2017 Races

For 2017 I had my 50th birthday and decided to do a “50 @ 50” challenge. My goal was to do 50 races during the calendar year.  Anything from 5k and up (I did throw in a 2k, just because), any type of race- running, duathlon, triathlon, or relay.  In the end, I overshot by 15 races 🙂  It was a fun but a bit of grind.  Less races in 2018!

Races Completed: 65
Total Distance Raced: 620.7 miles

Race Breakdown
Marathons: 1
Half Marathons: 12
Duathlons: 6
Triathlons: 5
20k’s: 1
10 Milers: 1
10k’s: 13
5 Milers/8ks: 2
5k’s: 19
2k’s: 1
Relays: 4


Race #65 – Jeff Galloway 13.1
Atlanta, GA 12/17/17

Last race of the year! I ran this as a pacer and sherpa for my wife, Suellen. It was a tough race for her, but she toughed it out and finished, and only a couple minutes slower than when she’d done it a couple years ago. I was very proud of her. A great way to finish a year of racing.


Race #64 – Barb’s 5k
Atlanta, GA 12/16/17

Part of the Jeff Galloway 13.1 weekend. It was cooler than I expected, and I didn’t feel like I got into a reasonable pace until the last mile.  But I still ran OK, finishing in 21:55, and 3rd woman overall. I ran in my candy cane costume:


Race #63 – Yule Twinkle All the Way 5k
Oconomowoc, WI 12/9/17

More holiday fun! We were over by Milwaukee for a friend’s holiday party, and stopped in to do this night 5k.  It was chilly, but the hot chocolate afterwards was the best.  Suellen and I ran it easy, together, dressed as Rudolph (with blinky nose!) and Hermey the Elf who wants to be a dentist.


Race #62 – Run Santa Run 5k
Madison, WI 12/2/17

A silly fun holiday run we’ve done several years in a row.  How can you beat a run with a mistletoe kissing stop and Christmas cookies at mile 2? I ran for fun with Suellen, dressed as a giant candy cane:


Race #61 – Berbee Derbey 10k
Madison, WI 11/23/17

The big traditional Thanksgiving race in Madison, and my first time to run it.  Tons of fast people, and lots of hills.  I thought I could run in the 43-44 minute range, but ended up just squeaking under 45 with a 44:57.  That was good for second place in my age group.  I wore some Autumn themed running gear:


Race #60 – St George Turkey Trot
St George, UT 11/18/17

Visiting family for an early Thanksgiving, and found a local 5k fun run.  Not too fast, but I had fun. 21:55.


Race #59 – Madison Half Marathon
Madison, WI 11/12/17

I ran this as a guide for Achilles International, running with a para-athlete who was doing his first half marathon. It was a great experience, and he stuck with it even when the last few miles got tough. We ran a 2:12, which I think was a great time for a first half.


Race #58 – Girls on the Run 5k
Waunakee, WI 11/11/17

My third time to run this race with my granddaughter, who loves the GOTR program.  It was chilly, and I ended wearing her coat after she got too warm halfway through 🙂 So many girls having so much fun, what a great organization.


Race #57 – Wine & Dine Half Marathon
Disney World, FL 11/5/17

Last race of the weekend, I ran as the Swedish Chef from the muppets.  The fake mustache lasted till mil 8, but I was still able to stick it back on for the finish 🙂 It was a warm and humid (100%) morning, and I stopped for about 7-8 character photos.  My final time of 1:49:10 wasn’t fast but good enough for 3rd in my age group.


Race #56 – Wine & Dine 10k
Disney World, FL 11/4/17

I ran this with Suellen, dressed as Mary Poppins to her Mrs. Banks. It was warm, but we had a jolly holiday going through the parks.


Race #55 – Wine & Dine 5k
Disney World, FL 11/3/17

I ran this with Suellen, dressed as Chip & Dale. It was dark, with a 5:30am start.  The race was mostly in Animal Kingdom, which was a different location than other Disney 5k’s I’d done.


