Running News Daily

October the biggest month for marathons: Apple Heart and Movement Study

Apple has released an update on users’ walking and running workouts from the Apple Heart and Movement Study, which is based at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. 

The study found October to be, by far, the most popular month for marathons in the U.S.; more marathon-length workouts were run by Apple Watch users in October than any other month–but, surprisingly, every month of the study yielded at least five marathon workouts, even during the pandemic. November was the next most popular month, followed by April.

This makes sense, when you consider that three of the U.S.’s biggest marathons (Chicago, the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. and the Portland Marathon) are all in October, November has the country’s biggest (New York City), as well as the Philadelphia Marathon and April has Boston (the third largest U.S. marathon). 

More on the study

Between November 2019 and Jan. 1, 2024, almost 200,000 U.S. Apple Watch users recorded at least one walking workout and almost 100,000 users recorded at least one running workout. One workout in five years may not sound like much, but it’s enough for researchers to identify people who exercise (as distinct from the general population who either do not exercise, or who don’t record their exercise on their Apple Watch) and to use their data for research purposes. All users in the study gave permission for their data to be collected and analyzed.

More than half of those almost 300,000 users did at least one 5K walking or running session during the study period. The study notes that the 5K distance is popular with those who are new to running, because it can be accomplished over a relatively short period and does not require the same time commitment or fitness as longer endurance events, such as the marathon.

As one might expect, for the highest percentage of people, their longest logged workout was 5K, and the percentage decreased steadily for the 10K, half-marathon and marathon; for less than two per cent of runners (defined as people who logged at least one running workout during the study period), the marathon was their longest logged workout. The study found that 1,507 participants ran a total of 2,623 marathons during the five years of the study.

(04/20/2024) Views: 106 ⚡AMP

The ‘Taco Bell 50K’ Requires Strong Legs—and a Stronger Stomach

Every fall, a group of Denver runners celebrates National Taco Day by running 31 miles using the fast food Mexican chain as aid stations

Imagine you’re 12 miles into a running race and you arrive at an aid station, where, instead of refueling with energy gels, you’re required to eat a 540-calorie Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme. 

Yes, that’s one of the mid-race snacks you’ll need to consume if you want to be an official finisher of a bizarre and spirited, 31-mile run through the greater Denver area.

Welcome, if you dare, to the annual Taco Bell 50K Ultramarathon. 

What started as an offhand suggestion on a Saturday morning training run has now become a stupid and fun gastro-intensive ultra-distance event with 10 “aid station” stops at various Taco Bell restaurants. But, as silly as it seems, it’s all about sharing the community of running, says founder Dan Zolnikov. 

Held every October for the past six years, and loosely coinciding with National Taco Day (yes, that’s a thing), it’s an unconventional and entirely unsanctioned fun run that has several ridiculous rules—a.k.a. the semi-optional Taco Bell 50K Commandments that are printed on the back of the event’s race bibs—including the need to eat something from the Taco Bell menu at every stop. 

While that could mean consuming something small at most of the restaurant visits—like, say, an order of Nacho Fries or Cinnamon Twists—the fourth and eighth aid stations demand a higher level of gastrointestinal fortitude. At those stops, participants must opt for one of the larger and more calorie-intensive “Supreme” menu items, such as a Crunchwrap Supreme, Burrito Supreme, or Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos Supreme.

“I always tell people it’s fun until the fourth stop,” says Zolnikov, a Denver lawyer and avid ultrarunner who started the event in 2018. “Most of those that are new to it are like, ‘Wait, I’ve gotta eat a Chalupa Supreme or a Crunchwrap Supreme and then keep running for almost 20 more miles?’ And we laugh and say, ‘Yep! That’s what we do.’ Honestly, that’s when a lot of people are like, ‘I think I’m just going to go home.’”

Running the Taco Bell 50K is what many ultrarunners call out-of-the-ordinary Type 2 fun—something that conceptually sounds fun before and afterwards, but in actuality is not quite that fun while it’s happening. But word has gotten out and it’s been compelling enough to have grown to a record 40 participants this year. There’s no entry fee, but each runner is expected to pay for their own food. 

