2025 in Review

After a strong year in 2023 and the best year of running for me in 2024, I build off that foundation and delivered my best year of running by far in 2025. I ran strong in every single season, crossing off a few big goals and having the best race of my life both on the trails and roads. In 2024, I expanded on a strong 2023 in a expected but satisfying way. In 2025, I broke through completely to a level that's never been in my grasp. I was largely consistent and healthy throughout the year, but there were a few hiccups. I had a few races that were significantly under the level I expect to perform at. I had some training periods that were a real struggle. I felt short of a few goals I expected to break. The biggest disappointment was perhaps chronic ankle issues and sprains. It was a fantastic year, my most complete year capped off with the race of my life, but not quite perfect.

Goal Review

A look back on the goals I set at the beginning of the year:

1. PR in the 3K. PASS: I had a fantastic January and after 7 years of being unable to break my 3K PR set Junior year of high school, I finally eclipsed this mark again. A major success of the year. 

2. Break 1:10 in the Half Marathon. FAIL: Took two shots with respectable runs of 1:10:05 and 1:10:20, but ultimately came short. Frustrating as I basically had this in the bag in New York City and couldn't close out the race to hold on. 

3. Break 2:30 in the Marathon. PASS: Biggest success of the year and my running career, going well under with a 2:26:13 at Philadelphia. Excellent bounceback after a disappointing Boston. 

4. Good Ankle Health. FAIL: Massive fail here. Lots of sprains and I'm unfortunately in a worse place with this than I've ever been. A lot to work on and figure out in 2026. 

5. Race in a New State. PASS: Minnesota with Twin Cities 10 Mile. 

6. NH 4,000 Footers. PASS: Good success here getting 7 new 4000 footers to get up to 39 with the finish line within grasp. 

4/6, pretty good. And this really sums up that it was a great year, but there were two significant flaws with the Half marathon and ankle issues. 

Race Ranking

I raced 21 times this year with a lot of success. There were a few stinkers in there, but most performances were at the very least solid and had some good takeaways. Like in previous years, I'll give out scaled grades that reflect fitness, expectations and conditions for each race rather than just performance. 

21. Twin Cities 10 Mile - October 5th in Minneapolis, MN

Result: 71st, 56:55

I signed up for Twin Cities in March with a rare opportunity to actually target a 10 mile race. After a strong spring, sub-52 felt like a good goal. My PR of 55:30 seemed like a lock. This race was a complete disaster, fell off pace terribly quite early and couldn't get anything going again until the final mile. 54:xx would have been a poor run here, barely breaking 57 minutes makes this one of the worst races of the decade for me and easily the worst of the year. A bit of headscratcher how badly this one went. 

Grade: F

20. Breakneck Point Half - May 4th in Beacon, NY

Result: 12th, 2:43:33

Another competitive race I signed up for a ways out with the intention of trying to mix it up. This was a humbling, borderline embarassing result after coming an excellent Spring on the roads. With limited prep time on trails coming off Boston, the expectations weren't super high but they weren't as low as my actual performance either. Struggled with everything- climbing, technicality, traction, humidity, and rerolling my bad ankle. I've had missteps on trail races recently, but this was about the worst version of me that's shown up on trails this decade. I'm only saving it from an F because of said low expectations.

Grade: D

19. North Shore 10K - September 7th in Salem, MA

Result: 50th, 33:40

Saw this race as opportunity to run in the low 32s and maybe even get under. Inexplicably just could not run fast, barely keeping it under 5:30 in the second half for a pretty bad 33:40. I don't think this was the disaster Twin Cities was, but it was a bizzarely bad performance where nothing felt bad but I just couldn't get it done whatsoever. 

Grade: C-

18. Chocorua Mountain Race - June 7th in Tamworth, NH

Result: 19th, 3:05:58

Similar to Breakneck, this was a really hard technical course where I expected to contend up front in semi competitive field, and I wasn't even close. I think I did a little better here as I felt my climbing was respectable and I had a decent first descent, it was really the final descent where I got crushed and was the difference between a solid and mediocre race. I absolutely lost some time to absolutely treacherous conidtions on slippery granite where trying to race down that would have risked serious injury. But overall this challenging course confirmed serious weaknesses for me- hiking and technical downhill running. Not a poor performance here but not much to be proud of either. On courses like Chocorua and Breakneck I'll either have to approach them with lower expectations, or do a lot of work to be able to stay competitive because right now my current skillset doesn't put me near the front of the pack. 

Grade: C

17. Catamount 25K - June 21st in Stowe, VT

Result: 3rd, 1:48:24

I ran this race in 2021 waking up sick and as a result, struggling big time on any climbs. If I ever came back, I'd surely run take 3+ minutes off that. Well, I wasn't sick but my legs were exhausted from some hard mountain training the past few weekends and I somehow managed to run even slower than 2021. It was a frustrating performance where things played out very similar to 2021 and just not having much in the second half of the course. The saving grace is placing 2nd male in the USATF-NE championship, but that's largely due to a weak field, I lost by about 5 minutes and wasn't competitive whatsoever. 

Grade: C+

16. Boston Marathon - April 21st in Hopkinton/Boston, MA

Result: 287th, 2:32:16

Boston was the most important race of the year for me. I had a fantastic training block working out over Burlingame hills regularly and with great tune-up races. I had previewed and studied the course and was ready for a big one, perhaps even thinking about a sub-2:28. Instead I made every execution error that a Boston rookie does and had disappointingly nothing in the tank for a miserable final 10K after a fantastic first 20 miles. I had a pity party for myself jogging into Boston then realized I might still have a PR in me and bolted it down Bolyston to at least salvage something out of it. A disappointing race with significant errors in execution and getting a bit unlucky just not feeling great that day, but a marathon PR isn't a failure either. 

Grade: B-

15. NYC Half Marathon - March 16th in New York, NY

Result: 44th, 1:10:05

Boston was the biggest race of the block and year, but NYC half felt nearly as important. After not coming close to a half marathon PR in 2024 and having a fantastic spring training block thus far including a good longer race at the Gate River Run, this absolutely felt like the race to get the sub-1:10 done. I thought I had it in the bag going in the race. And after hitting 10K at sub-1:09 pace, I did have it in the bag. But a disaster of a final 5K and being mentally disengaged proved too much to overcome as I came an agonizing 6 seconds short in 1:10:05. I can't call this a poor performance, running a 15 second PR in this distance after coming a 2024 where I didn't run within a minute of my PR. But a tough pill to swallow as if I had slightly better execution at several points, I almost certainly could have broken 1:10. This wasn't a I didn't have it today race, this was I had it and I blew it. 

Grade: B

14. Bobby Doyle Summer Classic - August 10th in Narragansett, RI

Result: 66th, 26:38

This was a strong early season run for me in hot conditions. I executed well and tried hard to cut it down in the final 2 miles but didn't have that magical big finish I did here two years or at Kerri a week prior. A solid run without much room for improvement on the day. 

Grade: B+

13. Sunapee Scramble - June 1st in Newbury NH

Result: 47th, 1:29:21

After a tough Breakneck and feeling exhausted post-Snowdonia 50K, I wasn't feeling ready whatsoever for this one. And after a mediocre first lap where I gave up a lot of places on the descent, it seemed like this just wasn't my year for sub-ultra trail running. But I rallied well coming into the second lap, charged up the muddy and technical 2nd climb, and hammered the 2nd descent to pass many people and finish well ahead of the group I crossed the first lap with. After a lot of struggles to close out races in the USATF mountain races, this was one of my better ones.