Race #54 – Haunted Hustle 10k
Middleton, WI 10/22/17

Follow up race from the night before, it was cold, rainy and windy.  I thought I could run a bit faster, but faded the last couple miles.  My time was 44:56, good for 5th overall woman and 1st in my age group.


Race #53 – Haunted Hustle 5k
Middleton, WI 10/21/17

Some low-key fun costume run, I ran/walked it with Suellen, dressed as Dr. Frankenstein and The Creature, from Young Frankenstin, in tuxedo and top hat. We were truly puttin on the ritz!


Race #52 – Lake Country Duathlon
Ixonia, WI 10/15/17

Last race of the Wisconsin Duathlon Series, it was a chilly and blustery day! A bit of rain sprinkles and lots of wind.  I was pretty happy with my finish, 1:14:54, the second overall woman.  We’ll have to see how the series points add up, but I think there is a good chance I defended my series overall title from last year!


Race #51 – Uncorked 5k
Barneveld, WI 10/7/17

A new local race out at a winery, hilly 5k and a free glass of wine after!  I was coming off a cold and didn’t feel great, and ran a 22:01.  That was 5th overall woman and 1st in my age group.


Race #50 – Brewers Mini Marathon (13.1 miles)
Milwaukee, WI 9/8/17

The 50th race of the year!! With a chance to run through Miller Park (the Brewers’ baseball stadium), I couldn’t pass up this half marathon over in Milwaukee.  And to make it really special, Suellen made us running outfits that were replicas of the 1994 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League team the “Milwaukee Chicks”.  We got so many cheers and compliments! It was a hilly race, and while I hoped to go under 1:40, I was just a bit off, in 1:40:28.  I was first in my age group though, and got some great photos.


Race #49 – Superior Man 41.5 Tri
Duluth, MN 8/27/17

Jump off a boat in Lake Superior!  Swim half a mile, bike 35.6 miles, and then run 5.6 miles along the shore. The weather looked like it was going to be nasty (pouring rain the day before), but Sunday morning cleared off and while it was 100% humidity, it was in the low 60’s at the start so it wasn’t too bad.  Lake Superior was cold, but not horrible (62-65 degrees) and the bike course was beautiful.  I didn’t have the strongest run, but managed to come in 2nd woman overall, just holding off the 3rd place woman by about 20 seconds.  Awesome Lake Superior shaped cutting board as an award:


Race #48 – Carry the Torch 5k
Lac du Flambeau, WI 8/26/17

A tiny race in the north woods, we hit on the way to Duluth to do the Superiorman Tri in Sunday.  I ran with Suellen, in our themed flames running skirts.  Beautiful scenery by the lakes!


Race #47 – Tri Cambridge Tri
Cambridge, WI 8/20/17

A local race just east of Madison.  This was a sprint tri, 1/4 mile swim, 13 mile bike and 5k run. We do a lot of our swim practices in this lake, and I’ve ridden around the area a few times. The weather was nice, competition good, and I had fun.  I was the first overall woman, in a time of 1:10:17.  Lucky I biked fast, the second place girl (only 30 seconds back!) had a big lead on me out of the swim.


Race #46 – Iron Girl Duathlon
Pleasant Prairie, WI 8/13/17

A wonderful women’s only duathlon (and tri) in southeast Wisconsin. It was a short race, 1.7 mile run, 11 mile bike, 5k run.  Perfect cool weather and great venue, I won the duathlon for the second year in a row.  My time was a couple minutes slower this year, 1:06:21, but I’m racing a lot, so I’m not in the shape I was last year.


Race #45 – Madison Aquathon
Mequon, WI 8/10/17

A little extra training for my upcoming triathlons, I did the 1000m swim portion of this race, with Suellen running the 5k. The water was pretty choppy, but I was just a little faster than the last time I swam it.


Race #44 – Shoreline Duathlon
Mequon, WI 8/6/17

The second of a 3 race duathlon series in central Wisconsin, along the shore of Lake Michigan.  It was a pleasant day, although a bit humid. I was a little tired from the previous day’s race, but had a pretty strong 1:26:44 time, good for second overall woman.


