Ever Wonder Who's Standing Next to You in the Corral at the Starting Line?

We've been to dozens of Expo clinic presentations and there's a common theme about marathoning being a "great equalizer". When the gun goes off, it really doesn't matter if you're a college student, a movie star, a CEO, an elite athlete, or a first-timer. Everyone follows the same course, regardless of speed, age, or technique. 

How people get there is a different story - it's usually pretty amazing.

I guess I should have considered that when we went on our trip with Marathon Adventures. Traveling to the bottom of the world to do a race takes a special kind of crazy. Doing it expecting to finish two marathons, potentially on consecutive days, takes things to a whole new level. It's people like us who can weather anything, including having to watch the Super Bowl in Spanish.

The room was so loud, no one could hear the commentators anyway. The only bummer was that the commercials were local ads only.

It's only after the races that we started to get a feel for this amazing group of individuals. I'm going to think about this the next time I line up in my corral at the start and look around.

Is there a world record holder here? Brett Weigner extended his record by completing the Seven Continent circuit for the ninth time. He's also the only person ever to complete an Ultramarathon at the North and South poles. Since we left Punta Arenas, he's finished (and placed in) races in Africa and the US National Snowshoe championships. One more Antarctica race will give him his 10th complete circuit.

Brent at the White Continent Marathon 2014. Photo Credit Imran Ahmed

Maybe I'll see a world record being set. Kristen DeSousa completed her Seven Continent circuit in just 89 days. At 15, she now holds an entry in the Alternate Book of Records for being the youngest person to complete the circuit in the shortest time as well as the youngest Canadian to complete the circuit. The Guinness Book of World Records does not acknowledge anyone under 16. Kristen is also doing this to raise money to build schools for underprivileged children in Nepal through the Children of the Mountain charity. Her mother Sharon ran with Kristen every step of the way.

Kristin with her medals from seven continents after finishing the Ultra at Punta Arenas

Maybe someone will start a run for a world record. Maria Conciecao started a quest to complete Ultra marathons on all seven continents over a span of just 42 days. She's doing this to raise funds for children in the slums of Bangladesh with the Maria Cristina Foundation. With Maria on her journey is Ziyad Rahim. He set the world record for the Marathon Grand Slam, finishing marathons on 7 continents in under 42 days. He is raising funds for CARE "Million Child Mission" that aims to educate one million children in Pakistan marginalized and NORMA, a degenerative disease that affects marginalized children in Africa. Maria and Ziyad finished that quest on March 9th at the Louis Massyn Ultra Marathon in South Africa.

Maria at the Punta Arenas Ultra Marathon. Photo Credit Imran Ahmed

Ziya at the White Continent Ultra Marathon. Photo Credit Imran Ahmed

Maybe there's a future star. Ten year old Nikolas Toocheck has finished four of the seven continents. He was recently awarded the Prudential Volunteer Service Award for raising money for Operation Warm. The "Running the World for Children" campaign has raised more than $28,000 to provide coats for impoverished children. Nik holds two single-age world records for the 10 Mile distance. This weekend, he claimed gold medals in the USATF Indoor National Championships for high jump and the 1500 meter racewalk. His father Daniel runs every step of the way with Nik, at least when Dan can keep up.

Nik and his father Daniel finishing at Punta Arenas. Photo Credit Imran Ahmed.

Maybe it's a country's ground breaker. Within a month of the White Continent / Punta Arenas event, Tee Morgan became the sixth black runner, the fourth black woman and, with Abi Adekanmbi, the first Nigerians to run seven marathons on seven continents. 

Tee and Abi at the Maritsburg Marathon, February 23, 2014

Sixty-eight people came from all over the world to run these races. Every one of us had a story to tell, but when we lined up - record holder, future record holder, future star, champion, or ground breaker - all we knew was that it was us against the course. 

During one of our last nights in Punta Arenas, we sat around a table at Okusa, having a few drinks and some chocolate mousse. We went around the table and talked about our next big adventures. Ambrose is going to race Kilimanjaro this spring. Soren is getting ready for Ironman Copenhagen. We found out later that Rob was competing in New Zealand Coast to Coast World Championship. He and his teammate won the 151 mile triathlon. John has finished 6 continents and will be speaking about his experiences at the Bixby Memorial Library in Vergennes, Vermont on March 21st. Esmail was targeting his 100th marathon in Napa in which he finished on March 3rd. We'll be getting the Bay Area gang together for a celebration this week. It's only been a month and a half, but I know a lot has happened since then.

I thought about how it felt when we were just starting out marathoning and how I loved to hear the stories and accomplishments of people who had been racing for years; I aspired to some day have something like that to talk about. It's good to know that we still find people who have done even more than we have and we know there's a lot more out there we can do. People have told us that we inspire them. I'm thrilled to hear people tell us that they've started racing, got back to racing or started on the path to a healthy life because of the stories we post. It's a great feeling to take control of your life. We love being someone in the corral next to you with a story to tell. 

The 2014 White Continent / Punta Arenas Tour Group.

