by Ed Avol 

The 30^th running of the Los Angeles Marathon was held on March 15, in that in-between time twixt Southern California winter and spring…and wouldn’t you know it, it was 72 degrees at race start and ~85+ degrees in the race! Nevertheless, our runners went to the line, and ran to the finish…more or less. Here are their perspectives, in their own words:

Ha ha, I don't think I'm much help here. My only advice would be, don't do it. I knew it would be hot and hilly going in, but it was hotter and hillier than I expected.

(Cheyne Inman, 2:49, 78^th OA)

Despite the heat, I still thought it was a great race (My 4th LA and my 12th marathon). I really enjoyed the new course more than I thought I would, especially the Dodger stadium start (I was actually stuck in the 9 min corral 30 min before the race and had to negotiate my way up to Corral 1 in order to meet up w/ Rick Weis). I needed a 45 min last 10k to break 3 hours and with the heat and blisters on my feet I decided to run pretty conservative for the last 6 miles, which ended up being a smart move, I was barely hanging on towards the end. The highlight for me was the end of the finish line area where you get released into a sea of people at the Santa Monica Pier and everybody wants to give you a high five or a hand shake. I definitely want to run again next year (I think it will be a fun weekend with the Olympic trials) and I am hoping for better weather.
(Mike Cortez, 3:01, 157^th OA)

I would describe it as an incredible event, and I thought that the LAM made a huge decision to advance the start time.  (A little perplexing about their “non-clock” decision though…)  Because of the anticipated heat, I went out easy, and took it easy until about mile 24.  The heat forced me to hold back almost the entire race.  In hindsight, even though I know I could have run a faster marathon, this ended up being the smartest one that I have run thus far. The turning point for me was making it out of the VA and realizing that my legs and body felt great.  If you feel good coming out of the VA, then you’re having a good day.  I knew that from that point on, I had the rest of the race under control (as opposed to other years where I tried to hang on for dear life).
(Erik Ekblad, 3:30, 739^th OA)

The heat wasn't quite as bad as it could have been, but bad enough to mess up my plans. I went out at my normal pace without pushing it, and was close to my goal 3:25 pace for about 15 miles. But then the body started wearing out too soon, and I faded. The last few miles had lots of walk breaks and slow shuffling on legs that were toast. Got in at 3:53:14. I did run into Mark Silva after the finish, who had a similar story. Overall though, I was enjoying the atmosphere and not cursing the heat. The crowds were great, although smaller than I remembered from a few years prior. I got handed a bag of ice cubes by someone which I carried for a few miles, placing it all over my body for cooling. I also had a shot of beer at mile 20, because, what the hell.            
(Brad Angle, 3:53, 1867^th OA)        

LA Marathon- first of all, I'd like to thank the Club Ed angel who handed me a frozen towel around Mile 16 before Rodeo Drive.   It was 75' at the start and it hit me around Mile 3 that I had to slow down.  A game-day decision to enjoy the LA course.  Katie (Faulkner McKellar) ran away from me at Mile 3 in Downtown. That 1st Street Hill is a killer.  Then Mark (Silva) passed me at Mile 18 around Wilshire Blvd, and gave me a hug.  That was the nicest thing he's ever done.  Finishing in Santa Monica and seeing Matt and Marisa melted my heart.  I know why I ran about 45 minutes slower than what I trained for.  So, in the end I loved the whole experience. 
(Tamar Gamliel, 3:54, 1949^th OA)

I learned so much from doing the LA marathon this year! In no particular order:

1. I can no longer "fake" a marathon. 16 mile long runs faster than race pace will only get you to about 20 before the wheels come off, no matter how well you pace it. 

2. When you are walking and someone tells you that "you can do it!", it should be legally acceptable to slap them if you can summon the energy.

3. The course is fast! Lots of downhill!

4. 3:30 marathoners come in sometimes surprising shapes and sizes. 

5. The street person laying on the sidewalk in Hollywood, blowing a crazy whistle and yelling "you're gonna collapse!", was more coherent than he originally appeared. 