Race #43 – Reedsburg Triathlon
Reedsburg, WI 8/5/17

A little warmup before my duathlon the next day, a 1/4 mile swim, 14 mile bike, and 5k run.  I was first overall women in this very small race, although the day wasn’t totally uneventful, I had to take my wife to the ER after the race- she got bitten by a dog while she was on the bike! Luckily she was OK.


Race #42 – Enumclaw Street Fair 5k
Enumclaw, WA 7/29/17

A quick local race just south of Seattle, before we flew home the next day.  Beautiful view of Mt Rainer, and sunny skies.  I ran a 21:25, and was 2nd woman overall in this small race.


Race #41 – Tongass 10k
Ketchikan, AK 7/26/17

Lots of great scenery and lots of hills on this trail run.  Fun way to end the running cruise. I was the second female finisher.


Race #40 – Skagway Adventure
Skagway, AK 7/24/17

I ran this adventure race/scavenger hunt with Suellen, we covered about 5k as we found sites in Skagway. We wore our special anniversary outfits to celebrate our 20th anniversary.


Race #39 – Glacier Half Marathon
Juneau, AK 7/23/17

Second race of our running cruise, and road half. We saw waterfalls and Mendenhall Glacier off the road.  A bit hilly and humid, I ran about a 1:46, although it was about a half mile long. I was the third overall woman.


Race #38 – Moosehead 5k
Anchorage, AK 7/20/17

Kicking off the Great Alaskan Running Cruise! A fun tuneup 5k on the coastal trail, I ran easy with Suellen.  We had our Bullwinkle moose gear on


Race #37 – Hurts Donut 5k
Madison, WI 7/15/17

Ran this new local race with Suellen, just for fun. We had some awesome donut themed running skirts she made, and got a free donut after the race. Mmmm.


Race #36 – Pewaukee Duathlon (2 mi run/14.7 mi bike/2 mi run)
Pewaukee, WI 7/8/17

A warm afternoon race, and I was a a bit beat up from all the racing this week.  But I was able to just squeak out the overall women’s win, in 1:11:49.  Second year in a row for me to take 1st at this event!


Race #35 – Madison Aquathon Relay (1000m swim)
Madison, WI 7/6/17

Did this swim/run event as a relay with Suellen. It was a warm night, and I haven’t swum that far in open water since Ironman Wisconsin 2015!  But I survived.


Race #34 – Boom Boom Triathlon (400m swim/16.8 mi bike/5k trail run)
Mt Horeb, WI 7/4/17

What a good way to kick off Independence Day!  The first open water swim tri I’ve done in about a year and a half.  Lots of hills on the bike & run, but we had perfect weather.  I was 2nd woman overall in just under 1:30.


Race #33 – Kenosha YMCA Firecracker 10k
Kenosha, WI 7/2/17

Have to find some good holiday races for the summer, and this one by Lake Michigan was great.  Nice scenery and flat, although a little warm. I finished the 3rd woman overall, in 44:31.


Race #32 – Summerfest 10 miler
Oregon, WI 6/24/17

A local race a little town south of Madison. I didn’t have the best run, the humidity and hills really got to me.  My time was 1:14:10, and that was good for second woman overall in a very small race.  I still had fun, but miss the cooler weather!


Race #31- Drop13 Half Marathon
Salt Lake City, UT 6/10/17

A crazy fast course, 3,000 ft of elevation drop over the length of the race, down Big Cottonwood canyon.  My legs were sore afterwards! I was surprised to run as well as I did, finishing in 1:27:42, fast enough to win my age group.


Race #30- Harbor View 8k
Port Washington, WI 6/3/17

Arrr!  A pirate themed evening race on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was a bit warm (especially as we ran away from the lake), and some hills.  I had a fun pirate outfit, with hook, and ran a 34:44.  That was fast enough for 2nd woman overall.