If you happen to be in the corrals at Rock 'n' Roll Dallas in a few weeks, look around and you may find Susan and Ron (link to our blogger profile on Competitor.com). Hope to see you there! 

Choose the Path that Excites Your Soul - Punta Arenas Marathon and 50K 2014

I gave a speech at our company Toastmasters Club contest recapping the White Continent Marathon on Antarctica. The theme for the speech was about how life is full of choices and I challenged people to "make the choice that excites your soul." 

Once again, the elevator signs tell the story

That was the mindset for the Punta Arenas Marathon and 50K set up by Marathon Adventures. We stood in the hotel lobby at 4:50 AM and ready to walk across the street to the starting line. This would be our second full marathon on three days rest, easily the shortest rest we've ever done between full marathons. The course was a paved concrete sidewalk along the Straits of Magellan toward Tres Puentes pier. Temperatures were in the mid 40's F with a 25 mph wind and a forecast for rain. 

Pat Borque's start line video was just a tad over the Blogspot size limit. This link should be active for a few more weeks. Punta Arenas Start. I'll see if I can edit it down a little, but it's pretty complete as is.

The 5AM start for the Punta Arenas Marathon, Half Marathon and 50K. Our hotel (Diego del Almagro) in the background. Photo Credit Imran Ahmen (@photoimran)

It was perfect PR weather. That was the plan going in. We haven't tried to push ourselves in a full marathon for nearly two years and with our half marathon times down by ~15 minutes in the last two years, another PR didn't seem like a stretch. Knowing that anything could happen on race day, we had back up plans. If we didn't PR on the full marathon split, switch to the 50K. It would be our first and a default PR. Great logic, right?

The course was flat (less than 120 feet of total elevation gain) and other than the usual beautiful sunrise over the water there were very few distractions. A few people saw dolphins playing in the waves. There were a couple of early morning joggers and a handful of the neighborhood dogs playing chicken with passing traffic. Other than that, we had the course to ourselves. The commute started a few hours into the race and the cars were honking, cheering us on. 

There was a large population of stray dogs in Punta Arenas. This one was coming really close to grabbing the back bumper of passing cars. Photo Credit Imran Ahmen (@photoimran)

It was great to have spent a nearly a week with the group before this race. I recognized just about everyone on the out and back course. High fives flew left and right. After the Antarctica race was done, this felt like a long victory lap. No time limit. Lots of moral support.

I hit the end of the second lap at 2:37 for the half marathon split, about 3 minutes better than my target to beat a 5:19:20 walking marathon. Honestly, I was feeling a little drained from the last race and a 17 hour tour to Torres del Paine two days ago. Susan was right on my heels and well on her way to crushing her 5:43 run/walk marathon time from Rock n Roll San Diego back in 2007. The rain started in the middle of the third lap and though the forecast was a 50% chance of rain for the hours during the race, we had maybe 10 minutes total. It made for some spectacular rainbows over the inland mountains.

Photo credit: Trin Peng. Trin won the Female division in the first half marathon she competed (Antarctica) in and placed second in the next one (Antarctica). Either her career is looking bright, or she should retire on top.

Pam and Kurt did a great job managing the turn. Rachel was a fantastic cheerleader at the 50K mini-loop turn. About the only thing that I didn't enjoy about the race was that it was almost over. 

This is probably the only minute Rachel sat still. She probably did 50K worth of distance just dancing. 

I had a goal to stay under 40 minutes per leg for the second half to get me in under 5:18. I was on track until the last two miles. I ran out of the usual race food and went to a peanut butter squeeze pack. So much for preparation. I was feeling good, but I couldn't hold pace much longer. Thanks to Fiona and Soren for being my butt magnets. 

Fiona demonstrates the pose that we tell first time marathoners NOT to do. Soren went back to get Fiona so they could finish together. He then went out to pace me and Susan to the end of the marathon. Photo Credit Pat Borque Photography

I finished my marathon with a 5:19:02, a PR by less than 20 seconds. I knew Susan wasn't far behind me. She finished her fourth lap with a time just over 5:23, a PR by over 20 minutes. This is a moment that I'll remember for the rest of my life. Susan took the turn and went out for the last lap to do her first Ultra. It even caught the race organizers by surprise.

This is a woman who, 10 years ago, laughed when I said I wanted to finish a marathon. I was overflowing equally with pride and hunger.  Fortunately, the hotel breakfast buffet was open for another 30 minutes. I had enough time to run in, grab a sandwich and some coffee cake, fill an insulated bottle with hot tea for my awesome wife and run up and get her camera with enough time to go out and pace her in for the last half mile.

Yeah. I couldn't keep up with her. Photo Credit Phil Cha

Unlike me, she had been mentally prepping herself for the last lap all race. While she slowed down for the last 8K, she still finished in a total time of 6:29:18, about as fast as a lot of her early marathons. We now have an Ultramarathoner in the family, but I get to give her more grief now that I am TWO marathons ahead of her. 

Some of the best moments of the race as a TNT coach are late in the race. Going out to meet the last few marathoners and following them across the finish line is one of the most rewarding feelings you can get. It's great when you've spent 5 months training with them. It was just as moving for us to cheer on people we've only known for a week.  

