Number Two! (Fresno Marathon)

This blog is brought to you by the number :

2 (TWO)

And why number TWO?


In terms of the race event:


1) This will be the SECOND year to have this event after a successful race held last November 2008.


2) It will be a race that goes throught TWO cities - one is Fresno and the other is Old Clovis. So joining this race will make you run in two different US cities.





For this runner, the reasons for it being TWO are as follows:


1) It will be my SECOND Full Marathon a) for this year, b) in this lifetime, c) ever, d) ALL OF THE ABOVE!


2) It will be my SECOND USA Road Race a) for this year, b)in this lifetime, c) ever, d) ALL OF THE ABOVE!

Race clipping from Fresno Marathon 2008



Good points for joining this race:



1) Very organized race (based on last year's comments), lots of marshals, water stations and online results coming out almost immediately.



2) Very cool weather as done in November (around 8 -20 degrees Celcius)!


3) Flat course - it is a Boston Qualifier. They even made course for 2009 better - it has fewer turns and the hills in the last 2 miles have been removed from this year's race!

4) Long cut off time of 7 hours. Enough time for me to finish it (I hope!).

5) Lots of FREE Stuffs: Nice Finisher medal, Goody Bag, Personalized Bib, Post- Race Hot Breakfast, Beer Station at Mile 22 (lips are dry just thinking about it!), Free beer at finish line, Free Ice Cream Sundaes, Finisher Sweatshirts, Free Long Sleeves Technical Event Shirt.

6) Spectator area for me to see Per at 13.1 Miles. Perfect to change socks here! Hehe.

7) Better advantage (flat course, cool weather, etc) for me to get a New 42km PR. Time to redeem myself. Hehe.

8) For the unforgettable Experience!

9) Race Festival: Beer Party, Pasta All-You-Can-Eat Party the day before, Expo one to two days before race.





Bad points for joining this race:



1) Training session again. Groan!! So lazy to do this all over again! Back to Sunday Long Runs. Double Groan!!!

2) Not sure if body is recovered by the time this race starts as Per and I have SFO Half Marathon exactly a week before this race (although that race will be at a relaxed easy pace for us).

3) Since this is a fast course, I would definitely be at the last 10% of the total runners for this event. Most would join Half Marathon event (based on 2008 results). I will be stuck with runners looking to qualify for Boston!

4) I will be running by myself at last 13 miles so can get pretty lonely and isolated here (only 600+ joined full Mary in 2008 and most were very fast).

5) I might miss out on the Finisher medal. Some medals ran out last year eventhough there were a lot of people who still finished the race. Hope this problem has been fixed by the race organizers this year. :)

6) Body might be too sore for me to enjoy our remaining days in USA. Need to look for a good massage here!

7) Two words: Trail Run! Yikes! But at 2nd leg of the race and not the entire course.





FINAL VERDICT:



The good points outweigh the bad points by (you guessed it) TWO points. So, it looks like I'm going to register for this race too.



This event will be held on November 8, 2009 and will have a Full Marathon, 4 Person Relay, Half Marathon Run, Half Marathon Walk events.


Registration is now available on-line via its website: http://www.runfresno.com/

Got my registration confirmation via Email. This is it!

Registration Confirmation for:
Two Cities Marathon and Half
Dear DENNIS,

Congratulations! You are now registered for Two Cities Marathon and Half. Please check the event's official website for updates: http://www.RunFresno.com

View your complete registration details »

Congratulations! Your registration into the Two Cities Marathon has been accepted. Pick up your timing chip and event number at the Health and Fitness Expo. Friday Noveber 6th, from 3:00pm to 7:00pm and on Saturday November 7th, 2008 from 10:00am to 6:00pm. Refer to our website for location. If you need room accommodations please see our web site for Hotel specials. See you at the START line!


Date & Time:
11/08/09
Location:
Woodward Park (Map)
Purchased at:
06/25/09
Category:
Marathon
Name:
DENNIS QUE PE