Atlantic City, NJ Marathon 10 18 2026 and Philadelphia visit

 

Atlantic City, NJ October 18, 2026

6:17:45 – 1202/1239 Overall – 10/10 in 70-79 

            On Sunday Oct 18, 2026 (Katie and Zach's one year anniversary), I ran the Atlantic City Marathon in 6:17:45. It was my 194th marathon and 49th state in quest to do all the states a second time. The first time was in 2009 where I finished at the Philadelphia, PA Marathon. Jodi and I flew into Philly on Friday and then drove the one hour to AC on Saturday. We stayed at Bally's which was the host hotel; that was perfect so I could just walk out the door and be at the start/finish line. That helped a lot since the weather was cold (40s, sunny and windy) and it was nice not to have stand around outside for very long.

Having been diagnosed with spinal stenosis earlier this year, I've had to change my approach to training for and running marathons. The stenosis is really aggravated by the pounding of running but not by walking. Therefore, I have been doing a lot of walking this year. Typically, I'll do 3 or 4 minutes walking and then 1 minute running. So, for Atlantic City Marathon, I did 4/1 for the first half and then 3/1 for the second half. The official cutoff was 6:30 so I figured if I could keep my miles around or under 15 minutes, I could make that time. I would have been faster in second half if last 6 miles weren't into the wind and slightly uphill most of the time.

I kept to that plan very closely with walking pace being 15-16 minutes and running being under 11 and often close to 10. Running one minute allowed me to run pretty fast. Jodi joined me about mile 9 and ran to 16 where I did loop alone. She joined me again for the last 5 miles and was such a great sherpa. She got 12 miles in herself which were a lot more than she expected, but she did great and never faltered. The hardest part of being on the course for 6 hours is boredom and Jodi kept me entertained with stories. She was great little rabbit for the 1 minute pickups as I gave a few seconds headstart and then tried to catch her. She got my cups of water at aid stations and encouraged other runners as we passed about 60 of them in the second half of the race.

Doing so much walking made it easy to still run fast for the short bursts the whole race, but my back started to hurt a lot in the second half. It was manageable so I kept going. ("The faster you run, the sooner you're done.")

Monday morning, as I write this, my back hurts a lot, so we'll see how much damage I did...I've been doing PT and daily stretching all year to strengthen the area around the lower back and icing daily to try to be as strong as I can be. The goal is to rest and then get ready for Rochester, MN marathon in May 2027 for the 50th state. I have relatives there including a cousin who is a doctor at the Mayo Clinic. Hope I don't end up there. LOL

That evening Jodi and I went to Ruth Chris' to celebrate Jodi's birthday (Oct 13) and my marathon. It was a great and rare treat for us and the steak was perfect for protein, iron and great taste!

            The day after the marathon, Jodi and I drove to Philadelphia which was the place where  I had completed running a marathon in all 50 states the first time and a place that Jodi had never visited. We started our touring by going to see the Liberty Bell so I could recreate the picture with it that I took in 2009. We then took a hop-on-hop-off bus to tour the city and learn some of its history. We saw the Besty Ross home, Ben Franklin monuments and burial place, Chinatown, Eastern State Penitentiary, and the famous Love Monument. Our driver recommended Cleavers for authentic Philly Cheesesteak so we ate there and then Jodi said, “We should get some ice cream” and half a block later we found an ice cream store. Our tour took us past the Philadelphia Art Museum where the Rocky statue is located and by the Rodin Museum where we saw his famous “Thinker” statue. We saw a lot of fall colors and saw two railroad stations whose names became famous on the Monopoly board: Reading (it’s actually pronounced “Reding”) and Pennsylvania. We saw a lot of impressive buildings including city hall which took 30 years to finish and a skyscraper in the shape of a “flip-phone” showing its age.

This was Marathon #194; 49 states+DC on 2nd go-round; All 10 Canadian provinces.

Next marathon: Rochester, MN May 26, 2027

Pictures with captions can be seen on my 2 Facebook posts.