Shauna was a bright spot for all of us on both races. I don't know that I've ever seen someone smile this much during a race. Just about everybody waited for her to finish.

A week. What a week it was.

It takes a whole new level of crazy to do what we did on this trip. This isn't something most people would even dream of doing. People on this trip were prepared for anything - harsh race conditions, possible early course closure, a second race on short rest. As far as I heard, everyone finished both races.

Everyone.

I heard about quite a few personal best times set during the week. Some ran their first marathons or half marathons. Some are closing in on 50 or 100. Seven people finished their Seven Continents on this trip and some will finish their seventh this year.  In this picture are several current and future world record holders. I bet that every person here can legitimately claim that they're the only one in the world to have accomplished some combination of races. The best part about the picture is that I think we've made some life long friends.

 

Race Director Steve Hibbs left a message in our Facebook group after the trip. 

"I have been fortunate to run on all 7 continents, in all 50 states and to visit over 40 countries. Much of that started back in the mid 1990's. Just about six years ago I decided to marry my passion for travel and running and create this company called Marathon Adventures. Since that time, I have met some of the greatest, friendliest, most inspiring people on earth! People who climbed the highest peaks. People who swam extraordinary distances. Pioneers in running. World record holders. Extraordinary moms and dads. Trend-setting kids. Rarely are any of our customers "normal." Each customer has a unique and fascinating story, which makes every Adventure amazing! And to top it all off, I have been able to include my best friends in these Adventures and create new friendships and partnerships I never imagined possible. It is truly a blessing to know each of you and I want you to know that I will NEVER take you for granted. I know sometimes I help to make your dreams a reality, but I want to thank you for making my dreams a reality, too! You all are the best!"

Punta Arenas was almost 9 years to the day since we had our first marathon training session. Every year has been better than the last. I like to think we got here because of the choices we've made. I'm glad we're following the right ones. 

The ones that excite our souls.

I took first place in the Toastmasters club contest, probably because people still can't believe that trip really happened. Honestly, I'm just now starting to believe it myself.

~//~

This was the second year for the Punta Arenas Marathon, Half Marathon and 50K, hosted by Marathon Adventures. In 2013, the race was held in late February. After waiting for four days for the skies to clear for the White Continent race, they made the call to hold Punta Arenas.  They found out later that they would leave for Antarctica THAT NIGHT. We once again count our blessings and hope we can somehow sell our 'weather luck' to the highest bidder.

Again, we can't say enough about Marathon Adventures. This was truly a trip of a lifetime.

The Punta Arenas Marathon is a simple course, basically an out and back along the water. For you data hounds, the Garmin Connect data from my Fenix are here. This is the third marathon in the Southern Hemisphere, our fifth continent, and both personal bests at the marathon distance and of course Susan's PR at the 50K. Complete race results are posted on Marathon Adventures site here.

We hope to coordinate schedules with Barb, Anne, Fiona, Soren, Donna, and Todd to get to Victoria Falls to cross off Africa. The Asia race is still to be determined, but we know it's just a matter of time. Follow our continuing journey at Marathoning For Life on Facebook.

A Race at the End of the World - White Continent Marathon, King George Island, Antarctica

This is the first of several blogs on our trip to cross off two more continents from our Marathon bucket list. 

We've raced on trail. We've raced in mid-20's temperatures. We've raced at night and a few hours of stepping off a plane. With all that experience, we were ready for anything.

We got to Punta Arenas, Chile on Friday, January 24th about 3 PM local time. After 19 hours of travel, we had a light dinner and a good 9 hours of sleep. We woke up Saturday morning with the hotel buffet at Diego del Almagro expecting to do the Punta Arenas Marathon on Sunday. The weather in Antarctica didn't look good enough for us to fly in, but they told us to be ready because things change quickly.

Boy, did they. At 1 PM Saturday, just as we were heading out to explore the city, our tour directors caught us in the lobby to let us know the forecast had cleared and we were going to get on a plane to Antarctica leaving Sunday morning at 12:45 AM. 

yikes

The preferred method of communication was the sign between the elevators in the lobby. Not everyone had a data plan and the wifi was sometimes excruciatingly slow.

It was hopeless trying to nap before dinner. We got one, maybe two hours of sleep. Pretty much everything we learned about pre-race fueling and rest went out the window. We had a group dinner scheduled for 8 pm with a briefing at 9:30 pm. The bus left for the airport at 10:45 pm. 

One flight on the board. Antarctica at 00:45

The airport was deserted except for our group of 68 marathoners and the DAP airlines staff who were flying with us and supporting the race. We had an inflight meal that almost no one ate on the two hour and 15 minute flight. There was also an open bar. I'm glad we had the good sense to pass on that also. We landed with just a few bumps on a gravel runway (!). Two and a half years of waiting and we were finally on Antarctica, just after 3 AM Chile time. The forecast predicted that we had about 8 hours to complete the half, full or ultra marathon.