While the Taco Bell chain of 7,000 Mexican-themed fast food restaurants isn’t a sponsor of the event—and the event organizers explicitly remind participants of that—a Denver-based Taco Bell franchise group agreed to open one of its locations early this year to accommodate the 7 A.M. start and welcome runners with free breakfast burritos, thanks, in part, to the persistent prodding of Jason Romero, one of the event’s original instigators.

Not just a zany group run, the Taco Bell 50K is rooted in ultrarunning lore and takes cues from some of the country’s most famous races. Not only does the course alternate between clockwise and counterclockwise every other year—a la Colorado’s Hardrock 100—it also requires runners to keep their Taco Bell food wrappers as an ode to how runners need to tear a page out of hidden books on the Barkleys Marathon course.

While Leadville 100 luminary Ken Chlouber has famously motivated runners for 40 years by saying “You’re better than you think you are, you can do more than you think you can,” Romero says the motto of the Taco Bell 50K is that “you’re hungrier than you think you are, and you can eat more than you think you can.” 

How does a convoluted event like the Taco Bell 50K get started in the first place? At a farmer’s market, of course. 

During long Saturday morning training runs in the spring of 2016, Zolnikov and running buddy Mike Oliva developed a habit of refueling by eating fresh, Colorado-grown or locally crafted food at Denver farmer’s markets. On one run, Oliva randomly stopped to use a bathroom at a Taco Bell and suggested to Zolnikov they should consider changing their route the next weekend and make Taco Bells their impromptu aid stations. 

“As soon as he said it, we laughed but then there was this awkward, five-minute silence between the two of us,” Zolnikov recalls. “We were just kind of jogging along and not really saying anything, but he said it so it was out there. I think we realized it was a stupid idea, but, as ultrarunners, we kind of wanted to do it. So I asked him, ‘Do you want to do that next week?’ And he was like, ‘No dude, just forget I said anything. Let’s just forget it.’” 

Although the idea never conjured up mouth-watering excitement, the odd craving to do it never went away. The banter about the idea continued on their Denver running Facebook group, as well as at weekly training runs of the Denver chapter of Achilles International, a running club in which runners with disabilities are guided on weekly training runs and weekend races. 

Oliva started that group in 2013, and it has met for weekly runs at Denver’s Washington Park every Monday night for the past 10 years, developing an easy-going camaraderie between guides and runners. 

“This talk about running to Taco Bells went on for about two years, and finally I got sick of hearing the trash talk, and just said, ‘That’s it, we’re doing it,” says Romero, 53, a regular Achilles runner who is legally blind. “And as soon as I said it, it kind of got silent. But I’m not about talking, I’m about doing. So I said, ‘You put together a course and we’re going to do this.” 

Within a few days Zolnikov had plotted out a course using Google Maps and Strava, connecting nine Taco Bells in the Denver metropolitan area in a 31.52-mile loop. (To make it an even 10 aid stations, the event starts and finishes at the same Taco Bell on the southwest side of the city.) And then, a few weeks later, in October 2018, seven courageous runners gave it a go and five finished in about seven and a half hours. (The other two tapped out, waving the white napkin of surrender midway through the route.)

Although it was mostly a celebratory season-ending fun run among a core group of friends for the first few years, it has garnered more interest as word of mouth spread. A few of the Achilles runners have joined in the fun every year.

“It’s not a glamorous route,” says Ben Garrett, who took over as race director after running the Taco Bell 50K for the first time in 2022. “It’s kind of what you’d call an urban ultra through the ‘scenic’ parts of Denver.”

Garrett, a 25-year-old structural engineer, was training for his first marathon when he was cajoled into joining the Taco Bell 50K—despite never having run more than 16 miles. He joined willingly and finished, giving him a boost of confidence heading into the Disney World Marathon three months later.

“It was great to know I could run that far before my marathon, especially knowing I had a stomach of steel after that,” Garrett says with a laugh. “But it also inspired me to run more. After my first marathon, I did another marathon and then a couple of 50Ks. Now I’m hooked for life.”

There are no winners, and there are no prizes. Instead over the years, runners have piled on extra gastrointestinal challenges for extra satiation. 