(Mark Silva, 3:49, 1614^th OA)

My lasting impression of this race is that it's fast becoming a world-class destination event. The spectacular course opens up quickly, so that even if you start well back in the mass-start field (which I did this year!), there is plenty of road for everyone to run their own race by the 3rd or 4th mile. The steep descents and deceptive rolling ascents make this course much more challenging than the "net downhill" description would have you believe. But there are enough wonderful sights and crowds that your motivation stays high. I personally love the wide open finish, where the last 1/2 mile is richly lined with screaming spectators, pushing you towards that line.The organization was exceptional, more than meeting the needs of over 21,000 runners in hot (though not as bad as expected) conditions. Even the post-race finish area was well thought out, with amenities spaced out. This avoided overcrowding during peak finish times, but also forced runners to walk it out, rather than stopping cold. This is my go-to marathon, and I will continue to enjoy running it for years to come.

(Rachel Ragona, 3:13 PR, 304^th OA)

One of our runners is well-known and accomplished observer of life’s idiosyncrasies, and already share his thoughts on the race in his weekly newspaper column:

https://tbrnews.com/opinion/columnists/signs_of_life/paul-silva-s-signs-of-life-recognizing-the-last-mile/article_b5899160-cdb1-11e4-b78c-d75dcda995c3.html

(Paul Silva, 4:23, 4211th OA)

Other Club Ed Finishers (sorry if I missed anyone!):

David Schwartz 4:31, 5051^st OA

Rick McKellar 3:21, 459 OA

Katie Faulkner McKellar 3:22, 496 OA

Steve Weber 5:07, 8892^nd OA

Morris Ko 4:00, 2384th

Greg Eng 2:54, 103^rd OA

Leslie Gold 4:24, 4311^th OA

Club Ed 2014 Boston Marathon Results by Will Longyear

The 118th running of the Boston Marathon was absolutely spectacular on so many levels.  The field was huge - 36,000 entrants, the crowds were gigantic and enthusiastic and the weather was nearly perfect but this year was special.  Hanging over the event was the memory of last year's marathon bombings and a palpable sense of renewal and determination to triumph over the senseless violence that affected so many lives and brought the race to a premature close.  The people of Boston responded to the tragedy with amazing warmth, welcome and generosity towards the runners on and off the course.  The BAA and the City of Boston orchestrated this event with such precision that there is no question why this race is such a premier event and so significant to the running world. 

As always, the course was tough and served up a mixed platter of surprises and disappointments for all levels.  Meb Keflezighi, 38, of San Diego was the first American in 31 years to win the men's race with a time of 2:08:37 while Shalane Flanagan of Marblehead, Mass, considered to be a strong contender for the women's title, came in with an amazing time of 2:22:02, a new American women's course record but only 7th place in a really tough field.  The women's winner, Rita Jeptoo, 33, of Kenya, repeated her winning performances from last year and 2006 with an astounding time of 2:18:58 - 2 minutes faster than last year.

As for Club Ed and friends, I have provided the accounts of those that I know for certain and have refrained from passing on rumors about getting eaten up by the hills or bad shoes choices.  Greg Eng delivered the best time of the field with a time of 2:45 to redeem himself after a tough LA Marathon finish of 3:05-ish only one month ago - nice job!. Will Longyear brought home a 3:01 by running it the hard way - going out fast and paying for it all through the hills.  After weeks of equivocating about poor projected finish times due to chronic plantar faciitis and a slow recovery from a recent surgery, Jon Megeff and Mark Shalvarjian were revealed to be the massive sand-baggers that they are by handing in 3:03 and 3:07finishes, respectively.  Despite their apparent injuries, both ran very strategic races that enabled them to maximize their race enjoyment by high-fiving as many kids as possible and "lingering" at the Wellsley wall.  Shalvarjian managed to negative split every 10K, including the hills.  Bill Weber also delivered a 3:01 and had the best seed to finish ratio - Bib: #5733 / Finish: 2672 place (factoid included for Mark Silva).  Recent San Diego transplant and former Club Ed member, Sam Dillman ran a solid 3:05.  The "Perseverance in the Face of Adversity Award" goes to Tami Shalvarjian for running the entire race on an injured foot that caused a compensating stride resulting in a massive blister on the injured foot.  Matt Knight gets the "Never Leave Your Wingman Award".  Following a nice 3:48 finish, he spent the evening in the Med tent with a severely dehydrated buddy and forewent a well deserved evening of celebration.

