Vote For Favorite Ad – Win A Free Entry
Posted on October 15, 2009
Help the race organizers settle on an ad. We’ve narrowed it down to our four favorite but we need your help. Share Your Thoughts below – include why and a way to contact you and you’ll be entered to win a free race entry drawn at random on 10/29 – Heck, we may give away a few entries!
#1 4-wheel drive
#2 - Little Engine
#3 - Invisible Wall
#4 - Oxygen needed
Great Video with even Better Tips
Posted on October 8, 2009
This one is for you runners out there (if you don’t run, forward it to your friends and family members who do, they will thank you for it), esp if you are preparing to run a marathon this fall, watch this essential two minute video! First time marathoner or multi time marathoner alike, it will help you succeed and avoid silly mistakes that can cost minutes or even force you to drop out. This short video is my friend Toby Tanser’s idea. Toby, with more then 160 international race victories during his professional career, the author of The Essential Guide to Running the New York City Marathon, Train Hard, Win Easy, is also the founder of Shoes4Africa. He lives and coaches in NYC.
via the Mike Kobel blog
Last Minute Marathon Tips: shot with Nikon D90 from Mike Kobal on Vimeo.
Livestrong & More Than A Ride Contest
Posted on October 7, 2009
Via More Than A Ride…
On March 14, 2009, I started the blog “More Than a Ride”, Tammy came up with the name and it has been a perfect name. I had no clue when I decided to sign up for a LIVESTRONG Challenge raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and start this blog that my life was going to change so much.
You see, I had just found out in January that my Dad had stage three esophageal cancer. I was trying to figure out life and understand illness and death. I think I was doing a pretty good job, but found out later that I was struggling more than I thought. Though I did realize I needed to do something to help myself and still be able to help my family when needed. So forcing myself out on a bike to train for a 45 mile bike ride and fundraiser was a journey I started and wanted to share it with you. Primarily, because I know I am not the first person to experience a loved one with cancer, sadly I will not be the last.
So, here we are six months later. I completed my first LIVESTRONG Challenge and raised a total of $1,195 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Please note: I did not do it alone! However, when I crossed the finish line I heard a little voice whisper in my ear, (it was probably one of the “cancer angels” I have gliding along with me) “Rhonda, your life will never be the same”. I have to agree, because I soon realized how amazing it is to do something that you do not think that you could do. Even though I had ridden more than 45 miles before that day, those 45 miles were the toughest I have ridden to date. It lived up to the name of LIVESTRONG Challenge and served the purpose to push me to my limit, to bring me to tears of fear and tears of joy.
Now I am ready for the next journey and I would love for you to experience something as amazing as I did. I hope you can join me April 24, 2010, for 13.1 miles!
In fact, I am challenging you! (standing with a Victorian white glove in hand)
Come to Roanoke, VA and join me for 13.1 miles in the Blue Ridge Parkway Marathon (www.blueridgemarathon.com), it is considered one of the toughest on the east coast. No, I am not crazy, but the experience will be one of the most rewarding you have ever had. IF YOU SO CHOOSE not to join me for 13.1 miles, remember you can walk and have 7 hours to finish, you have a few other options. Remember, I will nag!
If you choose not to walk, run or run/walk 13.1 miles with me, I ask you to donate at least $13.10 to FOUR different non-profits fighting cancer (of your choice) in honor of three people in your life, plus $13.10 to the Lance Armstrong Foundation (www.livestrong.org), making it 13. You have until April 24, 2010 to complete.
There is also another choice we call it the stimulus option. If you choose not to join me for an unforgettable 13.1 miles, I ask that you VOLUNTEER at 13 area fundraising events (they do not have to be cancer related), such as 5Ks, half and full marathons, and so on.
You see, “More Than a Ride”, is more than about the ride, it is about “changing the world one revolution at a time”. Whether you choose to turn your pedals, sneakers or hours volunteering, it is amazingly rewarding to do all of the above and making a difference in the world around us. I hope you choose the one you think you have no possibility in achieving, because I know you will cross whatever finish line you set!
Come on along and join the journey! Click Here to see how you can win a free entry to the Blue Ridge Marathon from More Than A Ride!
We are changing the world one revolution at a time!
-Rhonda
The Blue Ridge Marathon – How to think about it
Posted on September 17, 2009
Much has been said since we launched plans for the inaugural Blue Ridge Marathon earlier this summer, unveiling what has to be one of the most difficult road courses this side of Pike’s Peak.
The non-runners roll their eyes. Most daily runners ask if we were crazy. And many say it’s just for elite runners.
Not so fast. In fact, REALLY not so fast.
When you think of elite runners you think of Olympians, Kenyans, and the guys who challenge for the wins at the local 5K races. May I suggest that those are exactly the people who will not come to this event?
Don’t get me wrong, I would love it if we could fill the streets of Roanoke and the course along the Blue Ridge Parkway with an elite field of runners, but let’s face it, this is not a course where you can run a great time. Even if you ran a spectacular time by comparison to the other runners, it will not carry much weight.
A runner who can do say, a 2:50:00 at Virginia Beach or Richmond, or Disney, or Marine Corp will probably be 10-15 minutes slower on this course. Leaving a discussion something like this:
Friend: How’d you do at Blue Ridge?
Elite Runner: 3:05
Friend: Dude, what happened?
Elite Runner: What do you mean? It’s a hard course!
Friend: Yeah, but you were off like, :45 per mile.
Elite Runner: I WON my age group.
Friend: I guess everybody had a bad day.
See what I mean? Until (and unless) Roanoke establishes itself as a famous, tough course known to the running community at large, there’s not much draw for the FAST runner.
So whom does that leave? That leaves most distance runners, the ones who are not in the top 5-percent, the runners who take pride in their ability to just keep going. A person who normally runs for 4 hours, might do a 4:30 here. So be it. They came to Roanoke, they saw some great scenery, ate some fantastic food and gained significant bragging rights.
If you’ve already completed a handful of marathons, this one will stand out. This one will make you change your training. It forces you to game-plan for the first 16 miles in the mountains, and the 2 mile section of switchbacks up Roanoke mountain.
We on the race committee covet the notion that someday our race will be so famous that a fast time here means something. In the meantime, put one foot in front of the other and prove to yourself that you can handle the Blue Ridge Marathon — one of the toughest in the country.
This is one accomplishment you will not forget.
Get Running!
