The Travel Oracle

The Travel Oracle
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  • Newsletter
  • Who is the Travel Oracle?
    • Contact us!
    • The places we’ve been
    • The Oracle Recommends…
    • Our City Guides
    • Travel Booking Services
  • Our World Famous Kidney Donor Athlete
    • Running Stories
  • Subscribe
  • The Golden Pelican Awards of Excellence
  • Newsletter
  • Waterfall in Snoqualmie Washington featured behind the Tunnel Light 2025 Marathon Medal

    Tunnel Light Race Recap

    This last Sunday I completed the Tunnel Light Marathon in Snoqualmie, WA. Having just registered for the 2026 Boston Marathon a few days prior, this would be an attempt to qualify for the 2027 race.  Pre-Race Prep? I was feeling pretty good overall health wise heading into the race. I had some concern how the legs would hold up after running the Sydney Marathon two weeks ago and pacing my friend Rob for 34 miles just six days ago.  Race Morning Got to the start line around 7 am and spent the next hour getting ready. Watched the end of Vision Quest, hit the porta john a time or ten,…

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  • Large silver orbs, sitting on hills of green moss at TeamLab Planet in Tokyo.

    Museums that are Totally Worth Your Time

    In a new city and looking for something fun to do? Well, if you’re anything like us, we check out the museums. Think that’s weird? Well, let’s put it this way. At one, we got to rap and play drums. At another we got to partake moonshine tasting. We’ve spied dinosaurs, giant sloths, and blue whales. Want to get the inside scoop on where these were? Come with us this week for museums that are TOTALLY worth your time. TeamLab Planets – Tokyo, Japan Part art installation, part play ground – we had SO much fun experiencing TeamLab Planets in Tokyo. We knew it wasn’t going to be like anything…

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  • 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…

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    Beachy Vibes and Fast Race Times in Jacksonville

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    All Aboard for the Cascade Express Marathon

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    Tokyo Marathon Finishers Medal in front of a cherry blossom tree

    Running the Tokyo Marathon

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  • All Aboard for the Cascade Express Marathon

    Before we start off, please be sure to check out Part One of the Cascade Express Marathon. You’ll hear how the training went and the obstacles I had to overcome to get to the start line. For those who already in the know, buckle in! All aboard the Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story. The Wee Hours Being up at 2 am for a race that doesn’t start until 8 am is not the ideal start to the day. On the upside, it did give me a few hours to contemplate the task ahead. I spent some time reviewing the last eight weeks of training. It…

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    Our Unexpected Trip to Harrisburg

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  • Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story

    Cascade Express Marathon Part One: The Build Up

    Let me start by saying, Covid sucks. I know you already knew that but I especially feel that down deep. In 2021, we got both vaccine shots and a booster. Mask were worn. Distance was kept. We coated ourselves in hand sanitizer and STILL we managed to get sick. Although the illness itself wasn’t that bad for me, I realized something was really wrong as I tried to qualifying for the 2023 Boston Marathon. Let me share what I learned from the build up to the Cascade Express Marathon – Part 1. Running Sucked From January thru May I did nothing but slow miles. None of these runs were easy…

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    NYC 2024 Marathon – The Rest of the Story

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