Mohawk Hudson River Marathon - RunMarathon

Goal was to get to halfway at 1:28:30 and see if I could hold on or even negative split from there. This would require 6:45/mi. Got into a group early on that was all aiming for similar times and we really fed off each other and the miles were just clicking by. Was eating my Clif Bloks and drinking my Tailwind Colorado Cola as planned and everything felt good. When we got to the underpass (about mile 12), I sensed some in the group were fading and kept my pace steady which pulled me off the front of the pack. I didn't mind since I was doing a lot of the pulling anyway. Got to the halfway at 1:28:37, very close to goal and still feeling good so I was happy.

The second half is actually more downhill but I knew that didn't mean it would be easier. I kept ticking off solid miles on the path and was excited to cross the railroad tracks with no issue (I knew it was very unlikely to be stopped by a train, but it was still hard to not think about). Getting on to the road things started getting tough, as expected. Regularly did form checks and kept to the nutrition. I saw Danielle around mile 21 who had some flat Pepsi for me, but I really didn't feel like I needed it. I dropped off my arm warmers with her and kept going.

Liam was also with Danielle, on his bike. When I came through he rode along with me to keep me company. It was getting lonely and having him chatting to me really helped take my mind off the pain. He stayed with me onto the bike path for the final stretch and it took everything I had to keep my pace going. No specific cramps or issues that were true problems, I was very happy my recent foot problems never popped up.

I slid a tiny bit in the final two miles, but only 15-20 seconds per mile, and was able to find a little bit left for a small kick to the finish. Did not get the negative split I was going for (1:29:00 second half), but darn close and still good enough for a new marathon PR!

Not much really, a negative split would've been nice, but that would've only meant saving 30 seconds or so on the first half, so very small margin.

Walked around a bit, got a massage, and laid in the grass. Had a bit of a walk back to the car as well which hurt but was probably beneficial.


Being so close to triathlon season meant my build up was bare minimum (by my standards), but I think I did the best with what time I did have.


Hard to believe this was my first time doing either of the MHRM races, but I really enjoyed it. Can't beat sleeping at home, and with friends also racing travel was pretty easy too. Will probably do one or the other in the future.