PC: Laurie Matecki

PC: Laurie Matecki

With a minor illness that initiated a persistent violent cough that has lasted over a week, albeit not sick, I was concerned the day before if I could even participate in the inaugural Cape Fear Holiday Run, held on December 13, 2025, at Cape Fear Shiner Park that I registered for the evening of the online registration deadline. This event would replace the longstanding The Nutcracker Endurance Run in the neighborhood I took part in last year. I chose the longest of the three timed events offered, 9 hours, an odd one to figure out how to pace. I simply hoped I could come close to 40 miles.

Shared a lot of mileage with these kind folks!

I opened up the first three laps of 1.17 miles with a kind gentleman who recently picked up ultrarunning, talking about the different races and distances we have finished. After a little while, this slower pace made running more difficult, so I let him know, sped up drastically, and spent the next handful of miles alone, observing nature and rarely listening to music. Here and there I ran into new runners with whom I chatted extensively, helping take my mind off the suffering, which I have become accustomed to ignoring. When alone, I would continue to pray, thank God and His angels for protecting me, and think of my father who recently went to Heaven and my mother who has been alone; this event coincidentally took place on my mother’s 71st birthday. Shockingly, I remained #3 male overall for over 6 hours, which made me push harder and run more than I intended to at this stage of the race to try to maintain that position. Once I was overtaken, I felt relief and started confidently incorporating walks that I planned to begin much sooner. I recorded the first marathon distance almost right at 5 hours as well as one of my fastest 50K splits, around 6:10. With a couple of hours left, I was relegated to mostly walking. With an hour and a half to go, I realized, because of the “.17” next to “1,” officially securing at least 40 miles became verging on impossible. I completed my final lap of 34 with nearly 16 minutes to spare, bringing my total official mileage to 39.78, while my COROS reads 40.55, but I did not have enough left in my legs to try to squeeze in another loop before time ran out. I am still beyond grateful and content that I was even able to run for the entire duration without any issues, let alone virtually achieve my goal. Now to continue to focus on Advent, reflecting on the arrival of the Savior of the world.

A turkey trot the morning of Thanksgiving has been a tradition for many years, and for 2025, I decided to return to the Skinny Turkey 10K in my city of Raleigh for the third time in four years. I had been under the weather for a couple of days, so I became concerned if my body would allow me to hold my standard pace on these intense rolling hills. Clocking 8:06 for the opening mile, I got my answer early on. Just over two miles in, thanks at least partly to the heavy wind, I dropped my left earbud that felt loose in my ear the entire race, ironically after telling myself this would never happen because it never had in my last hundreds of runs. I turned around, retrieved the earbud, and sprinted forward to catch up to and pass the runner who had been right in front of me, and I needed the following half a minute to catch my breath and regain my composure and rhythm. In spite of the continuous ups and downs, my pace never fluctuated wildly, and I recorded my fastest mile of 8:01 in the final full mile, pleasantly surprised by how little fatigue I felt.

Nearing the end, already knowing this was my fastest time yet on this course motivated me to push even harder in an attempt to blow the previous two comparable times out of the water. Maneuvering around countless 5K participants, I crossed the finish officially in 52:13.810 with an elevation gain of 489 feet according to my COROS Pace 2. Albeit far from my PR, considering all of my PRs came from much easier and flatter courses, I do not believe reclaiming my speed from just over half a decade ago to be out of reach. I will have to find out in the next several months, before Raleigh becomes insufferably hot again. Happy Thanksgiving!

PC: Mayberry Half Marathon

For the past month or two, my speed noticeably increased, and I would have to go back many years to find this level of consistency; consequently, to put this to the test, I was eager to participate in the Mayberry Half Marathon in Mount Airy, North Carolina, for the third time, on November 8, 2025. However, the weather irritatingly decided to turn on this one day, with the feels-like temperature forecast to reach nearly 70 degrees, and I almost did not sign up until reasoning with myself I would regret more if I let this opportunity go. I woke up just before 4:00 AM and drove to the race venue over two hours away, and, seeing the unanticipated dense fog that made driving inconvenient and lasted through the first several miles of the event, I knew I was dealing with nearly 100% humidity in addition to the temperature spike.

I trusted my fitness and enthusiastically started out fast and clocked 8:10 for the first mile. For the majority of the race, my pace did not fluctuate too wildly. Suddenly, with four miles to go, my body felt much heavier and slowed drastically, and I attribute this partly to the weather. The short inclines here and there near the end became more challenging than I had anticipated. My focus shifted solely to running the entire way, no longer caring about my pace, and I had to continue to search for positive thoughts to keep going. I expected to run significantly faster than 1:58:07.7 (gun time), but I was relieved to at least score another comfortable sub-two-hour finish.

