares, not our "luxury sedan" - a Hyundai Elantra) before reaching the base of Idaho's tallest peak, Mt. Borah (elevation 12,662 feet). This drive leaving Hailey added 4 more hours to arrive in Salmon and STILL no potato farms. After checking in, we did find another brewery, then a place to have salmon... In Salmon.

Trail Creek Road through the Sawtooth Mountains

The Stagecoach Inn, located on the Salmon River, is convenient. The buses shuttled us from there to a one-room school house in Tendoy (birthplace of Sacagawea) for the race start (elevation 4,900 feet). The course is a rocky dirt road that winds along the Lemhi River around mountain sides, through cattle pastures and horse farms, and ends on the Salmon River in Salmon (elevation 3,900 feet). Though a mostly downhill course, there were two decent climbs (significant if you're from the midwest) at mile 7 and mile 15. 

This being a small race (about 150 registered marathon participants), there were 6 of us leading the pack, then Bob and me. Bob is a high school cross country coach and post-collegiate runner, two things I am not. At mile 5, he took off and I was left with that familiar feeling that 2nd place isn't all that bad... Until I passed him at mile 13. The second climb at mile 15 is an out-and-back leg where I was able to see a young kid closing my lead to about 30 seconds. I panicked. 

There is a certain motivation in knowing that there are runners ahead of you to pick off. In this case, there was a constant fear that I was that motivation for someone else. I would stop at every aid station, drink a water (and the occasional HEED - it's not that bad!) and look back to see where he was. I never saw him again but over the last 11 miles, I imagined hearing foot strikes and heavy breathing and envisioned my defeat. Holding this pace solo with no one to pick off and a race to lose was particularly difficult. Couple this fear with a dull, nagging hamstring pain from a past injury and constantly scanning the road for sizable rocks and I never felt comfortable until that last turn.

And the winner is... Actually, the guy who ran in jean shorts is winning at life.

As I made the turn and saw the finish line, I once again experienced winning without breaking tape; it's tradition now. An overall time of 2:51:49 earned me the course record for 9 years of this race's history. Great, now I'll have to defend that! All in all, it was a fantastic race and I'm glad that I'll have some lasting (hopefully) ties to it. The race directors and other participants were all extremely friendly and welcoming, and the course was beautiful. You can't ask for much more.

We mingled a bit, had some beers, then spun the idea of making it to Bozeman, MT for a marathon the next morning. Stupid idea, right? Thanks to our friend Michael who planted this idea just the day before, we contemplated every conceivable way to make this happen and still be home to get the kids before Monday morning. Ultimately, we passed because we couldn't find a flight home that would work, so instead we used that time to find a clothing optional hot spring! I've been looking for one of these in my travels for the past 20 years - not one of those man-made spots which are fed by hot springs, but real, remote, natural hot springs.    

About 45 minutes south of Salmon, off of highway U.S. 93, is an unmarked dead end road that leads to a trailhead. The 2-mile hike up to Goldbug Hot Springs that followed is a moderate hike that rises about 900 feet and ends at a grouping of about 10 hot spring pools being fed by hot and cold mountain springs. Due to its proximity to nothing, this was not a crowded site. Since these are public lands, hikers are free to set up camp along the trail and can also drop trou for a naked dip in the pools. We did, of course. After 48 marathons, this was the best post-run activity to date!

Clothing optional means SAYONARA SHORTS!

You know what's great about traveling without your kids? Everything. Thanks to grandparents (hi, Mom! You're wonderful!), we were able enjoy this hot spring on our way to The Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City (a must-stay if you're ever in SLC) for one more relaxing night and morning before flying home. Err, before going to In-N-Out Burger then flying home (no picture from In-N-Out because we couldn't wait three seconds to start shoving food into our mouths).

Whoever said America isn't great needs a weekend by the Grand America pool

Oh quit it, the kids also enjoyed us traveling without them

32/50 - Mickelson Trail Marathon South Dakota (and a Colorado Update)

The Mickelson Trail - a few miles from the finish

This trip included the Mickelson Trail Marathon on June 5th then the Revel Rockies Marathon on June 12th, marking my 9th marathon in as many months. Having been humbled in Oregon last month by just missing my sub-3-hour goal after a long streak of sub-3-hour marathons, I was reminded again in South Dakota that I am not infallible. The key is to take these near misses in stride and remember just how cool it is to experience the country this way.

Once again, I failed to pay much attention to the course map when registering. Like the Bend Marathon, the course elevation would require some acclimation and the terrain is what we midwesterners love to gripe about... Hills. Though when looking for a race in South Dakota, there was no doubt that this was the one to do. Not only is it beloved by the marathon crowd, but this is the Black Hills - a natural beauty that leaves an impression that this land is unadulterated Old West. You can imagine the call of the gold rush, the gun fights, the lawless ways of its past.

The more kids I have, the more complicated my attempts to travel without them become. Before catching a flight to meet The Wife in Denver (only to drive 6 hours to Deadwood, SD the day before the race), I drove 3 kids to Cleveland by myself for about 8 hours. Peeing at rest stops with 3 kids aged 1, 2, and 3 years old attached to you should be listed as an accomplishment as great, if not greater, than running a sub-3-hour marathon.

