• Runner crossing the finish line at the Publix marathon - under a balloon arch.

    The Publix Florida Marathon Race Recap

    There are just some times of the year that going somewhere warm and sunny is JUST what you need. Think – “Jack Nicholson at the Overlook Hotel.” This past weekend I had the chance to break away from the winter cold for a few days down to Melbourne, Florida. It was my first time pacing with Elevated Racing and Pacing and I was super excited for the opportunity. Join us this week for the Publix Florida Marathon race recap and be sure to bring some sun glasses! I Love the Smell of Donuts in the Morning My day started at 4 am as I woke up to eat my pre-race meal.…

  • 4 men standing in front of a giant soccer ball, holding Mexico and Norway flags. The person in the middle is wearing a sombrero

    Top 5 Sporting Events I’ve Been a Part of or Witnessed Live

    In addition to traveling, The Travel Oracle is also pretty passionate about sports. Runner_dad has been fortunate to see some pretty epic sporting events live. Here’s a little trip down memory lane with his top five.  1 – Packers vs Lions Oct 5, 2024 – Thursday Night Football, Ford Field. Lions win 34-31  First football game for Savanna, Connor’s first Lions’ win. A heavyweight slugfest. The fourth and one gamble. Field goal by Jake Bates to win the game as time expired!! Total playoff atmosphere. This comes in at number one because I know that 30 years from now the kids will still remember this day, just as I remember…

  • Man in a racing kit, with his arms spread wide, crossing the Willis bridge

    NYC 2024 Marathon – The Rest of the Story

    Do you remember a movie from the 80’s called “Planes, Trains and Automobiles“? Well if you haven’t seen that yet, you should really check it out. It’s really funny and it’s Thanksgiving themed. And if you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check out last week’s NYC pre-race report, where we take an Uber, to a ferry, to a bus, JUST to run 26.2 miles! And once that’s done, come back here for the rest of the NYC 2024 Marathon story. Bridge #1 – the Verrazzano Narrows Once the cannon went off my shuffle to the start line began. It wasn’t but a minute before I crossed the start…

  • Bar at the SkyClub at LaGuardia airport. Their are bar stools in silver upholstery in front of a gold and silver flecked bar with a black granite counter top. There are pendulum lights hanging over the bar top and three bar tenders behind, making and pouring drinks. Behind them are floor to ceiling shelves with bottles of alcohol and two mounted TVs.

    Check Out the Newest Lounge at LaGuardia

    Hey there Friends. Having just arrived home from a trip to NYC, we would love to share with you our thoughts about this Delta Sky Club. So…grab a cup of something warm and check out the newest lounge at LaGuardia International Airport. Lots of Room for Lounging Located just past security in Terminal C, the Sky Club is one of the largest in the Delta network, boasting over 35,000 square feet and seating for more than 700 travelers. Anyone who has spent time in a crowded airport lounge will really appreciate all the space available. Status is “Perk-a-Licious” When we arrived at 7:30 am, there was a short queue waiting…

  • Medal for the Tunnel of Light marathon in front of the Snoqualmie Falls

    Looking for the Light at the End of the Tunnel

    Join us this week as we unpack the incredible journey our kidney donor athlete underwent to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Through a tough path, he went looking for the light at the the end of the tunnel at the Tunnel Light Marathon. The Long and Short of it “Great moments are born from great opportunities.” – Herb Brooks The Short Version: Did the work. Believed. Crushed the goal. The Long Version: Although the short version sums up what happened, I hope you’ll take the time to read this. So many feelings and emotions about the buildup and this race that I’m not sure I have the words to adequately…

  • Medal from the Berlin Marathon in front of the Brandenburg Gate

    Surprising Things We Learned about Berlin

    With the Berlin marathon fast approaching, I thought it might be fun to do a little post mortem on the surprising things we learned about Berlin. What we already knew Now I had NEVER been to Germany and Stephen hadn’t been since he was stationed there back in the early 90’s. So we knew SOME things like: But there were a LOT of things about Berlin that surprised us. Like… 1. It’s prettier and greener than we expected Maybe it was because of all the Jason Bourne-esque / spy thrillers that show Berlin as this industrial, post-cold war, gray, concrete city, but I was a really surprised at how beautiful…

  • Woman standing in a red telephone booth

    London – the Rest of the Story

    Though we were in London for the marathon, we did make time to see a few fun sites about town before we had to skip back across the pond. Of course, we did manage the secret bar crawl in the evenings during the week, but we took advantage of THE WHOLE day Saturday and we want to share the highlights with you. So grab a cup of your favorite beverage and join us for a look at London – the Rest of the Story. First…Finally saw Ben in ALL his glory So this wasn’t our first time in London. In fact, this was third time I attempted to see Big…

  • Man running in a road race. Lifting his arms in victory

    The London Marathon – The Last of the World Majors

    It’s been over nine weeks since I completed the London Marathon, becoming the first kidney donor to earn the coveted Six Star Finisher medal for completing all of the Abbott World Marathon Majors. We finally had a little down time for me to get around to writing a recap of the historic race. Before we get into all that, I’ll provide a little background info on what happened leading up to the race. So grab a cold one, kick back, and relax. Here is the recap of the London Marathon – the last of the World Majors! The Pre-Race Injury As many of you already know I injured my back four…

  • Sumo Wrestling: The Best Way to Start Your Day

    With the Tokyo Marathon quickly approaching, we decided to slow our roll just a bit. This week join us as we unpack one of our last two days in Japan including visiting the restaurant wrecked by the Crazy 88s, and walking the Shibuya Crossing. Oh and of course, Sumo Wrestling: The Best Way to Start Your Day! Starting the Day by Running with the Sumos Traveling in the off-season has it’s benefits: But it also has some down sides, like missing out on some of the big draws of tourist season. For Tokyo, this included the blooming of the cherry blossoms and for us, watching Sumo wrestling. Not wanting to…

  • The Road to the Tokyo Marathon

    After our 14+ hour flight via Delta One, we arrived in Japan. One of us was well rested. The other was just too excited to sleep. After all, we had weeks of temples, shrines, pagodas, pandas and snow monkeys ahead of us. After our driver took a wrong turn, taking us a half hour out of our way and getting a ticket. We finally unpacked our bags to begin our adventure on the road to the Tokyo Marathon. Day 1 – The EARLY Morning We arrived at the Sotetsu Fresa Inn around 10pm local time and were glad to drop our bags in our little room. At first, it felt…