Applying some lessons learned from the prior year, the efficiency of the race organizer's set up was phenomenal. The gear tent and two Teepee porta potty tents were ready before we walked up and the pace car was warming up within 10 minutes of us deplaning. We had almost no time to do any dynamic stretches before we started. We didn't even have time to get cold. Temperatures at the 3:19 AM race start were in the low 30's F (0 C) with wind chill in the teens (-8 C). Equipment list for those of you who were wondering. It worked out really well.

Top: Mizuno Thermo Cap, Garmin Virb hat-mounted camera. Light tint sunglasses, Serius facemask.
Core/Arms/Hands: North Face Flight series wind stopper jacket, Under Armor Cold Gear reflective/compression, Mizuno Thermo long sleeve zip for the last lap, Mizuno Thermo gloves inside Brooks Windstopper touch screen gloves. Charcoal hand warmers in between hand layers for last lap

Bottoms: CW-X compression tights, generic wicking underwear

Feet: Smart Wool ankle length socks, Solomon XT wings 3 trail shoes and gaiters.

Photo Credit:  Victoria Paz Ujević Stein

The course was a 4.35 mile round trip to the Chinese base with a total ascent of 2228 feet for the full. The half marathon went out for 3 laps, the full for 6 and the ultra for 7. Each event had a partial loop at the end to make it an official distance. It took about a half hour for the sun to come up bright enough for Susan to see with her prescription sunglasses with the lightest tint. Clear tinted glasses for early races are recommended, especially where footing is sketchy.

The downhill about a half mile on the way out was the only snow on the actual course. There was plenty around on either side of us though! 

It was summer in the Southern hemisphere. The course had breathtaking views of snow covered hills and ocean, but only a few stretches of ice or snow on the trail itself. We had a few patches of deep gravel or large river rock so we looked for the packed areas for better footing. Blogspot has a video upload limit of 100MB, so I've posted a 11.5 minute video of the course on Facebook here. 

The best thing about the multiple out-and-back loops was that we could see everyone and cheer them on. Coming back to the starting point is always a mental challenge, especially if the course or weather isn't friendly. The temptation to pack it in gets stronger with every lap, but the encouragement in this group really kept us going. There were a half dozen penguins near the 1 mile point that I'm sure added a few minutes to everyone's times.



Kerem and Rachel tag teamed for a few pictures in the middle of their race. Not many PRs that day.

I clocked in with a time of 2:55 at the half marathon split. I thought about keeping that up for a sub-6 walking marathon on a pretty brutal course, but the second race in Punta Arenas was coming up. It also started getting even colder, dropping into the teens with wind chill near zero F (-8 C / -18 C). By lap 4, a good number of us were adding layers. Colleen was keeping us updated on the weather window. We had dropped from 8 hours to 7, but we were still looking good for everyone to finish on the continent. Susan finished her first half split in 3:05 and took time on her last lap to take pictures. My Virb battery cut out after 3:10 so I couldn't take any finish line video. 

About the time we finished the half, Richard Biddle had finished a blazing full marathon split in around 3:10. He finished the 50K in 3:51 - a course record. The women's race was fun to watch as both leaders, Suzy and Witt, were wearing balaclavas so it looked like a pair of ninjas chasing each other.

Back in 2011, I stopped at mile 23 of a brutally hot Solar Eclipse Marathon to make sure Susan got through the sugar cane fields. This time around, she was looking stronger and emphatically told me to JUST FINISH and not wait. I did. A wardrobe change and the extra cold winds slowed my second half to finish in 6:21. I DID catch a shivering Susan before she went out for her final adjustment loop and gave her a pair of charcoal hand warmers and her down jacket. I waited for her at the finish line with a cup of hot tea for her 6:48 finish. Much of the second half of her race was spent with camera in hand.

Photo credits: Imran Ahmed (@photoimran)

I signed up for a different Antarctica race three years ago. Since that event included a long boat ride into Antarctica, Susan with her legendary sea sickness issues didn't want to go. When we found the Marathon Adventures Tour that involved a flight into Antarctica, she jumped on board. I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue to share this journey with the love of my life.

I mean, who else would I want to be with when we go to the End of the World?

~//~

Marathon Adventures held the first White Continent Marathon in 2013. Flying to Antarctica can be unpredictable and the weather can change quickly. In the inaugural year, the race was stopped due to weather less than 6 hours in and several participants had to finish their mileage in Chile. While that created some controversy as to if that counted as a marathon, Marathon Adventures set out to make things right, inviting six of the 2013 group to come back with expenses paid, minus airfare to Punta Arenas for 2014. This year all six of them finished. Results are posted here.

The Marathon Adventures staff (Steve, Pam and Colleen) were very accommodating as long as you let them know what you need ahead of time. Given the technology situation, using the elevator signs for updates was a great idea for communication. Susan and I highly recommend them for destination races! We booked the trip through Kathy Loper Events. Kathy's tour package was essentially the same, but with one extra night of lodging. Kathy was very responsive to questions before the trip including the logistics of travel insurance, course information and schedules. For those of you thinking about signing up for the White Continent/Punta Arenas trip, just be ready to be flexible. Event travel plans can change quickly. Just roll with it.