Memorably, a high-school girl with an inhaler ran in front of me for the first four miles. After she waved at her family, she suddenly had an asthma attack, and I was caught off guard and reacted, “Oh, no.” I was concerned for her, until I saw her not too far behind me at the 7-mile turnaround. After she finished (her first half marathon!), I checked up on her, and we congratulated each other. On my way back to the shuttle, she came over to say good job again, and I gave her a hug and chatted with her family and friends. I also at the starting line ran into the race director of the Danville Half Marathon, a race I’ve completed four times including just three weeks ago, and we cheered one another on throughout. This is what I love about the running community and continues to have me register for races nonstop.

My fourth Danville Half Marathon since 2021, on October 18, 2025, in the titular city of Virginia, became my first race back since my most recent ultramarathon over six months ago, a long hiatus by my standards but not odd factoring in the inevitable insufferable heat and humidity during the summer months where I reside. The conditions felt almost identical to last year, starting in the mid-40s and shooting up 15-20 degrees throughout. Because I have not entered a half marathon for an entire year, which is not far if I run slowly as during an ultra, I became anxious about how to efficiently pace. I would have been content with a simple sub-2:00, so I was pleasantly surprised when I, without exerting much energy, started out in the mid-7:00/mile pace and could maintain a mid-8:00/mile pace for the vast majority of the run, albeit I unsurprisingly decelerated the final 5K. I set a goal to run my fastest time on this course, which seemed doable considering I never ran a fast time here, and I managed to do so, officially in 1:56:59.2 and first place in my age group of 35-39, more than content for the day.

This marked my first running event following my father’s recent sudden passing from his earthly body and into his heavenly body, worshiping and rejoicing in the presence of Jesus. In addition to continuous prayer, I spent a lot of this run reminiscing about my father’s final moments. Though I know he is more alive than he has ever been and has more joy than I can ever imagine in this world as a foreigner, I as his son cannot help but still feel a vast void and sorrow in my heart; nevertheless, far greater has been my gratitude to Jesus for giving us eternal life by dying in our place, not because of anything we did but by his grace alone and our faith in Him alone, that He chose to reveal Himself to us so that we never lose hope and we as family in Christ will all see each other again one day, this time for eternity. God’s thoughts and ways are higher than I can fathom (Isaiah 55:8-9), and it is His purpose that prevails (Proverbs 19:21). Without Jesus, everything is meaningless, and all I care to do in my brief moment in this earthly body is meditate on His Word, pray, seek and do His will on Earth as it is in Heaven, and glorify Him in all I do. I find peace and comfort no matter the circumstance, resting in Jesus’ faithfulness.

Reading about the flat, scenic course of the New River Trail Races in Fries, Virginia, slightly modified for 2025 due to the ongoing impact of Hurricane Helene and taking place the day before Palm Sunday, perfect timing as I did not want to do anything selfish during Holy Week, I committed slightly earlier than typical for a race to secure an event shirt. Driving to a nearby hotel over three hours away the day before in dark, heavy rain through rural areas, albeit stunning, made me feel lonely unexpectedly and eager to get the trip over with. Whether from the lengthy drive or altitude, I had a minor headache that lasted a few hours once I checked in.

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A bird pooped on me.

I normally would have appreciated the sudden close-to-freezing temperature, but the feels-like temperature resting significantly below freezing and at times the powerful winds may have done more harm than good. Over the past couple of weeks leading up to race day, I have had digestive issues each time I went for a run, which made me uneasy about tackling an ultra distance without knowing the underlying reason. Coincidentally, on mile two, a bird pooped on me, hitting mostly my left glove, which I initially thought to be water from the rain. I instinctively reacted, “Eww, what the fxxk,” then told a few runners, “Better my glove than my head.” From waterfalls to a dark tunnel to horses and even a donkey, fitting with Palm Sunday coming up, this course was breathtaking, and I absorbed the beauty as much as my fatiguing body and mind let me. I kept a slow, steady pace, not entirely certain of my current fitness for such a long run. My stomach solely continued to occupy my mind, and starting mile nine, I began pondering if I had to excuse myself shortly to explode, a reason I carried some toilet paper from the motel in my hydration pack. Following miles and miles of this internal warfare, around sixteen miles in, to my relief, the symptoms mostly faded after I took a #1 break. With my legs being at their ideal shape, I did not allow any lengthy walking breaks and slowly ran the vast majority of the first 22-23 miles.

Outside my stomach ordeal and the pain standard to running this kind of distance, I felt as strong as ever and naturally was not surprised to secure my second-fastest 50K by a large margin, officially in 6:16:02.7 at 31.49 miles on my COROS, in my ultramarathon #15, marathon+ #20, and race #112. As I do in all races and life in general, I continued to interact with God and ask Him for help throughout the entire journey, one of my favorite aspects of this unique hobby. To Him be all glory.