Or go to Shutterfly: https://linkit.shutterfly.com/NUfZyB

 

 

 

Vermont City Marathon, Burlington, VT May 24, 2026

 

Burlington, VT May 24, 2026

5:42:56 – 1390/1555 Overall – 1/2 in 75-79 

            Jodi and I got up at 2:30AM on Friday to catch our cross-country flight to Burlington, VT. We got in about 3:30PM EDT and were able to go to the expo and pick up our packets. Interestingly, eager-beaver, Jodi had volunteered to help out at the start line for the race since she was running the 2^nd half as part of a marathon relay team. The race organizers hooked her up with another runner named Ann whom Jodi had corresponded with to set things up. My cousins, John and Linda Duncan, who used to live in Connecticut and with whom I stayed many times when I ran the Boston Marathon, now live in New Hampshire and were planning to meet up with us while we were in Burlington. Well, purely by accident we ended up staying at the same hotel on Friday night. That made it easy to eat breakfast with them Saturday and then tour some of Burlington before they went home after we had lunch together. It was a great time catching up! In the afternoon, Jodi and I toured the famous Vermont Teddy Bear Factory located just outside Burlington.

            Saturday morning dawned with the sound of raindrops on the roof. It was indeed going to be a rainy and chilly marathon with temps in the mid-40s. Jodi needed to get the start fairly early, so we got there at 5:50 for the 7:15 start. Thankfully we had anticipated the rain and had umbrellas and rain gear. When Jodi went to get ready for her start line duties, I sat in the car and wondered about all these crazy people braving the elements. Indeed, why was I doing this? But then I thought how the conditions were actually pretty good for running. They were way better than too hot as it was at Lincoln, NE 3 weeks before had been. And it was a light rain and warmer than many marathons I’d run in driving rain and temps in the 30s. Sitting in the car not far from the start, I was able to wait until near the start time to get in the porta-potty line and drop my gear bag where I put my umbrella in its own plastic bag so it didn’t get my sweats and dry clothes wet. (That was a great idea from Jodi!)

            As you can see from the pictures, I wore shorts and the old standby plastic bag with arm and head holes over my short sleeve shirt and arm warmers. The rain lightened up about an hour into the race, and I threw away the garbage bag and took off the arm warmers. “Once you’re wet, you’re wet and it doesn’t really matter anymore” is my motto and I felt fine the rest of the race dressed that way and the rain mostly stopped.

            We had also made arrangements to see our friends, Farshad and Donna Oreizi, who had moved from Fresno to Burlington. I have known them since 2000 when they became a part of Team in Training (part of Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) first with one of their three sons as an honoree (an 8-year-old leukemia patient who is doing great now) and then as marathoners themselves and then as coach and LLS employee. I saw them early in the race as I climbed a long hill in downtown and got a “lift”. The marathon is a two-loop course that has a figure-8 shape. As I approached mile 6 (near the start area(, Jodi took my picture and my arm warmers. She then got ready to run her leg of the relay.

            I  did a 3-minute run/:30second walk for most of the race but did vary it on the numerous hills. My running pace was in the 11:00-11:30 pace for much of the race but slowed as I tired in the later miles. I finished the first half-marathon loop and then less than a mile later saw Farshad who started running with me. I figured he’d run maybe a mile, but no, he ended up running almost all of the second half of the marathon with me. (He had planned to run with his son, Tieve who was running the marathon; however, Tieve got injured and had to drop.) That was a big help to me because Farshad entertained me by updating me on so many things related to what the boys had done over the years and how he and Donna ended up in Burlington. It was so great to listen to his stories and just run and not think about my running. Looking out on Lake Champlin, Farshad told me how the whole lake freezes over in the winter and they can skate out to the island nearby. Very different than Fresno😊

            Meanwhile, Jodi’s teammate ran a quick 1:50 for her half and then Jodi ran a strong 2:32. We both enjoyed the views of the lake (the border with New York state), all the green trees and lawns, lots of friendly folks in the many neighborhoods we traversed, and the variety in terrain.

            After resting and cleaning up following the race, Jodi and I went to dinner with Farshad, Donna, and Tieve and had a great time remembering some past times and finding out about many other goings-on in our families. Monday was Memorial Day so we had a day to explore the area. We drove out toward the town of Stowe and on the way took the tour of the Ben and Jerry factory and got donuts and cider at Cold Hollow Cider Mill. We then visited the now-lodge that the Von Trapp family of “Sound of Music” fame settled in after they came to America. It very much has an Austrian Alps’ feel to it. We had fun walking around and eating lunch in Stowe and then going back to Burlington and walking around the University of Vermont campus. The university was founded in 1792, and its teams are called the Catamounts.

            We had an afternoon flight home so had time to walk out on the causeway going out into Lake Champlain. It’s about 11 miles long and is a path used by walkers, runners and bikers and would be a great place for an out and back long run. Our plane was delayed in Denver due to mechanical issues, so we didn’t get back into our own beds until 11:00PDT (2:00AM EDT). It was a memory and action-packed long weekend.

