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 Belgrade Marathon

On April 6, I ran the Belgrade Marathon.  You might say that this was the continuation of a long-term fascination with the Danube River.

The Danube is the second longest river in Europe.  The Volga is longer, but that river is entirely within Russia.  The Danube, by contrast, flows through 10 different countries.  It flows through the capital cities of four of them.

When I was growing up, I walked past my parents’ bedroom and heard some music my dad was playing on the stereo.  I asked him what it was, and he showing me an album of Viennese waltzes.  The selection currently playing was “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” by Johann Strauss.  That waltz was my gateway to the world of classical music, and it’s still one of my favorite pieces of music.

In 2012, while on a business trip in Switzerland, I had the opportunity to drive into Germany on the weekend and run the Einstein Marathon in Ulm.  The Danube River flows through Ulm, and the marathon route crossed the river eight times.  That was the first time I saw the Danube River with my own eyes.

Three years later, I traveled to Austria to run the Vienna City Marathon.  Vienna was the home of Johann Strauss.  As you might have guessed, the Danube also flows through Vienna.  You start that marathon by crossing a bridge over the Danube.  As you begin running, they play “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” over several large speakers.

The Danube also flows through Budapest, which is the capital of Hungary.  In 2019, I ran the Budapest Marathon.  The course included several miles along the banks of the Danube, and it crossed the river four times.

Two years ago, I ran the Bratislava Marathon in Slovakia.  The closest major airport to Bratislava is the Vienna Airport.  I flew to Vienna and took a ferry on the Danube to get to Bratislava.  Just like the Budapest Marathon, this course crossed the river four times and included sections along both banks of the river.

A few weeks before traveling to Bratislava, I was on a ship traveling to Antarctica for the Antarctica Marathon.  I was sharing a cabin with a runner from Serbia.  During one of our conversations, I mentioned that my next race was going to be the Bratislava Marathon.  When I told him it would be my fourth race in a city on the Danube, he told me I needed to run the Belgrade Marathon.  Two years later, I took his advice.

Belgrade is the capital of Serbia.  The city is located at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers.

Wednesday, April 2

I left Minneapolis on an overnight flight to Amsterdam.  As usual, I chose to stay awake on my flight.  I knew I would arrive tired, but that made it easier for me to adjust to the seven-hour time difference.

Thursday, April 3

I arrived in Amsterdam around 7:00 AM.  Serbia isn’t part of the Schengen zone, so I didn’t have to go through immigration/customs in Amsterdam.  Instead, I stayed on the non-Schengen side of the airport.

I arrived in Belgrade around noon.  My hotel arranged for my transportation from the airport.  When I met my driver, I was impressed by how good his English was.  He didn’t have any accent at all.  As it turns out, he’s originally from Canada, so English was his first language.

I stayed at the Belgrade Hilton, which is in the city center.  I had enough Hilton points to get four free nights.  From the Hilton, I could walk to every place I needed to go, so it was ideal as a home base.

I got to my hotel much earlier than the advertised check-in time, but they had a room ready, so I was able to bring my bags up right away.  As soon as I was settled into my room, I walked to the race expo.

The expo was at Belgrade Fair, which is a large event center with multiple buildings.  To get there, I had to walk about two miles.  After so many hours on airplanes, it felt good to stretch my legs.  It was also nice to get some fresh air.

Besides my race bib and T-shirt, my race packet included food & beverage samples, plus two small tubes of sunblock.

I have horrible luck with air conditioning in hotels.  Before going to the expo, I adjusted the thermostat, but it didn’t seem like the A/C was turning on.  I set the fan speed to high, but it didn’t even seem like the fan was on.  I decided to go to the expo and check again when I got back.

After I got back from the expo, the room was still warm.  I asked to have maintenance come up and look at in.  While I waited, I started doing a strength training workout.  More than half of my exercises can be done in my room.  There are only a few that I can only do in the fitness room.

