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.
Meet Club Members: Mihaela & Jules– My name is Mihaela (HF#4295, MM#9676, DA#832) and my husband is Jules (HF#4294, MM#3509, DA#475). I’ve finished 140 half marathons, 22 marathons—including ultramarathons—while Jules has completed 143 half marathons, 66 marathons, and 27 ultras, which include three 100-milers. Many uncounted 5k and 10k races. Together, we estimate over 500 races of various distances, most races in Washington State, and nearly all we ran side by side, finishing together. Our medals fill a garage wall, which Jules jokes is the priciest wall in our house. We keep each other motivated, supported, and challenged.
Back in 2013, we took up running together to carve out more time for one another amidst our hectic work lives—especially since Jules had been training for ultras and marathons since 2009. This shared activity soon became a special way for us to connect, reinforcing the strong bond we already had before getting married thirty years ago. Now that we’re semi-retired, we travel to new places, participate in different races, and have found a wonderful community of friends through running.
We love participating in small community races to catch up with friends, along with major events like the Honolulu Marathon and other competitions across Hawaii. We recently joined a local training group to adapt to Hawaii’s unique climate. We’ve competed in Canada, Spain, and Portugal, and are looking forward to more races throughout Europe and Japan. Our choice of races is guided by the experience itself rather than tallying up countries or states.
A healthy diet is just as important as daily exercise. I start each day with a green juice made from ginger, spinach, kale, lemon juice, green apple, and cucumber—it’s energizing. We regularly eat fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables. When traveling or running, I bring sliced green apples and cucumbers for snacks to stay satisfied and hydrated.
We look forward to more races, new adventures, and pursuing our dreams together.
Ed Del Favero(MM11749, DA2901, HF16046) & Debbie Del Favero.(MM16014, DA3782. HF18611)– Medal Monday!
Debbie and I ran The Angry Owl Ultra last weekend 8/9/25 in Salem Oregon and inaugural race One Step Closer Ultra in Seattle Washington 8/16/25.
Both races were multiple loops on partial trail and pavement. Well organized and lots of fun. Great seeing Monty, Kendra and Lisa out on the trail!
Congratulations to Clint Burleson (MM1318, DA2374, HF14456) for completing a Running Full Monty at the Mainly Marathons Alaska Series (day 2) on August 6th! A running full Monty is completing a 50k, full marathon, half marathon, 10k and 5k in every single state!!
Congratulations Clint!!!!
Gysel Parajon(MM8995, DA3751, HF18751)- Paavo Nurmi Marathon Race Recap in Hurley, WI!!
What a difference a week makes. The weekend before last I was unable to finish my trail marathon and this past Saturday I not only finished my 31st state marathon, I ran the fastest I have run in a couple years!!! I’m not even completely sure how I did that but I believe it was a mixture of good sleep, consistent training for a change, nutrition, (before and during the race), meditation, exhilaration, optimism, mind over body, running mantras, my running shoes, perhaps having a certain number on my bib, and a pre-race warmup! I also wrapped my ankle in moleskin so I did not in fact feel the sprain I incurred a few days prior. Yes, injuries seem to follow me…
The Paavo Nurmi Marathon in Hurley, WI began in pouring rain, which fortunately killed the heat and humidity a good deal and made the day great! It ran on mostly asphalt but there were some sections that were on dirt roads and that made me giddy of course. I had read the course would be hilly but it didn’t quite feel that way to me until the last 10 miles. I just felt good all day and went with it. I ran with the 5:30 pacers from miles 10-13 but ultimately I had to hang back as my run/walk method is based more on feel than time. But, I ended up being not too far behind!
I ran by myself most of the day enjoying being out in the Northwoods of the Midwest again, invigorated by listening to AFI’s catalogue thanks to my partner who loves music the way I do and more, but it was nice to see other runners on the course as well, especially the out and back section in the last 10 miles. And I noticed there were patches of my favorite wildflower, fireweed, which made me very happy. It was overall a wonderful day even as the rain and thunder returned with a vengeance. The real downpour came after I crossed the finish line with runners still on course. I stayed to see them all finish including another Maniac, Sharon Berger!! Pleasure to meet you!
