Tag Archives: 26.2

Flowerfest Marathon Recap 2023

Flowerfest Marathon, Callaway Gardens, GA (3/18/2023)

The Flowerfest Marathon is part of the TriColumbusGa race series. TriColumbusGa is known for providing high quality, family friendly, and unique experiences for athletes of all levels. I have previously participated in their triathlon races at the sprint and olympic distance.

I was considering three marathons in Georgia: Combos Marathon (formerly Snickers Marathon) in Albany on 3/2/2023, the Flowerfest Marathon in Callaway Gardens on 3/18/2023, or the Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon on 4/15/2023 in Abbeville. The Combos Marathon was the closest to me, but I chose the Flowerfest Marathon because it was the end of my kids spring break, there were no family scheduling conflicts, and I had read positive reviews about running in Callaway Gardens.

Friday – Travel Day

Having been to the area before, I knew there were few places to eat, so I made sure to pack heavy on snacks and meals. I think I packed enough for five days. I stayed at the Mountain Top Inn Lodge, which had a rustic, mountain cabin feel, with a beautiful view of the valley. The weather was cold, windy, and raining when I arrived. Packet pickup was outside in the windy and cold weather. There was no expo, but a few friendly volunteers that helped me with packet pickup.

Later that evening two friends arrived at the lodge. They had decided to race as well. It had been about 7 years since we had all raced together. I was grateful for their company as it took my mind off the race and my nerves.

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2017…. Back in the Saddle

Seems like just yesterday I was racing IRONMAN, Texas, even though that was almost two years ago. Life threw me a few curve balls through 2015 and 2016, but I am excited to be back in a healthy, active lifestyle and racing again.

I kicked off 2017 with the Big Beach Marathon in Alabama on January 29, 2017. The Big Beach Marathon was the first marathon I ever actually considering quitting. Mile 22 was the infamous mile in which I reached into my FlipBelt, grabbed my phone and texted for a pick up. I got no response from the other end so I kept trudging along. By mile 23 I was upset that I still didn’t get a response and bargained with myself that if I made it to mile 24 that I would go ahead and finish. I ended up finishing. The Big Beach Marathon was indeed my slowest finish time ever, but every once in awhile a humbling experience like that reminds us to be grateful that we can even get out there and complete 26.2 miles.

 

I followed up the Big Beach Marathon with the Tallahassee Half Marathon a week later. The hilly and beautiful winding course was a welcome change of scenery. I ran the Tallahassee Half Marathon with a friend/coach and catching up on life for 13.1 miles always makes those miles go by a little faster.

30?, 438 Jennifer Bendewish, 823 Maria Matheu

 

A few other exciting notes for 2017…. I am honored to be representing Complete Nutrition as a Complete Nutrition Tallahassee Athlete for 2017 and a social media influencer for Rose City Triathlon Club. Looking forward to sharing training, travels, adventures, and races this year!

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#MarathonManiac Member #10827

Who just got their official acceptance into Marathon Maniacs (MM)? This girl!

Marathon ManiacsJust how did I do it? I ran two marathons within 16 days and earned my way into the club as a Bronze level member: Rock ‘n Roll New Orleans and the 41st Annual Tallahassee Marathon. There are eight more levels of MM to work up to.

Do you think you might be a marathon maniac??? Here are a few questions to help you realize how crazy you might be…. (taken from http://www.marathonmaniacs.com)

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Because I want to be a Marathon Maniac

All summer I have had this crazy idea that I want to join the ever exclusive and awesome club called Marathon Maniacs.  Most rational, logical, common sense retaining human beings would never fathom such a ludicrous idea.  Rather than elaborate on the cool details and criteria, I will let you click on the link and peruse the criteria for yourself…. I warn you, if you actually are crazy enough to click on the link, then you are probably headed down the same road as me.

I’ve tried to talk myself out of this silly idea, even reminding myself of the misery I feel at mile 18 or mile 20 of any long run, but I still can’t seem to shake the idea. So, I am officially declaring the inevitable – to become a Marathon Maniac in 2015.

Which brings me to my first step… creating a race schedule. The only criteria I have ever had is that a race location must be within driving distance. This criteria actually opens up several races in my radius through the Fall and Winter, and even Early Spring. In plotting out my schedule, I got stumped by having to pick between two races – the 26.2 with Donna Marathon for Breast Cancer or the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans, which benefits several charities that I support, including St. Jude’s Hospital, Hope for the Warriors, and Operation Homefront. Continue reading →

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