When maintenance arrived, I found out that the thermostat wasn’t really on, even though it looked like it was on.  To turn the system on, you need to press the power button twice.  You also need to press it twice to turn it off again.  I’ve never seen one like that before.  After that, it worked, but it took time to get the room cooled down.  In the meantime, I continued with my workout.

After my workout, I only had about an hour before sunset, so I didn’t do much sightseeing.  I had to stick to things close to my hotel.  This is Stari Dvor (the old palace).

I wanted to also see Novi Dvor (the new palace), but I couldn’t get a view from directly in front of the building.  The area around of the building was mostly fenced off.   In a small park in front of the building, there were dozens of tents.  In recent weeks, there have been large anti-government protests in front of Novi Dvor.  I assumed these tents were set up by protesters.  It turns out it’s more complicated than that.  The tents were set up by counter-protesters who support the government.  This was the best view I could of the palace.

A short distance away, I saw the House of the National Assembly of Serbia.

I had dinner at one of the restaurants at the Hilton.  This was my first opportunity to try some Serbian dishes.  I also tried a local after-dinner drink called Rakija.  Serbian food tends to be heavy on meat and cheese, so this was a filling meal.

By the time I went to bed, my room had cooled down somewhat, but it was still much warmer than what I’m used to at home.  I slept well for about four hours, but only because I didn’t sleep the night before.  After that, I was awake more than I was asleep.  By the time I was starting to sleep well again, it was time to get up.

Friday, April 4

I didn’t need to be up early, but I set an alarm for 7:00 to force myself to adjust to the local time zone.  The first morning is always the toughest.

I booked a free walking tour, but it didn’t start until 10:30.  That gave me plenty of time to enjoy the breakfast buffet at the Hilton.  It also gave me time to get organized and plan my day.

My walking tour began at Republic Square, which is about a mile from my hotel.  I left a little early, so I could visit St, Mark’s Orthodox Church on the way there.

Republic Square is the main meeting place in central Belgrade.  Local residents will tell people to meet at “the horse.”  That’s a reference to the statue in front of the National Museum.

I’ve done free walking tours like this in several other cities.  It costs nothing to sign up.  The tour guides work for tips.  At the end of the tour, you tip whatever amount you feel is appropriate.

Our guide began by telling us about the various buildings around Republic Square.  Next, we walked to Skadarska Street.  This street is lined with cafes, and it’s another place where people commonly get together.

As we worked our way through the old town, our guide showed us Serbia’s first brewery and the former homes of several prominent Serbs.

Throughout its history, Belgrade has changed hands a few times, and different religions have been dominant at different times.  When the Ottoman Empire controlled the region, they converted all the churches to mosques.  Later, when Christianity became dominant again, most of the mosques were converted back to churches.  This is the only remaining mosque in Belgrade.

Next, we visited Belgrade Fortress, which is located on high ground, overlooking the rivers.

From just outside the fortress, we had a good view of the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers.

This statue, which is on the side of the fortress facing the rivers, is called, “The Victor.”  It was erected after World War I.  It’s a symbol of both victory and peace.

Our next stop was St. Michael’s Church.

Across the street from the church, we saw Kafana ?, which is the oldest restaurant in Belgrade.  This was the last stop on our tour.

The tour lasted about three hours.  By now, I was hungry, and I was in need of a bathroom break.  I walked back to Republic Square to have a late lunch at a restaurant I had noticed there earlier.  On my way, I saw a protest march.  Their signs were all in Serbian, so I couldn’t be sure what their cause was, but it may have been another anti-government protest.

After lunch, I made one more stop before walking back to the Hilton.  I wanted to see the   former residence of Princess Ljubica.  I felt a bit sheepish when I located it on a map.  As it turns out, it was just around the corner from where the tour ended.  I could’ve saved some walking by stopping there before lunch.

I learned a few things from the tour guide, but I also learned things about Belgrade just by walking around on my own.  I sometimes noticed what looked like entrances to subway stations.  Belgrade has trams and buses, but it doesn’t have a subway system.  What looked like subway entrances were actually the entrances to tunnels leading under some of the busier streets.  In some places, it’s the only way to get across the street.

