One of the best organization and events that ever take place across the nation to honor are…read moremilitary, first responders.

Motor City Half-Marathon (formerly U.S.-Only Half-Marathon) became my excuse to return to Detroit…read moreMichigan in the fall. Part of the Detroit Free Press Marathon which I have ran in the past as well as the International Detroit Free Press Half-Marathon. The Motor City Half-Marathon course runs only through Detroit rather than both Detroit and Windsor, Ontario Canada. It is the perfect option if you do not have a passport which is a requirement to have in order to run the Marathon or International Half-Marathon. For the health & fitness expo, we were required to pick up our bib number and t-shirt from Huntington Place, which is the 16th largest convention center in the United States. I never have the interest in staying long because I always just want to tour downtown Detroit sites like Monument to Joe Louis, and Philip A Hart Plaza. And besides, the expo was very congested, and I personally do not do well mingling within congested areas that involve maneuvering around individuals. But moreover, even with that, I did not once stand in any long lines due to how organized everything was. And for that, I thank the volunteers of Detroit Free Press Marathon very much! With the uncertainty of how my legs will perform, I had to dig down going into this run being that I ran the Chicago Marathon the previous weekend. I have been a runner long enough to know that as long as I am mentally strong, there is not anything that can break my spirit. The morning of the event, I had Victory (feat. The Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes) stuck in my head which I honestly have not listened to in years. It was the perfect hype up song prior to me making my way to the starting line. I had the luxury of sleeping in due to the Motor City Half-Marathon starting at 10:30 AM; three hours after the start of the Detroit Free Press Marathon, and International Half-Marathon, so there was no excuse in getting 7 hours of sleep before the run. The run course, I must say, was relatively flat with only one slight incline on course. The only battle I dealt with mentally was telling myself to keep my pace underneath an 8-minute mile, even while feeling a slight pain in my left ankle and in my left hamstring which went away as I ran along the course. In those times, I eased my run pace and sort of glided because there were still miles ahead. I had to remind myself to be patient and take it mile by mile because I will eventually get to that finish line at some point. I cannot remember any portion of the course that did not have any spectators on it, even with there being a few events attached to the Detroit Free Press Marathon which were identifiable by the color of the bibs. Along the course, each mile was marked, and there were plentiful hydration stations featuring a combination of Gatorade followed by water; both were identifiable by cups given by volunteers. And the volunteers working those hydration stations were cheerful and supportive of all runners. It made my day to hear my runner nickname, "The Gazelle" being cheered at several points along the course by either spectators or volunteers. The cheers gave me a boost in energy as I acknowledged the person in the form of either raising my hands, throwing up the number one or peace sign, or even yelling "Yeah!". Highlights for me along the run course were running downtown Detroit, seeing Comerica Park (Home of the Detroit Tigers baseball team) during the earlier portion of the run, and sights of MotorCity Casino Hotel which is such a beauty! Chit Chatting with a run couple around mile 6 took my mind off the run and was yet another thing that kept me on pace. The couple wore matching American flag shorts and off-and-on received cheers of "U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!" which I totally adored. It is things like that, that make the United States of America such a great place to be born in. As for the swag, the Detroit Free Press t-shirt was gray with the event name written on the left breast and Detroit 13.1 with 24 printed in the image of the Ambassador Bridge. I loved how the bib matched with my orange HOKA Clifton 3 run shoes, and cute donut print ChicknLegs running brand shorts that many could not take their eyes off of, tehehe. The finishers medal featured the Spirit of Detroit monument on it, with the Ambassador Bridge behind it. I am so grateful to add yet another finishers medal to my run medal collection, a collection that goes back to 2007 when I initially started running. With my inactive Garmin 305 GPS watch on my wrist, sparkle in my eye underneath my sunglasses, and donut print run shorts by ChicknLegs on, I took on this half marathon.... and conquered it! Yes, I would surely run the Motor City Half-Marathon again because it is yet another excuse to revisit Detroit. ~Gonna run 'til I don't jiggle. ~ Thomas G

POTUS is raging against the Hall for not voting 8x Super Bowl winning coach Bill Belichick (six w…read morePats, two w Giants) in on the first ballot. Belichick's a legend and assuredly got taken to the woodshed but perhaps Dear Leader has more important things to worry about -- especially since voters are simply toying with an eventual inductee they don't particularly like and was personally at the center of two cheating scandals. I know that I'm not losing sleep over this "national tragedy."

Was looking for that once in a lifetime experience but didn't find one. Exhibits were good but not…read moregreat. I wanted to see even more jerseys, longer films and more details in each room.

