Run, Karla, Run!

Runners cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at the start of the ING New York City marathon. (Photo: Fergal Carr, via Creative Commons)

Time is ticking to apply for the 2013 ING New York City Marathon lottery. Runners have until 11:59 p.m. EST on May 24 to apply for one of the 47,500 spots in the race on Sunday, November 3. Runners who have a guaranteed entry must also claim their spot by May 24.

New York Road Runners, the organization that puts on the event and one that I freelance for as host of On The Run, will choose participants from the lottery on May 29 through a random draw.

Last year, more than 140,000 people applied for approximately 47,000 starting spots on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, most of which were already allocated to runners who gained bibs through one of the ING NYC Marathon’s guaranteed entry programs: running for charity partners, international travel partners, meeting a qualifying standard, completing NYRR’s 9+1 program, being denied by the lottery the previous three consecutive years, or running the race more than 15 times. Just 15,000 runners gained entry through the lottery, up from 9,000 people in 2011. Read the rest of this entry →

The Walt Disney World Marathon (Photo: Marathon Foto)

Last week marked the sixth anniversary of my very first running 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 running 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.

Running Races To Remember 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 →

The 2103 Marine Corps Marathon got off to a hazy start after a registration snafu. (Photo: Cpl. Bryan G. Lett/US Marine Corp)

Race directors, take heed. Everyone expected the Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Va., and Washington, D.C. to sell-out fast. All the race’s entries were gone in record time of 2 hours, 27 minutes.

But what frustrated thousands of runners, and no doubt the race organizers as well, was a massive failure of the race’s registration system run by the Active Network via Active.com.

Consecutive registration snafus with the Bank of America Chicago Marathon last month and the Marine Corps Marathon yesterday, due to intense demand, have many runners chanting L-O-T-T-E-R-Y.

When it comes to the most popular races that expect registration to sell-out in a matter of hours, lotteries are simply the way to go, whether it’s the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon or any other race facing this type of registration stampede. Read the rest of this entry →

The Marine Corps Marathon. (Photo: Journalist 1st Class Monica Darby/ US Navy)

Runners, take your marks! Registration for the 38^th Marine Corps Marathon opens on Wednesday, March 27 at noon EST. The 2012 edition of the race sold-out in two hours and 41 minutes, so get your fast fingers ready if you want to nab one of the 30,000 spots for this year’s event on October 27.

Known as “The People’s Marathon” because it’s the world’s largest marathon not to offer prize money, the Marine Corps Marathon has resisted moving to a lottery to dole out bibs even as demand for the race has increased. Read the rest of this entry →

Ready to shave 1 hour from my marathon time.

In just a few days, I’ll be staring at the starting line of the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 13, 2013. It will be my sixth marathon and the first I’m not running for a personal best. This one is just for fun, and I don’t care how long it takes me. I’m going to wear a costume, take pictures with Disney characters and enjoy a course that runs through four theme parks, a race track and a baseball diamond.

To honor the occasion, I thought I’d take a look back at my second marathon, which was the exact opposite. At the 2008 ING New York City Marathon, I set out to shatter my one and only marathon time—clocked on the same course just a year before—by an hour.

This race report was first published on TheSportsBank.net in November 2008, but I thought I’d finally put it up here at RunKarlaRun.com too. After all, it was my first true marathon PR.

I also happen to be in an ’80s cover band called The Fades. This month marks the 5th anniversary of our first show. We’re all—save one—marathoners. In fact, I’m the slowest of the bunch. This post was inspired by them. Rock on, Fades!

Marathon Redux, ’80s Music Edition

I did it. I ran the ING New York City Marathon. Again. And by ran, I mean ran. The whole blessed thing. Who knew all it would take was zealous devotion to a few ‘80s songs? Read the rest of this entry →

Crossing the finish line. (Photo: brightroom)

In just four days, I’ll be staring at the starting line of the Philadelphia Marathon on November 18, 2012. It will be my fifth marathon in five years.

To honor the occasion, I thought I’d take a look back at my very first marathon and first stab at a race recap of the 2007 ING New York City Marathon. I finished the race in 5:54. I aim to finish Philly in 4:15. I’ve come a long way in the last five years. Little did I know how right I was when I proclaimed, “I think I may have a new addiction.”

This race report was first published on TheSportsBank.net in November 2007, but I thought I’d finally put it up here at RunKarlaRun.com too. After all, it’s the marathon that started it all. You can read about what brought me to tackle my first marathon in Because You Only Get One First Marathon.

Don’t Stop Believing

First published November 2007

My first marathon: 26.2 miles, 5 boroughs, 5 bridges, 39,000 runners, and more than 2 million spectators on the mean streets of New York.

My first-timer’s tiara. (Photo: Christy Hourihan)

I did it. I ran the 2007 ING New York City Marathon. And I did it in a tiara. It was the brainchild of two friends who jokingly—I thought—floated the idea past me and then provided the crown. How could I not wear it? Seriously, my roommate bought it off of a drag queen in Manhattan’s East Village. Come Sunday morning, after six months of training and anticipation, there was only one thing to do: put the tiara on my head, shoes on my feet and run like I’ve never run before. Read the rest of this entry →

Friends lined the course with signs cheering me on. (Photo: Christy Hourihan)

In just five days, I’ll be staring at the starting line of the Philadelphia Marathon on November 18, 2012. It will be my fifth marathon in five years. To honor the occasion, I thought I’d take a look back at my very first marathon and the first piece of writing I ever did about running: “Because You Only Get One First Marathon.”

