Race Report: 2025 Flying Monkey Marathon

On November 23, I ran the Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon.  This race is held in Percy Warner Park, which is on the southwest edge of Nashville.  It’s a challenging race with a hilly course.  Here’s how Trent, the race director, describes the philosophy of the event on the race website:

“Ours has become an age of flat and fast marathons on city streets and in urban jungles, with more focus on times, course certification, gadgets, charities and putting on a big show than on running. Many modern marathons have become spectacles rather than athletic events. But it was not always this way. Marathons used to be about running for the sake of running. They were about pushing oneself beyond the physiologic limits of the human body. While running.

The Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon is meant to be an antidote. Featured in Marathon & Beyond and in Runners' World magazines, it is a marathon that is about running. Running hard. Running over big and memorable and painful rolling hills through dense woods. Running with other like-minded athletes. The Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon is about the joy and pain of running a unique, and uniquely challenging--some would say beastly--26.2 mile course in the beautiful and historic Percy Warner Park, nestled among the Middle Tennessee Harpeth Hills.

We will time and measure the distance, but the course will not be certified and it will not be a Boston qualifying event. If you get to the end and you (or your gadget) believe the route to be long, we won't charge you extra; if you believe it to be short, just keep running. There will be no bands, cheerleaders, wave starts or crowds. We promise no marathon Personal Records, but we guarantee every runner a PR - a Permanent Remembrance of a well-earned marathon finish. We promise to give you approximately 26.2 tough and memorable miles, with a total of over 3600 feet each of elevation gain and loss, or over 7200 feet of overall elevation change.

Sure, there are other road marathons out there claiming to be America's toughest. But they are no Monkey. Come out and join us in Nashville. We look forward to seeing you.”

This race is a somewhat whimsical event.  Trent has a sense of humor, as illustrated by this brief history of flying monkeys in Percy Warner Park, which can also be found on the race website:

“Nashville's Percy Warner Park is home to a legendary breed of flying monkeys, named the Harpeth Hills Flying Monkeys after the geologic region where they reside. The Harpeth Hills Flying Monkeys, classified as an endangered species, are only rarely seen by humans. The monkeys are most active during low light, before dawn and around dusk. Sightings of flying monkeys are uncommon, and most witnesses confuse them with large owls, hawks or flying piglets. While flying monkeys are reputed to carry away small dogs and lost runners, they are generally harmless. Nobody has ever successfully photographed a flying monkey, and flying monkeys are in no way related to or affiliated with the ivory-billed woodpecker.

Percy Warner Park is one of the last known natural flying monkey habitats. Before 1939, such monkeys were seen throughout the Southeast, with concentrations in middle Tennessee and Appalachia, with smaller communities outside Chattanooga and Natchez. Flying Monkeys were rarely seen as far west as Kansas. The monkeys have always been very shy and have kept to themselves, although they have been reported to live in creepy dank castles with green-skinned human outcasts. As a result of their isolationism, the flying monkeys have evoked fear and revulsion among people. Some hunt them for sport. Others have blamed the monkeys for society's ills. Yet others simply refuse to believe that they exist.

As a result of years of over-hunting, destruction of their natural habitats, and simple human ignorance, flying monkeys no longer fill the skies. Only a few tribes remain, mostly relegated to dark hollows and dense woods. From the years of neglect and conflict, the monkeys now generally hide from humans whenever possible. However, when attacked, a flying monkey can defend itself. Its greatest weapon is its wings, which it can use to blind or to carry away any predators.

Runners in Percy Warner Park should keep ever vigilant for the native wildlife. Herds of deer, woodpeckers, skunks, true owls and eagles constantly roam the hills and woods. They will usually stand and watch runners go by. Occasionally, a flying monkey can be spotted perched high up among tree branches in the predawn light. A very fortunate few will witness the monkeys take flight, wings spread beneath the setting full moon, enjoying a few moments of a lost freedom.

An important notice for your safety - many of you will see what you believe are different owl breeds when spending time in the woods in and around the parks. Please be aware that you may be seeing a flying monkey. Flying monkeys are so horrific to witness, your brain cannot properly process the vision and instead presents to your conscious something less frightening. When you see an owl, know then that it may well be a flying monkey, and it may be the last thing you ever see.”

I’ve run or walked this race three times before, but it’s been several years since I was last here.  It falls on the same weekend as other popular events, such as the Philadelphia Marathon and the Route 66 Marathon.  As I was working on completing circuits of 50 states, I found myself needing to do other races on this weekend.  Now that I’m done with that, it was finally time to return to Nashville.

My last three trips to Nashville were solo trips.  This year, Deb came with me.  Deb likes it when I do races that are fun or whimsical.  This was her opportunity to experience the race as a volunteer.

Saturday, November 22

We flew to Nashville Saturday morning.  Our first stop was the Nashville Flea Market, which was held at the Nashville Fairgrounds.  Deb loves browsing at flea markets, and this is one of the largest flea markets in the country.  The Nashville Flea Market is only held on the fourth weekend of each month, so we were lucky to be there on the right weekend.

When we were done at the flea market, we went to the Nashville Farmers Market, which is just west of downtown.  While we were there, we had lunch.

After lunch, we went to Percy Warner Park.  The marathon route includes both paved roads and paved trails.  We couldn’t drive the whole thing, but we drove enough of it to give Deb a sense of the scenery (and hills) that I would see during the race.

We stayed at a hotel in Brentwood.  We weren’t close to the downtown area, but we were only a few miles from the park.  After checking in and unpacking, we went grocery shopping.

Deb’s knee has been gradually improving, but we did more walking than she’s done since her surgery.  By the time we got back from grocery shopping, Deb needed to stay off her feet for the rest of the day.  Deb had dinner in our room.  I had my pre-race pizza at a restaurant that was a short walk from our hotel.