Race #29- Girls on the Run 5k
Madison, WI 6/3/17

I ran this great event with my 8 year old granddaughter. Almost 1,000 girls who had trained the last couple months to run.  So much fun.


Race #28- Run Madtown Half Marathon
Madison, WI 5/28/17

Finishing up a 3 race weekend.  I ran this a bit easy, still being a little sore from the Duathlon the day before. I ran in a Glinda the Good Witch costume, complete with bubbles. My final time was 1:44:17, good for first in the 50-54 age group.


Race #27- Run Madtown Twilight 10k
Madison, WI 5/27/17

Ran this for fun with Suellen, in some matching “Force of Orange” outfits, in honor of our running group.


Race #26- Cooney Duathlon (2mi/20mi/2mi)
Oconomowoc, WI 5/27/17

A perfect day for a race, cool and calm.  And a very fast course.  I was a little slower than last year, but sitll happy with my time. I came in the second woman overall, in the first race of the Wisconsin Du Series.


Race #25- Fargo Half Marathon
Fargo, ND 5/20/17

This was such a fun event! We started and finished inside the FargoDome, the weather was perfect (mid 40’s to 50 and cloudy), and the spectators were great. Flat course, and I ran well.  I was hoping for 1:35, and finished in 1:35:35, so just a little off my goal.  That was good enough for 1st woman in my age group and 21st overall woman out of 2,436!


Race #24- Fargo Heros 5k
Fargo, ND 5/19/17

A little warmup for the half marathon the next day. Ran/walked with Suellen, and enjoyed the sights around the FargoDome.


Race #23- Neenah Duathlon (2 mi/18 mi/2 mi)
Oshkosh, WI 5/13/17

First Duathlon of the season! Perfect weather and a pretty & fast course.  I raced well, with a fast bike, and finished in 1:18:32, first woman overall.


Race #22- J-Hawk Tri
Whitewater, WI  5/7/17

My first tri since Ironman Wisconsin in 2015!  500y swim, 13 mile bike, 3.3 mile run.  My legs were pretty toasty from the race the day before, but I still had a strong bike (21.1 mph) and held on for an OK run.  I was 3rd woman overall and 1st in my age group.


Race #21- Lake Monona 20k
Madison, WI  5/6/17

A challenging and fun race around the lake here in Madison. It was my first race in my new 50-54 age group, and I paced it very well.  1st in my age group in 1:32:35.


Races #19 & 20 – Cookie Chaser 2k & 5k
Riverton, UT  4/29/17

I was in Salt Lake City for my birthday, visiting family, and found this great local fundraiser for the Girl Scouts.  Ran the 2k with Suellen and raced the 5k. I wasn’t sure whether to count the 2k in my 50 races, but it was an official race AND I even got some age group hardware, so what the heck.  In the 5k, I finished first woman overall and got a bunch of girl scout cookies 🙂  The best part of this race was our running outfits- vintage Girl Scout cadet with a real sash & skirt from 1970 for me, and a Brownie outfit Suellen made special for the occasion for her.


Race #18 – Star Wars Half Marathon
Disney World, FL 4/23/17

“Raced” the final race of the Star Wars weekend, the half marathon. It was warm and very humid (70 degrees/93% humidity), so I ended up dialing it back and running easier the second half (and that still wasn’t easy).  I finished in a time of 1:44:29, not fast but I had fun. I stopped for photos a few times along the way.  And got a great pic with Kylo Ren, to match my costume, at the finish.


Race #17- Star Wars 10k
Disney World, FL. 4/22/17

Second race of the weekend, again I ran it easy with Suellen.  We were Princess Leia and General Organa, as a tribute to Carrie Fisher.


Race #16- Star Wars 5k
Disney World, FL. 4/21/17

Doing the Dark Side weekend at Disney World, kicking it off with the 5k on Friday. I ran with my wife, and we dressed up as R2D2 and C3P0.


Race #15- Cottontail Classic 10k
Fitchburg, WI. 4/15/17

One of my favorite local races! It was hot and windy, but I dressed up as a magicians rabbit coming out of a hat and had great fun.  I was first overall woman and 3rd overall.