This was Marathon #193; 48 states+DC on 2nd go-round; All 10 Canadian provinces.

Next marathon: Atlantic City, NJ Oct 18, 2026

Pictures with captions can be seen on my Facebook post.

Or go to Shutterfly: https://linkit.shutterfly.com/aSyiUz

 

 

 

Lincoln, NE Marathon 5 3 2026

 

Lincoln, NE May 3, 2026

5:49:42 – 1071/1107 Overall – 2/2 in 75-79

            I always look to do special things in the places where I run marathons so that it's not just about the race. On this trip, it was definitely not about the race. I ran a decent, comfortable half and then the weather got into the 70s and my legs and body just didn't want to run much. This was state #47 (192 total marathons) with only 3 more to do to complete all 50 again. But it was a real slog as I pretty much ran 1 minute and walked 30 seconds in the second half after doing 3/:30 in the first half which I ran in about 2:38. Sadly, I limped in at 5:49. 

            All I wanted to do was sit down when I finished so I went to med tent to sit and get an ice pack and some gatorade for my tight hamstring. Then I went to get my gear bag and sat some more talking a to a young lady named Shelby who had lived in CA for 9 years and loved Yosemite and Kings Canyon. She even gave me a couple of extra race shirts that she had. Just like everyone I met in NE, she was so friendly. From the hotel staff, to expo helpers, to airport people everyone was fun to talk to and very engaging. People told me that the state is known as "NE friendly" and they sure lived up to that motto.

            At the pasta dinner put on by the race, I got to meet my cousin, Mike and Sandy Duncan's daughter, Stephanie and her husband, Zach who were running the marathon. I knew them from FB and that they were working on running all the states and had run Boston so was hoping to someday met them at a marathon that we were all running. And it finally happened.

The day before the marathon, I took a tour of the capitol. It is quite an impressive structure. Do you know NE has the only unicameral legislature?

            Also, it was great that the start and finish of the race were next to the Cornhusker's football stadium and that it was less than a 1/2 mile walk from my hotel. And then today as I was driving down a street toward the airport, I happened on the new College World Series stadium. I just had to stop and take a picture of it and the plaque showing the Wonder Dogs of Fresno State as the 2008 World Series champions. I had seen the plaque in 2009 when I ran the Omaha Marathon; it was at the old ballpark Lindblatt Stadium.This was Marathon #192; 47 states+DC on 2nd go-round; All 10 Canadian provinces.

Next marathon: May 24, 2026: Burlington, VT

Pictures with captions can be seen on my Facebook post.

Or go to Shutterfly: https://linkit.shutterfly.com/NpY__i

 

 

 

Hartford, CT Marathon 10 11 2025

Hartford, CT Oct 11, 2025

5:33:59 – 1792/1914 Overall – 5/6 in 75-79 

            I flew into Hartford on Thursday (10/9/25) for the marathon on Saturday but the flight was via Chicago  so I saw a lot of Chicago marathon runners including CJ Albertson and others from Bakersfield and Atascadero. On Friday I toured Mark Twain's house where he wrote most of his books in the 1890s. There are some photos of his sayings. One that seems to always be true: “Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.” The state capitol was just across the stree from my hotel and I got some great views of it each day from my window. I took a self-guided tour of it and learned a lot of interesting things about CT. There was a water fountain in it where they used to get water for their horses and a tree with a cannon ball from the Battle of Chicamauga. Right next to the capitol was the staging area for the marathon so I got to take a look at it.

This was the 31st running of the Hartford Marathon and these folks really have it down pat on doing everything right to benefit the runners. My hotel was only a 1/4 mile from the start so I could walk there. When I got there, it was easy to find the start/finish lines. I wasn't sure where the gear check was, but there was a guy with a sign saying "Ask Me" and I was quickly directed the right way. Near the start was something else that I appreciate: a hydration station so runners could get that last drink of water. The corrals were easy to get to and even though I was near the back, it took only a couple minutes for me to get to the start.

Even the day was perfect running weather with temps in mid 50s and clouds most of the race with some light, cooling breezes at times. The course has a lot of rolling hills which aren't steep or long so they add variety to the course. The aid stations had enthusiastic volunteers and there were lots of spectators and bands along the way. Although the number of spectators dropped off in the second half (the half-marathoners split off), there were enough to help keep me motivated.

