YASIRSALEM

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

By Yasir Salem · · 4 min read

From the archive. First published on the old yasirsalem.com blog.

  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.

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

The medal is really nice!

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. 

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