Thank you @paavomarathon, the Chamber of Commerce, the RD, you did great, the volunteers, the spectators who kept traveling along the course to cheer runners on, my fellow amazing runners, my family, especially my son, my friends, and my partner @latomas for the support. This was a special day. 😌❤️
Merry Mullins(MM15936) – Well they didn’t hand out medals for this amount of torture. Hahah. I ran/walked my first 12 hour endurance race on Saturday. 37.60 miles. I didn’t hit my goal but 12 hours in Missouri heat not too bad I guess. 🏃🏼♀️🏃🏼♀️😊
Before hitting the starting line, we always try to snap a ‘Family Photo’ when possible. The Marathon Maniac and Half Fanatic running family—spotted at races nationwide—grabbed a quick group shot ahead of the Mainly Marathons Alaska Series (Day 2) in Juneau, Alaska on August 7th, 2025
Congratulations to Kevin Brosi (MM94) – for reaching his 1200th full marathon at the Mainly Marathons Alaska Series in Juneau, Alaska, on August 5th, 2025!
Before hitting the starting line, we always try to snap a ‘Family Photo’ when possible. The Marathon Maniac and Half Fanatic running family—spotted at races nationwide—grabbed a quick group shot ahead of the Bridge of the Gods Half Marathon in Cascade Locks, Oregon on August 3, 2025
Meet Jay Gibson
Jay Gibson from Beaufort, South Carolina, MM# 1223.
I ran my first marathon at the St. Jude Marathon in Memphis, TN, in December of 2005. I became a Marathon Maniac in 2008 after completing three marathons in three months: the Air Force Marathon, Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon, and Las Vegas Marathon.
In 2013, I completed my first back-to-back marathon in New Hampshire and Maine—just two weeks before competing in the USAT Duathlon National Championships. In 2014, I took on the New Year’s Eve/Day Double Double Challenge in Allen, TX.
In 2019, I ran four marathons in four days in four different states: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Vermont, as part of the New England Challenge. Later that year, I completed two marathons in seven days—one in Michigan, and the next weekend I was across the country in Bellingham, Washington.
After that, I began running one to two marathons a year to slowly check off my list of all 50 states. I intentionally delayed finishing the list until this year so it would mark 20 years of running marathons.
Next up for me is a family vacation without a race—a promise I made to my wife, and one I fully intend to keep before racing again. After that, I’d like to take things up a notch and see what I can do in a 100-miler ultra. I’ve got my eye on earning a nice belt buckle to go with my Ironman gear. Over the years, I’ve completed four Ironman triathlons as well.
Stefanie McKinney-Holliday (MM14386, HF17442, DA3313)– For a training for the Anchorage Run Fest Marathon in two weeks, I ran the Boulder Rez 3/4 Marathon (19.73 miles) today having been work in Dallas all week!
It was nice training, and I placed 1st in Division and 8th Overall Female for the race. It was great they had this distance for all of us training for upcoming marathons!
Boulder Rez 3/4 Marathon
Age 55, 1st Place in Division, 8th in Overall Female
Steve Walters(MM338, DA9, HF21) – Completed a 50k at the One Step Closer Ultra today in Seattle. It was 70% trail with about 3,000 feet of elevation gain on a day that saw lots of sunshine, a high about 75°F and a start time of 11am. Started out good, but the hills and the sun wore me down. I haven’t been running much on trails, so it was not a speed day for me. Regardless, I nice run for my 222nd ultramarathon.
Half Fanatics at the Dragon’s Den Half Marathon on August 9th
Cyd Antang-Plotkin(HF18867, DA3802, MM7715) – It’s Medal Monday. Just came back from running 1 marathon and 11 halves…Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and 6 races in Minnesota. It was a long and winding road.
Lifetime Full Marathons #221
Lifetime Half Marathons #87
Gregg LeBlanc(MM13039, DA2537, HF4564) – Bridge of the Gods Half Marathon is another of my favorite races. It’s not easy with with 1,200 feet of elevation, stairs up & down at the 3.5 & 10 mile marker, and stunning gorge views. I ran most of the race with Steve Walters.
An added task was to serve as the prerace Emcee before jumping in to run. Upon crossing the 🏁 finish line, i grabbed a few bottles of water and announced finishers for the next 3 hours. 🎤 Fun time handing out some Garmin swag.
Great seeing so many running friends and meeting many more new friends. And I nanaged to finish 3rd in my age group
Kudos to Chad and Breakaway Promotions team for putting on another successful race – the 15th Fueled! My 11th time running this race
Lifetime Half #270
Katie Galvin(HF18478, DA3721, MM15882) – Ran the inaugural Limerick Half Marathon yesterday! 1st Half in a few months after pulling my calf muscle in the spring and the leg held up! It was a hilly one that seemed more uphill than downhill. Typical Irish weather: it was cold, cloudy, rainy, sunny, and humid. I am thankful for Margaret joining me because otherwise, I would have psyched myself out of this one because it’s been tough trying to increase mileage in training. 🇮🇪☘️🏅
Sivabalan Pandian(MM13150) – RAN AT JUNEAU MARATHON IN ALASKA’ STATE OF USA ON JULY 26,2025
Very happy to finish a scenic Marathon at JUNEAU was the last one of 12 marathons successfully finished in this US trip from 12 to 26 July and could finish luckily with better timing of 6;55;14 as a last runner .
