Medal Monday brings many stories of achievement for our members. Here are recent stories from the Marathon Maniacs and Half Fanatics, as told by you, as posted on the Marathon Maniacs/Half Fanatics Facebook pages.
Congratulations to all of our members who completed an event this month!
Run Family at the Bridge of the Gods Half Marathon
Gregg LeBlanc (HF4564, DA2537, MM13039) – Such a great time running the Bridge of the Gods Half Marathon this morning. I saw many Half Fanatics, members of the 100 Half Marathons Club, NW runners, and of course made new running friends.
This isn’t an easy race – 1,300+ ft of elevation with stairs on course. The views are spectacular. Thanks to the Breakaway Promotions team for another great race. Happy to have run this race every years since 2014.
Half #254
Lynne Kilirnr (MM12242, DA2065, HF13464)– Summer time half marathon in Long Beach is in the books.
Legs are still trashed from my SF marathon a week ago, but i got it done.
Training run for my 5 races in September and October! 😳🙄😬
(Santa Cruz half Ironman relay, oslo, Berlin, Greenbrier River Trail Marathon, and Chicago).
🙏💪🏽😬
NYC marathon in November.
Gyro for breakfast at fantastic cafe.
Sporting my new marathon maniac yellow tank top 😁
Brenda Folkerts (MM15695, DA3674, HF18068)– Galloping Gertie Half Marathon
Half Marathon #69
Super fun morning pacing for the Super Pacers, volunteering in set up/registration hanging out with Run Super Ambassador friends, and getting to spend time out there seeing friends, and cheering on an awesome bunch of runners! A special congratulations to the runners I brought in to a sub 2:20 half marathon this morning. So proud of you for staying ahead of me and hanging on up that last hill to the finish!
Giving back to a running community that has been so supportive and encouraging to me throughout the years, really brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart! ❤️
Mannetta Piggee(HF170936) – State #40 Rapid City Marathon, Half Marathon & 5k in South Dakota (LONG POST)
Flew into Rapid City and stayed 1 night at the Microtel which was conveniently located to the packet pick up race shuttle and finish. I was able to use hotel points for a reduction on the $$, other brand name hotels were a bit pricey, not what I was wanting to pay for a one night stay in South Dakota.
Rented a car so I could take advantage of the opportunity to visit Mount Rushmore. It’s 30 minutes or less from Rapid City. There are animal parks, helicopter tours and a tourist strip in Keystone, for those who love souvenirs and crafts.
The race course was nice, mostly park trail but the directions at the start were given on site and had many of us asking for it to be repeated. Things were much clearer once we got onto the trail. The finish area was nicely shaded which was a welcome from running in the heat and sun. FYI South Dakota gets really hot. The race started at 7am and it heated up quickly, at least by this runners standards. Had to dump water on myself to keep from overheating. I drank the most water and Gatorade than I have ever consumed in my 10 plus years of running. My finish time was not what I wanted but I’ll charge that to the weather.
My only negative comment is that we were not allowed to park at the race start which meant we had to shuttle to and from a pick up location. Let me just say I have never been a fan of shuttling. I don’t like sitting in sweaty clothes waiting for a ride to my car. Not to mention sitting on seats where other sweaty people just sat. Sorry, I’m a bit of a germophoobe.
Best option would’ve been to have everyone park at the finish (if allowable) and shuttle clean people to the start. 😁 When the race is over, people (like me) can leave immediately, so they can get to their hotel and get showered before checkout. Yes, I made it in time to shower and change because the hotel was nice and gave me extra time. If my car would’ve been at the finish I wouldn’t have needed the extra time. Met some nice people with amazing run goals and journeys. Running continues to enhance my life in many ways so step out of your comfort zone and lace up your shoes and see the country. 😉
Heather Zeigler (MM3086) –Another lovely marathon @leadingladies_dakotaspirit!!! The South Dakota hospitality is top notch and I love all the RD’s!!! Marathon #304 done!!! #marathon #leadingladies #50statesmarathonclub
Maniacs and 50 Staters before the Green River Marathon.
Katie Applegate(HF18527) – I have handed the legacy of running jumps down and the student becomes the master.
Gina Forestieri(HF18136)– Half 88 done! Iron Horse Half in North Bend WA. Beautiful course and easy to run. Should have been a sub 2 but as crappy as i felt i’m happy with 2:02:00. 2nd in my ag of 23 and an extra medal because it was my 3rd “Orca run” event this year. Was a little worried about the weather, landed in Seattle yesterday and it was 57 for the high and rainy! Today is much better, it was 55 at the start and cloudy, but the sun has been trying to come out and it’s supposed to warm up to the 70s today, the trail was shaded about 95% of the way, and it was an absolute perfect run! Tuesday morning I leave for oahu, will spend a few days with Jason, and then hop to Kauai to do a full marathon! The half was rough enough not sure how I’m gonna manage through a hot humid hilly course but we will see!
