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Central Park Marathon

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Central Park Marathon

NY PlateDate: 2014-02-23
Location: New York, NY
Finish Time: 3:22:20
Official Results
Race Website

Highlights:

  • Perfect setting, perfect weather, pretty solid time
  • Bringing the boys back to Hoboken after the race
  • Slept in my own bed the night before and the night after the marathon

Low-lights:

  • Have run two marathons in the state of New York and one marathon in the city of New York, still technically can’t answer “yes” when people ask if I’ve ever run the New York City Marathon
  • Zero celebrity sightings, not even a sunbathing A-Rod
  • Ran 26.2 miles, still not totally over my Syracuse hoops related frustration

Thanks:

  • Thanks to Bill for getting up at 5:30 in the morning and joining me for the early trip into NYC.
  • Thanks to Shannon and Marge for schlepping the kids into NYC for the finish and post-race brunch.
  • Thanks to the weather gods for making it sunny and in the high 40’s even though it was February 23rd.

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Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon – San Antonio

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Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon – San Antonio

TX Plate Date: 2013-11-17
Location: San Antonio, TX
Finish Time: 3:33:13
Official Results
Race Website

Highlights:

  • Long weekend with Shannon; no child or dog related responsibilities
  • Dropping the half marathoners and enjoying the back half of the race along the San Antonio River
  • Can now legitimately tell Shannon to remember the Alamo

Low-lights:

  • Saw Pearl Jam on 10/18 in Brooklyn, our seats for the 11/15 show in Dallas were slightly further away
  • The humidity for the first four miles and the sun and heat for the last three miles
  • Toured the Texas School Book Depository, stood on the Grassy Knoll and spent a half hour in Dealey Plaza; was unable to conclusively resolve the JFK assassination mystery

Thanks:

  • To Marge and Bill for staying at our house and taking care of Luke, Dylan and Eli
  • To Shannon for allowing me to plan a vacation that included a Pearl Jam concert and a college football game on top of a marathon; the precedent has been set
  • All the volunteers who sprayed me with cold water or handed me an ice cold sponge along the course

Gallery:

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Watchung Trail Marathon (2013)

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Watchung Trail Marathon (2013)

Date: 2013-0602
Location: Watchung, NJ
Finish Time: 4:23:30
Official Results
Race Website

Highlights:

  • Dylan’s made his marathon watching debut, kind of
  • Start/finish still just 3.7 miles from our house, still easily the least amount of travel required of any of my marathons
  • I finished second (note: only 20 people were silly enough to show up for the marathon, only ten were stupid enough to finish it, I was the second stupidest person in the race)

Low-lights:

  • That fourth loop still dominates me
  • Course slightly redesigned eliminating the opportunity for Eli to participate
  • Race still held in June, temperatures in the high 80’s…may have something to do with bullet point #1

Thanks:

  • Bill and Marge for driving out for the weekend and helping out with the kids
  • Shannon for taking on the challenge of bringing two kids to a marathon
  • Luke and Dylan for putting up with another daddy race

Gallery:

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Mississippi Blues Marathon

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Mississippi Blues Marathon

Date: 2013-01-07
Location: Jackson, MS
Finish Time: 3:17:23
Official Results
Race Website

Highlights:

  • Third fastest marathon of my life, huge guitar shaped medal, commemorative race harmonica and probably the friendliest spectators around
  • NOLA, taking in some live jazz on Bourbon Street, paddle-wheeling on the Mississippi (in general, the addition of New Orleans to the trip was a good call)
  • Completed all states east of the Mississippi, did not end up in the hospital

Low-lights:

  • Travel to states west of the Mississippi more expensive and time-consuming than travel to the states east of the river
  • Spent four days in Mississippi and Louisiana, saw zero members of the Manning family
  • Jackson city streets and their potholes

Thanks:

  • To John and Peg for watching Luke and Eli while Shannon and I took one last couple’s retreat before Moran Baby #2 hits the scene
  • To Shannon for allowing that getaway to take place in Mississippi
  • To Marge and Bill for subsidizing the trip’s meal budget as a Christmas present

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Walker North Country Marathon

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Walker North Country Marathon

Date: 2012-09-15
Location: Walker, MN
Finish Time: 3:42:50
Official Results
Race Website
Local Brewery

Highlights:

  • Found the beginning of the Mississippi River, convinced family to stop in front of a large statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe, took in a game at Target Field
  • Random Bald Eagle fly-by just before the marathon start, beautiful course incorporating the Paul Bunyan Trail and other, less paved, routes through Chippewa National Forest
  • Surprisingly quick return flight from Minneapolis, now have expensive medical proof that I possess an extremely healthy, “textbook” heart (see below)

Low-lights:

  • 61 year old guy with a scraggly Santa Claus beard blew by me at the 25 mile mark
  • Passed out and threw up on the flight home, spent the subsequent 24 hrs in the hospital
  • Had to listen to overweight, non-running, medical professional misappropriate the ironic circumstances surrounding the death of Jim Fixx in an attempt to characterize marathon running as, “lunacy”

Thanks:

  • To Marge and Bill for traveling all the way out to Minnesota, setting the family up with such nice accommodations and helping out with Luke throughout the trip.
  • To Shannon for agreeing to yet another marathon trip involving air travel and a small child.
  • To John and Lucy for coming up to Minneapolis for a mini family reunion.