Grade: A-

12. Run 4 Kerri - August 3rd in South Kingstown, RI

Result: 9th, 21:03

This was the ultimate rustbuster coming off Laugavegur just 3 weeks earlier and likely not being ready. I felt sluggish and fatigued in the leadup and my goal of matching my 21:30ish from 2023 seemed challenging. Instead I had a really strong day for my fitness and held pace really well, didn't let things slip in the neighborhood and closed hard for a surprise PR and top 10. Probably one of my top races in execution, but need a bit more fitness to score higher. 

Grade: A-

11. Joe Kleinerman 10K - January 11th in New York, NY

Result: 7th, 32:40

Another race without super high expectations. I was more running this for fun coming off an indoor 3K two days prior and not feeling like I had done enough for a good 10K. Ran a consistent, well executed run for a slight negative split and 25 second PR. 

Grade: A-

10. Pell Bridge Run - October 19th in Jamestown, RI

Result: 1st, 21:02

This race was a definitely a test, and one I felt I had to get right after poor performances at North Shore and Twin Cities. My legs felt pretty flat in the warm-up, but I passed for sure getting a win over Ken Vinacco and running a strong, consistent race over the big hill on the brirdge. 

Grade: A-

9. Riverhawk 3K - January 24th in Boston, MA

Result: 27th, 8:41

After 8 years of being frustrating unable to PR in the event I ran the most, I finally eclipsed my 8:44 mark from the 2017 Yale track classic. I ran a great race in a stacked and physical heat, ramping it up when the move was made. Unfortunately through no fault of my own, I was pushed and fell on the track on the final lap, losing a sub-8:40 that was almost certainly there for the taking. This would have been the best track race of my life without that fall, but unfortunately falls into the frustratingly good category otherwise. 

Grade: A-

8. Gate River Run - March 1st in Jacksonville, FL

Result: 42nd, 49:04

Came here in 2023 feeling like a rookie and just hoping for 5:30s without much long distance racing under my belt. Managed a mediocre 53:18 in brutal heat. Much different story this time around- good weather, good fitness and ran a full 4 minutes faster. This was a strong run- prior to 2025 I had never run sub-5:20 pace for anything 10K or up, 5:15 pace here for 15K is a good indicator that I have more to give for these intermediate distances. Execution could have been better- essentially went out super hard and held on dear life, but strong fitness allowed me to turn what could have been a disaster to still be a great day.

Grade: A-

7. Newburyport Half Marathon - October 26th in Newburyport, MA

Result: 13th, 1:10:20

While Pell Bridge was a good run after a few rough ones, I really needed something solid here to reaffirm I was on track for Philadelphia. I knew I wasn't getting a PR after struggling with workouts and races for much of the fall. I got exactly what I needed and more for this one, moving up throughout for my best grand prix finish of 13th and a 1:10:20 on a course with cone turnaround. Slower than NYC, but a better relative performance in terms of execution and given that I was likely in much better half marathon shape in March.

Grade: A

6. NYRR Night at the Races 3K - January 9th in New York, NY

Result: 9th, 8:46

This race is a great example of 2025 being much stronger than previous years. In 2023, I ran a full track season with workouts and my best was 8:46 high. In 2024, at this same meet I struggled to a 9:01. This time around, I knew the potential for this season was higher after a great Millennium Mile. The pace felt aggressive from the start, but I hung with it, made good moves late and was rewarding with a near PR of a low 8:46, by far my best 3K opener ever, and a good indicator that I could finally break that PR. 

Grade: A

5. Frank Nealon 15K - April 5th in Upton, MA

Result: 22nd, 48:53

After a 49:04 at Gate River, sub-49 felt like a good goal here. But it'd be challenging- Gate River is a fast, mostly flat course compared to rolling hills and many turns at Frank Nealon. I'd need to execute a near-perfect race to get under that. And that's exactly what happened. I kept the first 5K deliberately much more in check after going out too hard at Gate River, then charged on the hilly middle 5K to just get under 49. One of my best road races. 

Grade: A

4. Ultra Trail Snowdonia 50K - May 17th in Llanberis, United Kingdom

Result: 48th, 8:28:00

Unlike most performances on the top 10 here, my overall result was actually fairly unremarkable and mediocre. I struggled significantly and my power hiking and downhill running was poor relative to others. However, this was far and away the hardest race I've ever done- with significant technicality, heat, and 11,000 (!) feet of elevation gain. I had also had limited prep time coming off Boston just a month prior. Everything about doing this race would be very challenging and just completing it would have been a success. To get comfortably under my A goal of sub-9 was a huge success. 

Grade: A+

3. Millennium Mile - January 1st in Londonderry, NH

Result: 1st, 4:24

After consecutive 7th place finishes here and a 4:32 and 4:33, I felt like I had more to give. I wanted to do a bit more this time aroud and crack 4:30 and go for top 3. I did one better running a 4:24 and surprisingly outkicking someone for the win. This one really went my way with lots of people to pace behind and many people tiring themselves out surging for money bonuses. But to cross the line first in this decently competitve race was shocking, and unquestionably the biggest win I've had. What a way to start the year. 

Grade: A+

2. Laugavegur 55K - July 12th in Landmannalaugur, Iceland

Result: 16th, 4:51:30

This was a significantly easier course than Snowdonia, but I was still in the pain cave late because I ran super hard throughout and left it all out there. I set what felt like an amibitous goal of sub-5, but ran hard for all 5 hours, never backed down and had a huge run of 4:51 which would have placed top 10 in most years - probably my best performance ever on trails. 

Grade: A+

1. Philadelphia Marathon - November 23rd in Philadelphia, PA

Result: 9th, 2:26:13

Coming off a challenging fall where my workouts rarely came close to what I did for Boston, I had some of my worst races in years and I had achilles pain and discomfort leading into the race, it's fair to say things weren't quite as I envisioned them heading into Philadelphia. But I had still had good training under my belt and sub-2:30 still felt very much on the table. It was going to be a challenge. I had indicators things could go well, but it would probably be close. 

In the end, I got the sub-2:30 and then some. I ran the first half where I wanted in 1:14 and the question was, like in every other marathon- would I hold on? I not only held on, but had the strength to run a 2 minute negative split for a 2:26 and moving up throughout to crack the top 10 at a bigger marathon. Two months later and I'm still processing that result. After disappointing races and injuries plagued my final year of high school and all of college, I got back to consistency racing post-college. But I lacked a signature performance or breakthrough. Until Philadelphia. A breakthrough I had waited so many years for. This performance was years in the making, and finally is unquestionably the best performance of my life, by far, and without any asterisks or qualifiers.

Grade: A+

After 7 A- or better performances the last two years, despite racing less this year I had 12. Instead of being consistently solid or better most of the time, I was consistently pushing the boundary of what good meant for me this year. 

Season by Season Breakdown

I ran three seasons this year- spring marathon, summer ultras, and fall marathon. There's a bit of overlap with the spring and summer as I sort of kept it as one extended season but I'll separate them here as the focus was different each time. 

1. Boston Marathon (January to April)

I'd have a full block for Boston and wanted to make it count. I built a decent base in my final weeks in California and got a nice rustbuster at the end of December at the track at New Balance. January went phenomenally well from a racing and training perspective. All 4 of my races were excellent, finally PRing in the 3K after 8 years, a big win at Millennium, and a 10K PR as a bonus. I was also having excellent long run workouts over the Charlestown hills. 

February was a quieter month as I didn't race due to Super Sunday getting cancelled, but continued with the strong workouts and runs. March was a good testing month, starting with a strong run at the Gate River. The NYC Half was a big test for me and I had a lot of confidence that I would break 1:10 there. I thought I had in the bag. I had in the bag during the race, being well under the pace through 10K, 15K, 10 miles but a late fade and a bit of a mental lapse meant I just missed it, running a 1:10:05. I was really disappointed in the performance but mentally readjusted to Boston. 