Data from my Fenix including actual proof of location can be found on Garmin Connect. Here's the map. We really did it!

The White Continent Marathon was Ron's 13th full marathon and Susan's 12th. It was also our 4th Continent for full marathons. Once I get some sleep and get through a stack of work emails, we'll be working on the Punta Arenas Half and Full Marathon and 50K blog this weekend.

More coverage from the local newspapers and internet are linked on our Marathoning For Life page. 

"More than 60 runners from around the world enjoyed marathon in Antarctica" - La Presna Austral

"10 year old finished his second marathon in Antarctica" - La Presna Austral. Article on Nikolas Toochek

"15 year old Marathoner: 7 Marathons in 7 Continents" - YouTube replay of Kristen De Sousa's interview.

"Wyoming Runner Headed to Antarctica on Schedule to Break World Record" Runner's Web Artcile on Brent Weigner

"TEDxDubai 2011 | Maria Conceicao | Turning caterpillars into butterflies" Maria's Ted Talk describing the Maria Cristina Foundation to provide secondary education to children in Bangladesh.

"Three Area Residents Run a Marathon at the Bottom of the World" Kansas City coverage for Chau, Michael and Kerm.

Phases - A Celebration of Life

I tell people that life is a series of phases. When you're growing up, you have a group of friends from school who are your age, so you share a lot of events around the same time. It starts with graduating from high school, followed by college and maybe graduate school. There's the first job phase, the wedding phase, the first kid phase, then the first kids school fundraiser phase. Later on, some of the harder phases come. Divorces, parent's illnesses, kids going off to college (ok, some people would consider that a good thing). Then there are deaths. Grandparents, parents, and sometimes friends from your generation.

2013 was a hard year for our Team in Training group. Working with an organization that dedicates its time to finding a cure for cancer has its stark reality. While you get to meet amazing people who are fighting the diseases, there are some that don't make it. In the last 18 months, Susan Conrad, Remo, Kevin, Justin and DeMaris have passed away.

I had the honor to say a few words at Justin's memorial service last week. I've given a lot of kick-off speeches and motivational pre-race speeches, but never a eulogy. There was a lot to say. I'd known Justin for close to six years. But I struggled with how I was going to boil down what he meant to me and those around him to a five minute speech. What follows is what I had written. I needed the notes because I knew I wouldn't be able to get through it without breaking down.

*************

Like many of us in this room, I met Justin through Team in Training. My name is Ron Carino. My wife Susan and I coach the walkers on the marathon team. I joined Team without a connection to the cause. In my first season, I met a lot of alumni who wore the names of their honored teammates. Some written on ribbons attached to their hats. Some were written on their shirts. I didn't have the experience of losing someone I knew to cancer like so many of us did so the significance didn't hit me me at the time.

I met Justin in 2009. He was one of our Honored Teammates. His sister Jessica was off to complete her second Nike Half marathon. What struck me about Justin was that he seemed to have come to grips with living with his disease. I never saw any anger in him.  He greeted everyone with a firm handshake and a big hug. He was always willing to talk about his condition and the treatments he was undergoing. It was his matter of fact acceptance that made me realize how brave he was. 

That following year, he came to Nike after a recent treatment wearing a filter mask to prevent infections. The mask was purple and there was a rhinestone "Go Team" ironed onto the filter cover that Jessica had made for him. Like everything he wore, he rocked the look. Justin had a great sense of humor. The only time I ever remember NOT seeing him smile was when he was wearing that mask. Justin never raced with us, but as some of our teammates would tell you, he seemed to show up just when they needed him. There's a point at the top of the hill near the soccer field at Nike, just when the half marathoners are at start running out of steam. I was with Carol Spicer and Kate Allen as they were struggling. And there was Justin. His presence lit them up like nothing else could and he took them the rest of the way. Seeing him on a course or during training was just as much a boost as any cheerleader or TNT coach ever could be. 

Justin was genuinely selfless. I have a picture of him wearing Honoree badges from East Bay Run, Diablo Run and East Bay Walk one season. He made time to visit us all. During the picnics, when he was asked to speak, he'd always turn the term "Honored Patient" around. Saying "you're the ones who inspire ME!" That year he came to Lake Chabot for the honoree picnic after a chemo session and clean shaven head wearing a shirt saying "Does This Shirt Make Me Look Bald?". It was one of my favorite pictures of him.

Sometimes he came to trainings after working into the wee hours that morning.  I loved listening to him talk about the bands that he saw in concert as he was working at Shoreline. There was so much life in his eyes. And while his time here was short, I think he touched more people that than he possibly would have known. 

