The Marine Corps Marathon. (Photo: Journalist 1st Class Monica Darby/ US Navy)
Runners, take your marks! Registration for the 38th 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 →
It was an amazing day of running in New York City at the 2013 NYC Half on Sunday, March 17. Kenyans Wilson Kipsang and Caroline Rotich ran away with the men’s and women’s titles as 15,000 runners took a 13.1 mile journey through the heart of the city from Central Park, through Times Square and along the Hudson River to the spectacular Wall Street finish near the historic South Street Seaport.
Join me and Olympians Carrie Tollefson and Todd Williams “On The Run” at the NYC Half as we recap the men’s and women’s professional races, catch up with some of the charity runners we profiled earlier in the week and capture the spirit of the day. Read the rest of this entry →
In the second episode of “On The Run” at the NYC Half we chat with New Zealand record holder Kim Smith, who entered the NYC Half on Sunday, March 17 with the fastest time in the field. She finished second at the 21012 NYC Half after leading the whole race until the final 100-meter stretch.
We also hear from Brooklyn runner Bryan Steinhauer, who is tackling his first race ever after a stunning story of triumph. Steinhauer languished in a coma for 3 months after being attacked in a bar by three men, who left him with a fractured skull and serious brain damage. Doctors were afraid Steinhauer might not live, let along walk again. But Steinhauer prevailed, relearned to walk and talk, and eventually, run. He’s running the NYC Half to raise money for Minds Over Matter, a foundation he started to support other young adults with traumatic brain injuries. If his story doesn’t move you, I don’t know what will. Read the rest of this entry →
Our family on our wedding day (Photo: Lev Kuperman)
I’m a newlywed. My husband, Phil, and I have been married for six months and we’ve been together for five years. Running played a large part in our courtship, our engagement, and has been a mainstay of our relationship. We love to run, and whenever we can, we run together. They say that couples who sweat together stay together. I hope it’s true. Here’s to running love.
He’s much faster than me with his 3:03 marathon personal best; mine is 4:28. But that doesn’t stop us. Here’s how we keep on running side-by-side.
Wondering what to buy the runner in your life? The “Run, Karla, Run!” holiday gift guide is here to help. Here are some gift ideas at every price point from $10 to $150 — all of them wear tested by yours truly with the “Run, Karla, Run!” stamp of approval.
When Hippie Runner says “No Slide/No Sweat,” they’re not kidding. These headbands promise to stay in place and keep the sweat out of your eyes while running. Guess what? They really do. I wear a Hipper Runner 4Head Headband just about every time I race and nary a drop gets in my way. Made of nylon spandex, the headbands stretch to fit any head and come in a wide array of colors and patterns — way cuter than sweatbands of yore.
Under $25
Books are always a great gift choice, and a new slew of running reads hit the bookshelves this fall. Read the rest of this entry →
Visiting the Philly Finish the day before the race.
The Philadelphia Marathon is a big city race with a small town feel. Unlike more crowded marathons like New York and Chicago, runners wander into corrals just 15 minutes or so before the race’s 7 a.m. start. The vibe is relaxed and unhurried. There’s no closing time given for the baggage trucks or corrals, for that matter. It feels like the city simply wants you to relax and have a good time. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter is at the start and the finish passing out high-fives to runners, setting the tone for a friendly, flat and fast course. With 11,617 finishers, the 2012 race on November 18 was the largest in the city’s history. Another 10,921 runners finished the half-marathon.
The Philadelphia Marathon was my fifth marathon. I set out to nab a big personal best time after a rocky training season. The race’s motto is “Best Time of Your Life.” Turns out, it’s true. Read the rest of this entry →
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 →
The Spirit of the Marathon exhibit is now open at the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago.
After so much talk about ‘the spirit of the marathon’ in the wake of the ING New York City Marathon cancellation, I thought I’d share this: a museum exhibit dedicated to the history of the marathon, titled just that. It seems especially prescient in light of recent events.
The Spirit of the Marathon: From Pheidippides to Today opened in October at the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago. The exhibit centers on the history and culture of the race from the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC to the first marathon at the 1896 Olympics in Athens to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon today. Read the rest of this entry →
As the East coast braces for Hurricane Sandy, marathon preparations are under way in New York City. The city is expecting storm surge and possible flooding; some areas near the course could be affected. But the storm should be gone by marathon morning on Sunday, Nov. 4, when the streets will be flooded with people.
This week’s episode of NYRR On the Run takes a look back at the 2011 ING New York City Marathon to help getting runners pumped for this year’s event.
But we also explore the state of U.S. distance running. Meb Keflezighi, Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher, Matt Centrowitz, Leo Manzano, Galen Rupp, Jenny Simpson and more pro runners weigh in, along with Sharon Eckstrom of marathonguide.com.
Visit ontherun.nyrr.org to watch all past episodes and individual segments.
The Staten Island Half-Marathon on October 7, 2012 was my 50th race. In my transformation from loather to lover of running, I have culled a fair amount running wisdom as both a runner and a running reporter.
The running life is like any other life—fraught with pitfalls and challenges, but also rewards and joys. And I’ve experienced them all. Some lessons I learned the hard way and others were pleasant surprises. Some are obvious, but not necessarily if you’re a new runner. Some are humorous and some are serious. But all of them are worth heeding.
I hope to keep adding to my trove of running wisdom over the course of my next 50 races and beyond—which begins with the Philadelphia Marathon on Nov. 18. But for now, here are a few nuggets from my running wisdom treasure trove, in no particular order. Read the rest of this entry →
NYRR On The Run travels to Iten, Kenya to visit the home of reigning marathon World Champion Edna Kiplagat. Iten is the epicenter of Kenya’s rich running tradition. Back in the U.S., the show catches up with Black Girls Run, a national organization for women that has grown to 40,000 members in just 3 years. Then, Pascal Dobert and Matt Tegenkamp from the Oregon Track Club demonstrate some core strengthening training tips.
Visit ontherun.nyrr.org to watch past episodes and individual segments.
Episode 3 of NYRR On The Run catches up with Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher in Oregon. Now a dynamic training duo, the pair discuss how they went from fierce rivals to great friends. Then it’s on to New York City’s Chinatown to meet a seventh grader who has used running to help her acclimate to a new country and new language. Finally, NBC Olympics’ Joe Battaglia stops by the studio to debate pacers vs. racers and the relative merits of paced races versus championship style events.
Visit ontherun.nyrr.org to watch past episodes and individual segments.
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 →
It’s almost here: the debut of “On The Run,” New York Road Runners’ new lifestyle running show hosted by yours truly. Curious about what’s in store? Check out the preview above and tune in Wednesdays at 8 pm EST at nyrr.org or watch any time on demand at ontherun.nyrr.org!
I’m not the fastest runner and I’m not the slowest, but I am a running nerd. A journalist by trade, I love to research, read, learn and cogitate. So stick with me. Like all good nerds, I’ll do the homework and share it. But the running is up to you!