Club Ed Runners

Greg Eng 2:45
Mike Sevier 2:54
Will Longyear 3:01
Jon Megeff 3:03
Bill Weber 3:01
Mark Shalvarjian 3:07
Sam Dillman 3:05
Kevin Sullivan 3:26
Tami Shalvarjian 3:28
Renee Williams-Smith 3:50
Marcio Kleeman 3:54
Emily Vaughn 3:23
Jim Morehart 4:08
Chuck Kaminski 3:48

Matt Knight  3:48
See other South Bay runners - by Village Runner

By Peter Brennen (a new Club Ed runner)

I got dropped off by my Aunt's family at the State Park in Hopkinton at about 7:45 am on race day to take the shuttle to the starting area. Much preferable to taking the bus... I was able to wake up at around 6am as opposed to 4am to get to downtown and catch a bus.

I sat around for a while, did about a mile warmup jog with some pacing in the middle, and started to make my way to the starting line at around 9:15. By the time I had dropped my bag off and prepared it was about 9:45, so I only had to spend about 15 minutes in the corral, which was nice. When the gun for the pro-men went off, it took me about 2 minutes to cross the starting line (I was in wave 1, corral 4).

The first 3 miles of the race were pretty uneventful. I was worried that I was caught in the crowd and going too slowly (started at over 7 minute pace), but after a bit the crowd started to pick up and the first split was an acceptable 6:52. Coming down the hills and seeing the road packed shoulder to shoulder with runners as far as the eye could follow was pretty amazing. Such a big race!

I ended up finding a dude that I raced with at LA Marathon last year and said what's up. We cruised together for a while, but he started to fade about 12 miles in (I guess he was injured for a month or so), so I didn't see him again.

The rest of the first half was actually pretty uneventful as well. I was worrying a little about my legs because they felt so heavy, but I resolved to run by feel and not break myself to early. I wanted to hit a 1:28 first half but ended up at 1:30:05. Running through Wellesley was pretty insane, I could barely hear because of all the yelling from the girls, but it was the first of many sections that were amazing from all the crowd support.

Miles 13-15 were a little rough and I'm not sure why. Perhaps my nutrition was a little lacking through there, but I'm not sure.

Mile 16 is where the Newton Hills start. I had some family at the Washington Street overpass who handed me some liquid calories (Gu Rocktane Endurance Drink) which I drank over the next 4 miles. The hills themselves were not too bad. I slowed my pace for fear of blowing up (hill chops were as-yet untested), but I ended up running 7:18, 7:21, 7:05, 7:19, 7:29 through the hills and up Heartbreak Hill.

At the top of Heartbreak Hill, I checked the clock and I realized that I would have to run ~6:20/mile pace to break 3 hours, which was not happening. This was a little disappointing, but also relieving, because I knew I could still hold out for sub 3:05 (re-qualifying time). The other thing that felt great was that my legs felt decently strong and I was able to hold 6:49 averages from there until the mile 25 marker.

At mile 25, I could feel the wheels starting to come off, but I knew that 1.2 miles to go was nothing I hadn't hammered through before, so I hammered it out averaging about 7:15/mile for the remainder, crossing at 3:03:47.

Afterwards

My overall impression of the race was incredible. The crowd support was insane. Better than any race I've ever done, because they are pretty much non-stop for 26 miles. The race was impeccably run, and the value was high (great expo, a pre-race dinner, and a post-race party (cancelled), all included in the race fee). The chance to run on such a storied course was also an amazing experience, and I felt lucky every step of the way.

The comraderie at the finish line was completely unexpected. At a race where there are more than a handful of serious runners finishing at 3:00-ish, it's awesome to talk it out with everyone who had been feeding off of each other in the final miles.

