Lauren Miller and Friends at The Parkway Mile (PC Lauren Miller)

While it is awesome to do our own races, we learn so much from and get so much out of participating in and volunteering at other races. And this summer has been a busy one learning, racing, and just getting to be a part of the awesome running community in and around Vermont! So, what have some of us been up to!?!?

Moe Brown, Director of Registration, RunVermont
TD Beach to Beacon

Finishing Stretch at TD Beach to Beacon (PC Moe Brown)

On August 1st, I ran my first Beach to Beacon 10k in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, a race I’ve been wanting to run for several years. But with a very short registration window—often reaching capacity within hours—I’ve missed the opportunity to register in the past. I feel fortunate to have made it this year. Because I dealt with ankle tendinitis over the summer that affected my training, I had no expectations for a fast time; I just wanted to experience the race. It didn’t disappoint.

The first two miles were on a wide stretch of Route 77, which allowed the field of about 6,500 runners an opportunity to spread out before turning onto narrower roads through residential areas. The remaining miles provided a festive atmosphere with recurring stretches of spectators blasting music, ringing cowbells, and a whole lot of cheering. There were some rolling hills that made the final mile more challenging, but the energy from spectators increased as the finish got closer, which helped fuel the final kick.

This, combined with finishing near the historic Portland Head Light, made the experience extra special. I was happy I was able to keep my pace consistent throughout the race. It was a lot of fun and a great experience overall!

Liz Champagne, Volunteer Coordinator, RunVermont
Ironman 70.3 Maine

Liz: Ironman 70.3 Finisher (PC FinisherPix)

I finished my first Ironman 70.3 in Maine on July 26! I worked long and hard for this one. The swim turned out to be really fast and fun even though that was my weak link. Pushed hard on the bike, and my body was good with that. The run got tough about halfway through when my feet felt like they were on fire. I need to work on that - maybe different shoes. But I came out first in my age group.

I couldn't ask for a better cheering squad and dog handlers in Julie and Ed. So happy for my son Will, who took 40 minutes off his finish time from last year. And so grateful that I can take something like this on at my age. I hope to do another one next year!

See you on the roads or in the water.

Anthea Dexter-Cooper, Executive Director, RunVermont
Ironwood Adventureworks' Moosalamoo Ultra

Excessive ponderings and musings here.

Kim Lord, Expo Director, RunVermont
Vermont 100 Endurance Race

Kim & Ryan Mid-VT100 (PC Anthea Dexter-Cooper)

On July 18th, I ran the VT100 for the first time with my friend Ryan. It was a great experience! The course is beautiful (albeit VERY hilly), and the organization was phenomenal. We also had the most amazing crew member, as Anthea graciously volunteered her time to crew and then ran the last 12 miles with us.

We had pretty decent weather (in true Vermont form, it was very humid and did rain on us, but at least it wasn’t sunny and 90°). 

It was great practice for The Mammoth 200 we will be running in California on October 2nd!!

Editor’s Note: Kim is also the race director for GMAA’s Clarence DeMar 5K—a race that RunVermont staff Moe and Emily Norris ran and Kim pre-ran—and Kim also ran GMAA’s Round Church Women’s Run, along with Emily and Alex Tursi (see next recap), and Ironwood Adventurework’s Catamount 50K, which Anthea volunteered at. Can we make a Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Game equivalent of running races in Vermont, and is Kim Kevin Bacon?

Alex Tursi, Founder & CEO at Cultivate (RunVermont’s Marketing Consultant)
The Parkway Mile & GMAA's Round Church Women's Run

Round-Church Selfie (PC: Alex Tursi)

"Do, or do not, there is no try." That's the deceptively simple advice Yoda dispenses in The Empire Strikes Back, and I'd have to strike back and disagree. When I first started running in 2014, it was all about doing: I ran the Vermont City Marathon relay twice (the beltline both times), knocked out several 5Ks including the Santa 5K and First Run, and even a 10K. Then, training for my first half marathon, I pulled a calf muscle, and not long after, I became a parent and started a business. Life happened, and running fell to the wayside. 

What finally brought me back this past May wasn't a goal at all. My daughter had joined Girls on the Run, my husband and I decided to help her train, and when she and I ran The Parkway Mile together, something shifted. We weren't going to conquer that mile. We were just going to try it. If we ran the whole thing, awesome; if we didn't, we were still out there having fun. We ran all of it, and it felt so good.

So I kept trying. After a decade away, GMAA's Round Church 5K for Women became my next experiment: try to run the entire time, try to finish under 40 minutes. It was a beautiful morning and a wonderful community, and the pressure that once came with a start line simply wasn't there. As an achievement-focused person, goal-setting is second nature to me, but two books nudged me toward a gentler frame: Anne-Laure Le Cunff's Tiny Experiments and Karen Walrond's In Defense of Dabbling, which I happened to page through at Phoenix Books the week before the race. Deciding to try, and embracing the possibility of failure, is exactly what freed my mind to enjoy running again. It turns out that experimenting and dabbling are what make it fun.

Next up, I will try GMAA's Apple Harvest 10K!