I was reading through Justin's Facebook page last night looking for pictures of the two of us and ran across a note that I tagged him in three years ago. It was about a day that I found out that another close friend had died of cancer, just minutes before a race. She, like Justin, was taken from this world too soon. I raced that day with anger. With grief. But in the last miles, when I thought I couldn't wring any more emotion out of my body, I felt my mind go quiet. My feet felt light. It was almost like someone was carrying me the last few miles. I finished the note with a dedication to honored teammates like Justin who continue to fight. Justin said 'thank you, that's all I could type through the tears'. And seeing that comment and the pictures we took together, it brought me to tears as well. With him gone, that and a handful of pictures is all I have to remember him by. Justin joins an army of angels who watch over us on our races and in our lives, ready to carry us when we feel like we can't go on.

Jessica called me the week before Justin died. We planned to visit him as soon as we were back in town, but Justin passed away hours before we planned to see him. One of the greatest feelings as a coach is to see your participant finish his race, but the reality is that it's not always possible. You only hope that they crossed the finish line in good shape. Their pain is over and they are on to the next part of their training which is to celebrate completing their event. Part of me will always regret not being able to see him. But I'm glad that the last memories I have of him is his smile and him cheering on his sister near the finish line. I imagine he'll be doing next fall from wherever he is now.

Your race is over Justin. And while some people gauge their journey on how long they've raced, I choose to look at the quality of the time and many lives you've touched during the miles you've travelled. You're not just a name on a ribbon, or a name on our shirts, but a name written indelibly on our hearts. When our race is over, I hope to see you at the finish line and greet you with a firm handshake. Or better yet, a great big hug.

Godspeed, my friend.

It was meant to be a celebration of life. Justin never seemed to fear the disease, so I did my best to honor his courage and his resolve to move forward. His goal was to complete an IronMan triathlon in 2015 once his treatments were done. While he won't be able to do that now, I suspect that where ever he is, he's starting to train for a whole new race of his own.

**********

Justin was born in 1981 and attended Woodside Elementary, Oak Grove Middle School and Ygnacio Valley High School. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America as a member of Troop 380 where he fell in love with the outdoors, hiking and camping and was inducted into the Order of the Arrow. He graduated from UC Davis with a Bachelors degree in Technical Theater in 2006. 

He was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2008 and began his association with Team in Training. Justin was a fighter. He decided that he would do whatever it took, chemos, radiations, drug trials. And that's what he did. He continued to speak out with Team in Training and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to encourage others to help fund the search for a cure. ~ from the memorial program, Justin Daniel Estrada

Susan and Ron's Top Ten Marathoning for Life Memories of 2013

2013 was our 8th year on the circuit. Every year seems to bring us new perspectives and powerful new memories. I know a lot of people who race 10, 20 or 50+ times/year so a race by race review can get really busy. If you have a top 5 or top 10 blog, let us know. We'd love to see it!  

With that, our 10 most significant events of 2013:

10. Boston Marathon Bombings – Senseless acts of hatred that brought the marathoning community even closer together than ever before uniting us with a common goal – Boston Strong, Runners Strong, the World Unites because good will always overcome evil.  

9. RnR Brooklyn 10k – Seeing the Statue of Liberty from the train after Susan completed her first race on her own without Ron. Sensing a new found freedom of never being alone when you’re surrounded by fellow race participants. Having an acquaintance, George Melichar, become an even better friend and being adopted by his friends and their two dogs before and after the race.

8. American River Half Marathon – Having the honor of getting photos taken with overall winner Nicki (1^st), Joe (2^nd), Ron (3^rd), and Susan (8^th) as four age group winners in the walk division. The first age group win for Susan and Ron's second.

7. RnR St. Louis Half Marathon – Starting the race with frozen toes and a spectacular sunrise behind the St Louis Gateway Arch. Seeing our maid of honor, Jennifer (in a boot), cheering us on at the finish line discovering how much fun it is to be a Rock ‘n’ Roll groupie. Ron completing his 50^th half marathon. Finishing the day together in Busch stadium seeing Ron's team, the Red Sox, win game 4 of the World Series.

6. RnR Cleveland Half Marathon Expo – Exiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Kevin into a driving rainstorm. Susan screaming when lightning struck just before our feet. Running to nearby bus stop when thunder roared through the town immediately thereafter. Shuddering to realize that Susan's race shoes for the next day were now soaking wet.

Cleveland RnR Half Marathon – Overwhelmed by the crowd support for Susan's 50^th half marathon with a multitude of congratulations that carried her through the course to another personal best time.

5. One good deed leads to another and another – Thank you TNT for having great people like Victoria sign up for our marathon walk team. Thank you Victoria for remembering us and introducing us to your colleague Erin. Thank you Erin for seeking us out and giving endurance walking broader exposure via the San Francisco Chronicle. Thank you Lisa for noticing the online SF Gate article and in turn interviewing us for the November issue of Runner's World on how to complete your first half or full marathon relaxed. In parallel, thank you Competitor Group for inviting us to speak at the Portland RnR Expo and inspiring us to launch the Marathoning for Life blog and Facebook page so that we can in turn inspire a whole new generation of endurance athletes.