My legs felt good and I felt good in the first half and went through half at about 2:37, but about mile 15, I just didn't feel right. So, I went from running 3:30 and walking :30 to 2:00/:30. The last 8 miles were just powering through at 1:00/:30. My hips ached, I had a cramp developing in my hamstring, and I had wooziness whenever I switched to walking which made me want to be careful. (I have a stent and take blood pressure medicine.) The second half wasn't what I hoped for but I did power through the pain and get another marathon in the books.

I would highly recommend the Hartford Marathon. The course was interesting with the fall colors in the leaves on the trees. Part of it goes through downtown including going by my hotel (tempting...) and part goes out in the countryside with rivers and meadows and even a rose garden park. There was even a bigger than life Mark Twain on stilts near by the Twain House I'd toured the day before.

This was Marathon #191; 46 states+DC on 2nd go-round; All 10 Canadian provinces.

Next marathon possibilities: Spring 2026: Burlington, VT, Lincoln, NE

Pictures with captions can be seen on my 2 Facebook posts.

Or go to: https://photos.shutterfly.com/album/1845881261032217

 

 

Erie, PA Marathon, Cleveland, Canton

 

Erie, PA Sep. 7, 2025

5:19:02 – 1041/1103 Overall – 3/4 in 75-79 

            Jodi and I flew into Cleveland on Friday and spent the night there. Saturday morning we took the tour of the Cleveland Indians’ ballpark. (Our guide, a Cleveland area baseball coach and teacher said he’s never had anyone on the tour who liked the name they use now.) After the tour, we also saw the basketball arena across the street, and drove a couple miles to see their football stadium. Our guide had told us about the original field that Cleveland played on in the early 1900s when they were named the Naps. Cy Young pitched with them back then. The field is in great shape and used now by local baseball teams.

We then drove to Erie to pick up my race packet and check-out the logistics which were a bit complicated since the race is on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Erie and is closed to traffic during the race. Sunday morning we had to walk a mile from the parking lot to get to the race start/finish area.

            When we got up race morning, we saw that it has rained during the night, but had stopped. So the air was fresh and the temperature was 55 and the skies were partly cloudy with lots of shade from gorgeous trees along most of the course. Jodi was able to get in a 9 mile run along an adjoining path and ended up with about 14 miles being a great Sherpa and spectator. Since the race was 2 loops, she was able to meet me a couple of times and see me finish.

During the race, I mostly ran 3:30 and walked :30-45 seconds. I ran pretty much alone until about mile 17 when I noted lady with a 50 state hat. We were able to pace together the rest of the way and entertain each other with stories which helped a lot with the tediousness of running 5+ hours.         She started running in her 60s and is now 75 and has run marathons in 30 states so far, on all the continents and run the 6 majors. She is Vietnamese and escaped from Saigon just as it falling to the Viet Cong. It was quite interesting to hear her full story and realize that she is the living history that I used to teach about in my Vietnam War unit for my students at Hoover and Reedley.

My stomach was a bit upset, and Jodi volunteered to go back up the hill to the parking lot to get the car to pick up me and my new friend who needed a ride to her hotel. While we waited, we found out that we had each placed in our age groups and they gave us our plaques.

Monday, we drove to Canton, OH to visit the NFL Hall of Fame. We spent 4-5 hours there and then drove back to Cleveland where we stayed at the same hotel at which we had stayed on Friday. Since our plane didn’t leave until 5PM, we had time to go visit the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. We got right in when the doors opened at 10 and got to see most everything we wanted to see during the 4 hours we had to do so.

This was Marathon #190; 46 states+DC on 2nd go-round; All 10 Canadian provinces.

Next marathon planned: Hartford, CT Oct. 12, 2025

There are 2 sets of pictures available to see on Shutterfly:

Ballpark and Race: https://photos.shutterfly.com/album/1842983048610350

NFL and RNR Hall of Fames: https://link.shutterfly.com/VFv0w6V5zWb

Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier June 2025

Our trip began on Saturday June 14, 2025 with us flying into Jackson, WY, gateway to the Tetons. We rode up the Snow King ski lift which John famously was afraid to ride 55+ years ago. Looking at the old ski lift chairs on display there, you can see why. The new enclosed chairs are luxurious in comparison. That afternoon we saw that a local theatre group was presenting an old western musical, “The Ballad of Cat Ballou” so we had fun watching that in the evening.

