2023 Year in Review - Excellent year of running - Completed 2 ultra-marathons and 10 full marathons - Life-time total = 93 full/ultra marathons - 4 full marathons in USA (Atlanta, Buffalo, San Francisco, Chicago) Altanta Marathon - location of 1996 Summer Olympics - Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site - World of Coca Cola - Zoo (with Panda Bears)

Buffalo Marathon - Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site - Buffalo Marathon has a 1 km dog walk! - driveable from Toronto! Will return to this race in the future

Niagara Ultra 50 K - Always a favourite; 10th time finisher

San Francisco Marathon - Amazing experience running on the Golden Gate Bridge! - Very expensive city to live (and steep hills) - Alcatraz Island - Saw the most curved street (Lombard Street) - Chinatown

That Dam Hill - Earned my first belt buckle (45 times X 2.253 km = 101.38 km) taking 18:21:13.6 hours

Chicago Marathon - successful in lottery (70% chance) - super organized from start to end -- best of the best - 48 000 people

Chicago Marathon -- best of the best

Chicago Marathon 

Sunday, October 8, 2023

Full/Ultra Marathon #90

• 48 580 participants in the full marathon. 
• Could not ask for better weather: high 40s to start, cloudy. 
• 3 starting corrals organized into A to N waves. Great to have 6 hours 30 minutes to finish to appear as an official finisher. 
• Most organized race I have experienced (from start to end); especially the fluid stations with plenty of volunteers and tables.
• Chicago citizens embrace the marathon; cheering specators from start to finish (which kept the 42.2 km distance from ever getting dull or boring)
• Every km marked and every mile marked
• Started at 8:49:00 am and finished 2:21:13 pm
• Chip time = 5:32:14  (placed 41 913 out of 48 580)

Largest expo experienced!

Great to meet Joan Benoit Samuelson, first woman to win Olympic gold. She signed my bib and a photo.

Start line at 8:30 am

5 K

10 K

15 K

20 K

Selfie at the half way mark with a time of 2:29:59.

25 K

Selfie with a new friend at 27 K. At about the 5 K, I overheard a woman say, "Doodle". She was identifying doodles whenever she saw the dogs. Mine is at home and can't wait to see Elmo soon.

Such amazing Chicago citizens who cheered us on from start to finish.

30 K

Confetti

Entering Chinatown

30 K

40 K

1 mile to go

Selfie as about to reach finish line!

Selfie with finisher's medal

Selfie with the Bean; construction until spring 2024 means I could not touch the Bean :-(

On 94th floor of 360 Chicago

Overall place:  41 913 out of 48 580

That Dam Hill Ultra Marathon: 101.25 km

 Race Report:  That Dam Hill

Goal: to complete the 2.253 km course 45 times (i.e., 100 km) to earn belt buckle. 

Ideal weather as the 8 am start was in the mid 50s F, no humidity, and either sunny or cloudy. The temperature high was 72 F during midday. For the first 80 km, used run/walk technique; walked up the three hills. For the final 20 km, walked the course as did not want to get injured as I have never run more than 50 km this year. Gatorade and water provided in the first 5 hours followed by help yourself (in bottles). Pizza provided three times in the evening. Required to wear head lamp and reflective gear when it became dark (i.e., after 8 pm). Took 18 hours 20 minutes and I successfully reached goal of completing 45 laps of the 2.253 km course; surreal. After driving 42 km, found a motel near the highway as I could not drive back to Toronto without a good sleep. Look forward to next year.

Ultra/full marathon #88 complete. 