We got to bed early.  Deb slept well that night.  I slept like I usually do before a race.  I got enough sleep to get by.

Sunday, November 23

Sunday was race day.  There was a group start at 8:00 for runners who wanted to be eligible for awards.  For runners who didn’t care about awards, there was a rolling start.  You could start any time from 7:00 to 8:30.  Finally, runners who needed extra time could start at 6:00, but the aid stations wouldn’t be staffed until 7:00.

Packet pickup was before the race, so Deb and I arrived at the park shortly after 7:00.  That gave me plenty of time to pick up my race packet, bring stuff back to the car, and make a bathroom stop.

Every year, Trent chooses a different theme.  Past themes have included “The 10th Annual Monkey Games,” “Year of the Monkey,” “12 Monkeys,” and “The Good, the Bad, and the Monkey.”  This year’s theme was “My Circus.  My Monkeys.”

The first time I did this race, it was my 300th marathon, so Trent gave me bib number 300.  He always gives returning runners the same number they’ve had in the past, so I always get number 300.

The temperature at the start was in the upper 40s, so I opted for tights.  Since this is a festive event, it was an opportunity to wear the cheetah gear.  I was willing to risk getting warm later in the race.

My usual training routes are relatively flat.  For the past few weeks, I’ve been incorporating more hills into my runs, but it’s wasn’t enough to prepare me for a course as hilly as this one.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to run a fast time here, so I didn’t set any time goals.  My plan was to run a slow but steady pace and enjoy the scenery.

I was thinking of starting at 8:00, but I was ready by 7:30.  When I saw a few other runners getting ready to start, I decided to start right after they did.  That way, I had a few people I could follow in the early miles.

The start/finish area was in a large field.  We ran over grass for the first few minutes to get to the road.  After that, we were on pavement until the end of the race.

Most of the course was on the 11.2-mile main loop through the park, but we started out on the Shell Hill connector, which cuts across the park.  As you might guess from the name, this road took us up and over a hill.

This hill starts out fairly gradual, but it’s long, and it gets more tiring near the top.  As I was about to crest the hill, I saw a reminder from Trent that there were many more hills to come.

After that hill, there was a long downhill section.  Just before the end of the second mile, we turned onto the main loop.  For the next 11.2 miles, we ran this loop counterclockwise.

There were 15 aid stations on the course.  They all had water and a sports drink called Sword.  A few of the aid stations had other beverages, such as Coke, beer, or Fireball.

Near the end of the third mile, there was a tiring uphill section.  Farther up the hill. I saw people walking.  I decided to follow their lead.

I ran the first half of the hill, but walked most of the rest of it.  That set the tone for most of the race.  When I saw other runners walking on a hill, I gave myself permission to walk the same section.  Rather than wear myself out, I conserved my energy.

In the early miles, I stopped a few times to take pictures of the course.  We were surrounded by trees, although many of the leaves had fallen.

There were mile markers, but their placement was only approximate.  I didn’t have a target pace, so I didn’t need to know the distance precisely.  I just wanted to have a general idea of how far I had run.

Occasionally, we passed a scenic viewpoint.  We were on high ground.  Where there was a clearing, we could see other parts of the city.

I kept up a surprisingly good pace through the first four miles, but my pace slowed down as I encountered more hills.  Miles five through eight were pretty hilly.  By the time I reached the eight-mile sign, it felt like I had been running forever.

In mile nine, I reached a nice long downhill section.  I ran that whole mile without a walking break.

This was a cupless race, so I was using a small cup that I could clip to my fanny pack.  Shortly after leaving one of the aid stations, I heard something hitting the ground.  I looked back and saw my cup on the ground.  It had slipped out of the rubber sleeve that was clipped to my pack.  I had to backtrack a short distance up a hill to retrieve it.  After that, I was careful to make sure it was secure when I was leaving an aid station.

In mile 13, I encountered a tiring hill, and I wanted to take a walking break.  Everyone in front of me was running this hill, so I did too.  That set the tone for the second half.  If the people in front of me ran a hill, I did too, even if I wanted to walk.  That happened on three straight hills.

Roughly halfway through the race, we finished our first lap of the “11.2.”  By now, we had run every hill on the course once.  Next, we ran back across the park on the Shell Hill connector.  When we reached the other side of the main loop, we began running it in the clockwise direction.  We were running all the same hills again, but from the opposite side.  I thought about the places where there were long or steep downhills sections in the first half.  Those sections would be uphill in the second half.

As I got back onto the “11.2,” there was a particularly long hill.  On this hill, I saw people who were walking the whole way.  I ran portions of this hill, but I walked most of it.

Besides being physically tiring, this race is also mentally tiring.  You need to be constantly vigilant, watching the trees for flying monkeys.  I’ve never encountered one myself, but I saw one runner who has some experience with monkey attacks.

On the backs of the mile markers, Trent puts other messages.  Some of them had to do with this year’s theme.

Other signs had inspirational messages taunts.

With about nine miles to go, I noticed a scenic overlook that I had somehow missed when I ran by there in the other direction.

In the last eight miles, I tried harder to keep running on the hills.  Eventually, I saw people walking on a hill that had some steep switchbacks.  When I saw how much higher I would need to climb, I realized I would need to walk the steepest sections.

With about seven miles to go, I came to an aid station at a junction I didn’t remember.  I saw the runners ahead of me turning right after the aid station.  I saw other runners coming from that direction and turning back onto the main loop.  After making the turn myself, I finally realized where I was.  On the second loop, there’s a place where we leave the main loop to do a short loop around an area with scenic views.  As I came up a hill, I realized this was probably the highest ground on the course.  From here, I could look forward to having much more downhill than uphill the rest of the way.