I ended up being nowhere near the bombings, as I had finished and was on the subway when it all happened, so I was pretty much unaffected. I think we can all agree that what happened was terrible, so I'll limit my comments to running-related topics. My post-race was completely thrown off by the events that occurred. Normally I process my race over and over again to figure out what to work on for next race, but I'm just now beginning to think about what to work on over the summer. I hope the other runners who did not get the stellar race experience that I got will get another chance to run the Boston Marathon and receive an official time/finishing experience.

Back in April, Sabina Helton, her sister Laura, Trish Riley, and Nicola Lowrey put the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on their race calendars. The race was on December 2 (same day as CIM), and advertised as the "Strip at Night" because..., well..., the race is entirely along the Las Vegas Strip and run at night. Incidentally, Sabina and Trish signed up for this race last year (Sabina ran 1:44), but Trish had to pull out with a broken toe so this year was about redemption. And for whatever reason (sympathy, pity, rookies - cuz the Club Ed boys would never have invited their significant others on a road trip), spouses and children were invited. Vegas here we come!

Unfortunately, it was Laura and Nicola this time who couldn't make the trip. That left Trish, husband and Crew Chief Dave, Sabina, husband Jon Megeff, son Brennan, and Brennan's friend Stephen. All were signed up for the half except Jon, who opted to run the full. Jon initially signed up for the half but moved up to the full after failing to run a PR in Boston. Spoiler alert - Jon is 0 for 2 in marathon PRs this year!

Running a race at night seemed like a brilliant idea on the eve before the race as we partied like rock stars without the guilt or fear of having to wake up at the crack of dawn. And don't get me wrong. The no alarm clock thing on race day was great. But then came the buildup of anxiety as we had eight hours of awake time to think about the pain that was to come. By 11:00 AM, I was thinking "why couldn't we have raced and been done by now!!!"

Finally, the marathon kicked off in front of the Mandalay Bay at 3:00 PM. 3,200 runners toed the line and the weather was a perfect 70 degrees! Oh..., did I mention the 36-49 MPH winds? Great! As if running 13-26 miles isn't hard enough. Anyways, the course was flat as advertised and after running up and down the strip with some additional miles through North Las Vegas to achieve the required mileage, Jon staggered across the finish line in 2:58. Not exactly the 2:45 he had hoped for but somehow still good enough for 19th OA and 2nd in his AG.

The half marathon kicked off at 4:30 PM and was also run along the strip so for the last several miles and into the chute, the marathoners and half marathoners ran alongside each other. As you can imagine, there were several Elvis sightings, a few "Hangover" motion picture characters, and dozens of women in wedding dresses. Apparently, 30 weddings were performed mid run and 28 couples renewed their vows. At one point, Jon passed a grossly overweight half marathoner in a speedo, no shirt, and carrying a full size inflatable doll. Not a pretty sight.

In the half marathon, Sabina and Trish stuck to the race plan and went out at 8:15 pace, hoping to negative split and PR. Unfortunately, the headwind during the final 10K of the race was brutal and there would be no PRs on this day. When the dust settled (no pun intended), Sabina and Trish covered the course in 1:49 and 1:53 respectively. Both finished in the top 5-7% OA ( 22,000 runners) and Trish finished 6th in her AG! Awesome job ladies! Not to be forgotten, high schoolers Brennan and Stephen cruised across the line in 1:38. Crew Chief Dave was at the finish line as we all crossed and while we hobbled back to the hotel to get cleaned up, Dave secured a spot in the Bacchanal ( English translation - riotous drunken feast) Buffet line at Caesar's Palace for some post race food and carbo loading.

Well done Club Ed and on to the next adventure...

Sabina

It was a cool December day in Sacramento. 50 degrees. Perfect marathon weather…if not for the howling wind and pounding rain.

Blowing through the morning of the California International Marathon was a storm that ultimately dumped 4 inches of rain on Sacramento, flooding roads and stranding motorists.