Happy to finish 22 marathons ( 10 in Austria and 12 in 7 states of USA ) in a month time of only 30 days ( Fron June 27 to July 26 ) in 2 countries ( 2 Continents ) travelled from India,
The travel was made – INDIA – AUSTRIA – INDIA – USA – INDIA which was too expensive for me .
Summery of results in short – 20 MARATHONS WERE SUB 8 AND ONLY 2 WERE SUB 7 but surprisingly the last one of 22nd was the best timing .
Here I want to mention that after doing 11 marathons in 12 days in Heartland and SummerCamp , I want to return back to India since US is very expensive to stay more days being very low key runner as well senior citizen to .
But my UDCT classmate of B.Sc Tech ( 1978 – 1981 ) Mr.Mayur Dalal had booked my flight ticket from Minneapolis to JUNEAU and reurn to Chicago to catch my return flight on 28 July to Delhi . Within US this Alaska local flight ticket was very very expensive 1268 USD but my friend Mayur ji made me to run at Alaska. Thanks a lot to him for his support to complete marathon in Alaska state also .
I want to bring notice to everyone that now in USA, I finished marathons in 44 states out of 50 with Indian passport which had only visitor visa .
Now I have to run only 6 more states Oregon, Kansas, Hawaii, Nevada, Delaware and Oklahoma to enter into 50 states club of US .
Thus completed 940 and only 60 more to do to touch my goal of 1000 marathons ( Full and Ultra ). The list of 940 marathons can be seen in the following link
Also completed 111 marathons in US only in 12 years which were exponentially expensive but for Indians to get more number of official marathons have to depends upon U S and Europe only since they conduct series of marathons . The list of 111 marathons ran in USA is shared herewith
Now preparing the balance number of 60 marathons to run to touch 1000 ( Full and Ultra ).
Happy Running Back to Back marathons.
Congratulations to Keenan Haga’s(MM9947) – who completed his 4th round of 50 states at the Mainly Marathons Alaska Series Day 1 on August 5th
Randy Riley(HF16432, DA3218, MM14470) – Area 13.1 half marathon Roswell, GA. The day before the Mayberry Half Marathon Donna and I had dinner with Half Fanatic friends Anita Burns and Charlene Mercer Board. I told Donna that Charlene had posted pictures of her mom’s cooking that looked like an old fashioned southern feast. That led to us being invited to dinner so we flew to Atlanta for dinner and a race. On Friday we had the best food I can remember. Fried chicken, collard greens with neck bones, candied yams, pea salad and corn bread. Yes, I had seconds. It took less than a minute after meeting her family to feel like family! We talked for hours of fun times, struggles and God’s goodness to bring us through it all.
Saturday night Charlene, Anita and I did the Area 13.1 Half. We started at 7 PM in 90F with high humidity. Honestly at only 2 1/2 miles I thought I would not be able to hang in. At 5 miles a major storm pummeled us. Not exaggerating when I say it rained so hard we couldn’t see the course in front of us. It was dark by then and we were running with headlamps. Lightning and thunder were continuous and on top of us. The course looped back near the finish line at around 6 miles and I expected them to pull us off the course. Instead they told us the storm would stop in 20 minutes and we kept plowing ahead, often through water deeper than the top of my shoes and over fallen branches. Anita and Charlene kept me moving. After the race I discovered my IPhone had locked out. I drove back to the hotel without gps guessing at a couple of turns, dodging tree limbs on the road. It was totally dark as I got closer to the hotel because the power was out. No street lights, no traffic signals. Donna was sitting in our room in the dark.
LIFETIME HALF MARATHON #250. Age group award 2nd place.
Amy Sea(HF18410, DA3652, MM15648)-My 3 favorite hobbies are running, movies and music so why not have a race weekend that combines them all!
Saturday I did the Shawshank Hustle in Mansfield, OH which starts and finishes at the prison where Shawshank Redemption was filmed. The course is ~7K (between 4.5 and 5 miles) so not a half but such a fun race I wanted to give it a shout out to the group. The race is super cool with lots of details related to the movie. You also get a free ticket for a self guided tour of the prison and a free ticket for a carousel ride in town which you use during the race. I didn’t have my fastest race but it was my first race riding a carousel in the middle of it. The medal at the end is super cool and detailed. If you are a fan of the movie this is a must run!
