Thread: Marathons

Thousand take over San Diego streets for annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon

Thousands of runners took off from Balboa Park on Sunday for day two of the annual Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. Participants took to the streets of San Diego, all headed for the finish line in downtown near Waterfront Park. June gloom or not, a little drizzle didn't keep anyone down.

"I think it's just a wonderful crowd, wonderful city and I love running here," said Dakota Bliler, who finished as the first woman for the full marathon. She came to San Diego from Scottsdale, Arizona to participate in the marathon. Last year she ran, she placed in second. This time around, she pushed herself to the limit.

"It's just a place where everybody wants people to succeed and obviously it's competitive but you know the people I'm running next to, I want them to run their absolute best and I know they want the best for me," said Bliler.

Whether participants came to compete, or just have fun, others came to add to their growing list of accomplishments.

"I'm 42. I'm going to continue to run and do this forever," said Tatiana Sell, who ran the half marathon. This is Sell's 55th half marathon in all different parts of the world.

"I just finished a series in April now in London. So I'm Brazilian, I'm among the 435 Brazilians in the world that has finished a series," said Sell.

More than 27,000 runners participated in the marathon and half marathon, and got to wind down at Waterfront Park near the finish line.

1,000-plus runners light up Koh Samui in annual Neon Run

Participants in colourful night run along 5.1-kilometre track help promote Samui as sport tourism destination

Organised by Central Pattana Plc, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Koh Samui Municipality, and private partners, the event featured a night run along the 5.1-kilometre track around the island, with the start/finish point at Central Samui shopping mall.

Kicked off at 7pm, runners wearing attire decorated with backlights and glowing paint raced along Chaweng Road toward Chaweng Beach, passing local fishing communities that just started working that night.

Runners who crossed the finish line first in the male category were Duyakar BaharDuu from Myanmar, followed by Spain’s Eneko Anibarro and Russia’s Pavel Kuleshov.

In the female category, Olena Nikitas from Ukraine took the gold medal, while Russia’s Ekaterina Baranova took the silver and England’s Michelle Ward took the bronze.

Also joining the event were Thai celebrities, including Prim Korawan of The Face Thailand, Miss Universe Thailand 2021 second runner-up Nantiya Suwansawaeng, and DJ Dolla.

Samui is Thailand’s second-largest island after Phuket. Located off the east coast of Surat Thani province, this 236-square-kilometre island was named the seventh-best island in the world and came in second in Asia in Travel+Leisure magazine’s 2021 survey.

B.A.A. announces registration dates for 2025's 129th Boston Marathon

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced Monday that registration for the 129th Boston Marathon® presented by Bank of America, will take place over five days, September 9–13, 2024, within Home | Boston Athletic Association.

The field size for the 129th Boston Marathon, to be run on Monday, April 21, 2025, will be 30,000 participants.

“While race day may still be ten months away, we’re eager to welcome runners from across the nation and around the world for the 129th running of the Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America,” said Jack Fleming, President and CEO of the B.A.A. “History was made at the 2024 race on Patriots’ Day, with a course record set and groundbreaking fundraising totals achieved. We’ll look to build upon these milestones in April, 2025, and celebrate the newest group of Boston Marathoners from Hopkinton to Boston. September’s registration is the first step towards reaching the starting line.”

Qualifier registration will open on Monday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. ET and will close on Friday, September 13, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. ET. Any athlete who has achieved a currently valid Boston Marathon qualifying time may submit a registration application during Registration Week, September 9-13.

Registration will be held within the B.A.A.’s online platform Athletes' Village. Registration is not on a first-come, first-served basis, and applications will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, September 13. The 2025 Boston Marathon qualifying window began on September 1, 2023, and will close at 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, September 13. If space is still available after the conclusion of Registration Week, registration will re-open on Monday, September 16.

Qualifying standards for the 129th Boston Marathon can be found here; qualifying standards across all divisions will remain the same as they were for the 2024 Boston Marathon. Achieving one’s qualifying standard does not guarantee acceptance into the Boston Marathon. Those who are fastest among the pool of applicants in their age and gender group will be accepted if applications exceed capacity.

Athletes who have currently active finisher streaks of 10 or more Boston Marathons will have an opportunity to register early between August 26 and September 30, 2024. More details will be sent to these athletes over the summer months.

The qualifying window for the 130th Boston Marathon, scheduled to take place on April 20, 2026, will begin on September 1, 2024. Registration details for that race will be announced following the 2025 Boston Marathon.

Mother, son finish top 20 at Mickelson Trail half marathon

Thousands of runners were on the Mickelson Trail Sunday morning participating in this year’s marathon, half-marathon and marathon relay, with racers finishing through the heart of historic Deadwood.

Two weeks ago, 16-year-old Sully Wilson and his mother Annmarie, had nothing booked on their calendars for the first weekend of June.

“Chose to run this race because my son wanted to do it,” Annmarie Wilson said. “We kind of had a last minute sign up. We signed up a week ago.”