Perfect spot to walk our dogs on a slow Sunday. We came across maybe ten people during our 2 mile…read morewalk. The trails was dirt and gravel for the most part and was mostly wooded which was really nice to get away from the city and ran along a River. It looked like there were miles and miles of additional trails, so would definitely like to come back and explore. The downside side is that it was rainy the prior day and the trails were pretty muddy.

Attended the Hunter Jumper Classic. First time at the Polo Fields. Very nice grounds. Nice shelter…read morehouses. Bathroom facilities.

Mid-Ohio is an old school track with a lot of great sections. There is great viewing areas that…read moreeven allow pop up canopies at the top (some tracks don't allow this). Its super easy to get to from IL, IN, MI,PA. They work hard to keep the grounds in good condition and have good shower facilities. I've camped here 4 times for Indycar and IMSA and this has to be one of the best deals for a race weekend. The camping pass we purchased can with two tickets and didn't require a separate wristband on top of all that. Would highly recommend going to and staying for an event!

Storied track, one of the top in the country. Tucked away in the Ohio countryside, nice little town…read morenearby.

Shamrocks and Shenanigans was raising money for a great cause and that's the only reason we decided…read moreto run/walk. The pickup on Saturday afternoon was very quick and organized. We were able to pickup our shirt and bib very quickly. The race on Sunday was a little disappointing. There was a decent size crowd trying to squeeze brought a small starting line. There was nobody with music or telling us the race was starting. The course was up and down hill and repeated itself at the end. There was supposed to be port a pots along the way and there was none. We only saw one water station. You still need to provide water even if it's cold. We were looking forward to the party at the end and that was disappointing too. There was no tent or heaters and everyone stood in line to get into the restaurant. The restaurant would not allow anyone in the front door after the race. We finished and walked to a nearby restaurant for food and drinks. I will look into other runs in the area before signing up for this one again.

A St. Patrick's Day 5k hosted by Running Fit (great running store) and starting and ending at Conor…read moreO'Neill's? What could be more fun? As it turns out, a lot of things. I found the Shamrocks and Shenanigans 5k to have a relatively poorly planned course, and would hesitate to run it again. The course is 2 laps of a 1.55 mile loop through downtown Ann Arbor. This means that the faster runners are lapping the slower runners and walkers after the halfway point. And this creates congestion on the course. Ugh. The course also includes a hairpin turnaround on Main Street that adds additional congestion. Finally, even though race organizers stand at the triage point to direct first lappers to continue on and second lappers toward the finish, that last little bit of the course before the finish line gets confusing and jammed. The Shamrocks and Shenanigans t-shirts are in that rare group where they are so ugly and of such poor quality that I'd rather they hadn't bothered. The Shamrocks and Shenanigans would be a fun race to do with a group of friends before spending the afternoon at Conor's with a pint, but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone looking for a serious running experience. This course probably isn't conducive to setting a PR. On the plus side, your money will go to a good cause (Mott Children's Hospital at U of Michigan).

My first Oktoberfest! It was fun tried all kinds of food / alligator bites - and jumbo cream puff -…read more- pretzel wrapped bratswurst with beer cheese sauce - very nice event ! I had a wonderful time :) lovely summer fair !!

I am addicted to this festival! So much fun to spend a few days at!…read more First of all, you must go with other people to really enjoy it....invite your family, friends, coworkers. Second, get crazy - wear some lederhosen or a drindl. Buy a hat or a flower headband. Buy a fun Oktoberfest tshirt to wear. Get in the spirit! Third, if you love beer, try it all! There's also wine and spirits around the festival for purchase, but beer is really what everyone drinks. Not only are there Oktoberfest beers, such as Paulaner and Hacker Pschorr, but many local craft beers. Fourth, go early and have a Bahama Mama from Schmidt's in Columbus for lunch. If you're still hungry, have a giant cream puff or strudel for dessert. Fifth, watch the Weiner races, enjoy some traditional dancers, walk through the vendors area of crafts and German imports, watch a sand sculpture being made right in front of your eyes, get a picture taken with Krampus and crew, watch the Strongman competition. Sixth, go to the Glockenspiel as many times as you can and dance & sing your heart out! Seventh, grab some Authentic German grub for dinner and park yourself in a bier tent to watch some great entertainment. I highly suggest a plate from Das Schnitzel Haus, some pierogi's from the Pierogi Lady, sauerkraut balls from Hey Hey or a pretzel-wrapped bratwurst. Eighth, make sure you're still drinking beer and take some sips of water in between - you'll appreciate that in the morning. Ninth, grab a partner and get on the dance floor for the chicken dance and some polka! It doesn't matter if you don't know how to polka, you'll pick it quickly or someone will teach you. The Chardon Polka Band, Alex Meixner and Klabetheads are all my favorites! Tenth, take lots of pictures to memorialize this great event! And lastly, get an Uber or have a designated driver to take you home!