By the time I got back to the Hilton, it was late afternoon.  I had been on my feet for several hours, and I needed to take a rest break.

During the walking tour, our guide showed us a place overlooking the river that’s a great spot for watching the sun set.  As the sun got low in the sky, I walked there.  When I left the hotel, it was partly cloudy.  When I got to my view spot, it was getting cloudier, and I could see that it was raining farther west.

When it started raining where I was, I decided to leave.  I didn’t want to stand around in the rain while waiting for the sun to set.

I started walking back into town, and I eventually ducked into an Italian restaurant that was near my hotel.

During the walking tour, our guide also mentioned that rakija can be made from several different kinds of fruit, and it can also be made from walnuts.  After dinner, I tried some walnut rakija.  Walnut rakija has a stronger flavor than any of the fruit rakijas.

I slept better that night.  I still had a restless period in the middle of the night, but it didn’t take me as long to get back to sleep.

Saturday, April 5

I spent most of the morning at the hotel.  I didn’t do any running Thursday or Friday, so I did a short run on one of the hotel’s treadmills.  Ideally, I would’ve run outside, but it’s tough to run in the city center.  The sidewalks are crowded, and I would be constantly stopping to wait for traffic lights to change.  This was one of those occasions where I could get a better workout on the treadmill.

After my run, I took the time to read all my race information and organize my clothes for the race.  Then I headed back to the fitness room to do a strength training workout.

When I was ready to venture out, I walked to the Temple of St. Sava.  This church was in the opposite direction from all the other sightseeing I had done, so it made sense to save it for Saturday.

It was getting warm, so I stopped briefly at the hotel to drop off my jacket.  Then I went to the Nikola Tesla Museum.  When I got there, I saw a long line, and I found out it would be at least three hours before I could get in.  I probably should’ve gone there on a weekday morning rather than waiting until Saturday afternoon.

I still had most of the afternoon, so I went back to the old town instead.  On my way, I saw people setting up the finish area for the marathon.

I went to a beer garden where you pour your own beer and pay by volume.  That enabled me to sample different Serbian beers without drinking too much overall.  I had dinner at the same Italian restaurant where I had dinner on Friday.

I went to bed earlier that night, and I slept for most of the night.

Sunday, April 6

Sunday was race day.  The race started at 8:00.  I got up at 6:00, so I would have plenty of time to get ready.  My breakfast consisted of a cup of tea and food from my race packet.

The start area was near St. Mark’s Church.  It only takes 15 minutes to walk there from my hotel, but we were advised to get there by 7:30, so I left the hotel at 7:15.

It was much cooler than it was the previous two mornings.  When I left the hotel, it was 39 degrees.  I didn’t expect the temperature to change by more than a few degrees during the race, so I dressed warm.

As I left the hotel, I felt small drops in the air.  I went back to get a plastic rain poncho that I could keep folded up in my fanny pack.  I wasn’t expecting to wear it, but I wanted to have it with me just in case.

It was windy.  I arrived at the start area about 30 minutes before the start, but I didn’t want to stand around for that long in a cold wind.  I looked around for a building that was open.  At the end of the block, I saw a Starbucks.

Starbucks was packed with runners.  Some were buying coffee.  Some were waiting to use the bathroom.  Some, like me, just went inside to seek shelter from the wind.

We were supposed to be in the start corrals 15 minutes before the start.  I gave myself two minutes to get from Starbucks to the start corral.  It was cold at first, but as more runners packed in around me, I wasn’t as exposed to the wind.

Ideally, I wanted to break 3:50, but I wasn’t sure of I could do that on this course.  Most of the course is flat, but we started and finished in the city center, which is on higher ground than the rest of the city.  That meant I would have to go uphill in the last couple of miles.  I decided to start at that pace and see how it went.  I saw a 4:00 pace group, so I lined up just in front of them.