The next day we looked around some old Mormon homesteads called “Mormon Row” and then took a 3-hour raft trip down the Snake River. We saw spectacular views of Grand Teton and heard great stories of Lewis and Clark and the history of the area. The next morning, we did about a 5-mile run along a running path that extends from Jackson to the Tetons and beyond for at least 35 miles. We then drove to Yellowstone where we passed “Continental Divide” signs many times in the mountains.

Yellowstone was spectacular. We never realized its vastness and complexity. We saw bison, elk, rivers, lakes, Yellowstone Falls, Grand Prismatic Spring, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and of course Old Faithful. We felt in awe of God’s creation. We enjoyed a buffet in the classic Yellowstone Lodge and then drove around the southern part of the park and saw Lower and Upper Yellowstone Falls. Jodi was hoping to see a bear, but we never did although we did have a fine breakfast at the Running Bear Pancake House in West Yellowstone.

            We headed to Helena the next day but stopped on the way to visit Big Sky ski resort where John and a group of Westmont buddies had met and skied many times in the past. It looks quite different in the summer and has a lot of expansion going on. On the drive we saw some rafters who were rafting in rapids, something we did not do on our raft trip (which was quite peaceful)..

            In Helena we met Charlie Bauer, John’s long-time friend who he met as a freshman at Westmont in 1968. Charlie gave a tour of the city which included a visit to the library and a great steak dinner. The next day Charlie drove us to Kalispell, but on the way, he  took us through his old stomping grounds in Missoula. We saw the football stadium where the University of Montana Grizzlies play.

            Friday Charlie took us on the Going to the Sun Road through Glacier National Park. We checked out the lodge and then Charlie took us to the Avalanche Lake trailhead. On the hike we saw some deer up-close (but no bears) and had a great view of the lake and the waterfalls going into it. After the hike we continued on the road with amazing and scary views of the valley, the waterfalls, snow, and the mountains. We made reservations to drive this route over Logas Pass back in February. It opened 4 days prior to our arrival and then promptly closed again the next day due to a snowstorm. We were grateful to have had the opportunity to enjoy these views!

 

            We spent two nights in Kalispell in a hotel that was originally built in 1912 but has been nicely remodeled. It had great homemade breakfasts which got us going both days we stayed there. We flew home Saturday afternoon via Salt Lake City. Getting on the plane in SLC, John told Jodi that former Fresno State QB and coach (and Cal Bears coach) Jeff Tedford was on our flight. We got to talk to him in Fresno while waiting for our baggage; he was very friendly and personable and told us that he is enjoying retirement.

Rehoboth Beach DE Marathon 4/13/2025

 

Rehoboth Beach, NJ Marathon

April 12, 2025

5:20:57 – 704/788 Overall – 5/6 in 70-74

I flew all day Friday to get into the Baltimore Airport and then had a 3 hour drive in the rain to get to Rehoboth Beach, but I got there about 9:00 EDT. It was really cold and windy on Saturday, with wind chill in low 30s so I was not sure what I should wear Sunday. But race morning was a bit warmer and was actually perfect with just breezes and lots of clouds. It was a really pretty course through coastal parks and starting and finishing on the boardwalk. My hotel was 200 yards from the start so it was great to just walk there.  

Rehoboth Beach is very much a tourist town with at least 6 ice cream spots and hundreds of stores in the main section by the beach. It was like Carmel on steroids. It was fun to walk around, but so cold Saturday that I kept going back to my hotel to thaw out and rest.

I knew my training was lacking due to having to rest and do PT for some back issues so I early on decided to walk more than my usual 4/:30. I did mostly 2:15 run/:45 walk so was out there longer, but didn’t feel too beat-up or sore as I would have been if I had run more. 

After getting cleaned up (too cold for ice bath😊) taking a long nap and watching Warriors game, I got a great Wagu burger for dinner. But it was a late dinner and when I went for ice cream, all the shops had just closed. It was 8 PM.

But, Monday my plane didn’t leave until 5:30 PM so I had time to go into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and get my ice cream there 😊. I also had time to tour Ft. McHenry. Quiz: Why is it famous?

Yes! It’s where Francis Scott Key saw the American flag still flying after the British attacked in the War of 1812 and wrote the “Star-Spangled Banner”.

For pictures:  

https://photos.shutterfly.com/album/1829499794849812 

This was Marathon #189; 45 states+DC on 2nd go-round; All 10 Canadian provinces.

Next marathon planned: Erie, PA Sep 2025