Rat Pack Performance

The highly anticipated Prince Edward County Marathon Race report!

I admit, I looked at the weather report earlier in the week and I got excited. Cool temps, low wind, all the things I wanted for this one. It is my first full marathon in the county after rocking a very fast 1/2 last year, and I really wanted to cross that Boston Qualifier off my to-do list early.

They changed the qualifying times this week, which was not a surprise, but it means that I need a 3:15 to consider myself ‘qualified’ and more realistically, a 3:10 range run to be safe from cut offs. So the plan was to go out at 4:30 minutes per Klm at the gun and try to ride that pace as long as I could.

Two things I needed to be prepared for, there is a big hill in the last 5k of the course that saps your spirit. and there are some windy sections as the road turns towards the lake for long stretches. Both happen in the back half of the course as the sun comes up and the heat rises.

This race is wonderful. A complete departure from the massive throng of runners that is the Ottawa Race Weekend. A small group of about 200 or so idiots like me at a tucked-away start line, laughing and chatting about the times we hope for. It is wonderful, and although I wish the race organizers all the best in the world, I hope this small race stays small.

So, I donned my distance-racing Hoka’s, tucked 6 gels in my pack, and set forth with the gun.

(Continued in comments)

Congratulations to for completing the Canada Day Road Races yesterday!

“Canada Day road races! First time doing the 10k and stepping out of my 5k Canada Day comfort zone.

Felt a bit slow, but managed to pull out a 41:50 with a nice sprint at the end. Home by 10am and ready to enjoy the day!

Wanted to be a bit faster and push my personal best (40:17) but those tend to come in the fall as we wrap up the summer training. Weather was amazing, and the course was wonderful”

Congratulations to on completing the Gary Bjorklund Half in Duluth, MN, this past weekend.

An amazing accomplishment!