Run, Karla, Run!

At the Brooklyn Half Pre-Party (Photo: NYRR_OnTheRun on Instagram)

We’re back! “On The Run,” New York Road Runners’ web show hosted by yours truly, is back for the Brooklyn Half Marathon. But this time we’re making the leap to the big time. We’re going to be on TV! WABC-7 in New York will air “NYRR On The Run at the Brooklyn Half” on Sunday, May 19 at 1 p.m.

Then the episode will hit the web so anyone, anywhere can catch all the action from the means streets of Brooklyn.

It’s the biggest Brooklyn Half in the race’s 33 year history. More than 25,000 people have registered for the 13.1-mile race that takes runners from Grand Army Plaza and Prospect Park to the boardwalk in Coney Island, making it the second largest half-marathon in the U.S. and top five in the world. The half-hour episode of “On The Run” will bring race highlights, but also a bit of local Brooklyn flavor.

Chatting with a New Balance shoe designer at the Brooklyn Pre-Party. (Photo: NYRR_OnTheRun Instagram)

The race kicked off on Wednesday with a three-day pre-party in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood, sandwiched between the Manhattan Bridge and the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.

This isn’t your average race expo. Presented by race sponsor New Balance, runners pick up bib and race shirts at the Old Tobacco Warehouse to the beats of a DJ, live bands play on an outdoor stage, food trucks line the walls of the warehouse, and a beer garden serves up Brooklyn brews along with treats from a slew of local eateries. It’s a whole new take on a race expo, and having spent the last two night there I can honestly say this: it’s spectacular. Without contest, it’s the most fun and most creative race expo or pre-party I’ve ever seen. Read the rest of this entry →

Phil and me after the race. (Photo: RunKarlaRun.com)

It was a rainy weekend for the Cox Providence Rhode Races in Rhode Island on Sunday, May 12, 2013.

But the rain didn’t stop me and over 3,100 other runners from tackling the UnitedHealthcare Providence Half Marathon and Cox Providence Marathon. A race where “HOPE” is the state motto couldn’t be anything but uplifting.

I certainly looked happy on race day, as this video my husband took attests. He’s newly obsessed with Vine, the 6-second video version of Twitter. I’m saying “Rhode Races” at the end, but it gets cut off a bit.

Read the rest of this entry →

The Walt Disney World Marathon finish. (Photo: runDisney)

Tribesports asked me to create a guide to the Walt Disney World Marathon for their social networking site for active minded folks. “Whether you’re a novice or a pro, we think seeing your friends sports activity, and sharing yours will make you want to be more active and do more sports,” their website states. Seems like a good premise to me, since that’s what the blogging community does in a different way.

So I thought I’d share my Walt Disney World Marathon Guide here as well since it highlights the race in a different way than my race report. If you’re thinking of signing up for the Walt Disney World Marathon—registration is still open for the 2014 race—here’s a play by play of what you can expect on the course.

Guide to the Walt Disney World Marathon

Runners fill Magic Kingdom. (Photo: runDisney)

The Walt Disney World Marathon is the crown jewel in the runDisney series of races. Nearly 25,000 runners tackle the 26.2-miles around “the World,” many dressed in costume in homage to their favorite Disney characters. The vibe on-course is as much party as road race with Disney’s signature entertainment lining the way: marching bands, DJ’s, cheerleaders, acrobats, rock bands, and, of course, those famous Disney characters. Read the rest of this entry →

Cox Rhode Races Guide

I opened my inbox yesterday to find my 2013 Cox Providence Rhode Races
Athlete Guide with official pre-race instructions for the UnitedHealthcare Providence Half Marathon on Sunday, May 12.

I have to say, I’m really excited for this race. It’s only the second race I’ve done in Rhode Island, a place I’ve fallen in love with in the last few years. And there are so many great running puns to be had with Rhode Island, as the “Rhode Races” series attests to.

I’m doing the Providence Half Marathon as a training run. No racing this one for me. My training has been patchy the last few weeks for various reasons—travel, work, all the usual suspects. I’ve been doing more cross training than running in the last month—snowshoeing, aqua jogging, swimming, biking. I have been running too, but not enough to have delusions of running a personal best. Read the rest of this entry →

Disneyland medals. (Photo: Matt Stroshane/runDisney)

Today runDisney unveiled the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend collection of medals.

More than 25,000 runners are registered to run at the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend over Labor Day, touring Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and the streets of Anaheim, Calif., on foot.