There’s the Baja Blast Challenge, which entails only imbibing two liters of Mountain Dew Baja Blast during the run, and then there’s the Diablo Challenge, which consists of oozing a packet of Taco Bell’s next-level hot and spicy Diablo Sauce on every single food item throughout the run. (By the way, two of the more precarious event rules state that no Pepto Bismal, Alka Seltzer, Pepcid AC or Mylanta will be allowed on the course, and the bathroom stops are only allowed at the Taco Bell restaurants.)

As if consuming 1,500 calories during the run wasn’t enough, some runners have added their own challenges—such as devouring a Voodoo Doughnut during the middle of it—and many runners engage in the Diablo Shooter Challenge, which is simply sucking down a packet of the restaurant’s fiery hot sauce to conclude the run. But to be fair, one of the forgiving commandments is the notion that every runner can take a mulligan and skip eating at one of the stops.

“It’s just meant to be a fun run,” says Denver runner Bill Garner, who has participated in five of the six Taco Bell 50Ks. “It’s the one ultra where you’re just really out there for the camaraderie. I don’t really feel like anybody’s racing, although I’m sure somebody’s going to show up one year and try to run it all-out. But for most of us, it’s a big camaraderie run.” 

It is mostly about the community spirit that pervades running, but for Garner, the Taco Bell 50K inspired him to run farther and pursue new running goals. Prior to participating in the first event in 2018, the 53-year-old cybersecurity technology specialist and strict vegetarian primarily ran marathons and half marathons on the roads. Since then, his focus has become ultra-distance races on trails, and believe it or not, he typically relies on cold Taco Bell bean-and-cheese burritos in his aid station resupplies.

“It’s the perfect ultra fuel,” says Garner, who consumed numerous Taco Bell delicacies enroute to finishing the Kansas Rails to Trails 100-miler in 2019. 

“I thought these ultrarunners were crazy, and I jumped into this because it was crazy, but then it changed my life,” he says. “I had never run an ultramarathon before I did the Taco Bell run, and I definitely learned that, if you just keep eating, you can keep going. That’s what ultras are all about.” 

A few years ago, Portland, Oregon, runner Bobi Jo Ousnamer befriended several Colorado runners in an online forum while training for the Pikes Peak Marathon. They told her about the Taco Bell 50K and asked her to come out and run it in 2019, but she couldn’t fit it into her schedule because she was training for her first 100-miler. 

However, she made it out for the 2020 edition, amid the Covid-19 pandemic. (That year, a small group of runners ran through Taco Bell drive-thrus to order their food because the inside dining areas weren’t open.) During the run, she admitted she had devised her own Taco Bell 50K course in Portland. That immediately sparked interest in doing Denver and Portland events on back-to-back days, which they finally pulled off in 2022 on the day of the Portland Marathon. 

That event included stops at seven Taco Bells and a marathon aid station a friend organized on her front lawn, where they devoured homemade breakfast tacos. Calling it the Double Deuce Challenge, it included 62 miles and 18 taco stops in two cities in less than 36 hours.

“I made the mistake of mentioning to Jason Romero that I had created a Portland course and he was like, ‘Oh my God, we’re doing a double!’” says Ousnamer, 34, who works as a juvenile public defender in Portland. “So for the fifth anniversary, he announced that we’d be doing this double. I think we all thought he was kind of joking, but as the months went on, he was like, ‘All right, I’ve got a plane ticket so we’re doing this.’ The Taco Bells are not as close together as the Denver ones and it’s hillier in Portland, so it was a bit of a bigger challenge. We were definitely feeling it on day two.”

Although the Taco Bell 50K has always meant to have been a low-key, end-of-the-season celebration for local runners, it’s continued to gain notoriety and to push the envelope of what’s possible. Runners in Texas and New Jersey have reached out about developing something similar, as have a couple of running clubs in Europe. Although the event details were typically only posted on Facebook when Zolnikov managed it, Garrett upped its visibility and inclusivity by developing an informational website with a link to the Strava map of the course.

Will the Taco Bell 50K continue to grow? 