My final weeks of training went quite well with a really strong race at the Frank Nealon 15K 2 weeks prior. I got sick shortly after but seemingly was good to go by Boston. After a fantastic training block, I had the same mistakes I made in Gate River and NYC Half, and ran the classic rookie Boston- out hard, disastrous fade late. It was disappointing to run another 2:32 after the block I had. Overall, every race but NYC and Boston were great, my training was great, but it felt like I had just left a little bit on the table. I was near-perfect for 95% of the season, but my two errors came on the two biggest days of the season. Both races were still PRs, but races I wanted much more out of it. 

2. Snowdonia and Laugavegur Ultras (May to July)

I had an ambitious plan- no time off post Boston into 3 months of trail training to run 2 european ultras- the Ultra Trail Snowdonia and Laugavegur. Snowdonia would be lower expectations with a brutal course and only a month to train- a finish there would be a good result. With 3 months to get ready for Laugavegur, I expected to run well there. 

As one might expect, it was a challenging lead up to Snowdonia. I was recovering from a sore achilles from Boston. The transition into technical trails and heat/humidity was difficult. I had the logistics of carrying much more in my pack and meeting tough gear requirements to deal with. And a concern from the fall of 2024 popped up as I sprained my right ankle again at the Breakneck Point trail race. Fortunately I got it together by race day and delivered a strong run at Snowdonia. 

After a little bit of rest after Snowdonia, I hit june hard from a training and racing perspective to get fit for Laugavegur. The slight rest got me fresh for a good race at the Sunapee scramble, but I struggled the following weekend on a tough course in tough conditions at Chocorua. I then proceeded to experience the worst physical burnout I have since college, feeling consistently exhausted on long trail runs and sacrificing a performance at Catamount as my legs were exhausted. I was saved by the magical taper, and showed up in Iceland ready to go, delivering a great performance to save the season and getting that sub-5. 

3. Philadelphia Marathon (August to November)

After a great spring block, I felt I could just run things back and would almost certainly get that long awaited sub-1:10 and sub-2:30. Additional opportunities awaited at the New Haven Road Race, North Shore 10K and Twin Cities 10 Mile. After a few good rustbusters in Rhode Island, it seemed things were heading that way. But this was almost the opposite of the Boston block- I struggled early. Workouts were tough and slow. I resprained my bad ankle twice, missing the New Haven Road Race. I absolutely bombed the North Shore 10K and Twin Cities 10 Mile. This felt like the beginning of the end, and I'd probably have to wait again to the spring to take attempts at these goals. 

Things turned around a bit in October, with good runs at Pell Bridge and Newburyport. The fate of the season once again remained up in the air after my achilles felt worse than it had in years post-Newburyport. I got things under control, although never fully resolved going into Philadelphia and felt I had a shot at sub-2:30 and that would absolutely salvage the season. Philadelphia was a dream of race, smashing 2:30 with a low 2:26 and the race of my life. Almost the opposite of Boston- for the most part training and tune-up races were tough this time around I was more banged up. But I delivered my best performance when it counted the most. 

Takeaways From 2025

1. Exploration and travel wasn't as good as 2024 but still decent. I had an excellent year of travel in 2024 visiting 20 states, 2 canadian provinces, plus Ireland and the UK. I only visited 10 states in comparison in 2025 but 4 canadian provinces plus UK, Iceland, Denmark and Sweden. The bigger trips were the two european ones and Newfoundland which makes it a solid year even if I wasn't going to amazing locations as often as 2024. 

2. November 2024's ankle roll had consequences. This was the biggest struggle of the year. After lots of ankle issues in 2021 and 2022 I found myself back on the trails strong again in 2023 and the majority of 2024. That came to a screeching halt when I sprained my ankle badly in Arizona in November 2024. I expected the recovery process would be the same, I'd allow it to heal, do some strengthening and I'd be back. And that seemed to be the case logging winter miles on local trails without issue. Now at the end of the year with almost a half dozen sprains it's clear a lot more work has to be done to clear this one up. This will definitely be a 2026 project to try to work that back to normal. 

3. Good, not great year for the half marathon. After a tough year for the half marathon in 2024- coming off multiple 1:10s in 2023, I couldn't hit my 1:11:18 from 2022 again. The hope was that I'd step up and get back to where I was in 2025, and that was indeed the case. My PR of 1:10:20 I matched or exceed in both half marathons I raced. I just didn't have that extra bit of success to dip under 1:10. 

4. Great Marathon Year. Like 2024, I can't complain about how my marathons went. I continued the trend of running faster in every marathon with a small PR at Boston and of course had a huge run to cap off the year in Philadelphia. 

5. Excellent Track Season. I ran a short but very efficient track season and the result were really good. In 2023, I ran a full indoor season with regular track workouts and was disappointed to come away with a 8:46 for the 3K. With a marathon on the horizon, I could only dedicate January to track racing, but that's all I needed running a 8:46 low to start and finally eclipsing my 8 year old 3K PR running 8:41 despite zero track workouts. 

6. I was consistent, but still had lows. I think my biggest strength in my post collegiate running is consistency, I rarely have huge races or workouts but frequently have solid ones and don't miss much. I had an extremely consistent spring but there were some low points in the summer and fall. My trail racing outside the ultras was mostly lackluster and I had a few really bad races in the fall. But looking at the year as the whole, a rough patches can definitely be excused. 

7. I was largely healthy other than ankle stuff, only real issue was achilles. I've been fortunate to be mostly healthy. Last year I missed the Rock n' Roll San Diego due to the timing of a calf injury, this year I missed the New Haven Road Race due to the timing of an ankle sprain. I crossed the finish line in every other race I planned on doing. I did have some achilles issues for a bit in January, but mostly problematic in October and November. The run the day after Newburyport I had the most Achilles pain probably since 2022. I'm glad I was able to get back on track with that but that's certainly been my most chronic issue and I'm sure it will pop up again. 

8. It was a strong trail year, but need to relearn technical running. I ended up having a great trail year on the whole with a strong mountain race at Sunapee and two epic European ultras that felt very rewarding as both were quite hard. However, I struggled often with technical trails and never felt very fluid on them. I think this was for two reasons- 1) the ankle struggles. With an ankle that's not 100% and has stability issues it's hard to run fast and comfortable with the knowledgeable that a bad roll would really ruin my day. and 2) It was a very rainy june and the trails were often in borderline hazardous conditions with how slippery rocks and roots were. I'll have to work on the ankle stuff, but it was a little tough being so much slower on some techy trails I had a blast pushing in previous years. I think I can back there with better ankle health, but also spending more time running easy on those trails to get used to it again. I also learned a valuable lesson- shoe choice very much matters on wet rock.  

9. I fell just short in two big scenarios. This was a great spring, but there was a bit of missed opportunity. I fell short of two major long time goals at the Riverhawk Invitational and the NYC Half. It would have been a huge spring to not only run the times I did but also cross off a sub-8:40 3K and under 1:10 in the half. I was just outside for both at 8:41 and 1:10:05. While both were PR's I actually felt pretty disappointed because those goals were within reach and I just missed. And both races I felt I had those goals in the bag, and couldn't finish it out. I get an excuse for Riverhawk, I was shoved and fell. It's really frustrating because I'd have run 8:37 or 8:38 without the fall but I can't blame myself for that. NYC Half really stings because I took it out hot- sub-32:30 through 10K (under 1:09 pace). I faded a bit through 10 miles but only needed a 17:08 final 5K (over 1:12 half pace) to get under, and I ran a 17:14 final 5K. I packed it because I thought the goal was gone and not seizing the moment there has consequences. This was a huge missed opportunity and I blew it. All I needed was to find 6 seconds somewhere in that final 5K, or simply pace a little better to have more in the tank. That one still stings because I should have gotten it done and didn't. 