Seeing the finisher medals for the Disneyland Half Marathon, Disneyland Family Fun Run 5K and the new Disneyland 10K and Dumbo Double Dare makes me wish I was running them all. Guess I’ll just have to add the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend to my bucket list. Without further ado, here are the medals in all their Disney glory! Read the rest of this entry →

The Walt Disney World Marathon (Photo: Marathon Foto)

Last week marked the sixth anniversary of my very first race back in 2007. Last fall, I chronicled how I went from a person who loathed running to someone who loves it. How much do I love it? Over these last six years, I’ve run 53 races with number 54, the UnitedHealthcare Providence Half Marathon, in one week and numbers 55, 56 and 57 already on the books.

Looking back at six years of racing, it occurred to me that certain races have a special place in my heart. Every runner has that race they look forward to every year, the race they’ve always dreamed of running, the race that moved them in unexpected ways. These are mine.

So without further ado, here are my “Races to Remember,” the running races that left the biggest impressions on me, culled from my six years out there on the road.

Races To Remember Read the rest of this entry →

Disney’s Princess Half Marathon is getting a new 10K and a Glass Slipper Challenge. (Photo: runDisney)

Big news from runDisney! Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend from February 20-23, 2014 at Walt Disney World in Florida is getting the royal treatment with a new Disney Princess Enchanted 10K and a new two-race challenge in the Disney Glass Slipper Challenge. Based on the name alone, I like it already.

The Glass Slipper Challenge follows in the footsteps of the Dumbo Double Dare at Disneyland: runners complete both the new Disney Princess Enchanted 10K on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday for a total of 19.3 miles. Best of all for Disney bling lovers, runners earn the inaugural Disney Glass Slipper Challenge Medal in addition to the medals from each event, including a new yet-to-be-announced medal for the 10K. Read the rest of this entry →

Desiree Davila (in black) poses with runners at the 2013 Walt Disney World Marathon Meet-Up. (Photo: runDisney)

Olympian and 2011 Boston Marathon runner-up Desiree Davila is no stranger to running Disney. I had a chance to catch up with the American running star at the 2013 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend in January. We chatted about her recovery from injury, goals for the future and, of course, running at Walt Disney World.

“This is the only place in the world where people go, ‘I’m just doing the marathon,’” Davila said with a laugh.

Indeed, runDisney unveiled for the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend the Dopey Challenge, an event that dares runners to complete four races on four consecutive days for a total of 48.6 miles: the Family Fun Run 5K on Thursday, a new Walt Disney World 10K on Friday, the Walt Disney World Half Marathon on Saturday, and the Walt Disney World Marathon on Sunday. The Dopey Challenge is already sold-out for 2014. But runners can still register for the Walt Disney World Marathon, Walt Disney World Half Marathon, and Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge, where runners complete both the marathon and half marathon.

Davila, 29, didn’t run this year’s Walt Disney World Marathon. She’d been in long-term recovery from a femoral stress fracture, the same injury that forced her to drop out of the 2012 Olympic Marathon in London before the 5K mark.

After taking 12 weeks of from running, Davila slowly built up mileage and time on her feet.

“I took an extended amount of time off, let that all heal up, and I’m heading in the right direction now, making sure I’m 100 percent and slowly building mileage,” Davila said. Read the rest of this entry →

Many runners wore Boston sports gear at the Run For the Parks race in Central Park. (Photo: RunKarlaRun.com)

Over 6,000 runners took to the roads of New York City’s Central Park on Sunday to run for Boston at the City Parks Foundation Run for the Parks 4-Miler.

The annual event was New York Road Runners’ first race after the bombings at the Boston Marathon on April 15, so the organization, which puts on the ING New York City Marathon, transformed the event into a run for Boston.

Thousands of the runners donned blue “I Run For Boston” shirts, which NYRR provided to participants who gave a $20 donation to The One Fund Boston for families most affected by the attack.

Others wore black ribbons, “I Run For Boston” bibs, Boston Marathon shirts and jackets, and an assortment of Boston fan gear including Red Sox baseball caps, Celtics jerseys and Bruins shirts.

My husband and I were among them, dressed in our “I Run For Boston” shirts, “I Run For Boston” bibs and black ribbons. Read the rest of this entry →

The outpouring of support for everyone affected by the Boston Marathon attack has been overwhelming. I wrote about a virtual 5K that anyone in the world can take part in to run for Boston. Here’s one more way you can show your support.

