Marathon 47 & 48 in 50 of the #50in50: CT & IL (10/12-10/13/2019)

  1. NEW YORK 11/4/18: @nycmarathon

  2. NEVADA 11/11/18: @runrocknroll Vegas

  3. PENNSYLVANIA 11/18/18: @Philly_Marathon

  4. WASHINGTON 11/25/18: @seattlemarathon

  5. TENNESSEE 12/1/18: @stjude Memphis

  6. ALABAMA 12/8/18: @irunrocketcity

  7. FLORIDA 1/13/19: @rundisney #wdwmarathon

  8. LOUISIANA 1/20/19: @thelamarathon

  9. MISSISSIPPI 1/26/19: Mississippi blues Marathon

  10. ARIZONA 2/9/19: Mesa-Phoenix Marathon @phxmarathon

  11. TEXAS 2/17/19: Austin marathon @austinmarathon

  12. MASSACHUSETTS 2/24/19: Hyannis Marathon @hyannismarathon

  13. SOUTH CAROLINA 3/2/19: Myrtle Beach marathon @runmbm

  14. ARKANSAS 3/3/19: Little Rock marathon @lrmarathon

  15. NORTH CAROLINA 3/9/19: Wrightsville Beach marathon @wbmarathon

  16. GEORGIA 3/17/19: Publix Atlanta marathon @atlantatrackclub

  17. NEW MEXICO 3/21/19: Dust Bowl Series - New Mexico

  18. OKLAHOMA 3/22/19: Dust Bowl Series - Oklahoma

  19. KANSAS 3/24/19: Chisholm Trail marathon @chisholmtrail44

  20. MISSOURI 4/7/19: Go! St Louis marathon @gostlouis

  21. KENTUCKY 4/27/19: Kentucky Derby marathon @kyderbyfestival

  22. NEW JERSEY 4/28/19: New Jersey marathon @njmarathon

  23. OHIO 5/5/19: Flying Pig marathon @runflyingpig

  24. NORTH DAKOTA 5/18/19: Fargo marathon @fargo.marathon

  25. COLORADO 5/19/19: Denver Colfax marathon @runcolfax

  26. VERMONT 5/26/2019: Vermont City marathon @runvermont

  27. UTAH 6/1/2019: Utah Valley marathon @runutahvalley

  28. DELAWARE 6/18/2019: Mainly marathons - Independence Series - Bear DE

  29. MARYLAND 6/19/2019: Mainly marathons - Independence Series - Elkton MD

  30. ALASKA 6/22/2019: Anchorage Mayor’s marathon @anc_marathon

  31. HAWAII 6/30/2019: Kona marathon @konamarathon

  32. IOWA 7/11/2019: Mainly marathons - Heartland series - Clinton IA

  33. WISCONSIN 7/12/2019: Mainly marathons - Heartland series - Sparta WI

  34. MINNESOTA 7/13/2019: Mainly Marathons - Heartland series - St Cloud MN

  35. RHODE ISLAND 7/21/2019: Violet State marathon

  36. CALIFORNIA 7/28/2019: San Francisco marathon

  37. NEBRASKA 8/20/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Chadron, NE

  38. WYOMING 8/21/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Sundance, WY

  39. SOUTH DAKOTA 8/22/2019: Mainly marathons - Center of the Nation series - Belle Fourche, SD

  40. IDAHO 8/31/2019: Pocatello marathon - Pocatello, ID

  41. OREGON 9/21/2019: Pacific Northwest marathon - Eugene, OR

  42. MONTANA 9/22/2019: Foy’s to Blacktrail marathon - Kalispell, MT

  43. INDIANA 9/28/2019: Mill Race marathon - Columbus, IN

  44. WEST VIRGINIA 9/30/2019: Eastern Panhandle marathon - Martinsburg, WV

  45. NEW HAMPSHIRE 10/5/2019: New Hampshire marathon - Bristol, NH

  46. MAINE 10/6/2019: Maine marathon - Portland, ME

  47. CONNECTICUT 10/12/2019: Hartford marathon - Hartford, CT

  48. ILLINOIS 10/13/2019: Chicago marathon - Chicago, IL

This was one of my most challenging doubleheader weekends in terms of logistics and travel. I took a train up to Hartford on Friday 10/11, got my packet from the expo and checked into my hotel for the night. I got up early the next day and did a couple of interviews before the race with the local media, including one with Patricia Del Rio of WFSB.

IMG_4646_Original.jpg

I ran a good race, even with some rain towards the end.

IMG_4653_Original.jpg

The medal is really nice!

IMG_4655_Original.jpg

I went back to my hotel for a quick minute to clean up then rushed to airport to catch a flight to Chicago so I could meet up with Ferdinand to run the Chicago marathon. The logistics of getting my packet in time are too much to get into, but it was hard! Somehow I made it in time I stayed with my friend Dave, who happens to live just a few blocks from the start line. Ferdinand stayed in a hotel nearby. On the morning of the race, I met up with Ferdinand and a couple of his friends who were also running the marathon (first timers, too). The four of us ran together for the first hour or so. I wasn’t able to keep the pace probably because I ran the Hartford marathon the day before a little harder than I had planned. I really wanted Ferdinand to PR so I told him to run ahead and I would finish a few minutes behind him. I ran a decent race, not a PR, but a race I felt good about. I met Ferdinand at the end and he did in face PR! I was a few minutes off.

These are two outstanding races. The Hartford marathon is a great Northeastern race with a scenic course. And the Chicago marathon has to be in the top list of any serious marathon enthusiast’s races. It is extremely challenging, logistically, to pull off doing both the Hartford and Chicago marathons in the same weekend. If you can do it, go for it!

PLEASE DOWNLOAD GWENEVIERE’S ALBUM

She was excited about releasing an album that she had just finished, but she passed before she could realize that dream, so we released her album so that we could fulfill that dream for her. Buy & listen to the album here. 












Banner photography by Emiliano Granado