Sandy Runs

Most of my regular followers will know that I was selected as part of a team of five to represent Columbus, Ohio at the marathon of our sister city Hefei, China. I blogged about the announcement here and here , and about my team's fundraiser here . On November 8, 2017, we set off to the Far East, arriving in Hefei, China late evening on November 9th. We spent five days in Hefei, after which everyone went separate directions. My travels took me to Bangkok, Thailand, and then back to China to spend time in and around Beijing. But this post is about Hefei and the marathon I ran there. Post marathon with Courtney, Bernard, me, Echo and Lily in back The Hefei International Marathon is a large event, with tens of thousands of participants across all race distances (marathon, half marathon, 5K and 10K). The marathon had the smallest race field of all events, but included some very competitive elite runners. The Lead-Up Through the sister city marathon exchange, our team o...

I've been laying low since the Columbus Marathon , making sure not to reinjure the calf and allowing the big toe blood blisters (yuck!) to heal. But now it's almost time to leave for China! My team of five Columbus Marathon Ambassadors had our big fundraiser in October at Land-Grant Brewing Co. We collected donations through raffle ticket sales, a silent auction, and from a portion of drink sales. It was a fun event, and the evening's take will definitely help to off-set our travel costs. Columbus Marathon Ambassadors to Hefei, China: Will, Courtney, Kristian, Avery, me Our raffle and silent auction table at Land-Grant, before it got busy Thank You I'm no stranger to international travel, but this will be my first time visiting China, and it will also be my first time as part of a cultural exchange. I am honored to represent Columbus in our sister city Hefei. There are lots of people and organizations to thank, and there will be more thanks upon my retu...

I'm so relieved that Columbus Marathon is over and that I did not re-injure my leg. If you've been following me, then you know that I originally pulled something in my calf in June, healed it (or so I thought), and then hurt it again at Mile 10 of Air Force Half Marathon . I had to miss a couple races and work on rehabbing it again. Unfortunately, my calf's good day was a bad day for my big toes. I developed bad blood blisters under the nails, had to see a doctor, and missed Marine Corps Marathon. The good news is that I should be healthy for my marathon in China. Without further ado, here's my Columbus race report. Earned the hard way I knew I would run Columbus again after moving back in January. It was a good race for me the first time I ran in 2006, and now it was my local marathon. Then in June I was selected as a Columbus Marathon ambassador to our sister city of Hefei, China. This underscored the importance of running this event. I was registered months ...