Except for the occasional injury or serious illness, virtually nobody in Club Ed history has shelved months of marathon preparation for a bad weather day! So in keeping with the unwritten Club Ed rule that its members must be dedicated to suffering, Will Longyear, Paul Cooney, and Tami & Mark Shalvarjian kept their commitment to run CIM on a very dark, wet and windy Sunday morning.

Stepping off the buses and into puddles before the start of the race, most competitors – and your teammates – were already soaked before the starting gunn went off. With heavy rain and strong winds, most participants knew this was not going to be a day for a marathon PR. But Will, Paul and Tami apparently didn’t get the message.

Following an uneventful start and relatively fast first 10k, the marathon course turned south and straight into 25 mph headwinds, with much stronger gusts. Trying to hold his rhythm, Mark knew he couldn’t catch a large pack of runners 50 yards ahead of him and had no one to hide behind, so put his head down and pushed into the driving rain. Soon after passing mile 8, Paul Cooney worked his way up alongside Mark, said hi and told him he shouldn’t be doing all the work for the long line of runners directly behind him. There were apparently a dozen or more runners in a single file line drafting off one another, with Mark unwittingly leading the pack.

Club Ed runners helped one another through much of the race, with Will, Mark & Paul working together from miles 12 through 22 and Renee Williams-Smith joining Tami at mile 15 to help her through the final 11 miles. Not having quite reached exhaustion, Paul and Mark almost got into a fight with a runner who cut them off several times during the 21st mile, while at mile 25.5, Tami considered stopping for one last drink, having decided the pain was just a little more than she had opted in for. However, Coach Renee would not allow Tami to let up and forced her to continue pushing to the finish line.

At the finish, new marathon PRs were set by Will Longyear, with a 2:57 finishing time (a 48 second PR with almost perfect splits), Paul Cooney, who finished in 2:58 (a 10 minute PR) and Tami Shalvarjian, who finished in 3:25 (a 20 minute PR set in the only other marathon of her life…25 years ago)! Mark Shalvarjian finished in 2:59, rounding out this group of four Boston qualifiers. To top off a great day of racing, the first break in the rain came about 5 minutes after Tami crossed the finish line. An hour later, the runners were sitting in the sunshine on the patio of a nearby gastropub, eating, drinking and watching the 5-hour finishers complete their races.

Recounting their races, Paul Cooney’s reflection was that it was definitely memorable running in a hurricane. Neither the 50 mph headwinds nor the heavy, waterlogged shoes could stop the badass Club Ed team from pushing through to strong performances, while Will Longyear couldn’t even recall that the wind was blowing. Tami could do nothing but stare at her hands, which were numb and purple by the time she crossed the finish line and Mark was just happy to get a hot shower and a cold beer.

Mark Shalvarjian

Jon Megeff Not Pictured Above

Congrats to Everyone Who Survived The Brutal Heat

Click to Enlarge

Good Luck Club Ed Runners!  See You Here Monday!

In a show of sustained strength, flexibility, and depth, racers from Club Ed Running completed the 2011 USATF Gran Prix Road Racing Series at the top. For the second year in a row, our runners captured first place in the five-race series, over distances from one mile to marathon, from Brentwood to La Brea. Thirty-six teammates participated during the ten months of races, and when the final race finished at Dana Point on Thanksgiving Day, Club Ed remained the club champion, with 21592 points accrued over the races. (Points are awarded at each race on an age-graded performance basis, with the best five [of nine pre-selected] races scored from each club counting, with the highest five scorers counting from each club in a given race, and with five races needed for Gran Prix eligibility). Second place (20961 points) went to The Janes from Santa Monica (led by Individual Gran Prix Champion Tania Fischer) and Cal Coast Track Club (20833 points) from Orange County (coach Bill Sumner’s talented team). As a team, Club Ed finished first in four of the Gran Prix road races, and in a fifth one at (the Brea 8K), was denied first place by nine points.