Favorite Places Visited in 2025

United Kingdom. Great trip, Snowdonia area was awesome and then great to return to London.

White Mountains, NH. Nice to spend some more time here after limited visits the last few years. 

Denmark and Sweden. Explored the great city of Copenhagen, plus a brief trip across Øresund into Sweden. 

Bar Harbor, Maine. My favorite place in New England, always great to come back here.

Newfoundland. While the food and the infrastructure could be much better, the scenery was fantastic- perhaps better than anywhere in New England. 

Montreal. Amazing city, so nice to be able to visit here at the end of the year.

2025 Stats

Total Mileage: 3,517 Miles (45 more than 2024, but 83 less than 2023)

Highest Week: 96.69 Miles (October 6 to 12, Highest ever)

Lowest Week: 5 Miles (July 14-20)

Longest Run: 36.33 Miles (May 17th, PR)

Highest Month: 358 Miles in March

Lowest Month: 192 Miles In July

# of 80+ Mile Weeks: 14 (2023: 10, 2024: 10)

# of 90+ Mile Weeks: 4 (2023: 2, 2024: 4)

# of Days Running: 328

# of Days Off From Running: 37

Elevation Gain: 200,162'

Most Elevation Gain on a Run: 11,155' (May 17, Ultra Trail Snowdonia)

# of Mountain Runs: 10

# of Mountains Summited: 20

Highest Mountain Summited: South Twin Mountain, NH, 4,902'

Longest Running Streak: 45 Days, August 15 to September 28

Longest Non-Running Streak: 7 Days, July 15 to 21

Coldest Run: 15°F - Westerly, RI (December 5th and 9th)

Hottest Run: 82°F - Westerly/Exeter, RI (June 25th, July 30th, July 31th)

# of Races: 21

# of Wins: 2

Terrain Breakdown of Races:

Road- 13

Trail- 6

Indoor Track- 2

# of Countries Visited: 5

United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden

Movies Watched: 148

Video Games Completed: 8

# of States with Strava Activities: 10

# of Canadian Provinces with Activities: 3

Rhode Island- 252 Activities (70%)

Connecticut- 37 Activities (10%)

Massachusetts- 15 Activities (4%)

Newfoundland- 11 Activities (3%)

Remaining States/Provinces: NH, NY, FL, VT, ME, NS, MN, PA, QC

States/Provinces Run or Hiked In for the First Time: NL (+Denmark, Sweden)

Top Municipalities with Activities:

1. Charlestown, RI- 91 Activities

2. Westerly, RI- 70 Activities

3. Hopkinton, RI- 29 Activities

4. Richmond, RI- 21 Activities

5. Exeter, RI- 17 Activities

6. Groton, CT- 16 Activities

7. Stonington, CT- 15 Activities

8. South Kingstown, RI- 10 Activities

9. West Greenwich, RI- 5 Activities

10. New York, NY- 5 Activities

Locations outside Top 10:

Connecticut- Berlin, Chester, Guilford*, New Haven, Voluntown

Denmark- Copenhagen*, Vodinborg*

Florida- Jacksonville

Iceland- Hafnarfjordur*, Landmannalaugur*

Maine- Bar Harbor, Rockport

Massachusetts- Amherst, Ashland*, Bedford*, Boston, Canton, Hopkinton*, Milton, Newburyport, Newton*, Salem*, Springfield*, Upton*, Wellesley*, Westminster

Minnesota- Minneapolis, St. Paul*

New Hampshire- Berlin*, Bethlehem, Lincoln, Londonderry, Newbury, Tamworth

New York- Beacon*, Elmsford*, Fisher's Island* (Technically Southold I think?)

Newfoundland- Channel Port-aux-Basques*, Gros Morne National Park*, St. John's*, Terra Nova National Park*

Nova Scotia- Cookville*, Truro*

Pennsylvania- Philadelphia

Quebec- Montreal

Rhode Island- Coventry, Jamestown, Narragansett, Newport, Providence, Warwick

Sweden- Malmö

United Kingdom- Caernarfon*, Lllanberis*, London*, Manchester*

Vermont- Stowe

*Denotes a municipality I haven't run/hiked in before (on strava)

2025 Heatmaps

Pictorial Highlights

(I have no pics from February)

January: Millennium Mile (NH)

March: NYC Half (NY)

April: Boston Marathon (MA)

May: Caernarfon Castle (Wales)

June: Sunapee Scramble (NH)

July: Nyhavn (Denmark)

August: Fisher's Island (NY)

September: Gros Morne (NL)

October: Pell Bridge Run (RI)

November: Philadelphia Marathon (PA)

December: Montreal (QC)

2026 Goals

Sub-8:40 in the 3K. After a frustrating near-miss in January 2025 where I pretty much had sub-8:40 but missed it due to a fall, clearly the ability is there. Run it back and hope I don't have the bad lucky. 

Sub-15 in the 5K. Throwing this long time goal back on the list after a few years of not targeting it seriously. It certainly won't be the focus of 2026, but I should have some time in the late Spring to run a few outdoors. 

Sub-1:10 in the Half Marathon. This will continue to be on the list. It really should fall in 2026, just need to stay fit and get a good shot at it. 

PR in the Marathon. After breaking a major goal of sub-2:30, there isn't a time goal that stands out now. The bar has been raised and since marathoning will still be the main focus of 2026, I can't just be satisfied getting under 2:30 or 2:28 now. 

Race in a New State. This shouldn't be too hard to get, but always a nice small thing to add.

Be Confident in Ankle Health at the end of the year. Got a year to get this right. 

2025 was a strong one, and I think 2026 can be even better. 

Philadelphia Marathon

November 23, 2025

Philadelphia, PA

7:08 AM

Background: 

Philadelphia is one of the premier marathons in the Northeast, and arguably a top 10 marathon in the US. It's fairly competitive and large without being overwhelming in either aspect. I had some personal history here watching my Dad race in 2021 and running the half myself in 2022, coming away with positive impressions both times. This was a marathon I've always wanted to do and given I spent the first two fall seasons of my marathon career in California, it lined up well to do in 2025.

Philadelphia would be Marathon Block #5 for me with West Coast first three: Honolulu (2:39), Los Angeles (2:32), and San Francisco (2:32). Then 2:32 at Boston in the Spring. I was quite content to run back to 2:32s on hilly Los Angeles and San Francisco courses but with a slightly faster Boston course and another training block, I was less happy to do it a 3rd time. I had a really fantastic training block going in Boston and was disappointed to not even come close to a sub-2:30. Boston was a huge race for me and the hope was that it would be a breakthrough race and Philadelphia would be a bonus. The major positive of Boston was that I went for it- 1:13:06 at halfway and still on 2:27 pace through 20 miles but absolutely cratering the final 10K meant giving up a significant chunk of time. But I had never gone through half or 20 miles at those splits before (about 1.5 minutes back and 2.5 minutes back for each split at Los Angeles), so clearly there was potenial when I put things together. 

I had long visualized a sub-1:10 at the NYC Half in March and a sub-2:30 in Boston. Neither happened (I came up an agonizing 6 seconds short in New York)- this shifted a lot of focus to the fall. It's not a great feeling to come up short on big goals when you were very confident you'd get them done, and then have to put pressure on yourself to get it done in the next season. Heading into the season, I was confident with a similar body of work to Boston that I could run a 1:09 and 2:28-2:29. 