Sunday was Half #186 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Half in Cleveland, OH. While I loved the theme and the museum, I was a little disappointed in it. The medal is really cool and you get free admission to the museum which is great. The course is also pretty flat. But it was boring and they occasionally made runners stop for traffic and there was not much crowd support and much less musical acts that I was expecting (the ones there were great though). It was also super humid and the race has a 3:15 time limit. I did make it with 5+ minutes to spare but it was rough. They didn’t seem strict about the time limit though as I saw later finishers but I’m too close to half #200 to risk not getting a finishing time. Even though I was close to the time limit I had no issues being back of the pack and aid stations and everything were well stocked throughout. Personally it wasn’t my favorite Ohio half and I definitely recommend Flying Pig more but if you want to visit the Rock & Roll HOF or if it works as double with the Shawshank Hustle again and you want to run that race then it’s not a bad choice.
Anita Burns(HF7613) – Completed another half marathon last night in Roswell, Georgia. We started off in humid temps of 90 degrees, real feel 96 at 7 pm and then around about 8:30 the wind picked up and we could hear thunder in the distance, along with some lightning. We were running through a trail when the rain started and yep the sky fell out straight down pour. It got to a point I couldn’t see. We had made a pack that we would stay together. Charlene Mercer Board, Randy Riley and I took turns setting the pace. We all agreed that it was a rough one, but we got it done.
Laurie Weiner(MM15681, DA3668, HF9266) – Today I ran Akron Goodyear half marathon always. This was #160. #3 since knee replacement 11 months ago.
Akron always puts on a great race. Well organized, many misting stations, water stations are plenty and the after party is amazing with Swenson’s, ice cream, beer and soda. Great to see other half fanatics Randy Riley and Tawni Harlin Sigelmier! #medalmonday
Bryon Solberg(MM123501, DA3819, HF18903) – Four Days in Juneau at The Alaska Series with Mainly Marathons.
State #34/HM #104-107.
Jacqueline Schreiver(HF17811) – Goodyear Half!!
No blimp this year, so I enlisted the help of a pink flamingo!!
Also, my phone quit working at mile 3, so I couldn’t get a pic under the Goodyear sign.
Brenda Folkerts(MM15695, DA3674, HF18068) – My 100th Half Marathon at Twilight at The Bay. What a fun night!
What’s next? Chasing 100 marathons while knocking off my 50 states.
Scott Pearson(HF18577) – Half 66 today at Bridge of the Gods. Also state 25 so halfway to my goal of running in all 50 states. A beautiful but difficult race. My Garmin showed over 1100 feet of ascent. Plus for someone who dislikes heights the bridge is a bit unnerving. It is an open grate bridge so don’t look down. Plus your footing is a bit strange. But it is fairly short. And as a special bonus at mile 3 there is a set of stairs to climb. But it is a beautiful course in a beautiful area. They had a lunch of pulled pork at the finish line. With a vegetarian option. This was an awesome race for Oregon.
Eileen Duchane(MM15593, DA3635, HF18413) – This past week, I finished up the rest of the Mainly Marathons Summer Camp Series (Days 3 -5), and then over the weekend I ran the Maah Daah Hey Trail Run Half on Saturday, and the Rapid City Half on Sunday. I’ve had such a fun week!
It’s a nice feeling to finish a complete series with Mainly. Slowly working my way through them.
The Maah Daah Hey Trail Run course was beautiful and challenging. I highly recommend that you wear a hydration vest with bladder; it warmed up quickly out there. If you enjoy trail running, then this is something to add to your list!
The Rapid City Half was pretty as well. Most of the course was on bike paths that ran through different parks of Rapid city. This course was pretty also, especially being in an urban setting. I was amazed at how many paths there were. At times I thought I was going in circles, but it turned out it just looked similar. It was marked well enough that I always stayed on course. I do recommend you carry water since the first aid station isn’t until 4 miles in. It did get pretty warm and much of the course is in the sun. I did carry bottles and refilled at each aid station. It was so fun to meet some fellow Fanatics at the race finish!