Brian Kelley of PavementRunner.com has launched #BostonStrong, a grassroots global campaign that encourages runners to put together “A Run for Boston in Your City.”

#BostonStrong is:

A run for us to unite and show our strength.
A run for those that were unable to finish.
A run for those that may never run again.
A run for us to try and make sense of the tragedy that has forever changed something we love.

So far runners in 88 cities worldwide are joining the #BostonStrong run for Boston from Paris to Seattle. Runs will take place on Monday, April 22^nd at 6 p.m., and will be between 3-4 miles.

For more information, to find out where you can run, or list a #BostonStrong in your city, visit pavementrunner.com.

Karla Bruning is host of On The Run, New York Road Runners’ web show about running. She has finished six marathons, two triathlons and trains with the New York Harriers. Follow Karla at RunKarlaRun.com, The Washington Times Communities, Facebook and Twitter@KBruning.

Runners have taken to the streets and to the internet to show their support for everyone affected by the Boston Marathon bombings.

So I wanted to share two ways to run for Boston that I’ll be taking part in—one live event in New York City and one virtual event that anyone, anywhere can join. Both runs will benefit The One Fund Boston, a coalition of corporations and individuals that aims to help the families most affected by the attack.

Run For Boston Anywhere In The World

On Monday, April 22, I’m joining NYCRUNS for Runners For Relief: A Virtual 5K Supporting Boston Marathon Bombing Victims. Read the rest of this entry →

The 2008 Boston Marathon finish line. (Photo: Dave Winer/Flickr: scriptingnews via Creative Commons)

My editor at The Washington Times Communities page asked me to write about yesterday’s bomb attack on the Boston Marathon from the perspective of a runner and reporter who has both run and covered events like it.

I wrote this:

The attack was meant to deafen our resolve, demoralize us, to terrorize us. For what purpose? We don’t know. Who knows why hate marauds the collective streets of the world perpetrating unspeakable evils.

That’s what the streets of Boston symbolized yesterday: the streets of the world. It’s what the streets of every major marathon come to mean on race day. The marathon is a globally unifying event, a universal symbol of perseverance in the face of adversity. It couldn’t be truer now.

You can read the entire column here. As I usually do, I tried to focus on the positive, even in the face of so much desolation.

It was hard to do. The attack on the Boston Marathon yesterday affected me in a profound way.

As news of the attack flooded in, I was instantly reminded of another dark day in America’s history. As a New Yorker, I was in the city on 9/11. Read the rest of this entry →

Karla gives snowshoeing a try in Colorado. (Photo: RunKarlaRun.com)

Greetings again from Colorado! My first day in the Rockies, my husband and I enjoyed a muddy run with literally breathtaking scenery near 9,000 feet above sea level in Tabernash, Colorado.

But for two mornings in a row, we have woken up to complete white-out conditions. The early hours of Sunday morning brought us 7 inches of fresh powdery snow with up to 10 inches on the mountain.

Too deep to run, there was only one thing left to do: snowshoe! Read the rest of this entry →

Phil heads up a trail in Tabernash. (Photo: RunKarlaRun.com)

Greetings from Colorado! How would I describe trail running around the Rocky Mountains in Spring? Breathtaking. Literally.

I’m in an area called Tabernash, which is sandwiched between Winter Park, Arapaho National Forest and Rocky Mountain National Park. I can easily see why the population of 165 people have chosen this slice of heaven to call home. Seated in a valley surrounded by pine forests and soaring snow-covered peaks, Tabernash has natural beauty in abundance at 9,000 feet above sea level.

After a day in Denver, my husband and I headed out west to Devil’s Thumb Ranch to attend tonight’s wedding of a dear friend who hails from the Rocky Mountain state.

Of course, the first thing we did after checking into our room was to change into running gear and head out to the trails on the ranch’s 6,000 acres. Read the rest of this entry →

My girl, Cinderella (Photo: RunKarlaRun.com)

My favorite four-legged running pal turned 4-years-old today. Or at least, that’s what we think.

Cinderella was a stray living in the woods of Tennessee when a kind man spotted her and earned her trust over time by feeding her. Soon, she was living in his yard as a yard dog named Maggie. But after a few bad-weather nights, he decided his yard was no place for a dog and he couldn’t keep her, so he brought her to local rescue group Shelly’s Angels that works to save strays and find them homes.

Meanwhile in New York City, my husband and I were on the hunt for a dog. Read the rest of this entry →