Philadelphia would also be the fastest marathon course I've attempted- Honolulu is probably faster but when considering the always hot and humid conditions there, Philadelphia would be the best to run fast. Los Angeles, Boston, and especially San Francisco all feature challenging climbs. Philadelphia still had decent elevation gain with 700', almost as much as Boston but the hills were well spread out that no one climb or series of hills were likely to be devastating. 

Training Block:

Unlike Boston, where I hit the ground running with a fantastic January and had the best workouts of my life in February and March plus great racing across the board - I struggled early in the Philadelphia block. It took me until late September to turn workouts around as I frequently felt slow and sluggish. The best workout of the block came September 27th with a 2x5 Mile tempo on the Washington Secondary bike path going around 5:42 pace on the first and 5:33 on the second, a workout on par with the best I've ever done. However, every other workout including big ones after that never reached the level of the Boston block. For Boston, I did nearly every workout over challenging hills in Charlestown. This time, I did a mix of flat workouts and hilly workouts as Philadelphia has hills and flat sections. There were a few workouts identical to ones in the Boston block and I was almost always 10-15 seconds slower per mile on these. These were still good efforts, and I was fairly consistent after mid-September but it felt strange that I just could never match my Boston self. 

For racing, I started off well in August with rustbusters at Run 4 Kerri and Bobby Doyle but crashed and burned in the mid-season with two terrible consecutive performances at the North Shore 10K and the Twin Cities 10 Mile- only managing 33:40 and 56:55, some of my worst performances in years. For reference I ran a 32:40 at the Joe Kleinerman 10K in January (5:15 pace) and 49:04 at the Gate River Run 15K (5:15 pace) in March, for these races at similar points in the season I ran 5:25 and 5:41(!) pace respectively. Twin Cities was especially bad, given I was coming off a bad performance already and had a month to get fitter but instead I dropped a massive goose egg - unquestionably one of my worst performances since college. I didn't panic- this was after the great 2x5 mile workout, but it was definitely concerning. My next two races would be telling- with Pell Bridge 4 mile 2 weeks and Newburyport half 3 later, these would be a good test especially Newburyport. 

Fortunately, I passed both tests with flying colors- a 21:03 win at Pell Bridge (300' elevation gain), and a 1:10:20 at Newburyport. I felt Newburyport was a really good result given the racing and training struggles of the block. There were two negatives coming out of Newburyport- it meant I failed to break 1:10 on the year. That was a major goal of the year and I felt like it put additional pressure on myself to break 2:30 at Philadelphia given I knew the other goal wasn't happening. The other negative was some mild achilles discomfort going into Newburyport really flared up and was pretty painful the next few days. Fortunately exercises and slight reduction in mileage/intensity for that week improved the achilles significantly, although occasional mild discomfort lingered up until race day. 

The last 4 weeks up to race day was mostly uneventful. I got sick about 2 weeks before but it was fairly mild and completely gone before the race. My final 4 weeks of training was really good and I felt the most comfortable I had with the workouts all block. 

Fueling:

One aspect of marathon success I think I've completely overlooked in the past is fueling. I've never thought much about this and stuck with the GU gels I've had in the past and their vague recommendation of one every 45 minutes. So I took 3 GUs in Honolulu and Los Angeles. I decided at the last minute to have 4 at San Francisco and the results seemed promising- I felt significantly better the final 10K. A few weeks before Boston, I read an article or forum suggesting the carb intake should be significantly higher than what I had been taking. It was too late to try something new and I had no idea how I'd fit many more gels in my one shorts pocket, so I settled a pre-race GU plus 5 during the race (and grabbed a maurten out of desperation when bonking late). 

With a full block to experiment for Philadelphia, I completely changed my fueling strategy. I switched from GU gels to SIS (Science in Sport). I believe SIS gels are more efficient and get you energy faster than GU despite having a similar carb level. I don't know the exact science behind it, but it's something about SIS gels use fructose and glucose whereas many gels just use glucose. In terms of texture, regular sis gel are much thinner than GUs but have a larger packet. This means they're far easier to consume while running fast but take up more space. Switching to SIS meant jamming 4-5 gel packets in my back packet wouldn't work. The best solution I found was to get a lightweight running belt. I was initially worried about extra weight or potential discomfort, but this worked quite well- I positioned it just above the top of my shorts and it felt snug and wasn't noticeable. The belt gave me significantly more storage space and better weight distribution. 

I found a solution with the belt and regular SIS gels, but SIS gels have the same carb amount as GU- I'd want to use their SIS beta gels- which at 40g of carbs would be nearly double most standard gels and provide me with extra fuel. I found taking the SIS beta gels caused me significant stomach discomfort in workouts where it felt like I needed to throw up. I only needed 1 beta gel to get through long runs since I was never doing more 12 miles of marathon workout. However, in the final month before the race I had realized having one beta gel caused me stomach discomfort and I had never tested out 2 in a run before when I was planning on having 3-4 in the actual marathon. On my final big workout, I had two SIS beta during rest blocks with only 2 miles hard in between. I had to stop twice on my final rep due to sudden vomiting. I wasn't extremely concerned for the race- I hadn't taken any of these gels with water and these had been during hard fatigued marathon workouts. With race conditions (feeling easier) and having water after the gels, there was a good chance I'd tolerate them better. And throwing up a little bit likely wouldn't derail my race. But it was an X-factor and I should have practiced earlier and more often. 

Race Week:

Race week was mostly smooth other than three minor issues. Getting over the cold/breathing challenges, occasional ankle soreness when the outside of the shoes rubs against it, and the weak/sore achilles. The cold was on it's way out, the ankle thing was annoying but so mild and infrequent it wasn't a worry, but the achilles issue had been ongoing for 6 weeks or so and was definitely a concern. While it might not play a role, it could absolutely flare up and cause a DNF. I wasn't terribly worried about it, but it's also something that's hard to ignore going into a marathon. 

Typical easy runs before work Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. 2xmile tune up Wednesday in Avondale- hit around 5:20 which is solid. Took the train down to Philadelphia on Friday, with Jeff Vuono and some other Mohegan Striders on the same train. Andrew got on in NYC and took the connecting SEPTA train over to center city after arriving. That night was pretty chill- it's nice to get there two days before so you can relax whereas one day before feels like you immediately have to go to bed and get up early to race. Picked up our bibs- the half marathon line was insane but no issue for the marathon. Got some boba and thai food. 

Day before the race we took the subway to the train station area as running from center city isn't great. The bike paths were pretty crowded with marathon spectators but it was fine for a short pre-meet. The paths were pretty wet and slippery which made strides not feel great. I went too hard on the strides and was wondering if I had ruined my race as I probably hadn't hit those speeds all season. My achilles also felt a bit uncomfortable which was disappointing. Rest of the day was uneventful hanging out in the hotel. Got some local sandwiches from reading terminal market and pasta from a place near city hall. 

Race Morning:

Woke up at 4am for a planned 7am start. I don't really remember how I slept or the first hour of the morning- I don't think either went especially good or bad. We went over a little early given we got stuck in terribly long security lines for the half in 2022. Got to the start area at 5:40am and zero security or bathroom lines. We hung out on a park bench until 6:05 or so, then realized the bathroom line had gotten quite long. Waited there for a bit before a second shuffling around warm-up (had already jogged the mile+ from the hotel). It was quite crowded. There wasn't much room for strides but used the side of the baseball field which was fine. Went over to the start and saw Jared and Greg Keras there. It was easy enough to get in the corral but it didn't seem well enforced. I had opted for a bunch of throwaway layers instead of a bag drop and this worked pretty well, other than us actually starting at 7:08 instead of 7 sharp so I had taken them off early. The tiny elite field went off 5 minutes early and eventually it was our turn. 