“Honestly, I never wanted to see it start to begin with, but it’s kind of turned into this force of nature that’s bigger than me and bigger than Jason, and it’s become its own thing now,” Zolnikov says. “People can use it for whatever they want it to be, and if someone wants to get bragging rights for racing through it as fast as they can, go for it. My thing has always been about getting together and running, and, OK, ‘Let’s do this kind of dumb thing, and let’s have fun doing it.”

(12/23/2023) Views: 272 ⚡AMP
by Outside Online

Portland Marathon returns October 3

The Portland Marathon is set for October 3 with no foreseen COVID restrictions.

The marathon’s organizers said the race can happen restriction-free after Gov. Brown lifted all COVID-19 restrictions last month.

This will be the 49th annual Portland Marathon. The 2020 marathon was canceled due to the pandemic.

This year’s marathon is presented by OHSU Health. Racers can either do the full marathon, 26.2 miles, or a half marathon, 13.1 miles.

(07/16/2021) Views: 1,169 ⚡AMP
by Kohr Harlan

Upcoming running events in Oregon and virtual runs from anywhere

Race season hasn't totally stopped; in fact, it's only kind of getting started.

This year we've seen racing directors all over the country implement virtual run designs to help limit contact between runners. This has been cool for many reasons. One, it's allowed runners from other places to run non-traditional routes and be a part of races in other regions. Second, it lets runners do things at their convenience—always a luxury.

As we hit the end of summer and head into fall, here are a few races still happening in Oregon—and even some fun virtual races runners can do from anywhere, on their own time.

Stranger Distances - Through Oct. 31 - Virtual

*Cue the "Stranger Things" theme song*

Stranger Distances lets runners take on any number of unusual distances, including 3.2, 6.7, and 11.11 miles. This race symbolizes how 2020 itself has felt like "being in the Upside Down" during this strange year. Runners get a certificate, Stranger Distances long sleeve and can add a medal for $9.99.

You can find Stranger Distances on runsignup.com.

The Scooby Doo Family Run - Through Oct. 4 - Virtual

This run, chugging along and available since July, encourages participants to get out and run or walk it with your entire family—dogs included! Racers get a medal, bib, water bottle and a long sleeve Scooby Doo tech tee with a hood! I might register for the gear alone, honestly. You can even add in a Scooby Doo collar or bandana for your furry friend. Run or walk this fun run anywhere.

Oakridge Triple Summit Challenge – Oakridge, Oregon - Sept. 25-27

Take on three days of different trail races and climb 8,500 feet of elevation in 40 miles total. Or, sign up for an individual day and do either a 20K, 15K or 30K. The inclines will be worth all the epic views over the three-day race.

Bigfoot 10K – Bend, Oct. 4.

This downhill road race is perfect for people looking to keep it in the 5- to 10K range. You'll fly as you head from the Cascade Lakes Welcome Center and finish at Riverbend Park.

ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=72351

Portland Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and 5K - Virtual in Portland

The team behind the Portland Marathon has partnered with On Your Own to create a more individual experience for racers this year. Runners will still be going through a USATF-certified marathon course, as timing technology placed throughout the route syncs runners' paces. But this time around, runners can show up and run on their own time. Download the On Your Own app for turn-by-turn instructions and to make sure the time gets recorded. After registering, OYO will mail a racer's box with everything runners need to get started.

https://runoyo.com/opd/register

Happy Girls Sisters – Sisters, Nov. 11 – In-person or virtual!

A gorgeous run through the town and trails of Sisters, Oregon. This year there are offerings for either an in-person race or virtual. Sign up for a 5K or Half Marathon in person. Virtually, runners can up it to a full marathon this year or find some middle ground with a 10K. This is a great race to celebrate women who love running.

happygirlsrun.com/sisters/

(09/13/2020) Views: 1,108 ⚡AMP

The Portland Marathon will not be held until next year 2021, due to the increase cases of coronavirus in Oregon

The Portland Marathon will not be held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement on the Portland Marathon website, officials say the decision to cancel the race and related events was due to continued COVID-19 spikes and tightening restrictions.

The race was scheduled to take place on October 4.

All registered participants will receive an email about their options.