Sometimes the drive is as exciting as the destination itself, though as noted above, sometimes it's three kids screaming while you try to make it to the next rest stop. Without kids, the drive from Denver to Deadwood is a peaceful experience through barely inhabited lands: Cattle. Horses. A bicycle graveyard. Carefree teenaged girls in an old red convertible. A middle-aged man alone blowing bubbles on the side of the road amidst a mountain backdrop. A Tejano band playing on a tractor trailer flatbed under a shade tree with a dozen people dancing. These are just a few of the surreal sights from this drive.

Pringles, WY - You'll find this and not much else

We made it to packet pick up with 30 minutes to spare. The start of the race (the next morning) is at 5,300ft. I like to think elevation doesn't affect me, but it does. Not in sickness, or dizziness, but in dehydration and in physical performance, if just slightly. Since I teeter on that 3-hour mark, this really heightened the suspense. That's the only thing I had to worry about now that I just booked the last room on Main St. in Deadwood at the Celebrity Hotel (awesome location and hotel, by the way). To the displeasure of my wife, I like to do everything last minute, and look, it worked out! This time.

The Mickelson Trail is a 109-mile rail trail that traverses the heart of the Black Hills through mountainous forests and open prairies, over bridges, through tunnels, and alongside creeks. The race starts at the last quarter of the Trail near an old roadside church right out of Little House on the Prairie and follows the Trail to its end in Deadwood. Holy crap was it cold before the sun rose! I usually don't check a bag so here I am blue-lipped and shivering on the side of a road for an hour and half before the start. The M&Ms were a nice touch though.

What's common about these small races (400 marathoners) is the ability to pick the leaders. This time, they found me - two guys that ran for and just graduated from University of Souix Falls. What we didn't realize was there was one more kid straight out of college that also ran track & cross country. We met him around mile 17 when he passed me and one of the guys then the other to win the race in 3:06:35. The elevation, the heat, the hill, and the trail whittled away at all of our hopes of a sub-3-hour finish. I finished in 3rd place with 3:10:24. Garmin details HERE.

Mickelson Trail Marathon pic - It may have gotten a bit warm

I was last in Deadwood in August 2012 for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. It's still two months away, but Deadwood is buzzing with bikers. The city attracted some of the most nefarious outlaws of the 19th century and it boasts about this history at the Adams Museum. Maybe this is the appeal for us bikers. Or maybe it's the meandering roads. Or both. If you've seen the HBO show Deadwood, you have a pretty good idea of what transpired here some 150 years ago: Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, brothels, gambling, opium, whiskey, murder, and the gold rush.

Me at the 2012 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally trying to look like a biker and not a CPA

Deadwood was illegally settled on land that was granted to the Lakota people in the 1868 Treaty of Laramie. Well, it was granted to them before we discovered gold in them hills. Our government stole back the Black Hills with the Congressional Act of 1877. After the atrocious Battle of Little Bighorn gave way to this Act, things never got better. Reading about the white man's betrayal of the native people of the Black Hills and America will make you sick. But I digress.

So here we are shortly after the race experiencing the Deadwood history via their Passport Program that encourages you to visit many of the town's historical sites including: the mountain side burial sites of many of its famed characters at Mt. Moriah Cemetery, an abandoned gold mine, and the Adams House - the home of one of the town's founding businessmen that had been left unoccupied for 50 years (every detail of the home is impeccably original). We capped the night off with whiskey, of course, at the Franklin Hotel balcony overlooking Main St.

Grave sites of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane

The next morning, we finished up the Passport after a stop at Pump House - a great coffeehouse deli at the site of an old gas station that also houses a glass blowing studio. We left Deadwood with a wealth of historical knowledge though sadly, all I physically received for my Passport efforts was this small piece of chocolate.

An Old West bamboozling

We spent the next few days exploring the Black Hills: A night in Hill City. A day hike at Custer State Park. Then onto Fort Collins, CO for beer: New Belgium Brewery, Odell's Brewery - both are great spots for a post-run beer or three at 11am on a Wednesday, uh, not that I would know from experience... Breckenridge had Hearthstone Restaurant, a historic-home-turned-luxe-eatery, to enjoy the phenomenal scenery. We rented a boat. I got some great mountain trail runs in. We hung out with a friend from The Wife's law school days.

Then, Denver. We met up with the Libertyville Running Club partaking in and/or seeking revenge on Revel Rockies marathon or half marathon. Our team, aptly named Revenge of the Donut Hoes (when the LRC came out here last year, our team name was The Donut Hoes), did it; we all walked away (or shall I say limped away?) with great races and a 1st place team finish. You know what else we did? Went back to Shoes & Brews and got our names back on the 800m challenge board. It's tradition. I forgot running shoes so I ran it in Chuck Taylors. I'm now reconsidering my goal of running a marathon in them.

Revenge of the Donut Hoes!

I made up for that 5 hour and 46 minute Pikes Peak Marathon I did in CO back in 2010. I now have a 2:54:56 in Colorado. Garmin details HERE. This was the first of a couple states I have to revisit to get that sub-3-hour marathon. Though I no longer have to attempt a CO marathon, it certainly won't be the last time I visit. I'd say the same for South Dakota because I could see myself living there, but first I have some unfinished work to do.

Doing the Stehling in Colorado with Michael Stehling