Race #14- Parkinson’s Half Marathon
Cottage Grove, WI. 4/1/17

A nice local race only 10 mins from my house. I ran a bit conservatively, still a bit tired from the marathon, but still had a nice time of 1:38:57, good for first in my age group.


Race #13- Shamrock Marathon
Virginia Beach, VA  3/19/17

First marathon I’d raced in many years, the weather did not cooperate for a fast time though. 20-35mph wind, sleet, and cold! I kind of fell off my pace the last 5 miles, and finished in 3:28:53.  That was at least good enough for 3rd overall masters woman, though!


Race #12- Shamrock Shuffle 10k
Madison, WI  3/12/17

Lots of fun St. Patrick’s Day themed gear at this race. I ran in a pot o’ gold and rainbow outfit, and used this as a tuneup for my marathon the next week. I was surprised to be first woman overall, with a time of 41:55.


Race #11- Freeze for Food 10k
Madison, WI  3/4/17

A small local race on the classic Arboretum loop. It was a bit windy and chilly. I ran fairly steady, finishing in 42:42.  That was good for the second overall woman.


Race #10 – Austin Half Marathon
Austin, TX 2/19/17

Back to my old home town! I ran this as a training run for my upcoming marathon, with 4 miles warmup.  It was extremely humid (93% humidity, 70 degrees) and a tough course. I had to back things off the last 6 miles, and ended up finishing in 1:42:44.


Race #9 – Valentines 5k
Madison, WI 2/11/17

A fun, low key race put on by the Univ of Wisconsin running club. I ran this with my spouse, in neat valentines running skirts she made for us.


Race #8 – Snowshoe Scurry 10k (6.4 miles)
Madison, WI 2/5/17

We actually had snow for this! Challenging and hilly course, I finished as the second overall woman.


Race #7 – Big Beach Marathon (relay)
Gulf Shores, AL 1/29/17

It was great weather, a bit windy but in the 50’s, and a scenic course through Gulf Shores Park.  Suellen ran the first 4 mile leg of the relay, then I ran the last 22.2 miles.  We actually finished as the fastest relay (there were only 3 teams), even though we only had two people and the other teams had four 🙂


Race #6 – Casino Bridge 10k
Biloxi, MS 1/28/17

First race of a double race weekend, this started at the Golden Nugget Casino and ran across a long bridge and then looped around a neighborhood before heading back over the bridge.  It was a fun race, and we had MoonPies at the finish! I ran a good race, in 43:37, good for first woman overall.


Race #5 – Snowshoe Scurry Half Marathon
Donald Park, WI 1/22/17

No snow!  So no snowshoes. And lots of mud, so no trail run.  We ended up running on the road, over a very hilly course. It was still a nice race and we had decent (warm!) weather. I ran well, not fast but strong, and finished in 1:42:07.  First woman overall, but there weren’t very many of us out there 🙂


Race #4 – Frosty 5k
Waukehsa, WI 1/21/17

It was unusually warm, so not so frosty. But fun run around the Fox River. I ran 21:10, good for fourth overall woman and 2nd in my age group.


Race #3 – Snowshow Scurry Duathlon Relay (4 miles running)
Mazomanie, WI 1/15/17

Snow! At least a little, enough to snowshoe. I switched from the 10k to a duathlon relay, got a friend to bike and then I ran the two 2 mile snowshoe sections. 17:33 and 17:15 times (negative splits!).


Race #2 – Snowshow Scurry 10k
Mazomanie, WI 1/8/17

Not enough snow to make it a snowshoe race, so it turned into an icy trail run.  A little bonus mileage made it about a 7 mile 10k, which I finished in 58:12.  First in my age group at this small, local race series. It was cold (-2 at the start), and I supplemented my face mask with my Darth Vader Mickey ears hat:


Race #1 – New Year’s Day Dash 5 miler
Madison, WI 1/1/17

A yearly tradition for us! I was second overall woman in a time of 34:44.