Sameer Khurana-(MM13642, DA2835, HF15807) – New England Green River Marathon – 51st overall and 21st State ✅
Randy Riley (MM14470, DA3218, HF16432) – Pro Football Hall of Fame Half Marathon Canton OH. The race begins inside the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium so I did my warmup run back and forth between the goalposts. How fun is that! I saw Laurie Weiner both at the start and the after party. Also Rizza Salvoro Durbin for a brief moment on the course while we were running in opposite directions on an out and back section. The 13.1 miles is a thorough tour of Canton including downtown and to the base of the steps of the McKinley Memorial but fortunately not up them. It used to be Ohio August Half Marathons were rare but now there are multiple ones every weekend. My third half in 16 days. Also my fastest half of the year beating last week’s struggle by 2 1/2 minutes for 2nd place AG. Run to You Racing and RD Jim Chaney do an excellent job. The race shirt is my favorite of the year! 100 Half Marathons Club Half Fanatics #medalmonday.
Run Family at the Anchorage RunFest
Congratulations to Jun Ulama(MM12617) who finished another round of 50 States this past weekend at the Anchorage Runfest Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska on August 18, 2024
This is Jun’s 3rd Round of 50 states.
From Jun, “Completed running a marathon in all 50 states today, for the third time, at the Anchorage Runfest in Alaska. Thank you to my family for their unrelenting support and to all of my running friends who, in one way or another, helped/assisted me with my running journey. Marathon/ultra #237″
Congratulations to Barbara Rausch (HF#16197) for being a 2024 inductee into the Half Fanatics Hall of Fame. Congratulations and welcome to the class of 2024!
The criteria to be eligible for the Hall of Fame can be found here
Barbara Rausch (HF#16197), “I am very ecstatic to announce that I have been inducted into the Half Fanatics Hall of Fame! 
In order to reach Half of Fame status, you must meet one of three critieria. I chose the 51 or more half marathon for three consecutive years. Races can start at any time during the year, but must run for 365 days. Any races over the 51 in the first two years cannot be used for the next year. You can finish early the third year. My races started 7/31/21, 7/31/22, and 7/31/23. I reached Sun Level which is 52 halfs in 365 days in July 2022, so I figured I might as well just continue to run more race and reach Hall of Fame. What else do I have to do, right? LOL!
In year one, I ran 52 halfs. Year two, I ran 54 halfs and in year three, I ran 56. I ran my Half of Fame race at the final REVEL Rockies on June 1st, 2024. This was one of my more crazier adventures. I flew into Denver from California on Friday, ran the half on Saturday, and then flew home the same afternoon. It was a fun adventure with Jiah. I have Jiah to thank for the 3 x 51 balloons at the REVEL Rockies Half.
A big THANK YOU to Jen for nominating me for HOF. 
It’s been great fun the last three years galavanting all over California, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and Texas. Your friendship is invaluable to me. Thank you to my husband, Barry, for driving me to many, many races and putting up with this crazy idea. I know you love the adventures, too. Thank you to Rachel, Natalie, Chris, and many others for always being so supportive. 
Thanks to everyone that enjoyed Post Race Refreshment with me at my favorite coffee establishment after each race.
Enjoy some of my favorite pictures.”
Congratulations and welcome to the class of 2024!
The criteria to be eligible for the Hall of Fame can be found here
Luther Hill(MM9045, DA1429, HF79636) – Marathon state #46 Nebraska Grand island. Originally I scheduled a back to back marathon weekend with Nebraska on Saturday and then drive 4 hours on Sunday to do Sioux Falls. With all the stuff ongoing this spring and summer my training got derailed and I decided I would drop one event.
As luck would have it Nebraska cancelled their event earlier leaving a rather hot 93 degrees forecasted event on Sunday at Sioux Falls. I deferred Nebraska to 2025. While in flight on to Sioux Falls I was notified Sioux Falls canceled their event on Sunday due to the extreme temperatures and at 7pm was notified now Nebraska decided the full was now on for Saturday. I quickly flipped and deferred Sioux Falls marathon.
With 88 degree temperatures I slugged it out to get this medal and saved a what would have been a wasted trip.
Michelle Migneault Cox (HF17353) -Completed my 124th half this morning at Nebraska State Fair Marathon! It was warm as usual, but I met a new friend in the back of the pack and did much better than I thought considering I walked most of the last 3-4 miles. After the race you get entrance into the fair so I walked around and saw some amazing quilts and then went to the birthing center and saw a baby pig be born. Mama had 20 babies this morning in abt 3 hours time. A cow had also given birth and some sheep and goats. It was a busy morning.
Past results! (I need to get back to under 3 hours)
2018 2:41
2019 2:47
2022 3:07
2023 3:02
2024 3:37
Robert Manon (MM6700, DA431, HF3646) -This morning, I completed my 575th lifetime half marathon. It was a very cool morning, and there was a small chance of rain, but we lucked out. I didn’t think I would know anyone, but I bumped into Lorinda right before the start. So, my streak of knowing at least 1 person continues. Haha. When the race began, I decided I wanted to hang with the sub 1:50 pacers. My only true goal was to finish under 2, but I had some good rest last night and thought, let’s give sub 1:50 a try. I hung with the group for 5 miles, but then what always seemed to happen to me lately happened. I had to make a Porta Potty stop. So after losing a couple of minutes, I figured if I push a little, I can catch the group. So I picked up the pace and slowly inched my way towards them. It took me 5 miles, but I caught them. Then, at the 11th mile, I dropped them because the legs still had some fuel in the tank. I crossed the finish line at 1:48. It was about 9 minutes faster than yesterday’s time. Now it’s time to head home. Thanks, Orca Running, for putting on a good event. Next week, I’m just running a marathon.