Most of the pavement was smooth, but there were a few sections of rough pavement.  The road was covered with leaves, so you couldn’t always see the pavement clearly.  With about five miles to go, my foot caught on a patch of rough pavement, and I tumbled onto the road.  I was running downhill, so I hit the pavement pretty hard.

The runner who was just ahead of me stopped and asked me if I was OK.  On the pavement, I could see small pieces of plastic.  It was my drinking cup.  I landed on it, and it shattered into dozens of small pieces.  I told him I was OK, but my cup wasn’t.

I wasn’t badly hurt, but my right elbow was bleeding, and I had a few small scrapes on my left hand.  I had two wet naps with me, so I used one of them to clean my elbow as best I could.

This is the third time this year that I’ve fallen during a race.  All three of those races were in Tennessee.  I’m starting to think that Tennessee races are dangerous.

Although this was advertised as a cupless race, they did have some paper cups at the aid stations.  At the next two aid stations, I drank a cup of Sword and poured a cup of water over my elbow, to keep it clean.

In the late miles, I made more of an effort to run the hills, even if I was slow.  Then, with less than three miles to go, I saw several people ahead of me walking.  I saw what looked like a steep hill, so I started walking too.  Then I saw this sign.  Obviously, we were all mistaken.  This wasn’t a hill.

After that, when I saw people ahead of me walking, I told myself, “This isn’t a hill either,” and I kept running.

In the last two miles, we reached high ground overlooking the Harpeth Hills Golf Course.  I knew we were about to start a nice downhill section.  I saw two guys walking and tried to encourage them to run where it was downhill, but they kept walking.

When I finished the road loop, I still had to run over grass for a few minutes to get back to where I started.  I finished in 4:37:43.  That’s about what I expected.

Shortly after I got my finisher medal, Deb found me.  I took out my remaining wet nap and tried to clean my elbow again, but there was too much blood.  Deb wanted me to see one of the EMTs, but I went to the beer tent first.  I had to get my free Yazoo beer.

While I was drinking my beer, one of the EMTs spotted me.  I finished my beer, told Deb where I was going, and accompanied the EMT to his vehicle.  Two EMTs cleaned and bandaged my right elbow.  Besides the bleeding, it was also badly swollen.  It didn’t hurt, but I probably had an inflamed bursa.  I’ve banged that elbow before with the same result.

Because of the swelling, the EMTs wondered if I broke a bone or had ligament damage.  When they asked me if it hurt, I told them I only felt the scrapes.  In fact, I only noticed the scrapes on my left hand.  Because of that, I really didn’t notice any pain from my right elbow.

While I was running, Deb was volunteering at the merchandise tent.  She saw this map of the course and knew I would want one, so she made a point of buying one before they ran out.

Both of us were hungry.  They had food trucks in the finish area, so we each got an egg and cheese sandwich before leaving.

Getting cleaned up after the race, I had to be careful not to get my bandage wet.  A shower was out of the question.  I could take a bath, but I had to keep my right elbow away from the water.

While I was getting cleaned up, Deb went grocery shopping.  I was out of commission until dinner.

By evening, I was noticing my elbow much more.  It was stiff, and I felt some discomfort when I bent it.  I took some Tylenol so it wouldn’t keep me awake at night, but I put off getting X-rays until I got home.

I also noticed some scrapes on the side of my right knee.  I didn't notice them right after the race, because I was wearing tights.  Those scrapes probably would've been much worse if I had been wearing shorts.

The Tylenol helped for a while, but I woke up during the night and had trouble getting back to sleep.  Deb had trouble sleeping for different reasons.  She spent a long time on her feet, walking on uneven ground.

Monday, November 24

We didn’t fly home until Tuesday, so Monday was an extra day for sightseeing.  We drove to Centennial Park, which is home to Nashville’s full-scale replica of the Parthenon.

Centennial Park is one of the places where you can board the Old Town Trolley.  The trolley is a hop-on-hop-off bus with 13 stops around Nashville.  Between stops, our driver gave us commentary about the sights around us.  Among other things, he pointed out the homes and recording studios of several well-known recording artists, and he played relevant samples of their music.

We got off the trolley at one of the downtown stops and spent the next couple of hours downtown.  One of our stops was Goo Goo Chocolate Company, where you can design your own candy bar.

After having lunch downtown and walking up and down Broadway, we got back on the trolley, eventually riding it back to Centennial Park, where our car was parked.

After our sightseeing, we stopped at a CVS Minute Clinic, so I could have the dressing changed on my elbow.

Deb’s dinner on Sunday was so big that she had enough leftovers for her dinner on Monday.  I was on my own for dinner, so I walked to a nearby restaurant.

Tuesday, November 25

We flew home Tuesday morning.  I have a doctor appointment on Wednesday to have my elbow examined.  Perhaps, I should also have me head examined.

Race statistics:

Distance:  26.2 miles

Time:  4:37:43

Average Pace:  10:36 per mile

First Half:  2:15:35

Second Half:  2:22:08

Marathons/Ultras in 2025:  32

Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  567

Monkey Kills:  4

Race Report: 2025 City of Oaks Marathon

On November 2, I ran the City of Oaks Marathon in Raleigh, NC.  This was a last-minute addition to my race schedule.  I was originally planning to run the Big Bear Marathon on November 8.  That race had to be cancelled after the road washed out during a severe storm.  As I looked for another race to fill in the gap in my schedule, City of Oaks was an obvious choice.

I’ve done this race twice in the last three years, so I knew it had easy logistics.  I knew where I wanted to stay, and that hotel still had vacancies.  I was also able to book direct flights without paying an unreasonable airfare.

For an extra fee, you could have your race packet mailed to you.  By the time I registered, the deadline for this option had passed, so I had to pick up my race packet at the expo on Saturday.

