"M" is for Marathons
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The Following are marathons links: Clicking on the Marathon name will take you to the marathon's site. In some cases (as in the Paris Marathon) you can see the site in English or in the original French. The only non marathon in this group is the Army 10 Miler...
| Paris | Chicago |
| Butterfield Bermuda | Adirondack (Shroon Lake, NY) |
| God's Country | Cowtown, Ft Worth |
| Pittsburgh (UPMC) | Marine Corps |
| London | AF (Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio) |
| Big Sur (Ca) | Hartford Aetna |
| Cape Cod (Falmouth Ma) | Richmond (Va) |
| Silicon Valley (Ca) | Shamrock |
| Lake Tahoe (NV) | Philadelphia |
| Sutter Home Napa Valley (Ca) | Nashville Country Music |
| NYC | Kiawah Island SC |
| San Diego | Motorola Austin Marathon relays (Tx) |
| Sugar Bowl Mardi Gras | Death Valley, Badwater Trail |
| Los Angeles | Baltimore |
| US Army Ten Miler | Navy Marathon |
"U" is for Ultra Marathons
The following are Ultramarathon links. (Bear with me as I update and verify these link addresses)
George Nelsen's "race" ratings for selected Ultras
| Race (Rating 1= minimum, 4=Maximum) | Race Rating |
| Old Dominion | 1 |
Massanutten |
2 |
| Bull Run | 2 |
| Promised Land | 2 |
| Great Eastern | 2 |
| Moonlight Boogie | 3 |
| Tussey Mountainback | 3 |
| JFK 50 miler | 3 |
| Holiday Lake | 3 |
| Hat Run | 3 |
| Vermont 100 | 3 |
| Hinson Lake | 4 |
| Va 24 Hour Run | 4 |
| Umstead | 4+ |
Training Advice for endurance events.
Running these distances is a difficult effort. Unless you've been trained, your chances of finishing, and specifically finishing uninjured is small. Here is how you should train.
1. Train the brain. The most important part of Marathon and Ultra Training is adapting yourself to run for a long time. In essence you are on your feet during these runs from anywhere between 14 hours for a 50 Miler to 28-30 hours for 100 milers. Make no mistake, these events can injure you or even kill you if you are not prepared. So you have to prepare physically and mentally.
2. Train the body. Physically, you prepare as though you are running a marathon distance. It might even help to complete a marathon in advance of your actual 50 Mile run to get the feel of what it will be like to go "halfway" of a fifty miler. This is a part of the mental training you'll have to do to realize the goal of If you do several marathons and have adapted to the idea that you'd have to go another marathon distance to finish, you have the idea of what it will be like... except. Except that you'll do things a bit differently for the Ultra.
3. Food as Fuel. For ultras, you'll have to eat, and you'll have to drink. You can run slower. Many people adopt the run for 9 walk for one minutes trick. You can run long distances using this feet saver method.
4. Preparation is everything: Even if you don't get to run your event, the training is what will get you there. Sometimes that has to be enough. You'll have to consider what will not allow you to complete the event. Sickness, scheduling, family issues can all affect your outcome. If you've prepared yourself physically, then what's your plan for the race? Have you brought the right equipment? Are you running, (Biking, Swimming etc.) in something you've used before in training? Tried the food you're going to consume; worn the clothes you'll wear for the run? Running at night in an ultra? Are you wearing a headlamp? Do you have a support crew? Do they know where to meet your and what time you expect to be there?
Michelle Smith Hardin Closes in on 50 Marathons in 50 States! Here are just a few of her photos
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| Ft Worth | The Great Wall of China | |
Below: MHS in Athens Greece for the Original marathon. 4th continent. |
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