Course Profile:

Philadelphia is what I would call a medium difficulty course for a marathon. It doesn't have a massive total elevation gain, nor does it have a challenging placement of tough hills like Boston. But at 700' total and plenty of rollers in there's, it's not quite a flat fast marathon either. However, since I had only done either challenging hilly marathons (LA, SF, Boston) or a very hot one (Honolulu), Philadelphia would be the fastest course I've done. 

The course loops through downtown with a few skyscraper sections and is fairly flat for the first 7.5 miles. The next section of the course is the hilliest, with a 60', 100', and 70' climb, plus a few smaller rollers for some extra elevation. None are particularly steep and it's fairly well spread out over 8 miles- but it could be a rhyhthym breaker coming off the flat start. The hills are mostly in Fairmount Parks on nice park roads. At Mile 16, there's a steeper downhill to Kelly Drive before beginning the long out and back to Mananyunk and then returning to the finish. Other than 3 30' bumps, Kelly Drive is very flat and this would definitely be a fast section of the race with a flat straight road. But it certainly could be mentally challenging with no turns. Two of those bumps would be just before and after the turnaround, then it's a slight uphill final 0.5 miles to the finish. 

I really wasn't worried about the course profile at all. The layout and hills could be difficult for someone who only runs or races on flats, but it shouldn't be an issue coming off pretty challenging last three marathons. 

Conditions were very good- a bit on the colder side than preferred- 33 at the start, but pretty much zero wind. I'll definitely take that over a 41 and 10mph wind. Although worth noting this would be my coldest marathon start by 16 degrees (Honolulu- 74, LA- 49, SF- 56, Boston- 50). 

Philadelphia is a competitive marathon and I'd estimate about 30 people or so would crack 2:30. It's not one of the deepest marathons in the US, but it is pretty solid and I'd likely have more people to run with than Honolulu, LA or SF. 

Strategy:

It was pretty clear that 1:13 low was too agressive at Boston. I had taken a big risk there and it didn't pay off. Philadelphia was all about giving myself the best chance to break 2:30. While an even or slight negative split is the most efficient way to run, given I've never done so and with the exception of San Francisco, run the second half 3+ minutes slower than the first, that didn't seem realistic to try to do that here. That said, it's pretty clear that it's the second half of the race where I'm going to take time off. I wanted to hit the half in about 1:14:30, which would allow a 59 second positive split to still crack 2:30. This would require running my fastest second half ever, but it was clear I was going to have to do so to continue to PR. This would require 5:41 pace, which felt like it would be challenging but definitely within reason. 17:39 through 5K, 35:18 through 10K and 56:50 through 10 miles. Then I could run as slow as 5:46 pace in the second half. 

The forecast was I think 36 or 37 with no wind at the start, so for me that was totally fine for a singlet/shorts and no gloves. It ended up being 33F which maybe would have been cold enough for thin gloves but I didn't know at the time. 

I ended up going 5 SiS gels for 146 total grams of carbs (110-120 at Boston) going for the following plan:

Regular (22g) at Mile 5

Regular (22g) at 10

Beta (40g) at 14

Regular (22g) at 18

Beta (40g) at 22

The Race:

Like the half 3 years ago, my legs got a bit cold and stiff from standing around in the cold and the race starting later than advertised. I decided to hang onto my throw away gloves for the first few miles as my fingers get cold first. Similar to the half, once we got going instead of having that super easy loose marathon feeling I felt a bit flat. The first mile goes by really quick, I mentally wasn't feeling great as I really wanted to lock into pacing on this one and flatter than expected legs isn't the best feeling. Los Angeles is the only marathon where things felt effortless at the start, all these others were comfortable but working. I settled in side by side with one runner going down Arch street past the first mile. I missed the mile split because he asked me what I was shooting for, and his target was a few minutes faster than mine. I asked him the mile split and he said 5:35- too fast, I don't want to be banking much time here. Down to Chrstopher Columbus Boulevard and I found myself in a familiar position- no man's land. My watch was clearly off and unreliable so I had to rely more on mental math and checking the mile markers. Any pack I was with at that point was too fast, so I backed off and ran solo. This wasn't really a great feeling so early and the effort felt harder than I'd like. I was having some minor achilles discomfort early, but it largely didn't bother me going forward.

Coming off  a flat two mile stretch on Christopher Columbus, I either caught another group or got caught and would have company for a little longer. My hands were feeling pretty warm now at Mile 4 and I'd be grabbing my first gel soon, so I ditched them on the side of the road. The next two miles are fairly fun going through narrower city roads and past Independence Hall before heading back through downtown. I was in a pack of 2-3 other guys and alternating sometimes hanging back behind them and others going to the front. Even sometimes getting dropped slightly then slowing getting back into the pack. I didn't feel amazingly comfortable. We got onto a wider road again on Chestnut Street and got into a skyscraper heavy area. With my watch not providing valuable feedback, this upcoming 10K split would tell a lot. 34:52 against a 35:18 target. I was pretty disappointed to see that- after months of reflecting on poor execution at Boston and telling myself how important it was not to go out too fast here, I had done it again. I immediately hit the brakes and allowed the pack to run away. This was a mental low here having already made an execution mistake, and not exactly feeling easy or smooth. Was this the beginning of the end?

Passed through the city and over the river, now again in no man's land. Onto 34th street, passing Drexel. I noted an area I remembered walking through post-half in 2022. The hills would begin here and this was a nice distraction after lots of flat miles. That first hill did not feel especially difficult and I just tried to relax, conserve energy and not worry about pace. This pretty much ended the city blocks section as we entered Fairmount Park at the top of the hill, which much of the rest of the race would be in. I really like much of this course, running on wide closed park roads. There was a decent downhill heading past the zoo I was running a good pace on. One guy in the pack from earlier had also fallen back and I unintentionally caught up to him and would work with him for a while. Really great crowd support heading out on a lollipop before recrossing the river. Now came the biggest hill of the course. Like before I just stayed relaxed and tried to conserve energy, I think this was the slowest mile in the first half for me. I was shocked how easy this near-100 foot climb felt. There was no struggle whatsoever, I felt very relaxed. I felt good working with this other runner and got a cheer from Dan Donato and some other Notch members. This part was pretty fun and I was feeling good. The other runner and I stayed close and would alternate leading or even pulling ahead when we were comfortable. Came back around on the bridge, past some big crowds, and onto more park backroads before coming up to the half- 1:14:07. 23 seconds ahead of target, but still a full minute slower than Boston and importantly I hadn't banked any additional time since 10K- meaning 10K to half was pretty close to 5:41 pace. 

This was a huge mental boost after feeling flat the first 10K, out of rhythym with my group, and a full 26 seconds quick. Now at half I was only 23 seconds quick (13 seconds or so per 10K), feeling far more relaxed and easy deeper into the race and was working well with one runner rather than fretting about pack dynamics. Who knows how the rest of the race will go, but right now it was a green light to proceed as planned. 

Took my SIS beta gel at 14, which definitely caused me some stomach distress and an urge to vomit, but fortunately not for long and not enough to actually throw up or gag. The other runner and I were starting to pass a lot of the elite women and I had to be a bit more aware of my spacing with some two way sections and having to pass those women plus their bike companions. Made the loop around Edgley drive where I kept an eye out for Andrew who was just starting the loop as I finished. Looked for Jared as well but didn't see him. Passed the top Notch women who was in second. Big downhill down to Kelly drive- there was now one turn left, just the cone turnaround in Manayunk. 