While I was waiting for the race to start, it started to snow.  The snow didn't last long, but it was a reminder that this was going to be a cold race.  I wore a Tyvek jacket to the start.  I was tempted to keep it on for the first mile or two, but it's harder to take it off while I'm running.  I waited until a minute or two before the start, and then I took it off and tied it around my waist.

I heard some lively music.  I would’ve assumed it was recorded music, but then I saw that it was just one guy above us playing a saxophone.  He was good.  He was jumping up and down as he played, and trying to get us pumped up.  I saw other runners jumping up and down.  I conserved my energy for the race.

The course was marked in kilometers, but I was pacing myself in miles.  To break 3:50, I needed to average 8:45 per mile.

The first few blocks were on level ground.  I have a tendency to start faster when I’m cold, so I had to consciously hold back.

After just a couple blocks, we turned and started running downhill toward the Sava River.  I was willing to let myself speed up going downhill.

After a couple more blocks, I saw someone down in the middle of the street.  At least two people were tending to him.  I don’t think it was a runner.  He was wearing a yellow reflective vest, which is the same thing the volunteers were wearing.  I’m not sure what happened.

I ran the first mile in 8:11.  That’s much faster than my target pace, but I wasn’t concerned.  I expected to be faster in a downhill mile.

The next mile started out downhill, but then we turned and ran parallel to the river.  After we turned, the course leveled off.  Then, near the end of that mile, we started running uphill.  I wasn’t expecting that.  It wasn’t until I turned the next corner that I saw we were coming up to a bridge.  The approach to the bridge was uphill, but the bridge itself was fairly flat.

Just before getting onto the bridge, I saw my tine for the second mile.  It was only six seconds slower than the first mile, even though part of it was uphill.

We started and finished in the city center, which is east of the Sava River, but the majority of the course was in the newer part of the city, which is west of the river.  I had read that the west side is mostly flat, so I was looking forward to several flat miles.  I knew, however, that we would eventually have to go uphill to get to the finish, which was on high ground.

As I crossed the bridge, I told myself to relax and ease up a little on my pace.  Coming off the bridge, it was downhill before eventually leveling off.  As a result, that mile was also fast.

Now that I was finally on level ground, I told myself again to slow down.  To do that, I needed to allow myself to drift back in the pack.  If I kept up with the runners around me, I would keep going too fast.

Starting with mile four, I found the right pace.  My next few miles were all within five seconds of my target pace.

The first time I came to an aid station, I didn’t feel like drinking.  I was cold, and the last thing I wanted to do was drink cold water.  I knew I’d need to drink during the race, so I grabbed a bottle from one of the tables.  I only drank a few sips.  Then I tossed the bottle onto the grass.

Races in the U.S. typically use paper cups.  You generally get an appropriate amount of water or sports drink, but they go through thousands of cups.

European races more commonly have bottles of water.  Instead of wasting cups, they waste plastic bottles.  Also, more than half of the water generally gets wasted.

More than once during the race, a runner I didn't know started talking to me in a language I didn't understand.  The T-shirt I was wearing was from the Budapest Marathon.  I assume these runners were from Hungary, and they assumed I was too.

At about 7K, I ran near a runner who was listening to a recording that may have been made by a coach.  I overhead a fragment of it.  “At 7K, you shouldn’t be going fast.  I want you to be in control of your pace.”  That’s about what I was telling myself at this point.  I had found the right pace, but I needed to control my effort.  I needed to work just hard enough to stay on that pace, but not so hard that I would tire myself out.

At about 8K, I started to notice perspiration under my shirt.  Earlier we had been running into the wind.  Now, after a couple of turns, the wind was at our backs.  When the wind was at my back, I felt warmer.

At about 9K, I started to feel the sun.  We were told to expect overcast skies, but now it was only partly cloudy.  When the sun was shining on me, and the wind was at my back, I started to feel hot.