This review is based on my experience of the 2017 Cleveland Triathlon. Its fairly well organized…read more The packet pick-up was at University Hospitals in Beachwood. The Triathlon itself was in the most scenic location in downtown Cleveland. The swim for super sprint, sprint, and olympic are separated but I wish Pacific Sports would stop using Black buoys, its difficult to see. Water is flat, good for beginners. The bike route is along the shore way, based on the race you do 8 mile loops. Be advised it is hilly, Ohio is a flat state, but in this Triathlon you will encounter most of the hills there is. But the bike scenery is a nice ride thru downtown and flats. The run portion is a good jaunt thru downtown, by the courthouse, and browns stadium, and finishing in front the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. All in all it was a great experience.

Why not run 1.091 loops around a community park for 24 hours and see how far you can go near…read moreToledo, Ohio? That's what I did on September 1, 2019. It was the 2nd time I was in Ohio for these crazy endurance running events. First time was In Cincinnati for the Flying Pig marathon in 2014. I was back again. This time at the Orlander 24 hr ultra event in Sylvania. The venue is at the Orlander Community Park, named after the Sylvania Township Park District commissioner in 1962. This event is a low key affair where many of the competitors are generally veterans to the ultra scene. Some of us are first timers to the event or ultra distances in general. I was a first timer to the event itself. I found this race on the website runningintheusa.com, the master website that houses the largest race directory online. It was held on Labor Day weekend, which made it perfect for me to fly in and out for the race. Race registration happens mostly online leading up to the race, but they have race weekend registration too at packet pick up, assuming they're not full up. There was no fancy expo to pick up your packet. Just show up on race morning about an hour or so before the official start and grab your packet, do what you need to do to get race ready, and you're off clicking off those miles. That was the skinny of race morning. 24 hours of running, walking, and do what you gotta do to get in your desired race goals or BQ time. The overall experience here at the 2019 Orlander 24 hour ultra event was enjoyable, scenic, friendly, and sociable, although a bout of acute gout had forced me to quit just after making 27.75 miles. It was still good for the marathon distance, but I wanted at least 50km. Unfortunately for me, the inflammation was too great for me to suck it up and go onwards. I got Ohio for my 2nd time 50 states marathons quest here, but the gout flare up had to be dealt with. Orlander Park was the perfect venue for the race and they have on course bathrooms just in case you need them. The Nederhouser Community Hall on the eastern part of the course provided the packet pick up and meals that were served on scheduled times. The race start and finish timing station was next to the Community Hall as well. The laps were done on a flat paved road that circled the interior of the park. It made great scenic views of the lake. It was nice to see the ducks having fun and splashing around while we humans did our running walking thing. The race staff here is friendly and very encouraging. Too bad that my gout episode had to flare up at that moment. Lesson learned not to down so much soda and not chase it down with water. We were told to park next to the Tam-O-Shanter parking area outside the park across the street. For the most part though, the experience here at the Orlander 24 hour ultra event was awesome and was glad to book the trip to knock off Ohio for my 50 states marathon quest - 2nd round. This was state 22 and plenty more to go. I felt like the registration prices were rather on the cheaper side for a 24 hour race. Best bet would be to register early to get those lower prices before procrastinating, when you know you're going to do it. The ambiance of race day was electric even though there wasn't screaming crowds of people like they have in Chicago or New York City. It was nice to have family members of participants cheering us racers along regardless of pace. I met a 67 year old lady who was doing her first 50 miler and that was totally inspiring. I haven't reach that milestone yet but trying to in the next 5 years, hopefully sooner. Endurance races like Orlander 24 hour ultra teaches us that the human spirit can go as far as you want it to. Just got to train your body and believe you can do such amazing things. Sky's the limit! If you are someone who wants to dabble in the ultra marathon world, this event In sylvania, Ohio is the one to do it. If you are a 50 state marathon club or half marathon club member who needs Ohio, consider running this race. Whether it's your first marathon or running your first 100 miler, this flat course would help you get there. You got this! 5.0 stars for the overall experience. 5.0 stars for the race day ambiance. 5.0 stars for having restroom facilities! If you race often, you know what I am talking about! 4.5 stars for the finisher medal. Run More! Support local! A++