Real David H.

UPDATED ON APRIL 13, 2025

“How many times have you done this race?” That’s a question that comes up often for races I’ve done multiple times. But I’m getting older and my memory isn’t what it used to be. (I kid! I remember way too many weird details about various things.)

Since I “quit” blogging and also stopped paying for a domain, some of my older race entries are hard to find. Now I’m discovering that the formatting is all kinds of messed up on some old posts. I think I have fixed most of the issues for these.

Some of these posts are really detailed – I was pretty good those first couple of years of remembering every second of the event. Some probably have better follow-up posts.

For now, though, here are my posts for the Blue Ridge Marathon weekend, which hit No. 10 in 2024.

2010: An instant classic
This post is very detailed from mile to mile. I closed it out with an interesting thought: “How it changes me will take a while to figure out, but I just know that after today I am a new runner.”

2012: 13.1 miles of lessons
After missing 2011 due to injury, I really didn’t have all that much to say immediately following this race. This was the year that started a lot more of the socializing aspect of this race.  My favorite line from that recap: “I feel defeated, yet very proud of the accomplishment of finishing the hardest road marathon I’ve ever done.”

2013: Epic? I’m going there
A week after the Boston bombing. Meeting up with running legends. Tons of people I had met only online (who are now still really great friends). Local connections. Yeah, it was epic in so many ways. My closing thoughts… “As for what’s next, I really don’t know. All my plans and thoughts have been thrown out the window.”

2014: No words for Blue Ridge
“It’s crazy. It’s nuts. It’s brutal. It’s painful. It’s rewarding. It now has Peakwood in addition to Mill Mountain.” There’s nothing else to say about that one.

2015: Just what I needed
I didn’t go into great detail about it, but this was my sister’s first time at this event. This event is also still my course record with Peakwood as part of it.

2018: From a walking boot to the top of a mountain
From March 20, 2016, until April 21, 2018, I had numerous “Did Not Start” statuses at races due to injury. This was the start of comeback that reached a peak with the next race …

2019: 10 years later, I’m a Blue Ridge Marathon finisher
After signing up for the marathon several times only to change to the half, I FINALLY completed this race with 7,400 feet of elevation change. It might not have been the best of ideas, but … well, it happened. I was even motivated to sign up for it for 2020, but the pandemic derailed those plans.

2022: Embracing the Moments
I wasn’t ready for crowds of any type in 2021, so I started off 2022 ready for 26.2 miles. Things with running just weren’t clicking though. However, as I say in the post, “I took a disappointment and turned it into a celebration” with my sister.

2023: Where’s the Library
I was well on pace to knock off quite a bit of time from the year before, but storms stopped those thoughts. It counts for me, though, even though it’s not “official.” And I sure hope that guy found the library!

2024: Older, wiser and faster (for my age)
April 20 was my third time doing the half in my 40s, and somehow my fastest. I had fun, while maintaining focus on beating my 2022 time. I was also focused on getting my time back into the 2:30s. I did it, barely.

2025: Filling up my soul
For whatever reason, I wasn’t as excited about this race as usual, but once again, Blue Ridge weekend filled my soul. Family visits, perfect weather, and nearly going sub 2:30 made for another classic.