I was almost to 10K when I reached another aid station.  The only fluid they had was water.  I didn’t know if other aid stations would have any kind of sports drink.  I needed to start taking in calories.  They had bananas at that aid station, so I ate half a banana.

Somewhere in the eighth mile, we started going uphill.  We were on a ramp that would take us up to the Ada Bridge, which is another bridge over the Sava River.

Now that I was running toward the river, I could see how much higher it was where we would finish.  I wasn’t looking forward to the climbing we would do near the end of the race.

Climbing up to the bridge, I got hot.  I remembered the announcer in the start area telling us it would be windy, and we would feel the wind most on the bridges.  I was hoping the wind would cool me off as I crossed the bridge.  I didn’t feel the wind at all, so I decided it was time to take off my gloves.  As I took them off, I could feel how sweaty they were.

Going uphill and crossing the bridge, I managed to stay on the correct pace.  As soon as we came off the bridge, we started a short loop that would take us right back onto the bridge to cross it again.  In the middle of that loop, there was an aid station.  I was pleased to see they had cups of Powerade, in addition to bottles of water.

As I started crossing the bridge in the opposite direction, I immediately felt a headwind.  I was hot earlier, because the wind was at my back.  Now, I had a headwind, and my hands quickly got cold.

I picked up my effort, so I wouldn’t be slowed down by the wind.  I overcompensated.  After staying close to an 8:45 pace for several miles, I sped up to 8:25.  After that, I gradually throttled it back to the correct pace.

On the west side of the river, we ran two loops.  The loops were different, but there were areas of overlap.  As we got onto a common section, I saw the 38K sign for the second loop.  Just beyond it, there was an aid station.

I drank a few swallows from a bottle of water.  As I continued through the aid station, I saw bottles of Coke at another table.  A volunteer on my right was holding up a white cup and yelling, “Coca-Cola.”  A volunteer on my left was holding a similar cup and shouting, “Jägermeister.”  I’m pretty sure both cups had Coke, but that got a laugh from me.

I didn’t drink any Coke this time around, but I knew I would see this aid station again.  I made a note to remember it, as I planned to drink some Coke the next time I came through here.

Later, I saw a 39K sign.  It was nice to know we would still be on this side of the river with only 3K to go.  That meant we wouldn’t have to start running uphill until the last 3K.

Shortly after that, we turned to begin the second loop.  This loop was the longer of the two.

As we started that loop, we were running into the wind.  From what I remembered of the course layout, we would be running into the wind for at least a few miles.  I was hopeful that this was the last section that was into the wind.  It wasn’t.

Somewhere around 12 miles, I heard honking.  A motorcycle was going by on our left.  The motorcycle was followed by a police car, then another car, then two more motorcycles, then a group of four elite runners.  These were the leaders of the half marathon, which started much later than the marathon.  They were on their first (and only) loop.

Several minutes later, another motorcycle went by.  One of the runners following the motorcycle was the lead woman in the half marathon.

Just before the halfway mark, we reached the point where the two loops diverged.  Runners doing the half marathon turned left where we had turned earlier.  Those of us on our second loop of the marathon kept running straight (and into the wind).

I reached the halfway mark in 1:53:38.  I was well ahead of schedule for a 3:50 finish, but only because my first three miles were fast.  Since then, I had stayed pretty close to my target pace.  My plan at this point was to stay on my current pace until the last two miles.  I expected to slow down on the uphill finish, but I was hoping to have enough of a cushion that I could afford to slow down in the tough miles.

I wasn’t sure how much longer I had to run into the wind, but I was determined not to let it slow me down.  I picked up my effort so much that I started running mile times in the 8:30s.

When I finally saw runners ahead of me reaching a turn, I was relieved.  After making the turn myself, I still felt the wind, but now it was a crosswind.  For one mile, I sped up to 8:29.  Then I slowed back into the 8:30s.  Earlier in the race, I would have been concerned that this pace would wear me down.  Now that I was in the second half, I was more willing to push myself.