Officials say the Portland Marathon will happen next year on Sunday, October 3.

(07/29/2020) Views: 1,173 ⚡AMP

Kallin Khan, 22, Claims Victory At Portland Marathon on Sunday

For 22-year-old Kallin Khan, Sunday’s race wasn’t even close.

From mile five all the way to the finish line, Khan led the pack of more than two thousand runners participating in the Portland Marathon. Another 3,600 opted for Sunday’s 13-mile route.

“Everyone was telling me I had a big lead,” Khan told reporters a few minutes after being crowned Sunday’s winner. “I was confident through the finish line.”

It took Khan, a Chicago native, just over two hours, 25 minutes to finish the course, which took runners through the city’s four quadrants. A second place winner would not be announced for another 20 minutes. That’s when Kunitaka Imaizumi, a student at the University of Oregon, sprinted over the finish line.

Khan said he’s been working toward the victory since moving to Portland two months ago, running more than a hundred miles each week with the Bowerman Track Club. He hopes to soon qualify for the Olympic trials, a feat that would require him to shave six minutes off his Sunday time.

First place for the women’s division – and third place overall – went to Jamie Gibbs, an analytics director at Nike, who ran the route in two hours, 48 minutes.

There were no Olympic-level runners in Sunday’s event, according to Jared Rohatinsky, the CEO of Brooksee, a Utah-based race producer which oversaw the event for the first time.

The former race and route were scrapped in 2018 after lackluster attendance and a state investigation into the finances of the then-marathon director. A long city search for a new producer meant marathon registration didn’t open until this spring. Typically, the schedules of Olympic-caliber athletes are booked a year and a half in advance, Rohatinsky explained.

In past statements, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a runner himself, had said he hoped the new company would energize turnout and turn Portland’s marathon into “a world-class event worthy of a host city that’s known for running.” Wheeler came in 883rd at Sunday’s event.

Runners interviewed Sunday agreed that the new course, which moved runners through some of Portland’s most beloved areas, had taken a turn for the better after decades of lingering too long in the more industrial parts of town.

(10/07/2019) Views: 1,858 ⚡AMP

Leah Olson will be running the Portland Marathon for her marathoner dad, who was diagnosed with Lou Gherig’s Disease

"He'd always give me the rose at the end": A Portland Marathon dream changes after an ALS diagnosis.

Leah Olson is running the Portland Marathon this weekend for her dad Marc, who was diagnosed earlier this year with Lou Gherig’s Disease, the debilitating illness most often called ALS.

While it’s been a difficult time for the family, they’ve found a way to channel their energy into a fundraiser to find a cure, and the support around them keeps growing. The 26-mile race holds emotional memories. Leah grew up watching her dad run the Portland Marathon, where every finisher gets a rose.

“He'd always give me the rose at the end,” she said.Over the years, Marc has finished 35 marathons. His personal record is less than three hour. Running is something he’s always done.

Leah's dream has always been to run a marathon with her dad, but that dream changed on February 5th of this year, when Marc was diagnosed with ALS.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis weakens muscles. For Leah’s dad, the effects started out small. “May of 2018 he began to have a little problem speaking and it was a tiny slur in his voice,” said Gina Olson, Leah’s mother. Now swallowing and speaking are difficult. Also difficult to deal with is the news that the average life span after diagnoses is typically two to five years. “Two neurologists my parents went to essentially told them, spend time with loved ones. My dad has a lot of fight in him and he wasn't ready to take -- and we weren’t ready to take -- this diagnosis as a death sentence,” said Leah. So with Leah leading the way, the family jumped into action committed to doing something positive and raising money to help researchers find a cure. “We sent over 600 mail letters that I hand signed,” said Leah of the effort to inform family and friends.

While Leah and her dad won't be running the Portland Marathon together, they're both facing marathons, just of a different kind. “I'm running a physical marathon, the 26.2 miles. But dad is running a metaphorical marathon through his fight to defeat ALS,” said Leah. Marc's marathon is his hardest yet. But he's got the support of many.