Gregory Rouson(HF8068, MM12723, DA2354) – Lifetime half marathons #250 and #251 (and Jack n Jill Downhill Half Marathons #2 & 3)..DONE!!! The last time I ran this race was in 2017. On Saturday, I beat my previous finish time by five minutes. I took it easier on Sunday’s half since my quads were still thrashed. 😂 I met some awesome runners each day and saw some familiar faces, as well. 😎🏃🏿♂️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏻♀️
Meet Club Member: Scott Pearson(HF18577) – I am one of those who always said I was not a runner and until 2012 that was true. My exercise of choice was walking. A few friends of mine said I walked faster than many runners so I should give a 5K a shot that was being sponsored by our work. I signed up and instead of just walking I ran a bit walked a bit – Completely untrained. I finished in 37:19. And could hardly walk for the next 4 days my legs hurt so bad. But something had taken hold over the next few years I started training and did a few local 5Ks. Then a friend said we should do the Sioux Falls half as a relay and then the following year run our first Half together. So training kicked into another gear. We ran that relay and the following year I actually ended up running 4 half marathons. That was 2018. After that it was off to the races. At first it was mostly local races. Then I got the idea that I would like to run a half in all 50 states. So I ran my first big travel race at Revel Big Cottonwood. It was so much fun. That fall I ran my first Route 66 Half in Tulsa. While there I met quite a few Fanatics. I relieved that with how much I run I really fit in with the Fanatic crowd and mindset, so I joined the group. I have worked myself up to Mars (Level 5). I currently run about a dozen half marathons a year and mix in a few timed ultra events. As of the end of July I have run in 24 states, 1 District, and 1 Province for a total of 65 Half Marathons and counting. Running has brought me so many things, the greatest of which is all the people I have met on my journey. I don’t know all the places this running journey will take me yet, but I do know that I have made and will make a lot of new friends along the way. So if you see my on the course give me a shout out and lets talk running.
Robert Manon(MM6700, DA431, HF3646)– Yesterday, I ran the Tron Run Half Marathon. This race was put on by Jed and Ted’s Excellent Races and held in Canoga Park. I have been wanting to run one of their races since they started, but unfortunately, I always had another race penciled in my schedule. I finally had a free date, and this was my opportunity to run with them. They always have a fun themed race, and this race was a Tron themed race. When I left home, I thought I had plenty of time to get there, but there was a lot of unexpected traffic, and I arrived with ten minutes to spare. Check-in was quick. Before I knew it, we were off and running. Although there was still daylight at the start, I knew it would get dark and realized I left my headlamp in the car. Oh, well. So the course for the half was 2 loops of the 10K and a small bonus loop to complete the half. I loved the small bonus neon loop, I wish I had filmed it. The medals were excellent, and for being a small race company, it is above and beyond what many big races give you. Although I forgot my headlamp, I felt the course was adequately lit. I can’t express enough how much fun this race was. It was my 644th lifetime half marathon.
I was supposed to wake up this morning and drive out to San Diego for the America’s Finest Half Marathon but since I feel asleep at midnight and my alarm came on 2 hours later, I decided it’s best to skip that race. 1 fun race was enough for the weekend. Congrats to everyone who ran, and thank you, Ted and Jed, for a most excellent race.
Sandy Straley(MM7675) Update!
My niece Kim and I we’re running one Saturday as we have been for the past 15 years. I was reaching my 90 Marathon and I had another friend Holly that was trying to run 100 marathons within the next couple years that inspired me to attempt this goal…. so we were talking and thought it would be fun since my first Marathon was Deseret News back in 1982 that my 100 Marathon would be Deseret news in 2025. I planned out all my marathons for the next two years and was able to train without any injuries to reach 100 marathons. The day of the race was one big party for me..my daughter Julie and husband Clayton along with six other close running friends and family ran the race.. I felt great running with my friends Denise and Holly and Mary Ann down the canyon. Brian passed us looking strong and my niece Izzy from Knoxville zoomed by also at a great pace. Kim and family were at the bottom of the canyon to cheer us on mile 16 and then my other daughter Sarah had her daughter Charli in a jog stroller along with my other running friend Lindsay (pregnant) ran with me along Foothill blvd for 4 miles.. On South temple mile 22 Madison from New York ran with me and Katie from Arkansas meet us at mile 23. Janine meet us at mile 24 and they all ran me to the finish. There were over twenty friends and relatives cheering for me at the finish. Kim had bought a decal of me finishing the year before so they all were wearing their shirts with me on the front….I placed second in my division. Then everyone plus other friends met at a pool party at my sister in law Marilyn’s to celebrate my marathon and 70th birthday.. it was a great day. I was so honored so many running friends came into town I have run with over the years plus new running friends were there to support my finish… l love running Sandy Straley
Photo and Post Credit Marathon Maniacs/Half Fanatics Facebook Pages and the individual members listed above.
Discover more from ManiacsFanaticsMadness
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.