With 10 miles to go, I told myself I had eight flat miles, followed by two tough miles.  I focused on continuing to run 8:45 or faster in each of the flat miles.  If I could do that, I could afford to slow down in the last two miles.

All of my sightseeing had been on the east side of the Sava.  The majority of the race was on the west side.  I was seeing these neighborhoods for the first time.  It was mostly residential.  There was very little overlap between the two loops.  On the second loop, I wasn’t seeing any landmarks I recognized.

The second loop had more turns than the first loop.  There were so many turns that I lost my sense of direction.  The only clue to my direction was the wind, but it seemed to be shifting.  It always seemed like we were running into it.  I kept up my effort, but my pace settled back into the 8:40s for a couple miles.

With six miles to go, I told myself I had four more flat miles.  I picked up my effort enough that I ran the next two miles in 8:24 and 8:29.  I was building a bigger cushion for the uphill miles.  For one mile, I eased back to 8:45.  Then I sped up again, running mile 23 in 8:28.

During the next mile, we came back to a street that we had run before.  As we turned right, I saw a larger group of runners coming from the opposite direction.  They were turning left onto the same street.

This was the point where the marathon and half marathon merged together.  The half marathon runners outnumbered us by about ten to one.  I quickly realized that their average pace was slower than ours.  To maintain my pace, I had to weave through them and not be distracted by their slower pace.  That was easier said than done.

I when I got back to the aid station with Coke, I grabbed a cup from the guy shouting, “Jägermeister.”  It was Coke of course.

When I finished mile 24, I was pleased to see that I didn’t slow down.  I ran it in 8:28, even while weaving through the thick crowd of slower runners.

Next, we crossed the same bridge that we had crossed early in the race.  The approach to the bridge was uphill, but the bridge itself was flat.  For most of the race, I was cold.  Running uphill with the wind at my back, I quickly got hot.

I expected to slow down in that mile, but I ran another 8:28.  I just had 1.2 miles to go, but I knew it would be mostly uphill.

At this point, I could break 3:50 just by running the last 1.2 miles in 15 minutes.  I didn’t have to maintain a fast pace.  I just had to run.  As long as I didn’t walk, there’s no way I wouldn’t break 3:50.

You might think we would be going down a ramp as we came off the bridge.  Nope, we started climbing.  I may have slowed down, but I kept running at whatever pace I could.

We turned a corner and briefly ran downhill.  I enjoyed it while I could, because I knew it would be short-lived.  Soon, the road leveled off.  Then it turned slightly uphill.

I knew eventually we would turn left and run away from the river.  I had done enough walking in this part of town to know that going away from the river always meant going sharply uphill.

When I reached that turn, I knew it would be steep.  Thankfully, we only ran in that direction for one block before turning again.  A lot of people walked up that hill.  I kept running at the best pace I could manage.  That was my only rule at this point.  No walking.

I was relieved when we turned again.  It was still uphill, but only slightly.  The hardest part was over.

I remembered reading in prerace instructions that with 400 meters to go, marathon runners would go to one side of the street, and half marathon runners would go to the other side.  I couldn’t remember which side of the street I was supposed to run on.  I thought I was supposed to keep left, but I wasn’t 100% sure.  I stayed in the middle of the street and ran directly toward a volunteer who was directing traffic.

When she saw my marathon bib, she directed me to the left.  After that, I could focus on looking for the finish line.  When I saw a balloon arch over the street, I picked up my effort.

My time for mile 26 was 9:07.  That’s only 22 seconds slower than my target pace, even though it was an uphill mile.

That balloon arch wasn’t the finish line.  By the time I got there, I could see that there were two balloon arches before the actual finish line.  The street leveled off, and I was able to run hard to the finish.  I finished in 3:46:10.  That surprised me.  I didn’t think I could run that fast on this course, but I keep surprising myself.  For the last four months, I’ve felt sluggish in most my training runs, but on race day I always run strong.  Amazingly, I actually ran negative splits, even though the first half was net downhill, and the second half was net uphill.

