I have done a lot over the past year - 61 races, traveled to some pretty fun places, met some awesome people, and made countless memories. To celebrate Funner Runner's fourth anniversary, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of my favorites of the past year.
1. Favorite Local Race (Atlanta) Hands down Peachtree Road Race on July 4th is my absolute favorite Atlanta race. Period. This race is everything that I love into one - America, running, friends/family, amazing course support, and more! Granted this year was a bit of a soggy mess due to an absolute monsoon going through that morning, but that didn't ruin our fun! Remember, Atlanta Track Club members (as of 2/1/18) receive guaranteed entry from March 1-14 - otherwise the lottery is open from March 15-22 for non-members. |
2. Favorite Destination It was so awesome to go back to Pittsburgh in May to run the Pittsburgh 5K and Half Marathon! The entire race weekend was awesome and full of sightseeing, family, and friends. Oh yea, and 16.2 miles of running some of the iconic bridges and parts of Pittsburgh as I take on the Steel Challenge (5K on Saturday and Half Marathon on Sunday)! I am crazy excited to be returning to Pittsburgh again in 2019. If you want to join me and several thousands other awesome runners, use code GILBERTDSGPM19 to save $10 off of registration for the marathon or half marathon. |
3. Favorite Medal I admit it, I can be a bit of a medal snob. It isn't always about the size of the medal, if it spins, or even the design. Sometimes it is about the memories from the medal. While every medal has a story, the one that really sticks out for me this year is my first Savage Race medal. Going into my first real OCR, I wasn't sure on how I would do. Yes, I was trained, but it was time to put everything together. I conquered fears and really proved things to myself that day. The highlight? Making it up Colossus as a rookie! |
4. Favorite New Race There is no hiding the fact that once I started running obstacle course races (OCRs) that I was quickly hooked. Having ran nine OCRs this year, I spent a lot of time climbing, carrying, and hanging on things. I absolutely enjoyed each OCR that I ran in 2018, but the one that I enjoyed the most had to be the Spartan Race. I loved the Spartan races so much that I dove head first into the world of Spartan and completed my first Trifecta (Sprint, Super, and Beast) in 2018. The variety of obstacles, course layouts, and organization are top notch events! |
5. Favorite Memory I can't highlight my favorites of year four of Funner Runner without reminiscing on one of the biggest accomplishments of my running career - my 100th half marathon. On March 18, 2018 I completed my 100th lifetime half marathon at the Publix Georgia Half Marathon. It was a day that I had been working towards for a few years and that day was the biggest 13.1 celebration! The whole day was absolutely amazing! I got to have one of my running BFFs, Chris, run along side of me that morning. My sweet friend Julia created a mile 12 celebration for me with a few friends...it was AMAZING! Of course Momma K and a few other friends were at the finish line to greet me as I crossed that finish line. My friends, family, Atlanta Track Club and the running community made it the BEST DAY EVER! |