In the individual Gran Prix competition, our runners were no less impressive. Among 530 Gran Prix participants, ageless Jon Megeff finished second behind the seemingly uncatchable Dale Campbell of Compex Racing, and an ever-determined Rich Gust was a close third. Humberto Sanchez (6th) and Steve Notaro (7th) helped to make it a competitive top ten in the men’s racing group.

In the Women’s Division, Alison Atkinson earned second place behind the indomitable Tania Fischer, with Sue Reinhardt capturing 5th and Karina Bird in 7th. Monetary awards will be made to the first five finishers, and the awards will be presented at the first of the 2012 Gran Prix Series events (still to be named).

Congratulations and thanks to all team racers who trained, raced, and supported the group effort…anyone up for a three-peat?

Club Ed Runners Roll Thru Boston

The 2011 edition of the Boston Marathon (and supposedly the last time it’s a first-come-first-served race entry system) is history now, and Club Ed runners continued to run with pride and determination (with a little fatigue and soreness thrown in).

Our racers were led by Humberto Sanchez, who is quickly turning back the years and getting into collegiate racing fitness. Humberto set a new PR, finishing in 2:31, and claimed to be the first Mexican to finish (no word from the Boston Athletic Association on this accolade yet). He set out on a blistering pace (16:57 at the 5K, 1:11 at the half), on his way to a planned 2:25 to 2:30 finish, but couldn’t quite hang on…would that we all “fade” to 2:31!!!

Matt Kadowaki, who apparently has been away from the track marathon training, covered the Hopkinton to Boston route in an impressive 3:06.

Chuck Kaminski, who recently retired and might contemplate adjusting to a potential future as a successful professional athlete, added another strong Boston showing in 3:22.

Bill “BK” Kelley cruised in a controlled 3:23…no doubt cheering with the crowds and talking to the fans along the way.

Jim Morehart added to his ever-growing list of Boston finishes (is it 20 Boston finishes? 22?), hanging in there to get to the finish line in 3:54.

Congratulations to all of them, our representatives to the fastest Boston Marathon in history (Men’s overall winner in 2:03, Women’s in 2:22) and our heroes for finishing! After some clam chowdah and Sam Adams, some tall tales and sightseeing, we look forward to seeing these folks hobbling around town soon…nice work!

Mark Shalvarjian & Humberto Sanchez (Pace Crew) & Rich Gust (Super Man) 

He's faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and can leap marathons in a single stride.  His name is Super Rich!   He may be 51 years old but that doesn't stop the oldest man from Club Ed running away with the LA Marathon title.  It was a great day for many other Club Ed runners list below and especially Jeff Bryant and Will Longyear who both set new personal records in the "monsoonathan".

The marathon morning started out looking very ominous with a 100% chance of rain forecasted.  However, the running gods spared the racers until about 5 miles into the race and the downpour began.  Along with the rain came a nice tailwind that pushed the runners for about 18 miles of the race.  It was a strong enough tailwind that the lead runner was on 2:04 World Record pace through about 20 miles.  The runners who were capable of powering through the quad pain induced by rain soaked running shoes and the rolling hills passed many people fading in the last 10K.

The end of the race also had its fare share of drama trying to relocate runners at the finish who were trying to sty warm.  Massage tables were crowded with runners trying to stay warm under blankets while hotel lobbies and busses housed the overflow of runners trying to prevent hypothermia.   Rich on the other hand decided that Bloomingdales (handbags) was the warmest place in Santa Monica.  Ask Rich and he can fill you in on the rest of the story.

Here are the Club Ed results below and we will update USATF as soon as they become available. 

Club Ed LA Marathon Unofficial Results 

Rich Gust 2:50

Jeff Bryant 2:56 (PR)

Will Longyear 2:58 (PR)

Bryan Johnston 3:07

Alison Atkinson 3:09

Annie Seawright 3:11

Jake Courtney 3:15

Kristin Cooley 3:17
Stephanie Norberg 3:27

John Poirier 3:48

Mike Delgado 3:40

Kevin Elliott 4:07

Trish Riley 4:23

Barb Frank 5:00

Steve Weber 6:07

See more race photos from the race thanks to Debbie Richardson who came out to support.  