After finishing, I kept walking forward until I got my finisher medal.  Then I paused to put on my gloves.  One glove was wet.  I remembered spilling water on it at one of the aid stations.  That was early in the race, when I was hot.

As I continued walking through the finish area, I was handed a plastic bag with post-race food.  I didn’t open it until I got to the hotel.  I also never took the time to put on the jacket that I had tied around my waist.  I didn’t think it would take long to get back to the hotel, and I just wanted to keep moving.

I didn’t bring my phone with me, because I didn’t think I would need to it find my way back to the hotel.  I was wrong.

The entrance to the Hilton is on Kralja Milana.  This is the street I always took when I was walking to and from the old town.  I thought the race would finish on the next street over, and after exiting the finish area, I could just turn right and follow Kralja Milana to the hotel.

As it turns out, we finished on Kralja Milana.  I was so focused on looking for the finish line that I didn’t notice any of the buildings around me.  Making matters worse, when I exited the finish area, I wasn’t even going in the right direction.  I didn’t know it, but I was on a street that runs perpendicular to Kralja Milana.

After walking for a few blocks, I realized I wasn’t recognizing any of the buildings around me.  I thought I was at least going in the right direction, so I kept walking.

After walking for several blocks, I reached a street corner that had a map.  From where I was on the map, I could see that I was well northeast of where I expected to be.  I was still confused about how I got there.  I didn’t know which direction I was heading.

I stopped a local resident and asked her if she spoke English.  She did.  I showed her on the map where I was trying to go, and asked her which direction I should be going.  She pointed in the direction I should go, but told me I wouldn’t be able to get through the park.  Looking at the map, I could see that the National Assembly was that way.  I asked her if going that direction would take me to that building.  She said it would, and I told her I knew the way from there.

I eventually got back to the Hilton, but it took much longer than I expected.  By the time I got there, I was pretty cold.  After getting out of my sweaty clothes, I took a long hot shower to get warmed up.

When I opened my snack bag, I was disappointed to see that there wasn’t much solid food.  There were large bottles of water and Powerade, but the only solid food was an apple.

For dinner, I went to a place called Bucko Pizza.  This is a pizzeria that has a style of pizza that’s unique to Belgrade.  I seek out local styles of pizza when I travel, so this was a must.

Their pizzas all have the same base, which has a few toppings built in.  What makes it unique is that you can top each slice with one of eight sauces.  You can order a whole pizza, but they also sell pizza by the slice.  I got three slices, so I was able to try three different sauces.  On one slice, I got their cheese topping.  On another, I got their sesame and cheese sauce.  On the third, I got their “vitamin salad,” which is a veggie blend.  The slice with the cheese topping was delicious, and tasted fairly conventional.  The other two slices looked weird and tasted weird, but I’m glad I tried them.

I usually sleep poorly the night before a race but sleep like a rock the night after.  This trip was the opposite.  I slept well before the race, but I struggled to get much sleep the night after.

Monday, April 7

I had an early flight back to Amsterdam, so I had to leave the hotel at 3:30 AM.  The hotel arranged for my transportation to the airport.

I still needed to pack, so my alarm was set for 2:00.  I was already awake at 1:30.  I probably only got four hours of sleep, which is not what you want when you’re starting a long travel day that will include a seven-hour time change.

My flight to Amsterdam took two and a half hours.  I’m posting this from the Amsterdam airport, where I have a four-hour layover.  I still have a nine-hour flight back to Minneapolis.  When I get there, it’ll still be mid-afternoon, but I’ll have been awake for 21 hours.  The next challenge will be adjusting back to my own time zone.

Race statistics:

Distance:  42.2 kilometers

Time:  3:46:10

Average Pace:  5:22 per kilometer (8:38 per mile)

First Half:  1:53:38

Second Half:  1:52:32

Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  542

Boston Qualifiers:  177

Countries:  54

Cities on the Danube:  5