I flew to Raleigh Saturday morning.  The expo was at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek.  This was a new packet pickup venue.  The old venue was at a school that was on my way into town from the airport.  The new venue was on the opposite side of town, but I still went there first before driving to my downtown hotel.

The tents for packet pickup and vendors were all set up in a large packing lot.  As luck would have it, Saturday was a sunny day.  It was a nice day to be outside.

After picking up my race packet, I headed downtown to check in at my hotel.  I’ve done this race three times, and I’ve always stayed at the Hampton Inn.  It’s two blocks from the starting line and two blocks from the finish line.  It’s also just around the corner from my favorite restaurant in Raleigh.  The one negative about this hotel is that it’s located near a night club that plays loud music until 3 AM.  The hotel provides all guests with ear plugs, but I always bring my own.

When I arrived, there weren’t any rooms ready yet, so I walked around downtown Raleigh while I was waiting.  After I got into my room and unpacked, I did a workout in the fitness room.  Then I relaxed until dinner.

I had an early dinner at Raleigh Beer Garden.  Besides pizza, they have 200 different beers on tap.  While I was there, one of the bartenders recognized me from last year.  He remembered that I ran the marathon.

I had been up early that morning to get to the airport, so I went to bed right after dinner.  It was probably the earliest I’ve ever gone to bed before a race.

Sunday was the day we set the clocks back.  My room didn’t have an alarm clock, but there was a microwave oven, and it had a clock.  I usually wake up a few times during the night, and I sometimes glance at the clock.  To make sure I wouldn’t get confused, I reset the clock on the microwave before going to bed.  My phone resets automatically.

I slept well for a few hours.  Then I got up and went to the bathroom.  By now, it was late enough that I expected to hear loud music from the club next door, but I didn’t hear a thing.  My ear plugs were completely shutting it out.

It took me a while to get back to sleep.  As I was lying in bed, I thought I detected a faint smoky smell.  It was like the way your clothes smell after spending an evening sitting around a campfire.  I couldn’t find any obvious source of the odor.  It was so faint that I couldn’t be sure if my mind was playing tricks on me.

I eventually got back to sleep, but I woke up again a few hours later.  The time on the microwave was 12:30 AM.  It was actually 1:30 daylight time, but I had already set that clock back.

I heard a chirping sound that repeated.  It sounded like a fire alarm, so I quickly got dressed, so I could go down to the lobby and find out what was happening.  When I took out my ear plugs, I heard how loud the alarm was.  It was loud enough to cause hearing loss with prolonged exposure.

Before heading downstairs, I grabbed my wallet and phone.  I didn’t know if it was actually a fire or just a false alarm.  The other hotel guests were all emerging from their rooms.  I followed everyone down to the lobby and outside into the street.  When I got outside, I saw a fire engine.  Two others would arrive soon.

A well-dressed man motioned for us to come across the street.  I think he was the owner of a club that was across the street from the hotel. A few of us went into that building.  It was nice to get inside and sit down, but there was loud music playing.  I just wanted peace and quiet.

My rental car was parked in a ramp in that same block.  I was tempted to go and sit in my car.  Then I realized I had left the car keys in my hotel room.  After a few minutes, I went back outside.  Then I saw that others were going back into the hotel.  Apparently, we received the all clear.  I wanted to confirm that with a hotel employee, but I couldn’t find one.

I saw one of the firemen leaving the building, so I asked him what happened.  He said it was probably a faulty alarm.  They didn’t find any fire or smoke in the building.  I eventually learned that the source of the alarm was a heater for the hotel’s pool.  It started overheating, and that set off the alarm.  They had to shut that system down.  Then everything was fine.

On my way back to my room, I was talking to other guests who all said this was the first time anything like this has happened to them.  I wish I could say that.  For me, it’s the fourth time I’ve had to evacuate a hotel because of a fire alarm.  It always seems to happen after midnight, and it’s always the night before a marathon.

When I got back to my room, I noticed how loud the music was.  There’s no way I could tune that out and get to sleep without ear plugs.  I put in my plugs.  As they expanded in my ears, the music gradually got quieter, until I couldn’t hear it at all.

By now, my phone had reset to standard time.  According to both my phone and the microwave clock. It was now a few minutes after 1:00.  I wasn’t planning to get up until 5:00, so I tried to get back to sleep.  I still thought I detected a faint smoky smell, but it seemed to fade away over time.

I wasn’t able to get back to sleep, but I did the next best thing.  I spent the rest of the night resting in bed.  I was almost asleep, when I heard something that sounded like an explosion.  Was that from one of the clubs?  It was now 3:19 AM.  I think they all close at 3:00.

I continued to rest in bed until it was time to get up.  I never got back to sleep.  The good news is that I got four or five hours of sleep before the fire alarm woke me up.

When I got up, I felt OK.  I’ve run marathons on less sleep, so I didn’t worry about it.  Thinking back to the other times a fire alarm woke me up, I always had a good race.

The temperature at the start was in the upper 30s, but I expected it to get up to 60 by the time I finished.  I needed tights to keep my legs warm for the first two hours, but I wondered if I would get too hot later.  I also started the race wearing gloves.  I was thinking of wearing my Tyvek jacket in the early miles, but I made a last-minute decision to tie it around my waist just before we started.

Having run this race twice before, I knew it was hilly, and they’re the sort of hills that take me out of my rhythm.  My primary goal was to break four hours.  That’s the same goal I had two weeks ago in a race with hills and strong winds.  If I couldn’t do that, my backup goal was to run a Boston Qualifier.  To do that, I just needed a time of 4:05.

I wanted to start with the 4:00 pace group, but I wasn’t able to spot them in the start corrals.  I saw the 2:00 pace group for the half marathon, so I started with them.  It’s the same pace, and the two races have the same course for the first eight miles.