Both of the mother and son are runners in their respective rights, but never ran a race together until Sunday’s half-marathon.

“Mom and dad ran, and I just ran in middle school and then got a little better, got into high school and then I thought a half (marathon) would be fun,” Sully said.

“I can’t say that we’ve really run together, like a race before,” Annmarie continued. “This was the first time. It was a really fun weekend with him.”

Sully is still a “rookie runner” compared to his mom who has ran nearly 20 full marathons in the last 20 years. This race on the Mickelson Trail is different than others. Runners face various obstacles given the difference in terrain versus your typical “city” run.

“It’s the second farthest I’ve ever ran, so I didn’t really know what I was going to run going into it,” Sully explained.

“(I) was a little bit worried because of the gravel,” Annmarie said of the conditions. “Your footing is just a little bit different. You kind of have to be careful on that, but it’s so much more beautiful, for sure.”

Where the half-marathon runners start, near Dumont, to where they finish in downtown Deadwood, participants experience the full beauty of the Mount Rushmore State. It’s night-and-day to the Wilson’s hometown of Lingle, Wyoming.

“The trail was super nice, and it was pretty and it’s not like you’re in the middle of nowhere like at my house,” Sully said.

Sunday was a great day for the Wilson family. Annmarie tallied a personal best, taking 1st place overall in the female division of the half-marathon. Sully on the other hand placed 6th overall.

“It feels good cause everybody’s trying to make everybody better,” Sully said. “So, like they’re helping you and there’s people on the course to run with and they’re helping me, so it’s nice.”

To learn more about Deadwood’s Mickelson Trail Marathon, click here.

incredible stat

Boston Athletic Association announces new Boston Marathon logo

The iconic Boston Marathon unicorn is getting a redesign.

The Boston Athletic Association, the organization behind the Boston Marathon, unveiled a new logo for the race Wednesday in honor of Global Running Day. The updated logo now features the unicorn facing forward as a symbol of the organization looking toward the future, BAA said in a statement.

“As we continue to evolve as an organization, the new emblem symbolizes this forward movement with our partners and reinforces our dedication to our mission of promoting healthy lifestyles for generations to come,” Jack Fleming, BAA president and CEO said in the statement.

New features of the logo include the unicorn’s horn pointing northeast to represent the route of the marathon and 13 spikes on its mane, symbolizing each decade the BAA has been in operation. Other features represent determination, athleticism, and crossing the finish line.

The forward-facing logo represents the BAA moving forward with its philanthropic efforts and its commitment to supporting the future of running, the statement reads. Marathon runners, and nonprofit organizations raised nearly $72 million for charitable causes this year through fundraising and donations, the BAA reported May 29.

“We are fortunate to be able to provide a platform for so many incredible participants and non-profit organizations to raise life-changing funds for the community every year,” Fleming said in the statement. “The power of our collective work is how we can maximize our reach in the years ahead.”

Launch of new Boston Marathon logo on Global Running Day symbolizes moving forward together | Boston Athletic Association

Ottawa Marathoner Rachel Hannah Runs Through Confetti, Smoke As Fans Run Onto The Course

Marathoner reacts after men release confetti, pink smoke around her during final mile

Rachel Hannah, 37, is a seasoned marathon runner with an impressive track record. But her latest race during an Ottawa marathon is one she won’t soon forget.

The runner from Ontario, who has pounded pavements from London to Tokyo, ran the Tartan Ottawa International Marathon on May 25 and became the first Canadian woman and third overall female to cross the finish line with a time of 2 : 48 : 03. Still, the race was more of an effort than anticipated when she crossed paths with a throng of enthusiastic bystanders.

As Hannah pushed through the final stretch with just over a kilometer to go, her focus was trained on the finish line. It was then that spectators stepped onto the course and began to cheer her on with colorful smoke bombs and confetti.

The full moment can be seen in the marathon’s video coverage at the three-hour 14-minute mark.

Hannah can be seen shrouded in a haze of hot pink smoke being spread by two men who flank her sides. At one point, a man kneels before her and sets off a stream of confetti. The video shows Hannah moving her hands to clear the smoke, a movement she tells TODAY.com she barely remembers in the blur of the last leg.

"I‘m not sure that’s exactly what you want happening right now," a sportscaster can be heard saying in one clip shared by TikTok user @resiliencyinrunning.

“No, no, no, no,“ another agrees.

In the post’s comments section and in another shared on Instagram, users speculated that sabotage was involved.

Speaking to TODAY.com, Hannah stresses that it was simply a result of overenthusiasm and the resources accessible in smaller marathon events.

"It looks worse than how I remembered, but I really just think they got excited because they’re a group that cheers on people, and they come to a lot of races. They support the running community," she explains.

“They got too close, and I think they just misjudged the space. I didn’t see it as a way that they were trying to stop me on the course. They were trying to celebrate.”

According to Hannah, the men in the video caught wind of suspicions about their behavior and called her immediately.