Steffen Schneider (MM16152) – ET Full Moon MIDNIGHT Marathon. Aug 18. Near Area 51 at Little Ale Inn, Rachel, NV. ANOTHER Crazy fun CALICO Racing event- 18’th ET. Great to see So many running Friends including Robert Manon (not shown) who knocked out another Age group award, and Karen Volan. My 2 -Fellow 50 States Club finisher buddies from MO who ran the Full, hadn’t seen since JackPot ultra series.
The weird Blue UFO Light ray picture was right before I got abducted and was beamed up to be Dissected. The cone- head civilization needed to understand how someone could run so slow and still actually stay in forward motion.
Of course, My 30 minute slower than normal pace was directly attributed to my Abduction duration.
Joyce Forier / Calico Racing knocked it out of the Park once again with Another Home Run event. Fantastic volunteers and wonderful Post Race refreshments. The 3- 1/2 hour Bus ride is always a great spot for seeing friends and relaxing with no driving worries. 18th ET.
Lorinda Hagstrom (HF13328, DA1981, MM3865)– Thank you Alaska! A fun pacing trip with friends in this amazing state! Plenty of bald eagles viewed from the course but, thankfully, no big wildlife out there. Wind gusts and hills were tough but we got it done! Met Star the Reindeer around the corner from our place and enjoyed the #fireislandbakeshop more than once!
Before the Remember The Alamo…BEER! 13.1
Jamie Hotrod Miller (MM14478) -Humphy’s Run Fest Marathon, Anchorage, Ak – Done ✅ State #47
Lea Reyes (MM13731, DA2891, HF16015) – Spearfish marathon complete. Oh boy! Those last 10 miles absolutely killed me. We were in heat, the sun was shining bright and beaming on us. We had no shade. Brutal!
This was an absolutely beautiful course.
Mary Carolyn (MM14657) – I’m an official “FISHNER” at 2024 Anchorage Marathon. State #48 ✅ in the “Last Frontier”
Karen Johnson Derrick (MM12489, DA3640, HF18426) – Completed the Nebraska State Fair marathon yesterday, a truly humbling experience as I pushed through to finish despite being the last one! I anticipated the challenge with a 6 hour time limit and soaring temperatures, but persevered to finish within the extended cutoff time by 15 minutes. This experience has taught me to carefully choose my future marathons, and I’m committed to finishing those I’ve already registered for. I’ve attached a few photos to share…
Claire Gladstone (MM12421) – Marathon or more #130 State#41
Great day with my running family! Bonus was Bald Eagle and Beluga Whale😳 plus, Jun Ulama finished his 50 states…. For the 3rd time!!!😎😜
Sue Stevens(HF8593, DA2452, MM12891)- Busy running weekend. Yesterday was Twilight at the Bay, a beautiful but tough Half Marathon at Chambers Bay, which started at 5pm. Starting that late was hard, as was the muggy weather and very hilly course. I was fortunate to be able to finish the race before the storm came (I’ve never seen as much lightning as I did on the drive home)! This morning was just down the road for the Half Sam along the Lake Sammamish Trail. Lots of friends both days 🙂
Sadie Smith(MM12709) – 1st OA female at the New England Green River Marathon. This one was for Bob Kennedy ❤️
Before the Summer Meltdown Half Marathon San Antonio
Steve Walters (MM338, DA5, HF21) – The day after a trail marathon, I managed to run a sub-1:42 at the Iron Horse Half Marathon. I was shooting for a sub-1:45 and for most of the race I was on pace for a 1:43. In the last two miles I kicked it into gear to get down to 1:41:26. This is half marathon #290. Ten more to run by Dec 8.
Gysel Parajon (MM8995)- I had been looking to run the ET Full Moon Midnight Marathon for a while but didn’t know if I could make it until the last minute. I arrived at the event venue 40 minutes before the start, registered, and got myself ready, and started last. I immediately experienced a wardrobe malfunction with my foot compression sleeves so I took them off after the first mile. I was then able to take off, running uphill.
The course consisted of two out and backs on the ET Highway outside Area 51 in Rachel, NV. I felt good for the first 14 miles and then my lower legs and feet cramped up something awful. I had also forgotten my salt tablets so I ran the best I could in spurts. By mile 17 my digestive system expressed its dissatisfaction and that unfortunately continued through the end of the race. Despite the pain in my legs, feet, and gut the race was great. Running in the dark with the glow of the almost full moon, surrounded by other runners wearing high-visibility vests, headlamps, and other lights was quite the experience. Watching the moon set and then the sunrise was special and beautiful. I did miss seeing some friends but I did get to hang out with a friend from Tahoe after the finish, @run4cbd2.
Photo and Post Credit Marathon Maniacs/Half Fanatics Facebook Pages
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