It’s officially time to sign up for a race. As promised, I’m letting you guys pick my race for me. From the ones I’ve chosen, I took into consideration the terrain I’d be running on, proximity to school and or home, and temperature with which I’d be running in.
Marine Corps Marathon
This is a marathon I’ve always wanted to run. Not only is it close to home, but anything military related holds a special place in my heart. With over 10,000 participants running this marathon, the energy will be great and help me to keep running. Not only did I tutor for Operation Warrior Foundation, but I live in a predominantly military neighborhood so I know that I would have plenty of support and people to cheer me on while I run my race. I also plan on fundraising for the Wounded Warriors during my race so it makes sense to run the Marine Corp. The drawbacks for this race is that it is on October 29, 2023, so it would be during fall semester and I’d have to find transportation to get home. The added plus side though is that I will be in town for my sister’s wedding the week before so I can drive the course to overlook how hilly the course is.
Philadelphia Marathon
This marathon was not on my radar until my roommate recommended it to me. The pros to this marathon are that I have plenty of friends I could stay with who live near Philly. They would definitely come cheer me on so lack of support is not an issue. The cons are that I’m not familiar with the Philly area, and although I know the race will be safe, without knowing my way around the city, I know I will be slightly nervous. The other downsides to this race are that it’s held on November 18-19, 2023, so we could possibly be on Thanksgiving break which makes transportation scarce to find. Upsides to this race are that it would get me out of my comfort zone and allow me to see more of Pennsylvania.
Baltimore Running Festival
I had never heard of this marathon until I started researching it. The terrain looks nice with mild hills and it will have over 10,000 participants which will help motivate me while I run. It’s about an hour and a half from state college and about an hour and a half from my house, so finding a hotel and transportation will be costly. The plus side is the lack of traveling I would have to do but other than that, there aren’t many pros to this marathon. I guess the crab theme is pretty cool, so I will give it that, but I’m not a huge fan of Baltimore and never have been. This race is held on October 14, 2023, so the temperature will be perfect race weather which is a giant plus.
Now it’s time for you guys to decide. From the three marathons I chose, which one do you vote for? I have to sign up soon to get my official training plan together so let me know below!
I really love the fact that you’re letting your audience pick which race you run! From the descriptions, I definitely think that you should run the Marine Corps Marathon, as it seems to be really special to you and I can feel the passion you have for it through your writing. I’m really excited to see which race you choose!
I think that adding a sort of interactive theme to your blog by allowing us to decide is quite smart and interesting. I genuinely love seeing your personality come out of your post because when I read your blog I can hear the way you would say it. I genuinely think the Marine Corps Marathon is the way to go, I mean you are clearly the most excited about it and have the most to gain from it. I can’t wait to see you kill it at the marathon!