New Hampshire Marathon Starting LineThis past weekend I ran my first back-to-back marathons with the New Hampshire Marathon on Saturday and the Maine Marathon on Sunday.

I enjoyed the New Hampshire race, despite a few pretty serious drawbacks and running the first half mile behind some guys trying to run 2:20 pace.

The race was pretty well organized, it’s a beautiful time of the year to be outside, and I like challenging courses that are very hilly.

Unfortunately, what I didn’t like most (and which I failed to mention in the video report below) was the traffic that we had to face on the course.

Not only do you have to deal with a steeply cambered road in many places, but traffic makes it impossible to run tangents so you can expect an extra quarter to a third of a mile minimum to be tacked on just from having to hug turns to avoid getting hit.

Not that it was a huge problem, since most of the drivers were pretty courteous to the runners. But there are a lot of twists and turns that you need to navigate.

So, with that slight addition added, here’s what I thought of the New Hampshire Marathon as recorded a few minutes after I crossed the finish line:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETi5n5-Szi8

Video Transcription

show

Also of note it was nice to see Paul Young again and to meet Brian McNeice. We had a nice group going for about 6 or 7 miles early in the race. I first met Paul back in 2007 during the Pisgah Mountain Trail Race, my first ultra, and ran with him for quite a while. Brian helped put on the Exeter Marathon this past April.

It would have been nicer to be able to race them to the finish line, but Paul pulled away on the steep downhill road sections at the start of the 10th mile, and Brian passed me near mile 14 when I paused to relieve myself around the time I decided that my actual goal wasn’t in my best interest after aggravating my muscle.

Back to Back Marathon Attempts

  1. My First Attempt at Back to Back Marathons
  2. Back to Back (Part 1): The New Hampshire Marathon
  3. Back to Back (Part 2): Bridging the Gap Between Marathons
  4. Back to Back (Part 3): The Maine Marathon

(Download This Video: MP4MP3 – More Info: Race SiteFull Results)