Congratulations to the Club Ed runners who completed their first Avalon 50 ultra marathon.  Jeff, Will, Will and Annie pictured above all were tired but amazed at their sense of accomplishments.  I think the consensus amongst the group was that the double marathon was an amazing experience & experiment of what the body is capable of doing if properly fed and hydrated.  Don't be surprised to see all of us coming back in 2012 and hopefully with some other Club Ed runners who want to take the challenge.

Ironically, the biggest challenge of the race was running downhill and not the 8,000 feet of climbing along the course.  Towards the end of the race I found myself praying for more uphill sections so I could take a break and walk.  Just ask anyone about the last 4 miles that dropped from 1,500 feet to sea level on a road.  It felt like my quads were getting clubbed with every step and are still very sore as of Wednesday 4 days after the race.

There were 241 masochists in the race: 175 men and 66 very fast women. The well organized race was held in the beautiful Catalina mountains that had an elevation gain of 8,000 feet along 50 miles.  The race started early at 5am in Avalon and the temperate was a balmy 60 degrees and turned around in Two Harbors.  Temperatures climbed to about 82 degrees by mid-morning and racers could not drink enough water between water stops to stay hydrated.  Most runners carried food, electrolytes and 20 to 48 ounces of water between water stops that were spaced 4-8 miles apart.   Here were the results form the group . . .

• Hearther Fuhr finished 2nd overall and drops former race winners
• Will Longyear took 19th place overall and ran it in an amazing 8 hrs 31 minutes (avg 10:14 / min miles).  Will will tell you a great story about getting dropped at mile 45 after running most of the race with Juliet Morgan (not in Club Ed but should be). 
• Annie Seawright broke 9 hours and finished in 30th place overall and ran 8:58.  She was the 6th woman to finish in a very strong field.  If you look at her times she actually gets stronger after the first marathon at mile 26 to the finish.  She dropped in me at mile 25. 
• Will Weston and Jeff Cohn (me) managed to stay in the top 20% of the field finishing 47th and 48th.  We met at Pumphouse hill and finished together in 9 hours 24 min.  
• Amy Micheletti who has run with Club Ed in the past had a great day running in 9 hrs 54 minutes and managed to drop her training partners (men) as well.  
• Double Click to view the times in large format

I think ultra marathons create an even playing field for men and women to evenly compete where speed and strength no longer create an advantage for men as they do in shorter races and marathons. Do woman runners have an ultra advantage or are they just more tolerant of pain?  After speaking with fellow male finishers there were numerous examples of women dropping slower men throughout the race.  I was dropped several times by several women and so were many other guys I chatted with.  We all had female training partners but no one seemed to be able to hang with them during the 2nd half of the race.  Lets see if the race race results support this anecdotal evidence:

• 10% of men DNF 
• 3% of women DNF
• 33% of women broke 10 hours vs 30% of the men
• 22% of the top 50 runners were women not similar to faster races where 5-10%
• Average age of woman 44 and men 43 

Enjoy this race video of our day . . .

The 2011 Boston Marathon had 22,000+ entrants in one day to run 26 miles in April 2011.  Does this suggests changes (faster qualifying times or larger fields or both, and other things) are probably in store for 2012?  This also means that you better have a qualifying time by October 2011 if you want to run Boston in 2012.

Runners were allowed to start signing up for the 2011 marathon at 9 a.m., and the registration window closed just after 5 p.m., meaning about 21,000 people filled out their forms in eight hours. That's 65 times as quick as last year and more than 200 times as quick as five years ago, when it took almost seven months to fill the same number of spots.

Here's how long it has taken, since 2006, for the Boston Marathon's field to fill up.
MARATHON REGISTRATION STARTED FILLED UP DAYS
2011 Oct. 18 Oct. 18 1
2010 Sept. 9 Nov. 13 65
2009 Sept. 3 Jan. 25 144
2008 Sept. 5 Feb. 26 174
2007 Sept. 6 Mar. 14 189
2006 Sept. 7 Mar. 29 203

Source: Boston Athletic Association from WallStreet Journal Article