• Lap
• Lap time / Rank
• Behind
• Race time / Rank
• Behind

• 1
• 18:10.026
• +6:42.7
• 18:10.026
• +6:42.7

• 2
• 18:17.225
• +7:47.6
• 36:27.226
• +13:44.3

• 3
• 18:41.625
• +7:25.7
• 55:08.824
• +21:02.1

• 4
• 18:36.024
• +18:35.7
• 1:13:44.825
• +33:13.3

• 5
• 18:50.826
• +7:32.3
• 1:32:35.625
• +35:50.6

• 6
• 19:07.124
• +8:01.1
• 1:51:42.724
• +43:36.8

• 7
• 19:14.025
• +19:13.6
• 2:10:56.725
• +51:32.7

• 8
• 19:50.622
• +8:27.2
• 2:30:47.325
• +59:59.9

• 9
• 19:40.122
• +8:23.4
• 2:50:27.325
• +1:08:23.2

• 10
• 24:16.728
• +24:13.3
• 3:14:44.026
• +1:21:26.3

• 11
• 20:47.722
• +9:03.6
• 3:35:31.626
• +1:30:08.9

• 12
• 20:23.419
• +20:19.4
• 3:55:55.025
• +1:39:14.5

• 13
• 21:48.520
• +10:41.6
• 4:17:43.525
• +1:49:36.6

• 14
• 25:15.026
• +25:15.0
• 4:42:58.525
• +2:03:24.0

• 15
• 21:51.022
• +10:16.3
• 5:04:49.625
• +2:13:40.3

• 16
• 23:33.521
• +23:29.6
• 5:28:23.125
• +2:25:33.7

• 17
• 22:49.321
• +10:58.7
• 5:51:12.423
• +2:36:32.3

• 18
• 23:07.720
• +23:07.4
• 6:14:20.223
• +2:47:36.4

• 19
• 22:33.820
• +10:52.4
• 6:36:54.023
• +2:58:28.9

• 20
• 24:41.618
• +12:38.3
• 7:01:35.623
• +3:11:07.1

• 21
• 24:22.121
• +11:37.3
• 7:25:57.723
• +3:21:42.1

• 22
• 24:39.221
• +12:37.8
• 7:50:36.822
• +3:34:19.9

• 23
• 26:23.221
• +14:17.8
• 8:17:00.022
• +3:48:37.8

• 24
• 56:45.929
• +44:34.2
• 9:13:45.924
• +4:33:12.0

• 25
• 25:28.520
• +13:09.9
• 9:39:14.423
• +4:46:21.9

• 26
• 22:45.318
• +10:35.3
• 10:01:59.723
• +4:56:57.2

• 27
• 23:34.818
• +12:10.2
• 10:25:34.523
• +5:07:45.4

• 28
• 23:31.820
• +11:13.6
• 10:49:06.323
• +5:18:59.0

• 29
• 22:45.517
• +10:20.8
• 11:11:51.823
• +5:29:19.8

• 30
• 23:25.016
• +9:18.1
• 11:35:16.823
• +5:38:37.9

• 31
• 23:51.818
• +11:08.8
• 11:59:08.522
• +5:49:46.6

• 32
• 28:43.724
• +14:47.3
• 12:27:52.322
• +6:04:33.9

• 33
• 21:43.712
• +6:19.0
• 12:49:35.922
• +6:00:56.4

• 34
• 23:26.813
• +9:20.6
• 13:13:02.721
• +5:38:27.7

• 35
• 28:09.320
• +14:41.4
• 13:41:12.021
• +5:53:09.1

• 36
• 24:22.417
• +9:19.5
• 14:05:34.420
• +6:02:28.5

• 37
• 29:25.921
• +14:22.2
• 14:35:00.320
• +6:15:14.5

• 38
• 26:05.318
• +10:32.1
• 15:01:05.620
• +6:25:07.1

• 39
• 35:11.820
• +31:51.3
• 15:36:17.419
• +6:31:34.7

• 40
• 25:19.215
• +9:51.8
• 16:01:36.619
• +6:28:22.1

• 41
• 28:56.216
• +13:14.4
• 16:30:32.819
• +6:38:18.8

• 42
• 27:20.415
• +10:58.6
• 16:57:53.119
• +6:47:52.4

• 43
• 27:28.518
• +11:33.8
• 17:25:21.619
• +6:59:26.2

• 44
• 26:20.917
• +11:02.2
• 17:51:42.519
• +7:10:28.5

• 45
• 29:31.115
• +13:58.1
• 18:21:13.617
• +7:24:26.6