Those first eight miles are on streets in or near the downtown area.  I had forgotten how hilly these miles are.  Some streets were uphill, and others were downhill, but it was rarely flat.

I quickly learned that the leaders of this pace group were taking every mile at the same pace, whether it was uphill or downhill.  On downhill sections, the pace felt really easy, and I had to hold back to keep from running away from the group.  On uphill sections, I sometimes had to work hard to keep up with the group.

In mile five, we ran a particularly long downhill section.  Here, I got ahead of the group, and I went about 15 seconds too fast.  I was going so easy that my heart rate was only 116.  That’s unusually low for a race where I have ambitious time goals.

The next time we went uphill, the group caught up to me again.  Then, on a tougher hill, my heart rate climbed to 149.  I was working up a sweat, so I had to take off my gloves.

At the seven-mile mark, I found myself in front of the group again.  I was exactly on pace for a four-hour finish, so I didn’t worry about getting away from the group.  I needed to go on my own in another mile anyway, so I started setting my own pace.

At eight miles, the marathon and half marathon diverged.  The half marathon looped back toward the downtown area.  The marathon continued onto a series of paved trails through a greenway.

We were beginning a long out-and-back section on these trails.  Most of the time, we were running through a narrow valley with a creek.

After getting onto the trail, I immediately felt colder.  I wondered if the air was cooler because we were near the creek.  Another runner pointed out that this section was shady, so it felt much cooler than when we were in the sun.  My hands were cold, but I didn’t worry about that.  I knew it was going to warm up as the race progressed.

At nine miles, we started a three-mile section that was mostly downhill.  There were still occasional upticks, but the trend was decidedly downhill.  I knew I would have to run this in the uphill direction later, so I gave myself permission to speed up running downhill.

I’ve run this course before, but I was still surprised how quickly we were descending in mile 10.  I sped up to 8:14 in that mile.  That was almost a minute faster than my target pace of 9:09.

Mile 11 wasn’t quite as fast, but it was still much faster than my target pace.  I was building a nice cushion, but I expected to give that time back when I had to run these miles in the uphill direction.

In mile 12, I was disappointed with my pace.  It was just barely ahead of my target pace, even though that mile was also downhill.

After that, the course leveled off.  There were still uphill and downhill sections, but they balanced out.  After having a disappointing time for mile 12, I picked up my effort to make sure I would stay on pace in the somewhat level miles.  In mile 13, I sped up to 8:35.  That was a pleasant surprise.

At the halfway point, I was on pace to break 3:55, but I knew the second half would be much tougher.

By now, I was seeing the faster runners on their way back.  With two-way traffic, the trail got crowded.

There was a brief section on sidewalk, as we ran alongside a residential street.  Then we crossed the street and got back onto another section of paved trail.  From there, it was about two and a half miles to the turnaround.  I worked hard enough to keep my pace close to nine minutes per mile.

Along these trails, there weren’t many spectators.  There were only a few spots that spectators could easily reach.  One was a park that we ran through at about 15 miles.  I have friends who live in the area, and this is where I’ve sometimes seen them.  This year, unfortunately, they were out of town.

As I got closer to the turnaround, I started looking for the 4:00 pace group.  I didn’t expect to see them in front of me, and I never did.  After the turn, I started looking to see if they were somewhere behind me.  I never saw them.  I stopped looking when I saw the 4:15 group.  I had read that there would be a 4:00 group, but apparently there wasn’t.  Either they couldn’t find enough pacers, or someone didn’t show up.

Making my way back, I continued to work hard enough to keep my pace close to nine minutes.  In at least one mile, I overdid it, adding to my cushion.

When I came back through the park, I felt the warmth of the sun for the first time in about 10 miles.  Finally, my hands no longer felt cold.

I was thinking I would begin the tough uphill section around 19 miles.  I was off by a mile.  The three-mile uphill section was from 20 to 23.

As I started this section, I knew I had a cushion of at least three and a half minutes.  I wasn’t keeping close enough track to realize it, but I actually had a cushion of about five minutes going into this stretch.

Mile 21 wasn’t as tough as I thought.  The trend was uphill, but there were still some flat or downhill sections.  With effort, I managed to keep my pace close to my overall target pace.  Now I just had two more uphill miles, and my cushion was still intact.

As I started mile 22, I told myself anything under 10:30 would be acceptable.  This mile also wasn’t as tough as I remembered.  I worked hard on the uphill sections, and I used the occasional flat or downhill section to recover.  That mile was also close to my target pace, so I still wasn’t giving back any time.

Mile 23 was every bit as tough as I expected, but I knew I wouldn’t give back my entire cushion in one mile.  There was a long section that was steep, but all I had to do was run it at whatever pace I could manage.  I would be fine as long as I didn’t walk.

My only concern at this point was that I might be too tired to resume my previous pace in the last few miles.  That concern went away when I saw my time for mile 23.  I ran it in 10:04.  That’s almost a minute slower than my overall target pace, but it still left me with a large cushion.

Midway through the next mile, we left the trails to get back on city streets.  From here, the next two miles were straight toward downtown.  I wasn’t getting hot yet, and I was close enough to the finish that I knew I didn’t have to worry about overheating.

Where we got onto the street, it was initially uphill, but it wasn’t a big deal.  It wasn’t steep enough to slow me down, and it wasn’t long enough to tire me out.  When I finished mile 24, I saw that I had brought my pace back under nine minutes.

I knew the rest of the race would have a downhill trend.  Mile 25 had a couple small hills, but much more of it was downhill.  My time for that mile was the same as the previous mile.