“All you can do is try and solve it and help other people, and that's what they're doing by being so supportive of me,” said Marc, whose speech is affected by the disease. But despite the scary prognosis, the Olson family is maintaining their spirit, and doing something to make a difference in not only their own lives, but the lives of others who are also suffering from ALS. They’re hoping their fight will inspire others to do the same.

Marc is currently involved in a clinical trial for an experimental drug that could help. It’s possible he could be a part of the placebo group, but the Olson family remains hopeful that he's getting the drug.

(10/04/2019) Views: 1,897 ⚡AMP
by Christine Pitawanich

Some runners at the Portland Marathon were delayed by as much as 22 minutes due to a train crossing the course

The Portland Marathon returned Sunday under a new name. It may be running into complications out of the gate though as some participants were delayed by a freight train downtown.  The race is under new management after it was initially canceled in April when the company Next Events disbanded. The group RunWithPaula Events and Portland Running Company founders Paula and Dave Harkin took over the marathon in June, rebranding it the “Portlandathon.”  The race got underway early Sunday morning, with runners in the full and half marathons competing on a similar out-and-back course as previous Portland Marathon routes. Videos posted on social media show dozens of runners waiting on Naito Parkway at the Steel Bridge as a freight train crosses the Willamette River -- a few miles from the finish line at SW Salmon.  The course is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon, and is approved by the USA Track and Field Association. However, finishing times for first and second place vary by 20 minutes, which could be attributed to the train delay. That delay could also impact qualifying times for the Boston Marathon. RunWithPaula Events tells KATU news that they reached out to Union Pacific when organizing the race to request that trains would not be running across the bridge during the race. Paula Harkin also tells KATU that the longest the delay could have been would be about 22 minutes. KATU News reached out to Union Pacific and they said, “Mechanical issues on a prior train resulted in a train crossing the tracks during the Portland Marathon. Unforeseen delays can affect Union Pacific’s efforts to accommodate community requests, and we apologize to those who were impacted by this situation.” (10/07/2018) Views: 1,675 ⚡AMP

Adam Gorlitsky sold T-shirts that said I Got Legs is going to run the Portland Marathon

This weekend the Portland marathon kicks off a new era with a new name—the Portlandathon. Thousands of people will participate and among them, is Adam Gorlitsky. His goal? Improving the lives of the disabled community one step at a time. Gorlitsky flew into Portland from South Carolina to walk the half marathon, even though he’s paralyzed from the waist down. “It's going to be an awesome day,” he said. “I used to run track and cross country in high school.” That was before a car accident in 2005 turned him into a paraplegic. Gorlitsky never thought he'd race again until a doctor's appointment two years ago and new technology that changed everything-- the robotic exoskeleton. “Honestly, from the second I stood up I was like, ‘I gotta do road races!’,” Gorlitsky said. To help afford the $85,000 exoskeleton, Gorlitsky sold T-shirts that said: “I Got Legs." Last year, he turned that slogan into a non-profit with the same name. “Our mission is to improve the lives of the disabled community,” Gorlitsky said. (10/05/2018) Views: 2,011 ⚡AMP

Global Run Challenge Profile: Running is an outlet for my highly competitive personality says Dave Ross

RUN THE WORLD:  "Running is my social network. Pretty much everyone that I'm connected to I met through running," says Dave Ross.  

But it didn’t start this way.  As a kid he was pretty much a nerd,  very shy and definitely a bookworm, not athletic at all.  "I turned out for the cross country team my freshman year of high school to make friends," he says.  

He ended up being a four year letterman in cross country and team captain his senior year and was awarded a scholarship to run cross country in college. Running has remained a major part of his life.  

"I don't think that I'd miss training if I couldn't run, but I'd definitely miss racing. Running is an outlet for my highly competitive personality. I love racing and watching others race. My knowledge of the sport gives me access to getting hired to help with commentary for some of the best races and track meets in the world," says Dave. 

In 1996 he ran 2:36:57 at the Portland Marathon training 50 miles weekly.   Some of Dave's best times include 15:35 5K, 53:54 10 miles, and 1:12:57 for the half marathon.  Dave works for Kaiser Permanente in the Portland area. 