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FYNE Nature Marathon

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FYNE Nature Marathon

Date: 2012-06-24
Location: Neuchatel, Switzerland
Finish Time: 3:38:03
Official Results
Race Website
Local Brewery

Highlights:

  • Can’t beat running along a trail with Lake Neuchatel on your right, endless hills of vineyards on your left and the Alps in the distance overlooking the whole scene
  • After finishing 27 states, finally checked off continent number two
  • Also, John ate horse

Low-lights:

  • Flew from Newark to Frankfurt, Germany; drove from Frankfurt, Germany to Hunawihr, France; slept for 5 hours; drove from Hunawihr, France to Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland; ran a marathon
  • Checked my watch just before the start, it said it was 3:00 am
  • As it turns out, the city of Neuchatel is closed on Sundays

Thanks:

  • John and Peg Paton for putting together an amazing European vacation.
  • The entire Paton family for allowing me to hijack a full day of the aforementioned European vacation so I could run a marathon in Switzerland.
  • Marge and Bill for taking care of Luke while we were away for the week.

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Watchung Trail Marathon (2012)

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Watchung Trail Marathon (2012)

Date: 2012-06-03
Location: Watchung, NJ
Finish Time: 4:26:28
Official Results
Race Website

Highlights:

  • Start/finish 3.7 miles from our house, easily the least amount of travel required of any of my marathons
  • For a 16 month old, Luke’s penmanship is just outstanding
  • My training partner finally got to participate in an actual marathon

Low-lights:

  • Loop 1 = 54 minutes
  • Loop 2 = 56 minutes
  • Loop 3 = 62 minutes
  • Loop 4 = 1 hour and 25 minutes

Thanks:

  • Shannon and Luke for their continued support
  • Eli for coming out of the bullpen to run the last mile with me and get the save
  • NJ Trail Series for providing post race beer

Gallery:

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Boston Marathon

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Boston Marathon

Date: 2012-04-16
Location:  Boston, MA
Finish Time:  3:53:40
Official Results
Race Website

Highlights:

  • Lunch with Alysha and Chris, getting to meet Luke’s future SU classmate Bryce
  • Record marathon spectating turnout from the extended Moran family
  • Completed the race wearing an Eli Manning t-shirt, no serious repercussions

Low-lights:

  • It was hot
  • Being too tired and forgetting to turn around, try to pull up short but ultimately fall butt-first across the finish line
  • For the second time (that I know of) I definitely lost this guy

Thanks:

  • To Marge, Bill, Peg, John, Leigh, Ray, Shannon and Luke for making a weekend out of it, braving the Patriots’ Day craziness and providing much needed support during the marathon

Gallery:

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Land Between the Lakes Marathon

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Land Between the Lakes Marathon

Date: 2012-03-10
Location: Grand Rivers, KY
Finish Time: 3:43:18
Official Results
Race Website

Highlights:

  • Perfect weather, scenic trail through the Land Between the Lakes, large chunks of time running through the wilderness without seeing another human all add up to a thoroughly enjoyable marathon experience
  • Ate a bison burger in front of an actual wild bison with no consequences
  • Caves at Mammoth Caves National Park not surprisingly, quite large

Low-lights:

  • Only made it through 1 and a half beers at Nashville honkey tonk before calling it a night. Blaming it on the Saturday night post-marathon crash, but its possible that I might just be old
  • Everyone in the Nashville airport was very nice but I’d still rather not spend five and a half hours hanging out there
  • Kind of missed that baby of ours

Thanks:

  • To Marge and Bill for babysitting Luke and Eli so Shannon and I could get away by ourselves for a long weekend
  • To Shannon for agreeing that our long weekend away from Luke and Eli could include going to Kentucky for a marathon

Gallery:

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Charleston Marathon

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Charleston Marathon

Date: 2012-01-14
Location: Charleston, SC
Finish Time: 3:09:05
Official Results
Race Website

Highlights:

  • Luke remaining relatively happy throughout his first flight
  • Luke defending Fort Sumter
  • Ran my second fastest marathon time to date

Low-lights:

  • Food poisoning from post-race seafood dinner, the following 24 hours
  • Ghost Walk tour guide a complete disaster
  • Only first three miles of marathon course in downtown Charleston, remaining 23.2 miles less than scenic

Thanks:

  • Marge and Bill for putting this trip together, providing SC airport transportation and babysitting Luke so Shannon and I could get three nights out in Charleston.
  • Peg and John for taking care of Eli and providing NJ airport transportation.
  • Shannon for agreeing to take an 11 month old Luke on his first flight.

Gallery:

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