With just over a mile to go, I knew I was done with hills.  The rest of the race was either flat or downhill.  As I passed runners who were struggling, I made sure they knew they were done with the hills.  One was relieved to hear that.

With half a mile to go, I saw a spectator standing in the middle of the street.  I didn’t notice what her sign said, but she kept shouting, “Downhill time.”  Then she said, “It’s all downhill from here.”

Usually, when a spectator says that, they’re wrong.  This time, she was right.  The rest of the course was all downhill.  I was too tired to pick up my pace much, but I easily kept up the same pace.

There were still three sharp turns before the finish.  When I reached the first one, I knew exactly where I was.  I wouldn’t be able to see the finish line until after the last turn, but I knew the rest of the route.

A couple runners passed me on the downhill charge to the finish line.  I tried to keep up with one of them, but he was a stronger finisher.

I knew I was easily breaking four hours, but I was still shocked to see how large my margin was.  I finished in 3:55:15.  I was only about 30 seconds slower in the second half, even though it has a tougher elevation profile.

As I moved through the finish area, I received my medal and a bottle of water.  Then I made my way to the customer service tent, so I could find out if I won an age group award.  I did.  I was second in my age group.

I think the age group award is supposed to slip over the ribbon of the finisher medal, but I haven’t figured out how to do that without putting a fold into the ribbon.

Next, I made my way to the beer garden to have a post-race beer.  I didn’t eat any post-race snacks.  I’ll probably eat an early dinner instead.  Then I’ll want to get to bed early.  I need to catch up on sleep.

When other hotel guests found out this was my fourth fire alarm at a hotel, some of them thought I might be bad luck.  One said I should remind him never to stay at the same hotel as me.  While it’s never a pleasant experience, it almost seems like it’s good luck for me.  Every time it happens, I run a Boston qualifier.

Race statistics:

Distance:  26.2 miles

Time:  3:55:15

Average Pace:  8:59 per mile

First Half:  1:57:22

Second Half:  1:57:53

Marathons/Ultras in 2025:  31

Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  566

Consecutive Boston Qualifiers:  7

Lifetime Boston Qualifiers:  186

Fire Alarms Before a Race:  4

Race Report: 2025 Champlain Islands Marathon

On October 19, I ran the Champlain Islands Marathon in South Hero, VT.  Deb and I used this race as the launching pad for a Vermont vacation.  It was our first trip together since Deb’s knee surgery.

Saturday, October 18

We flew to Burlington on Saturday.  When we booked this trip, I was surprised to find out we could get a direct flight.  On prior trips to Burlington, I always had to make connections in Detroit or New York.

At home, Deb wears slippers that look a lot like shoes.  They give her feet the support she needs for walking within the house, but they’re not adequate for outdoor walking.  We were already at the airport when Deb realized she was still wearing her slippers.  We got to the airport early, but not so early that we could go home to get her shoes.

As soon as we got to Burlington, we went shopping for shoes.  Deb’s size is hard to find, so we weren’t lucky enough to find her usual model in her size.  We were able to find a pair that works for her.  As luck would have it, it was a model of shoes that she was already interested in trying.

The race was on Grand Isle, but I could pick up my race packet at a SkiRack store in downtown Burlington.  That made it convenient to stay in Burlington for the first two nights of our trip.  We stayed at Hilton Garden Inn, which was just one block from SkiRack.  After checking in at the hotel, I walked over to SkiRack, while Deb looked over the sightseeing brochures at the hotel.

Our hotel was also close to the Church Street Mall, which is a pedestrian-friendly shopping district in downtown Burlington.  We spent most of the afternoon exploring the shops along the Church Street Mall.  Then we had an early dinner at American Flatbread.

Sunday, October 19

Sunday was race day.  The race started at Folson Elementary School in South Hero.  From downtown Burlington, it was about a 30-minute drive.  The race started at 8:30 AM, but I wanted to get there early enough to find parking at the school.  I was up early, so I left at 6:45.

As I started driving, I could see the orange glow of the sunrise.  By the time I got to the school, it was light out.  I got there in plenty of time to get a close parking place.

Some of the leaves had already fallen, but there was still plenty of color.

The temperature at the start was about 50 degrees, but there was a strong enough wind to make it feel colder.  I started the race wearing a jacket and gloves, knowing I would need to take them off as it got warmer.

This was my fifth marathon in six weeks.  In the previous four, I ran times ranging from 3:47 to 3:53.  For this race, I set a more conservative goal.  I just wanted to break four hours.  I had never run this course before, but I knew it had hills.  I also knew we would have a strong headwind at times.

Often in small races, nobody wants to line up in front.  When the race director said anyone going for a PR should move near the front, there still weren’t many runners near the starting line.  Finally, he said anyone trying to win the race should be up here.  One woman suddenly emerged from the crowd and moved to the front.

The course was an out-and-back route that we ran twice.  For the first mile, we were headed south along South Street.  We were running directly into the wind.  I quickly found my initial pace to be tiring.  I didn’t know if I was starting too fast or if it was just the wind resistance.  It turned out to be both.

My jacket was unzipped in front, so it wouldn’t cover my race bib.  It was catching the wind like a sail, so I had to take it off and tie it around my waist.  It wasn’t easy to do that without slowing down, but I’ve had a lot of practice.

When I finished the first mile, I saw that I ran it in 8:26.  For a four-hour finish, I needed to average 9:09 per mile.  I was hoping to average about 9:00, but I knew some miles would be easier and some would be harder.  This was one of the difficult miles, yet I ran it fast.

Early in the second mile, we turned onto West Shore Road and started running toward the western side of the island.  Immediately after turning, we started running down a long gradual hill.  Here, I ran even faster.  I wasn’t trying to speed up, but I no longer had a headwind, and this mile was all downhill.  I sped up to 8:08.  That turned out to be my fastest mile of the race, by far.