A few interesting things happened after turning on Kelly drive. Saw Claudo, notch teammate who I initially thought was someone else. The guy I was working with and I caught a few other guys. One of these runners grabbed a bottle from a woman, drank some, then proceeded to cross the cones and run on the other side of the road which was strange. He then placed the bottle on the wall, only for it to immediately fall as he started to run away. He stopped, went back and replaced it. Seemed kind of bizzarre instead of just having the woman do it. I had pulled away slightly from the runner I was working with and with the other guy slowing down for his bottle mishap, I found myself slightly ahead of this group. I felt so comfortable coming off rolling hills onto a flat smooth road and decided just to stick with it. My watch showed I was running 5:30 pace but hadn't been reliable all day and I decided to assume it was wrong, but hadn't realized GPS was accurate now away from the tall buildings. 

I slowly pulled away from the 3-4 guys near me, but figured they may catch me up and we could pack up again. Shortly after I spotted one woman ahead with a lead vehicle ahead of her, and realized she was the overall leader for the woman's race. Slowly caught and passed her. Felt fairly comfortable through 30K where we made a slight turn off Kelly Drive and onto Main Street. I had a comfortable gap on the group from a few miles ago, and was beginning to see runners who I was catching. 1:44:49 through 30K. 

A mile out to Manayunk turnaround was a nice diversion running back through city streets rather than the park. I passed 1-2 more runners. The turnaround itself killed a bit of momentum, but it didn't take long to get back to speed. Helps that I was running strong at this point, that may have broke me in other marathons. Now past 20 miles, the mental calculations began- what the slowest I could run 10K in and still break 2:30. Some deep fatigue was setting in, leg heaviness, but nothing that felt like it was impending doom and my race was inevitably falling apart at some point. But with a full 10K, I did not have it in the bag. 

Saw Greg from Notch and high fived Andrew as I went past him. A few more miles come and go and I'm back on Kelly Drive with a sea of runners headed the other way. Every step feels closer to success. At 22, I realized I have actually been picking it up and am on sub-2:28 pace. I had room to fade but not to blow up. Where's the horrible weakness from Boston, LA, Honolulu? Things feel much closer to San Francisco. I'm absolutely mopping people up at this point, probably passed 5 people in that last 5K. 

5K to go and things are no longer comfortable. There's a very deep, throbbing fatigue. But it might be manageable for 5K left. Continuing to click off sub-5:40 pace here with 5K to go and no super weak moments makes me feel I have the sub-2:30 in the bag. Now there's a few things to consider- run it as safe as possible to ensure I get under without risks or take a chance and go for the fastest time possible? I pass two guys who are working together and look strong at 24. I figure this is it for me passing people, these guys will rally and we'll either run together or they'll surge ahead. But I'm still running pretty fast and they can't hang. Closing in on the sub-2:30 and it started to get emotional. Seeing every mile marker, getting further down Kelly Drive and knowing I was going to break a major goal. I had been out there so long and many months contributed to this. Every step forward got me closer to Downtown Philadelphia and increased the probability this was going to happen. At 25, I came up on another guy and also repassed the initial turn onto Kelly- the runners going the other way had 10 miles to go, I had a little over 1. Bob Kerwin yelled out to me and I thought about how much more he had left vs me (he later told me he was thinking the same thing). I again passed this runner and I continued to run low-5:30 pace. Sub-2:30 was done. Sub-2:29 was all but certain. Even sub-2:28 was likely. 

A concern popped up somewhere around there- a deep calf muscle started to feel quite strained/tight. To the point where if I sprinted, I might totally tear or pull it to the point where I'd DNF or limp in very slowly. It felt concerning but stable at the current pace. I felt like there was another gear to tap into- maybe I had a 5:15 or 5:20 in me, but continuing the current rhythym felt like the smart call with the calf. The crowds were roaring with half a mile to go the finish. Passed the boathouses, passed the 26 mile marker and a bit of an incline to the finish. Came around the bend with the course all to myself and a roaring crowd. Finish line came in sight- my calf was going to hold up. My effort was steady and hard and this last mile was the only part of the race where I was beginning to feel weak. But it didn't matter. The finish line came around and I was in disbelief to see 2:25 high click away into the 2:26s. Crossed the line 9th overall with a 2:26:13. Results.

2:27s seems like it might happen with a few to go. Maybe even low 2:27. But 2:26 never crossed my mind as a possibility. Let alone seeing a 2:25 as I was finishing. I saw 2:28 low as an absolute best case scenario if everything went perfectly- pacing, weather, how I felt, etc. I made some pacing mistakes, some achilles discomfort and feeling flat early, and ran a 2:26 low. I came into Philadelphia thinking the most likely scenario was a 2:29:30, and only that was a little bit more likely than 2:30:30. And I actually ran a 2:26:13. Shock. Absolute shock. Did that just happen? 

Post Race:

I walked a bit past the finish, only for a guy to quickly tell me I was 3rd in the open division and was getting a prize, so I had to hang out with him in a tent until it was available. Running 26.2 miles hard hit me soon after as I vomited on the ground in the tent. I would then wait a full hour and a half to receive my award. Everyone else getting an award had done a bag drop and had warm clothes to change to, not an issue waiting in the heated tent but going up on the podium was cold, thankfully some lady gave me a long sleeve to wear. 

Things took so long because they also waited for the third non-binary finisher to finish, who ran a 3:37, to do awards. I got a really nice plaque plus $1,000 wired to me. It felt strange getting my award in the elite tent as the actual elites were in there and the winner sat next to me. It was kind of funny when I signed the form to get paid and they told me that I can fill out one section if the money gets wired to my agent. 

I think the tent situation ruined my moment a bit. Instead of being one of the first people to run back to the city, I was nervous about missing hotel checkout and also had no way to contact Andrew who probably had no idea what happened to me. When I did think about the result, it was less elation and more "Did that really happen?". I was waiting for someone to tell me, oops we made a timing error- you actually ran 2:31. 

After getting the award, it was a confusing and crowded how to get out of there. I started to jog back to the hotel, but realized I had clearly strained/pulled my calf. I alternated walking and jogging because my calf was very messed up. Got back to the hotel feeling extremely weak, then picked up some Philly Cheesesteaks and milkshakes before heading to the train station and going home. 

Post Race Thoughts and Reflection:

There's so much to say, but I knocked that one out of the park. Unquestionably and by far the best race I've ever run. After a disappointing senior year of HS and entire college year riddled with injury and questionable coaching decisions, I've longed for a big breakthrough performance. I've had plenty of good, even great ones but none that felt like a massive step forward or breakthrough. Just delivering on what I knew I was capable of, never taking it to an entirely another level. After an 8 year wait, I finally got there here- punching a 6 minute PR and a top 10. Completely redefining my capabilities as a runner. 

While I've never again had that amazing feeling of an effortless first 10K from Los Angeles, this first 10K was about the flattest I've felt in any marathon. I felt mentally defeated after 10K and fortunately I was able to bounce back quite well and being flat there didn't mean being over-fatigued. But looking back, it is a bit surprising that my best marathon by far came from not feeling great through 10K. 

This wasn't perfect pacing and execution, but it was pretty good. I made the mistake I've made in every single marathon of going out too hard in the first 10K, and the same applied here. But I corrected well backing off through half. I probably should have kept that 16 to 20 mile segment a bit lighter or stay with the group, but I didn't know I was actually running 5:30s due to early GPS error - and my fitness backed up what may have been a bold move. 