4. Nike Women’s Full Marathon – Spending an entire season with the TNT San Francisco Bay Area walk coaches being convinced that Sue was not training fast enough to complete the full marathon without being turned early. Hearing that Sue had successfully gotten past all of the cut off points for the full marathon. Susan catching up to her at mile 22 and walking with her honored hero for the next three miles. Witnessing her determination to finish and finish strong and realizing that everyone deserves to have a dream come true especially when they believe in themselves even if others don’t believe in them.

3. RnR Chicago Half Marathon – Recognizing Beth’s Get Back UP sign. Susan introducing herself to Barbie and Rick. Having tears well up in her eyes hearing Barbie’s life story and how she overcame the disability of a paralyzed foot with the Allied brace. Becoming determined to help her beat the cut off times this year while witnessing Rick successfully complete his first half marathon (without training but with a lot of determination to be there with Barbie at the finish line). Susan is not sure she can live up to her nickname, Angel, but she is convinced there was a Heaven on Earth that day for all three of us.

2. Passings: Women’s Half Marathon/Eye-Q Twin Cities Half Marathon Nov. 7, 2010 – Receiving the news on the race course that their dear friend Michelle passed away that morning from Ovarian cancer leaving behind a loving husband Rob and two twin daughters Rebecca and Sarah. 2013 – Losing our TNT honorees Remo, Justin and DeMaris. With every life lost, growing in gratitude for each moment yet to come. Relying on the strength and words of wisdom that Coach Al gives all his TNT participants closing with Shout Outs and “Too many damn names” of our loved ones who we’ve lost to cancer and who continue their fight each and every day. It is an honor to walk in memory of those who have touched our lives and inspired us to live life to the fullest.

1. SA2LV RnR San Antonio and RnR Las Vegas Back-to-Back Half Marathons – Realizing that completing two half marathons on the same day in two different states was just a means to an end. Sharing an amazing once in a lifetime experience with Al, Caryn, Beth, Jim, and Kamika that will never be forgotten.

2013 was a memorable year . Wishing you many safe and healthy miles ahead in 2014.

EVERY YEAR BETTER THAN THE LAST.

It Only Took Us Two Years to Finish These Races - Brazen New Year's Eve / Brazen New Year's Day Half Marathons

We've heard about Brazen Racing, our friends have done Brazen races, there is even a Brazen race held in our backyard at Quarry Lakes every year. But it wasn't until we needed to do some trail training for Antarctica that we signed up for our first Brazen race – Brazen New Year’s Eve Half Marathon on December 28 (our last race of 2013 – Honest!). We were quickly roped into signing up for the companion race Brazen New Year’s Day Half Marathon so that we could earn that all important bonus medal. After all, it’s really all about the bling even though we’re running out of places to put all of our race medals.

We’re very happy to report that our first Brazen experience from registration to completion of the second race was a very positive experience. For an organization that hosts 24 races in a year, many that sell out, we shouldn't be all that surprised that they know what they’re doing. The website is informative and helpful. Once you register, Brazen kept us up-to-date with a series of emails on the particulars about race day.

We picked up bibs early at Fleet Feet in Pleasant Hill Thursday and dropped more money on Antarctica gear and Allied Medal holders. Race packets and shirts for both races were lined up all around the store so it was really convenient to get everything at once. Brazen also has race day pick up at Lake Chabot as well as race-day registration if the event has not sold out.  

Race morning was chilly by California standards - high 30's, warming into the mid 50's, but the Lake facilities were more than enough for the small race. Come early if you want to park in the lot ($5 fee) or park free on the street and warm up a little on the walk in. Sweat check was very efficient to shed extra layers.

Deja Vu! New Years Eve and New Years Day. Ron needs to do something about the wrinkles, but Susan looks fabulous as always.

Count down with a megaphone (honoring park rules) set us off on what would be quite a hilly adventure. The New Year’s Eve race circumnavigated Lake Chabot counter clockwise with the equivalent of approximately 250 flights of stairs. The New Year’s Day race took us around Lake Chabot clockwise on the same course.

The weather was ideal for a winter race. No rain (although the Bay Area desperately needs rain) and  the temperature at 7:30 am was 39F. Those in shorts and t-shirts were chilly at the start, however, those of us in long tights and multiple long sleeve tops got hot after climbing a few hills and had to start shedding layers with temperatures climbing into the 50’s.

The small field size ensured that the trails were not overcrowded. Those needing up to 4.5 hours to tackle the challenging course could take advantage of an early 7:30 am Hiker Start (note that Hikers must reach mile 9.16 by 11:30 am). The regular half marathon started at 8:30 am followed by the 10K at 8:55 am the 5K at 9:10 am. This comfortably spaced out the participants on the narrow trails. Quite of few of our future Team in Training kids (Taj and Teo and the Ladrillonos) cleaned up on the 5K medals!

Some unique sounds entertained us on the race course. Unlike Rock ‘n’ Roll races with bands every mile, Lake Chabot is forest land that is peacefully quiet and serene (other than mid-way through the course where you hear repeated gunshots from the Chabot Gun Club shooting range). You also pass the Lake Chabot Golf Course where golfers were also enjoying the sunny winter day. The only other human made sound came from the racers who every time they looked up, they groaned because all they saw was another hill to climb.