After nearly a mile of running downhill, I got my first view of Lake Champlain, as we came within sight of White’s Beach.

After passing the beach, we ran up a small hill and turned toward the north.  The next four miles had rolling hills, but the wind was at our backs.

The aid stations had water and Lime Mapleaid.  Lime Mapleaid is a locally-produced sports drink made with maple syrup, lime juice, and salt.  It’s an unusual flavor combination, but it was part of the experience.  We were running past farms, some of which were selling maple syrup.

There weren’t a lot of spectators.  They were mostly clustered around places where the road we were on intersected other roads.  At one such intersection, I saw a few Halloween themes signs.  One that caught my attention read, “No TP in the Port-O-Potties.  Scary shit.”

With the wind at my back, I continued to run much faster than my target pace.  My pace over this section ranged from 8:26 to 8:44.

As I got closer to the turnaround at the northern end of the course, I started to see faster runners coming back.  The first runner coming back was the same woman who moved to the front just before the race.  She was the eventual winner of the half marathon.

When I reached the turn, I checked my time.  I was on pace to finish in 3:45, but that was over the fast part of the course.  On the way back, I would face a headwind, and I would eventually need to go up that same long hill that led me to run so fast in mile two.

I expected my pace to be much slower now that I was running into the wind.  For the first mile and a half, I was a little slower, but not as much as I expected.  My pace was still faster than my target pace.  Finally, in mile nine, it got much tougher.

I don’t know if the wind suddenly picked up, or if we were just more exposed to it as we ran past flat farmland.  It suddenly felt much more tiring.  Making matters worse, I was starting up what I later realized was the second longest hill on the course.

I slowed in that mile, but only to 9:09.  I was happy with that pace.  The scary part was how tiring it felt.

The next mile was also tiring, and for the same reasons.  The wind was still strong, and I think that mile was more up than down.  I was two seconds faster in that mile, but the wind was gradually wearing me down.

I still had one more mile that was into the wind.  As I came within sight of White’s Beach, I was relieved to know that I was about to turn out of the wind.  I momentarily forgot that I was about to start a mile that was all uphill.

As I ran past the beach, I saw a flag flying about the beach.  The wind had shredded it.

Just before the 11-mile mark, I started up the hill.  When I got my split for mile 11, I was surprised to see that I sped up to 8:34.  I didn’t realize it yet, but that mile was much more downhill than uphill.

The first half of the long hill was gradual, but it knew it would get steeper later.  I knew this mile would be slower, but I focused on maintaining a steady effort that wouldn’t wear me out.  Early in that mile, several runners passed me.  I didn’t know if they were doing the marathon or the half marathon.  If I only had to run this hill once, I might have fought to maintain my pace.  Knowing I would need to run it again later, I was more inclined to save my energy.

As I got farther up the hill, it got tougher.  Now, I was passing people who were walking.  I ran by them.  I continued to climb at a steady pace.

I was relieved when I could see someone in the distance waving an orange flag.  That was the course marshal showing us where we turned back onto South Street.  It was also the top of the hill.

When I reached the top and made that turn, it suddenly got much easier.  Not only was I done with the hill, but I had a tailwind for the remainder of my first lap.

My pace for that uphill mile was 9:15.  That was my slowest mile so far, but I didn’t slow down nearly as much as I thought I would.  I would have been satisfied with anything faster than 10 minutes.

It took about a minute to recover from the long hill.  Then I started to speed up.  By the time I reached 13-mile mark, I could actually feel the wind pushing at my back.  Unfortunately, I would soon need to turn around and run back into that wind.

At the halfway mark, I was on pace to finish in 3:49, but I knew the second half would be slower.  I knew from studying the hourly forecast that the wind would gradually get stronger.  Also, the wind and the hills had a cumulative effect on me.  They would gradually wear me down.

My first mile of the second lap wasn’t nearly as fast as my first mile of the race.  Still, I didn’t give back any time.  I ran it in 9:05.

Next, I turned out of the wind to run down the long hill again.  I wasn’t nearly as fast this time, but I was easily faster than my target pace.

When I reached White’s Beach again, I could see how much stronger the wind was.  There were whitecaps all over the lake.

It was in the next mile that I realized how I managed to run so last in mile 11.  As I began running with the wind at my back, I noticed for the first time that this mile was much more up than down.  This time, I found the hills to be tiring.

Things got easier in the next few miles.  I wasn’t as fast in these miles as I was the first time, but I was staying under my target pace.

It was getting warmer now.  With the wind at my back, I started to get sweaty.  It wasn’t a big deal.  I knew I would cool down again when I eventually ran into the wind again.

When I reached the far turnaround for the second time, I did another time check.  I had 6.55 miles to go.  If I could run them in 66 minutes, I would break four hours.  Simply averaging 10 minutes per mile would be fast enough.  I knew the next five miles would be tough, but I was pretty confident I could do that.

Coming back, I once again found the first mile and a half to be manageable.  I slowed down a little, but my pace was closer to 9:00 than 10:00.  At about 21 miles, the other shoe dropped.

Right on cue, the wind suddenly felt much stronger.  Was that a coincidence, or was it the layout of the course?  It didn’t matter.  For the next two miles, I really struggled with both the wind and the hills.

Mile 22 was tiring, but I didn’t slow down as much as I thought.  I ran it in 9:34.  That was my slowest mile so far, but at this point, anything under 10 minutes was good.

I kept noticing one family who lived along the course.  They stood in front of their house, and they cheered and rang cowbells whenever a runner went by.  When I ran past them for the final time, I saw something I hadn’t noticed before.  There was a chair out by the road.  Next to it was a sign that read, “Beer.  Take a can.”  For the first time, I noticed cans of beer and seltzer in the chair.  I was struggling too much to even consider it.

