Marathon #30: Jersey City, NJ

Thirty. Thirty! Looking back over the past 9 years, I can't believe that I've completed 30 full marathons in this short time. 30% of the way to my lifetime goal, I am so lucky that that I am in good health and still running just about every day.

My latest finish was the 2024 Jersey City Marathon just across the Hudson River, less than 5 miles away. So close that I took public transit to the start line! This is only the second year of the marathon, and I was excited to be part of another larger local race other than the NYC Marathon.

Motivated by a good training cycle, family spectators, and New York Harriers teammates on the course, I was able to shave 8:43 off my previous marathon time, finishing with an official 3:04:21 overall result, and hitting my A Goal, just barely.

• C Goal: sub 3:13:04
• B Goal: sub 3:10:00
• A Goal: sub 3:05:00
• Stretch Goal: sub 3:00:00

The weather was beautiful on race day, starting off around 50°F at 7:00am, and slowly rising to about 65°F over the course. The last miles were sunny and a little on the hot end, but not terrible.

The course was extremely flat, with very gentle hills of up to only about 120ft, weaving throughout Jersey City. There were lots of spots along the course with dense spectators, and it felt like the New York City marathon at times, especially near the Newport area.

I averaged a 7:05/mi pace over the entire race, but it was not consistent at all. I felt great pre-race and started off fast, shooting for a sub-3 and maintaining a 6:50/mi pace for the first half, aside from a bathroom break on mile 8.

I was a little too ambitious though and had a slower second half, tailing off as the temperatures rose.

I turned up the speed and finished strong for the last .2 miles as that was where my family was spectating!

And of course, I went back to Jersey City after the race and incremented my tally!

Up next is the Mad Marathon in Waitsfield, Vermont on July 7th! Stay tuned…