He has two grown children.  "My wife Stephanie (also a runner) and I live in Beaverton, Oergon and we do a lot of our running around Nike World Headquarters." 

I asked him about the present running scene in the US.  "I think that it's on a pretty impressive upswing. Now that there is drug testing that's leveling the international playing field Americans are more competitive than ever," he says. 

"Folks are catching on and following the idea of structured training groups. The Bowerman Track Club, The Nike Oregon Project and groups like the Brooks Hansons are leading the way in American development." 

So why did Dave join our Run The World Challenge?  "I think that it's a cool idea. It's neat to see so many people come together toward a common goal," Dave commented.

(07/31/2018) Views: 2,394 ⚡AMP
by Bob Anderson

Global Run Challenge Profile: Rosaura Tennant says running is like a vitamin or medicine done daily

RUN THE WORLD: Rasaura Tennant was born in Costa Rica in a little town she calls the jungle.  "It was a very remote town without electricity, potable (piped) water, hospital, or roads," she says.  "That meant no cars or even bicycles.  We had to walk a lot, and if we were going far with heavy things, then we had to ride a horse or go the distance by boat."  She is number thirteen of fifteen kids and even though the conditions were hard it was a very happy family.  "My mother didn’t have help, so we all had to do chores at home, she was also a tailor and a midwife," Rosaura says.  "My father was a farmer and a carpenter. He built our house and many other houses in our little town."  When she was 20 they finally got electricity followed by potable water.  More recently the town caught up with the rest of the world.   "Now in my ‘little jungle’ almost everybody has a cellphone and some of the finer things of life."  She did start running while still living in Costa Rica but nothing longer than the half marathon.  "I was very intimidated by the marathon. It wasn’t until I was living in the USA when I ran my first marathon at the age of 47. I ran the Portland marathon with a time of 3:37," she says.  She has run a lot of races.  "I have lost track of the number of half marathons, 10Ks and 5Ks I have run during my running career… but I know it’s a pretty big number.  I have run a total of 24 marathons including five Bostons and one 50K."   She decided to join the Forward Motion Race Club (FMRC) in Danville.  "This is where I had the opportunity to run with more experienced runners and was able to learn from these athletes.  My times definitely improved, a lot."  She has a very supportive husband and a flexible work schedule that allows her to do what she loves.  "Running is part of my daily life. Running is like a vitamin or medicine.  If I don’t take it (run)… I start feeling not myself. Running makes me feel free and fulfilled."  She thinks our Run The World is a great idea.  "The fact that people around the world can join and commit to log their runs just to accomplish our goal means a lot throughout the running community; this tells us how supportive we can be without knowing each other," says 58-year-old Rosaura.  The Run The World Challenge starts July 4th and the goal is to reach 24,901 miles in 30 days.  Rosaura is looking at logging an average of 37 miles weekly. (06/28/2018) Views: 2,232 ⚡AMP
by Bob Anderson

Race organizer has been found that meets the requirements to produce the Portland Marathon

Portland has turned to a local race organizer in its search for an operator for the city's 2018 marathon. Mayor Wheeler and the Portland Bureau of Transportation say the October 7 marathon will be overseen by the Run With Paula events firm. The firm's leaders, Paula and Dave Harkin, also own the Portland Running Co. The married couple has operated the Hippie Chick and Helvetia half marathons in Washington County.  “I believe our great city deserves an equally great race,” Paula Harkin said. “Fall just would not be the same without a marathon in Portland.” The Portlandathon will include the showcase 26.2-mile event, as well as a half-marathon, the Mayor’s 5-mile race, and a 4-mile river walk. The former Portland Marathon group informed the city in April that it would be canceling the fall race. Earlier that month, the Oregon Department of Justice reached an $865,000 settlement with Les Smith, the Portland Marathon's former race director. The agency's investigation found that Smith had illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans from the race organization. The race was canceled but the Portland Bureau of Transportation put together an expedited, 7-question application process that attracted several interested event organizers. In the end, only Run With Paula was qualified based on the city's criteria.  Paula and Dave Harmin operates two running retail locations (800 SE Grand Ave. in Portland and 10029 SW Nimbus Ave. in Beaverton).  Dave is a dynamic speaker and coach who inspires hundreds of athletes every year through seminars for a broad range of groups and his work with Portland Fit.  His wife (and co-owner), Paula, is also the race director of Run with Paula Events. They put on four award winning races around the state each year.  Now it will be five races.   (06/02/2018) Views: 2,249 ⚡AMP