On paper, mile 23 was no more difficult than mile 22, but I slowed to 9:45 in that mile.  That was still faster than 10:00, so I was OK with it.

I just had one more mile that was into the wind.  I knew this mile would be a mostly downhill mile, but that didn’t make it feel much easier.  I can’t express how relieved I was when I finally came within sight of White’s Beach.  I knew the next mile was uphill.  I didn’t care.  I just wanted to get out of the wind.

After running past the beach, I caught up to another runner.  As I went by, I said, “Let’s do this.  The next mile is uphill, but …”

He finished that sentence for me.  He said, “No more wind!”

In mile 24, I sped up to 9:02, but only because it was somewhat downhill.  Now, I was about to start the tough climb again.

There were mile markers for the first half, but not for the second half.  When I saw the “11” sign, I had 2.1 miles to go.  I did another time check.  At this point, even 11 minutes per mile would be fast enough.  I had to get through the hill again, but the last mile would be easy.

Going up the hill, I was gradually gaining on two runners who had been ahead of me for most of the race.  I passed one as he was starting to walk.  I gradually gained ground on the other.

Halfway up the hill, the grade gets more difficult.  I kept looking ahead to see if I could see the top.  Eventually, I saw the volunteer with the orange flag.  Now that I could see the top, I picked up my effort.

I wasn’t quite to the top when my watch gave me a split for mile 25.  I ran it in 10:12.  That was almost a minute slower than my time for the corresponding mile in the first lap.  That was OK.  It was well under 11 minutes, and that’s all that mattered.

When I reached the top, I turned the corner and saw the “12” sign.  I did one last time check, even though I knew it didn’t matter.  To finish in four hours, I just needed to run the last 1.1 miles in 14 minutes … with the wind at my back.

I was still trying to catch up to the runner who finished the hill just ahead of me.  Then another runner flew by me.  I couldn’t match her pace, but I continued to gain ground on the other runner.  When I passed, I said, “Almost there.  Finish strong.”  Then I saw a sign saying we had a half mile to go.  It was nice to see that, since I didn’t trust my watch to tell me exactly how much was left.

From there to the finish, I ran harder.  Having the wind at my back obviously helped.  I finished in 3:56:12.  I was much slower in the second half, but I beat my goal by almost four minutes, in spite of the strong winds and the hilly course.

I got my finisher medal from my friend, Anne, who lives in this area and belongs to the running club that puts on this race.  I had to lean against a car briefly before I could walk into the school building.

Post race beverages included apple cider.  Post-race food included chili.  After drinking some cider and getting a bowl of chili, I sat down next to my friend, Shane, who had finished 11 minutes earlier.

By the time I was done with the chili, they were starting the awards ceremony for the marathon.  I stayed long enough to see if I won anything.  I took second in my age group.  Shane also placed in his age group.  The awards were coffee mugs.

Deb spent the morning in downtown Burlington.  She had lunch at a local diner.  After I got back to the hotel, I needed some time to get cleaned up.  Then we drove to Shelburne.

We went to the Shelburne Country Store and the Teddy Bear Factory.  We skipped some other popular destinations, because we’ve been there before.  When we were done, we had dinner at a diner in Shelburne.

Monday, October 20

On Monday, we drove to Waterbury.   Rather than drive directly there, we took a circuitous route, so we could make a few stops on the way.  First, we went to a chocolate factory in Colchester.  Then, we stopped at a maple outlet in Jeffersonville.  Before continuing to Stowe, we made a brief detour to see this covered bridge.

So far, it had been a scenic drive with autumn colors, going through small towns with Halloween decorations.  As we continued driving, it started to rain.  We had lunch in Stowe, but we didn’t make any other stops because of the rain.  After lunch, we checked into our hotel in Waterbury.

In the afternoon, we went to a glass gallery, where we each got a glass blowing lesson.  Our instructor explained the process to each of us, and then guided us each in making different shapes of colorful glass objects.  Deb’s was heart-shaped.  Mine was an egg.

When we left, it was pouring.  We didn’t feel like going anywhere else in the rain, so we relaxed at the hotel for the rest of the day.

Tuesday, October 21

It was drizzly in the morning, so we spent the first half of the day exploring various shops and galleries in Waterbury and Stowe.  We also visited a farm that makes maple syrup.  In lieu of a real lunch, we had milkshakes at Ben & Jerry’s.

In the afternoon, the sky cleared up, so we finally had a chance to do some outdoor sightseeing.  We started by driving to the trailhead for Bingham Falls.  The hike was longer and more strenuous than I expected.

Next, we went to Moss Glen Falls.  This was an easier hike.

Our last sightseeing stop was the Historic Gold Brook Covered Bridge.

We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling along Main Street in Stowe and visiting some of the shops.  Our last stop before returning to Waterbury was the Cabot Creamery.  Then we had dinner in downtown Waterbury.

Wednesday, October 22

It was rainy in the morning again, so we stuck to visiting local shops until the rain stopped.  In the afternoon, we drove to the Montpelier area.  We had to drive through some heavy rain, but it cleared up shortly after we arrived.  We visited two more farms that make maple syrup and browsed through their shops.

Thursday, October 23

It wasn’t raining Thursday morning, but we needed to drive back to Burlington to fly home.

While we were in Vermont, our diet was loaded with ice cream, cheese, apple cider, and everything maple.  Now that I’m home, I need to get back on a healthy diet. 

Race statistics:

Distance:  26.2 miles

Time:  3:56:12

Average Pace:  9:02 per mile

First Half:  1:54:25

Second Half:  2:01:47

Marathons/Ultras in 2025:  30

Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  565

Consecutive Boston Qualifiers:  6

Lifetime Boston Qualifiers:  185