It was first published on TheSportsBank.net in October 2007, but I thought I’d finally put it up here at RunKarlaRun.com too. After all, it’s the piece that started it all. I’ll put it the accompanying race recap tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Because You Only Get One First Marathon

First published October 2007

I hated running. Hated it. Flames on the side of my face, breathing, breathless, heaving breaths, to borrow a sentiment from Mrs. White in the movie “Clue.” So why, oh why, am I running the New York City Marathon on November 4, 2007? Read the rest of this entry →

One Team Hope For The Warriors runner finishes her marathon.

Scroll down for a slideshow of the unofficial marathon in Central Park.

Some called it the unofficial New York City marathon, some called it the Run Anyway marathon. But no matter what they called it, thousands of runners spontaneously took to Central Park on what would have been Marathon Sunday, November 4 in New York City.

In the wake of the canceled 2012 ING New York City Marathon, many runners tried to make the best of a terrible situation. In addition to running, thousands of marathoners volunteered on Saturday and Sunday in some of the city’s hardest hit areas. An estimated 1,300 alone went to Staten Island on Sunday to drop supplies and help residents clean up. Others helped out in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood, the Rockaways in Queens, Newark in New Jersey and parks all over the city.

Thousands of other runners took to Central Park, dropping donations for hurricane relief near the “official” finish line and running a flash mob of sorts. It was like a scene out of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.” The Whos of Whoville didn’t need the trappings of Christmas. It seems, neither do marathoners. Read the rest of this entry →

Heading to the ferry terminal.

The Staten Island Half Marathon is part of New York Road Runner’s 5 Borough Series, a collection of half-marathons in each of New York City’s five boroughs.

The Staten Island course is an out-and-back jaunt along the waterfront that tours runners through the eastern side of the island, with lovely views of Manhattan to the north and past the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge—famous as the start of the ING New York City Marathon. We ran through busy neighborhood centers, industrial back roads and residential streets, past shops, jovial construction workers who cheered us on and locals watching from their porches. Read the rest of this entry →

In this week’s webisode, New York Road Runners’ On The Run caught up with American marathon icon Meb Keflezighi. Honestly, who doesn’t love Meb? He owns a silver medal from the 2004 Athens Olympics, won the 2009 ING New York City Marathon, and at the age of 37 still keeps the heat on all his competitors. After a fourth place finish at the London Games, he’ll celebrate the 10th anniversary of his marathon debut at the ING New York City Marathon in November. Read the rest of this entry →

Runners, are you ready? It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for—a television quality broadcast about our favorite sport. We wait all year long for major marathons like Boston and New York to give us just a few hours of running coverage. Now the wait is over.

New York Road Runners launched Wednesday the debut of “On The Run,” a weekly lifestyle web show dedicated to exploring the life of the runner. It’s hosted by yours truly.

Every week between now and the ING New York City Marathon on November 4, “On The Run” will give viewers insider access to professional athletes like Meb Keflezighi, Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher, plus news about community running programs around the country and perspectives on the state of the sport from some of the biggest names in the running media. Every webisode will also feature inspirational local heroes, coaching and training tips, or other stories sure to inspire your own running. Read the rest of this entry →

Enjoying the Yonkers waterfront.

Yonkers Marathon & Half Marathon History

Located directly north of New York City on the Hudson River, Yonkers is one of those not-so-small “small towns” with nearly 200,000 residents. It’s not exactly Mayberry, but compared to the monster that is NYC, it’s a hamlet. Much the same thing can be said about the Yonkers Marathon & Half-Marathon. With just 1,000 registrants for both races combined, it truly has the feel of a hometown race, unlike the behemoth that is the ING New York City Marathon.

The Yonkers Marathon has a storied history as the second-oldest marathon in the country behind Boston. Read the rest of this entry →

Runners pose in front of Cinderella Caste. (Photo: runDisney)

Disney lovers, it’s not too late the run the 20^th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon presented by Cigna on Jan. 13. The Marathon, Half Marathon and Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge may be sold-out, but there are still a few ways to get in on the runDisney action.

A record 58,000 runners have registered for the event, with 27,000 toeing the line in the half marathon and 25,000 in the Disney marathon. A whopping 10,000 participants will tackle both races as part of Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge, which dares runners to complete the half-marathon on Saturday and the marathon on Sunday during the Walt Disney Marathon Weekend. 

If you’d like to be one of them, you still can by registering through a group, charity, or the Runner’s World Challenge, which give runners access to training advice from Runner’s World editors along with other VIP amenities. Read the rest of this entry →

By now anyone who follows running and/or political news knows that Republican Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan lied about his marathon time. But did you know that you too can run as “fast” as Paul Ryan? The Paul Ryan Time Calculator and its creator Erik Westlund are here to help. Read the rest of this entry →