The 2018 Portland Marathon is back in play, details should be announced in early June

The city of Portland Oregon will select a race organizer to keep the Portland Marathon running in 2018. The former board of directors for the Portland Marathon announced last month the race would be canceled for 2018 and the organization would be dissolved. Mayor Ted Wheeler and the Portland Bureau of Transportation reported Friday that several event producers have contacted the city to express interest in hosting a marathon in 2018. The city is asking interested applicants to respond to seven questions that assess whether they have the experience, organizational capacity and financial resources necessary to successfully organize a marathon for October 2018. Response are due by May 25.  City officials want to know if organizers could recruit at least 170 volunteers to staff the barricades and whether they'd be willing to use the 2017 Portland Marathon route. Applicants will also need to prove they can provide a $25,000 deposit to host the event. Submissions that meet the qualifications will be tossed into a "blind draw," which city officials will conduct June 1. (05/19/2018) Views: 1,681 ⚡AMP

47-year-old Portland Marathon cancels 2018 race, will dissolve organization

The Portland Marathon board of directors has canceled the 2018 race and plans to dissolve the 47-year-old Portland Marathon organization, according to an open letter the board sent Friday to The Oregonian/OregonLive.  “There will be no Portland Marathon in 2018," began the letter, attributed to board members Richard Busby, Julian Smith, Andy Ritchie, Jim Schaeffer and Gina McVicker.  The same letter was sent to the City of Portland at 11:30 a.m. Friday.  The move comes more than a week after former Portland Marathon event director Les Smith reached a settlement with the Oregon Department of Justice. Smith was found to have illegally borrowed money from the Portland Marathon and was required to repay $865,000, of which $50,000 would go to the Oregon Department of Justice to cover the cost of the investigation. In Friday's letter to The Oregonian/OregonLive, members of the new Portland Marathon board, assured the 2,500 people already signed up for the run that they would get a full refund, through the race registration platform, Active.com. "Our decision was based on a number of factors, including a decline in race registrants for 2018 and the Board's understanding of the City of Portland's desire to move in a different direction," wrote the board. (04/28/2018) Views: 1,963 ⚡AMP

Former Portland Marathon Race Director agreed to pay $865,000 in penalties

Under a settlement with the Oregon Department of Justice, the former race director of the Portland Marathon agreed to pay $865,000 in penalties. The DOJ found that Lester Smith had taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans from the Marathon for himself or his companies. The practice is illegal and occurred at a time when the Portland Marathon nonprofit lacked adequate oversight of a board, as required of nonprofits. In all, $50,000 of the settlement covers costs for the state investigation. The rest will go back to the Portland Marathon, Inc. Smith disputed the findings, according to a copy of the settlement documents, provided by DOJ. But in addition to the monetary settlement, Smith has agreed not to lead or serve on the boards of any nonprofits, operate any foot races in the future, and, as a lawyer, will not seek to be reinstated to the state bar. He also agreed to dissolve his company, his for-profit company Next Events, LLC. The investigation into the nonprofit began around the time the race was facing an uncertain future in Portland. Under Smith's leadership, the permit for the race last year was initially rejected by the city. The race proceeded last year, and the Portland Marathon nonprofit is now under new leadership. (04/18/2018) Views: 1,830 ⚡AMP

Portland Mayor Plans To Work With Scandal-plagued Portland Marathon

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler will allow the Portland Marathon to hold a race in 2018, his office just confirmed. "We are proceeding in 2018 according to the status quo," he said. In 2017, the Oregon Dept of Justice opened an investigation into the nonprofit's corporate structure and financial relationships with other businesses owned by two Portland Marathon's two board members. In 2017, fights with the city over course layout and policing led to a delay in the marathon getting a permit to operate. (01/23/2018) Views: 1,576 ⚡AMP