MM#209 / JapanJoyful#803
Joe - not only nice septuagenarian marathon but you're already spelling it correctly.
The early starts fortuitously became quite popular out here where there's so many marathon maniacs just as I was slipping over five hours and into six so I do the 26.2 miles without slipping too far into the afternoons and get back to DW's domestics before the day slipped away too.
One particularly memorable early start one was the Light-at-the-End-of-the-Tunnel in 2012 where I, unfortunately, belatedly discovered in the results that I ran only seven minutes slower than your RD Don Kern who, in 2011 had run seven marathon on seven continents in 25 days thereby beating the 29 day record of Richard Takata I also ran with in the Valentine Marathon in his record setting year of 2007 that, without him realizing it until I introduced them, he was doing with then current 7/7/7 Guinness record holder Japanese runner Hajime Nishi who I had first run with in several of our over lapping marathons over the years in the Christmas Marathon in 1997 when he set the then Guinness 7/7/7 record of seven months.
Of course, if you have $44,000 nowadays, the World Marathon Tour will let you do it in seven days.
Do you plan to do any traveling for future marathons, e.g. PNW, now that your retired"
"Enjoy yourself. Your younger days never come again." 100yo T. Igarashi to me in geta at top of Mt. Fuji (8/2/87)
Joe - not only nice septuagenarian marathon but you're already spelling it correctly. The early starts fortuitously became quite popular out here where there's so many marathon maniacs just as I was slipping over five hours and into six so I do the 26.2 miles without slipping too far into the afternoons and get back to DW's domestics before the day slipped away too. One particularly memorable early start one was the Light-at-the-End-of-the-Tunnel in 2012 where I, unfortunately, belatedly discovered in the results that I ran only seven minutes slower than your RD Don Kern who, in 2011 had run seven marathon on seven continents in 25 days thereby beating the 29 day record of Richard Takata I also ran with in the Valentine Marathon in his record setting year of 2007 that, without him realizing it until I introduced them, he was doing with then current 7/7/7 Guinness record holder Japanese runner Hajime Nishi who I had first run with in several of our over lapping marathons over the years in the Christmas Marathon in 1997 when he set the then Guinness 7/7/7 record of seven months. Of course, if you have $44,000 nowadays, the World Marathon Tour will let you do it in seven days. Do you plan to do any traveling for future marathons, e.g. PNW, now that your retired"
Fascinating connection with Don Kern, the RD in Grand Rapids. I chatted with him at the finish line...he greets almost everyone as they cross.
Not planning on much traveling...we're caregivers for my wife's now 97 year old mother and that could extend for quite a while. So we stick close to home. Plenty of races in easy distance from here...hoping to do Chicago again next October...my name is in the lottery, we'll see if I get it this year. Plus many other races where one only needs a credit card to enter :-) .
Thanks!
Joe
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I have nothing particularly clever or profound to add as a tag to each message...I just like to run.
Loved the report and the follow up. The rrs and I ran this one on 19 October 2008! I think dAAve and Markguy might have run the half or 5K or just met us for lunch in AA ? I know we met Rochrunner and DeeBee for a walk around a lake in AA. Really enjoyed that. Grand Rapids was a fun marathon. I think we went through a zoo? Did you, Joe? I really enjoyed the details you've shared.
Loved the report and the follow up.
The rrs and I ran this one on 19 October 2008! I think dAAve and Markguy might have run the half or 5K or just met us for lunch in AA ? I know we met Rochrunner and DeeBee for a walk around a lake in AA. Really enjoyed that.
Grand Rapids was a fun marathon. I think we went through a zoo?
Did you, Joe?
I really enjoyed the details you've shared.
Rose, thanks. The current course does not go thru a zoo but it may well have long ago. It generally follows the Grand River through a series of city parks. A very fun and well organized marathon, indeed.
Thanks for another great and informative RR, Joe. Congrats on having a race to feel good about, and on your 2nd place finish in your new AG. Nice job of picking up the pace at mile 21 for negative splits for the rest of the way.
I always like that you have a big smile on in every RR photo.
Thanks,
Jay
Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos.