Quarter Century Club for Half Marathons

Five years ago, back before I had ever run a Half Marathon, I never imagined that I would be staring Half number 25 in the face.  It was a goal, for sure, to run one Half Marathon!

I quickly caught the Half Marathon bug after my first race in Jersey City, New Jersey.  I ran that race with my brother and my best friend.  It was September 25th, 2011.  It was a hot day for a race.  70 degrees plus, with a field of over 2,200 runners.  Views of Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and barely escaping a train crossing over the race route were all highlights.  I finished in 1:41:38.  7:45 pace.  That one race was all it took, I was hooked!

I did become a fanatic for the distance.  Since that first race, I’ve run Halves in NC, NY, NV and TN.  I’ve run small races with under 200 finishers, and I’ve run huge races with over 33,000 finishers.  There is a story behind each one.  A great story.  13.1 really is the perfect distance!

In less than two weeks, I will be running my 25th Half Marathon in less than a four year time frame.  This one is a big deal!  I will be running the Asheville Half Marathon at Biltmore Estate in western North Carolina.

What’s even more fun about it is that I will be pacing at this event.  I have the 1:45:00 pace group, so I will get to celebrate my own achievement along with a group of runners.  Those runners may be attempting a Half Marathon for the first time, or shooting for a PR.  Regardless of the reasons, it will be an epic race in Asheville on March 15th.

Here’s to celebrating a quarter of the way to 100!

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