Fast people!

When the Granville Ambulance Chase & Food Truck Rodeo Facebook page read and ignored my message of a few simple questions, I had moved on, until I noticed the unusual start time of 11:00 AM in Oxford, North Carolina, a 45-minute drive, that would allow me to sleep in as well as a relatively low cost for an event that offers a T-shirt and a medal (to most). I decided to consider the race, on March 15, 2025, the day after my birthday, if I woke up unprompted by an alarm with sufficient time to make it to the site, which I did. I would have driven to run either way, so I figured why not and registered and headed out.

PC: Granville Ambulance Chase

Overall winners!

One of the unanswered questions concerned the elevation profile, as I only thought about another short race to put to the test my recent consistent increase in speed; had I known about the extent of these hills earlier, I may have opted out. When I asked around, many warned me about the hills for the 10K, but without a number, “hilly” is subjective and I remained in suspense. My now-obsolete COROS Pace 2 would not lock in my heart rate for several minutes leading up to the start, making me nervous about pressing the go button anyway. After logging the first mile just under 8:06 and feeling strong, I ambitiously hoped for an unrealistic result before encountering nonstop rolling hills and frequent extensive downhill running for the first couple of miles, anxious about the inevitable climb back up and slowing down. Halfway through, I began dealing with stomach cramps that never fully went away, and I shifted my focus to closing each mile comfortably under 9:00, which I managed. Considering the conditions, I am content with a 53:36 gun-time finish and third place in my age group. Based on how I felt prior to the ceaseless climbs, I am confident I could have run roughly 20 seconds per mile faster had the course been what I expected coming in, flat, silly on my part since no such place exists in my vicininty.

PC: Fit & Able

To kick off the 2025 race year, I returned to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, for my second Sole Mates 6.5-Miler the day after Valentine’s Day, fourth time on this course. Albeit short for my standard of paying and waking up early on a weekend for a running event, I still started anxious about how my body in my current fitness would handle the rolling hills for the first three big loops, followed by a smaller loop that concludes the race with uninterrupted half-a-mile climbing. The last time here, I uncharacteristically for this distance took a few short walking breaks on major hills, and I had blamed the bizarre humidity in the mid-70s. With conditions more ideal this year, I set two realistic goals: not walking and finishing with a sub-9:00 average mile pace.

PC: Fit & Able

Usual here because of a lengthy downhill start, I ran the first mile significantly faster than I have in the past several months then rapidly slowed down. My body oddly warmed up halfway through the run, and tackling the hills during the third big loop felt lighter than the second. With a mile to go and anticipating the final lengthy climb, I felt confident I saved enough to finish strong, and I was pleasantly surprised that this hill did not feel anywhere near as steep or daunting as I recalled, the weather likely playing a part. I crossed the finish in a gun time of 58:26.24, with an elevation gain of 472 feet according to my COROS and my second-fastest time on this course, achieving both of my goals.

Typical of me, I, just before the registration deadline, signed up for The Nutcracker Endurance Run, a long-standing timed event taking place in Erwin, North Carolina, for the last time on December 14, 2024. Albeit tempted to join the 12 hours, having run an ultra just a month prior and scheduled to serve at church that requires much moving the following morning, I stuck to the 6 hours.

Conservatively, I aimed for 29 miles and posited anything beyond to be a stretch, until from the outset I felt my body fire on all cylinders, to the point I hardly allowed myself any walking breaks for the first couple of 10-mile loops and recorded the first marathon distance well under 5 hours, which I almost never let myself do in an ultra. With 2 hours and 30 minutes to go, the participants had the option to opt for a one-mile loop, which I chose, in case finishing another 10-mile lap within the time limit could be a stretch; in hindsight, another round in the original loop could have been psychologically less draining. Unsurprisingly, having run-run so much more than I typically do in an ultra, combined with the temperature in the 30s, with about an hour and a half to go, my left knee tensed up that trying to run on it became a nuisance, but I ignored the pain and pushed to make the most of this unique opportunity to shatter my expectations. Traditionally, the race director seems to have permitted up to nine shorter loops per runner, and when I said I would stop at 29 miles if doing more is “against the rules,” he and the timekeeper said, “Do as you do.” I added that I doubted I could do a tenth anyway due to the knee issue, to which the race director encouraged me not to verbally express it and have it manifest. I continued to ask God what I should do while doing math in my head. Upon the completion of 29 miles, I saw I had just over 20 minutes left and told myself I could even walk a mile in that time. I received the race director’s confirmation one more time to be certain he was okay with my attempt at a tenth short loop, after which I ran as much as I could hilariously hobbling, interestingly still one of my fastest latter miles, and returned with nearly ten minutes to spare, officially logging in 30 miles while my COROS reads 30.23. Had I kept moving for a little longer, this would have easily been my second-fastest 50K by far, which I did not expect based on my recent performances, not to mention I did not feel even remotely nauseous, often the case for hours after a race like this. All thanks and glory to God, with Whom I spoke ceaselessly throughout and without Whom none of this is possible.