But it was really the last 10K that made the difference. I was probably on pace for just under 2:28 through 20 miles. At Boston, I was on pace for a low 2:27 through 20. At Los Angeles, on pace for a mid-2:29 there. I struggled big time in those final 10Ks, giving up 5 and 3 minutes respectfully. Not only did I not lose even a second in the final 10K in Philadelphia, but I dropped an additional 1.5 minutes off the time. I was so focused on maintaining pace or only slowing slightly that I never considered the possibility of a big negative split or running 2:26. After positive splitting every marathon thus far, and with the exception of San Francisco by 3.5+ minutes, a two minute negative split was something that pre-race seemed completely unrealistic. I knew to break 2:30 I'd need to cut the trend of 1+ minute positive splits- it's not an efficient way to run a good marathon for anyone. But I thought on my best day I'd have a small negative split or more likely a slight positive split. If someone told me I was going to run my fastest half in a marathon ever- 1:12:06, I would have assumed that was the first half and I blew up horribly. It feels crazy that was from the second half, and a full minute faster than my first half in a downhill aided Boston. 

I would have been totally content to have run 2:28 or even 2:29 here. Now that I've run 2:26:13, the bar has been raised significantly. With a 2:28 or 2:29 I could enter 2026 satisfied and with the expectations to bring that down to a 2:27. I've not only already done that, but a full minute faster. I expected 2:26 would be a several year program- maybe looking at 2027 to get that done. I've now done it- and the expectation now must be to look at 2:25 or maybe even 2:24. These are goals I'd be expecting to chase in 2028 or 2029 but the jump happened and now I'm here. My marathon PR pace coming in was 5:49. It's now 5:36- that's a substantial difference. Before I'd approach races thinking I can run a decent PR holding 5:40 and now to comfortably PR I'll need to be in the low 5:30s. 

How did I run a 6 minute PR? Of course as I've been mentioning, I was not expecting to run that large of a PR. I did expect a sub-2:31 at the minimum. And I had some things working against me: my training was not as good as Boston, my shorter races were not as good as Boston. Two indicators my fitness was probably not as good as Boston. I also went into Boston fully healthy. The achilles discomfort pre-race was a wild card. Fortunately, this held up at marathon effort with super shoes. 

In reality, the 6 minute PR was not as big of a fitness jump as the time suggested. I ran a 6 minute positive split at Boston. It's very likely I could have run a 2:29-2:30 that day with better pacing, which would mean a 3-4 minute PR in Philadelphia. 2:29-2:30 was clearly possible in the past, I just hadn't gotten it done. Another massive factor in the success of Philadelphia was fueling. Changing it up, wearing the belt, and having more carbs meant zero bonking or significant energy issues- and it's no coincidence I lost no time in the second half. I think I also got a little bit of time off just going from challenging hilly course to a more moderate course in Philadelphia. But all those changes put me at 2:28 or so, not 2:26. 

I can't pinpoint or explain exactly where those 2 minutes came from. I had confidence that despite worse workouts and races I could still be in great marathon shape. When I've put in the work in the past, I've been able to run very well after a taper even when certain workouts or races didn't go the way I expected them. I bombed the Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Half but followed it up with a great Los Angeles marathon. I didn't have a single good 20 mile long run in the San Francisco buildup, and surprised myself with a marathon PR on my toughest course to date. Philadelphia absolutely felt like it could be one of those situations, and that ended up being the case. I'd attribute that success to the cumulative fitness gained over 5 marathon blocks- putting in higher mileage and consistent challenging marathon work over hills in the last 2ish years. I've gotten better each block, despite not dramatically changing things and I think the cumulative gain + fueling + better pacing from Boston got me to 2:26, even if that exceeded what I thought was my ceiling. The one thing that I think went exceptionally well in the Philadelphia block was how mileage and long runs felt. Pretty much all the blocks in California, I was exhausted completing a 90 mile week and 20-22 mile long runs. It felt like my limit, especially as during the week my legs would feel exhausted just finishing 11-12 easy. Boston was better than that- I didn't feel very burnt out, but the 90+ weeks were still quite hard and the long runs were no piece of cake. This time around, those 11-12 mile runs felt easier on the body. I felt I could go 13-14 those days without straining. The 90 mile weeks weren't easy but I wasn't cooked at the end of them, I could have hit 100 if needed. 

So the next challenge is how do I improve upon this. And despite such a big jump, I'm confident I can run faster. My next marathon will be in Rotterdam, Netherlands April 12th and there are four factors that I think could propel to an even better time:

1. Course. While Philadelphia was the fastest course/conditions I've raced in, I've never run a truly flat marathon. That will change in Rotterdam, which is pancake flat. Being able to run on flat ground the entire time and not have hills break up the rhythym should take off 30-60 seconds alone. 

2. Fueling. This will be a small margin, but I ended up having slightly less carbs than planned on race day since my stomach didn't seem ready for it. With plenty of time to experiment in training, I could potentially tolerate another 20-40g of carbs will allow me to run slightly faster without bonking. 

3. Pacing. Philadelphia was good execution, but there's room to improve there. Just as a 2 minute positive split means you could have run better with better pacing, a 2 minute negative split also means I could have a ran a little bit faster going out slightly quicker. There's not a ton of time to take off there, but maybe going out in 1:12 high or 1:13 flat is the move at rotterdam and aiming for a slight negative split. I could have been more even with that 1:14:07 had I relaxed a bit more through 10K- even pacing is efficient running. 

4. Training. Once I hone these first three factors, the only way to get better will be training. However, there's a ton of room for improvement there. I averaged about 75 miles this block with a 96 mile peak. I think I could continue to improve doing the exact same thing- I've run every marathon faster than the last while largely following the same training plan. After feeling the most comfortable I ever have with the mileage for Philadelphia, there could be a benefit from upping that average mileage, peaking at a higher amount, and going slightly longer on my biggest workouts. 

Event Notes

Overall I'd say I enjoyed Philadelphia as an event. From the gun to finish, the race environment was excellent running through a vibrant city and park roads with a lot of crowd support. The weather is often excellent here and no wind was fantastic marathon conditions. However, there were a few major downsides including the pre-race logistics as I mentioned earlier. More bathrooms, warm-up space, corral enforcement, and starting the race on time would be an improvement. My biggest issue with the event is the result site. Last year they switched to this website, and it's legimitately the worst result website I've ever seen. If you try to load the full results, the website often crashes and you're stuck looking at the search only result which isn't helpful when you want to look at race depth and other finishers. For a while, the results were incorrectly sorted by gun time and including wheelchair finishers, so I was displayed as 19th instead of 9th. 

I had a great experience here and of course raced very well. This is a nice time of the year to run a marathon as you don't have to do your hardest workouts in the heat and race day almost certainly won't be too hot. But I won't plan on doing it again given the issues I had, and mostly because I want to run other marathons and there's a lot of options out there. 

Marathon Splits Comparison

A few interesting things here- Boston so so much deeper than these others. Top 23 in my other 4 marathons, not top 250 at Boston. Honolulu the hot one, much hotter than the rest. And SF and Honolulu unusually early starts in the dark, whereas Boston is a late morning start. 

First half versus second half splits tell the story of the marathon pretty well. Big blowups at Boston and Honolulu just wanting to cross the finish line. Modest fade in Los Angeles, much of that in the final 5K. Very well paced race in San Francisco with a near even split. And the big negative split in Philadelphia topping them all. 

Here's the splits chart. Note all San Francisco splits and a few of the Honolulu splits, plus 35K at Philly are estimated as there were no official splits there. I ran much of Philly behind Boston self, then dusted my Boston self the final 10K. I was slightly ahead of my Los Angeles self then slammed the door on that. It's interesting being a full 40 seconds ahead at 30K in Boston, but a massive fade versus a pickup makes a huge difference.

And finally a splits comparison for these three. Faster every 5K through 5K in Boston through 25K, slightly faster 25K-30K in Philadelphia. Then not even close- struggling and slowing in Los Angeles, big time in Boston versus running the fastest splits I ever have for Philadelphia the final 10K. 5.5 minutes faster in the final 10K in Philadelphia than Boston.