Quote:
Originally Posted by Rain Man
Great job, DanT.
You seem to like the Flying Pig. How many times have you done it, and have you tried any others? What draws you to it? (Edit: I just noticed you mentioning two other marathons. So I'll just ask how many others you've done.)
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I am nine for nine in marathon attempts, fortunately.
4th Flying Pig, so if next year is a success, I will get a Squandron medal, part of their flying pig theme. That marathon was my first, back in 2022, and I love it because the race support is first class and the spectators and volunteers are numerous, enthusiastic, and fun. It’s such a great event, a great choice for a first full marathon and one that many of us return to over and over.
I have also done the Garmin KC Marathon every year since 2022. I am fond of it, because those streets are home. I grew up in KC, by Paseo High, just a couple blocks from the start and finish line and I spent huge amounts of time in every neighborhood that course covers, because I had a very busy and happy childhood and our family didn’t have a car until I started driving, so I know those streets intimately from walking, riding my bike, or riding buses. I was bussed to elementary school near Loose Park and Lincoln for high school. If I were designing a course to remind me of my childhood, that course would look like the race course. My brothers are still in KC and I get to see them there! I also ran it with my nephew for his first full. He’s in the Air Force, stationed in Sicily (at a Navy base), and we are thinking of finding a race in Europe to run together.
I did the famous CIM as a full for the first time last year, having run it six times as a relay with a dear friend before we decided to run the whole thing for her first full marathon.
I also did the Redding Marathon, back in 2023. That’s a smaller race with an interesting route. It starts at Shasta Dam and ends at the Sundial Bridge, with most of the route small trails near the Sacramento River. I think I will do it again at least once, as I look back on it with fondness, even though it’s about the only marathon where around mile 16, I had a little bit of doubt about finishing. I stupidly thought it was a flat course, given that it was on river trails, but the damn course found every hill it could and totally psyched me out, :lol: I decided during that one I didn’t need to repeat it any time soon, but now I think I might do it again in 2026 or 2027, as it did have some cool features, including a spectacular start, running across Shasta Dam, and it’s organized by a small but committed group of runners who do a great job.