So many participants!

Thanks to a nagging right shoulder/neck pain from sleeping awkwardly, excacerbated by a forecast of unseasonably warm morning with a thunderstorm for Thanksgiving, I continued to delay signing up for any turkey trot until the Trophy Trot 5K ended up being the only option left that had not yet closed or sold out. I had not raced a 5K since early 2013 and rarely ever stop at that distance even in a casual run, so I hesitated; nevertheless, knowing I would run this day anyway and always enjoying being in the presence of other runners, after waking up unprompted with just enough time to register online and drive to the event and unable to go back to sleep, I committed, five minutes after which came a heavy rain followed by a lightning and thunder. “Too late now,” I said out loud before hurrying out of my apartment. I ran the Trophy Trot 10K three years previously, prior to their changing the distance likely to attract more participants, and remembered the course being hilly.

I don’t normally drink, but I can’t turn down a cold beer after a race. 😂

With more than 2,300 participants lining up, I put myself toward the front to avoid being jammed, which happened anyway. Many joggers and those who started fast just to stop thirty seconds later barricaded me, requiring me to maneuver around many and waste energy. I became nervous about how to pace myself in such a brief run and pushed slightly harder than I have recently from the first mile of incline. I maintained a consistent pace without too much fluctuation, with the exception of moving considerably faster in the final stretch. Had I foreseen the lengthy downhill in the final mile, I may have held back slightly the first two miles of rolling hills to save some for a stronger finish. I completed the course officially in 27:00.3, with my COROS reading 3.17 miles. I have run numerous significantly faster 5K splits in much longer distances, but I knew going in I was not at my peak speed shape, especially coming off a trail ultra, and had to factor in the 97% humidity and substantial hills, without which I would have run a minute or two faster. This led me to consider not ruling out 5Ks completely in the future so that I could be more versatile.

I don’t think I’ll be hungry for a while.

Following a quick hot bath and shower, I proceeded to Golden Corral for a Thanksgiving buffet, as has been a tradition for many years. Grateful to God for all that He has given me. Happy Thanksgiving!

PC: Last Light Productions

Since 2014, I have managed to squeeze in at least one marathon or ultramarathon every year. Intent on continuing this streak, I urgently sought closeby ultras throughout the remainder of 2024 and came across a local event in Washington, North Carolina, a two-hour drive from my residence in Raleigh I would do the morning of. In honor of Goose Creek State Park’s 50-year anniversary, TRAILthirty, on November 9, 2024, hosted an inaugural Goose Greek Trail Run & Hike that included a 50K on a non-technical trail. This would be my first-ever legitimate, though not technically, trail ultra, which made me uneasy about the navigation and the inevitably more challenging surfaces than I have become accustomed to. Following many prayers, I registered a couple of nights prior, a few hours before the online registration deadline.

PC: Last Light Productions

We ran a lot of the final loop together!

The course went around a roughly eight-mile loop four times, and I took off without music to remove any potential distraction until I became confident in my ability to interpret the patterns of signs and flags. With countless roots hiding under fall leaves, which I ended up kicking 40-50 times, and other characteristics of trails, I felt my calves burning early on. (A half marathon participant informed me a gentleman tripped and dislocated his shoulder and I was the only one she knew who never fell.) After slow running for the first 11 miles, I started mixing in walking, although I never allowed a full mile of walking at any point. Psychologically, I struggled the most in the third loop, as I ran almost the entirety alone in the woods, albeit I enjoyed praying to God observing His awesome creation in the quiet. Nearing the halfway point of the final loop, on the Palmetto Boardwalk, I ran into a young military man running his first ultra and suffering from an injury. He decided to keep up with me as long as he could, and we ended up conversing and covering most of the rest of the race together, with another first-time ultrarunner joining briefly toward the end. This interaction mentally revived me and led me to run much more than I planned, including the last 2.5 miles nonstop, feeling stronger than I did in the previous loop and reminding me how much of a mental game ultramarathons tend to be. With just over half a mile to go, I pushed forward alone with all the energy I had left, which became my fastest mile on the day. I crossed the finish line officially in 6:51:23.66 at 31.45 miles on my COROS, likely meaning slightly farther in reality. Ultra #13, still challenging, humbling, and memorable.