For us road racers, the hills were a welcome change from the constant pounding of pavement. Walkers have to be particularly careful to pick up their feet more than usual to avoid tripping over sticks along the trail but we like to think we have a particular advantage climbing with the hill technique we've developed. Runners enjoy the down hills and the soft trail. This led to the typical sea saw passing of nearby participants for long stretches of the trail. At times, we were alone on the trail with no one in sight ahead or behind us. Fortunately, the course markings were very clear with color-coded tape for each race distance hung from nearby branches and on the ground. Mile markers were clearly color coded with double anchored flags (a different color for each race distance). Flour was used to mark arrows signaling the correct direction and blocking off side paths so that you didn't make a wrong turn accidentally. These course markings were on par with those marked by Coach Rudy for our TNT training – Rudy’s renown for having the best course markings in all of the land.

Top left: A hill. One of many. Top Right. Lake overlook - this may now be my favorite woodlands half!
Bottom Left: Katrina on the rickety bridge (NYD). Bottom Right: Jasmine and Zara near mile 10 on NYD.
The Wolf Pack was out in force this week!

The water stops were well placed (at the top of hills) and were well staffed with at least a half a dozen volunteers. If you volunteer for a Brazen race, your next Brazen race entry is discounted (and sometimes free). Not only does this help racers afford more races, this also means that the volunteers are race savvy and participant friendly. Water stop supplies were well stocked including pretzels, oranges, Gu, Jelly Bellies, water, and Ultima. Participants tended to congregate for a few minutes at each water stop relishing the opportunity to take a quick break, say hi to friends and fellow participants, and everyone generally looked like they were have a good time.

Speaking of good times and leaving lasting positive impressions, Brazen had It’s-It ice cream sandwiches at the finish in four flavors (vanilla, chocolate, cappuccino, and mint). I’m not sure if we were more excited about the large race medal or the It’s It ice cream sandwich – it’s kind of a tie! We had heard that it was easy to eat the equivalent of your body weight at the end of Brazen races and now we know why. Even though we finished within the last hour of the race, there was still plenty of food available including Dixie cups filled with pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie, carrot cake, red velvet cake, birthday cake, and M&M’s. There was popcorn, bagels, Nutella, peanut butter, etc. We didn't get in our protein after the race but we certainly got our 200 calories in and then some plus a sugar rush.

Not shown: 4 styrofoam coolers full of It's-It Ice Cream Sandwiches. *drrroollllllll*

Brazen also provides pictures free of charge. Though they are not indexed by bib number, they're in time order so you can actually see a short stop motion clip of yourself at various points at the race. Complete albums found here.

Would we do a Brazen race again? It depends. Some of the more difficult steep races are probably not going on the bucket list right away but some of the flatter more scenic races might creep into our race schedule in the next few years. The Quarry Turkey Half goes along the Alameda Creek Trail where we usually train, so we'll definitely add that (and the Nitro Turkey in Sunol) to our list around Thanksgiving. We’d definitely look forward to volunteering at a future Brazen race; it looked like a lot of fun! Kudos to Brazen race organizers. We were impressed all around and would definitely recommend this race series to anyone at all levels and any distances.

Deja Vu... again?  Thanks to Lance Null and Belinda Agamaite for taking the pics!

The Brazen New Year's Eve and Brazen New Year's Day offer half marathon, 10K and 5K distances. You get the same medal for completing any one of the three distances. There were 415 participants on NYE (median half marathon finish time 2:34) and 388 on NYD (median 2:32). Results are posted here: New Year's Eve Results, New Year's Day Results. 

The course was modified slightly between races this year. New Year's Eve was posted as a 13.36 mile race (though Ron had it exactly at 13.1) and New Year's Day was 13.17, eliminating a small loop near the start/finish. Both Susan and Ron had a much faster time for the second race, but it probably had more to do with the slopes than the change in distance.

Registration fees are very reasonable ($43 for the 5K to $65 for the Half) with discounts if you sign up before mid November. Brazen does a great job of honoring the "Streakers" - people who participate in all 24 races in the year by racing or volunteering. The shadow box below holds all of the 24 medals plus a bunch of double-race 'connectors'. Picture here on their Facebook page of Streaker Tuan Ha.

Weather (2013): Chilly for California. Both races started in the high 30's and warmed to the mid 50's by the 11:30 finish time. There wasn't a cloud in the sky on either day.

We had to take off early after New Year's Day to join our neighbors who've been wanting us to join them at Golden Gate Fields for the last 15 years. Our $20 starting stake lasted us for 6 races and we walked away with only losing $8 (plus $2 to tip the valet). We ate more than our fair share at the buffet.

Bonus note: Corrigan Sports 10-Miler/5K Series will hold their first race in Foster City on January 12th, 2014. Completing this and the other two races in Marin County (May 25th) and Santa Clara County (August 24th) earns a bonus medal. The last price increase is on January 6th, but you can get a $5 discount if you use CARINO in the coupon code for registration. Ron plans to use it as a taper for Rock 'n' Roll Arizona the following week. Hope to see you there!