Dear Brennon,

Thank you for entering the Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon.  We hope you will enjoy the day and make it one to remember.

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Please note your race number 197, it is essential that you bring this acceptance letter with you in order to collect your registration pack.

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Please find enclosed a sponsorship form for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, official Belfast Marathon charity.  If you are not already running for a charity please consider supporting this very worthwhile cause.

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So, it's official--I'm number 197.  What on earth have I done?...  But seriously, I'm really excited about this.  What doesn't kill you...right?

More to come on sponsorship.  In the meantime, I hope you'll all consider supporting what really is a very worthwhile cause.

These shoes feel great on my feet, and have really improved my workouts dramatically.  I'll be completely honest, when starting running when we moved to Belfast, I was starting to get some pain in my right knee.  I knee this was due in large part to the old shoes I was running in, but money was tight, so I toughed it out.  With these new shoes, the pain has noticeably decreased.  It's not completely gone, but my knee has certainly improved.  Thank you again for your support.

This is my log for two training runs, 9 October and 10 October.  9 October first:

Total Distance: 1.54 miles
Total Time: 12:31
Average Mile Split Time: 8:05
Average Speed: 7.4mph
Calories Burned: 231
Maximum HR: 168

Map / Google Earth

And now 10 October:

Total Distance: 1.99 miles
Total Time: 17:30
Average Mile Split Time: 8:46
Average Speed: 6.84mph
Calories Burned: 297

Map / Google Earth

Today's stats:

Total Distance: 1.44 miles
Total Time: 13:19
Average Mile Split Time: 9:19
Average Speed: 6.44mph

Here's the map, and in Google Earth...

I should note that several people have asked me to put the donation button back onto this page.  That button was here initially to help me purchase the shoes I needed to train properly, which I will be doing this afternoon.  I want to assure people reading this, though, that I will provide an opportunity to donate toward the Cystic Fibrosis Trust itself.  Please keep an eye on the blog--that opportunity will be available soon.  How do I know this?  Well, as of yesterday I have officially registered as a participant in the marathon.  My entry was accepted, and I will receive my race packet within 7-10 days.  We're past the point of no return here--the entry fee's done been paid.  Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

See, it's not that I don't enjoy running--it's just that I've never kept myself in "running" shape consistently enough to enjoy running consistently.  Hmm...that didn't make much sense.

Either way, the more important point is that there's a reason that I'm training for this marathon.  When my wife and I moved to Belfast, we joined the athletic center at our school.  When we don't go to work out there, we typically jog around what has turned out to be a very interesting city to discover on foot.  After a couple of runs--and the rush of endorphins that ensue following a good run--I realized that I could come to really enjoy this again.  One thing led to another, and the next weekend while my wife and I were shopping, I found myself looking for a new pair of running shoes.  (If you've ever run, you'll know that good running shoes are really the only necessary bits of equipment for a comfortable jog.)  I can't afford that new pair right now, although I desperately need it.  While at the running store, however, I came across a pamphlet on training for the Dublin Marathon.  Well, that one is coming up in just three weeks from today...scratch that idea.  Back at home, I started looking at other options for marathoning around the British Isles or western Europe.  Maybe Belfast has a marathon, I thought...

Enter the 2009 Belfast Marathon.  I read a bit about the race, date, and course, which I'll tell you more about later.  Until then, many of you will know that most marathons--or any other road race, for that matter--benefit a specific charity.

Enter the manifesto bit of this, er, manifesto.  The charity that the 2009 Belfast Marathon will support is the Cystic Fibrosis Trust (the UK equivalent of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in the United States).  Therein lies my purpose and motivation in running this race.  You see, my brother, Ryan, has Cystic Fibrosis.  CF is the number on hereditary, fatal disease in the world.  It's a terror to live with--trust me, I've watched my brother fight it for over 26 years, now.  There is no cure, but advances in technology and research are steadily being made.  The Cystic Fibrosis Trust is an organization dedicated to "fund medical and scientific research to develop a cure and provide effective treatments for Cystic Fibrosis", and, "ensure appropriate clinical care for those with Cystic Fibrosis."

Couple that with some of the realizations that I've had since moving to Belfast.  Much more than realizing that I didn't invest enough in the many great people I was surrounded by in Los Angeles (which is something that has really bothered me of late), has been my recent heightened awareness of how little I've shown my brother how much he means to me.  I have one of the most incredible, toughest, intelligent, bravest people in the world for a brother.  I love my brother, and I've foolishly missed way too many opportunities to show him.  So, while running this marathon will indirectly benefit my brother through funds I raise for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, my brother is the reason I'm doing this.

This blog, then, is a place for me to keep my brother, friends, and family aware of my progress and (eventual, I hope) success.  It is also a place for me to track my own progress as a sort of self-motivation.  I would appreciate any encouragement you all (if there really is a "you all") might have to give.

With that said, I still need those running shoes.  I do need to run in a certain type of shoe ("motion control") because I overpronate horribly when running.  I'm running in stupid old running shoes right now.  Have fifty cents or a dollar to donate?  I'll take it! These shoes will be worn out just about when I cross the finish line on 4 May, so you'll be donating specifically to this cause.

*** UPDATE ***

Your generosity has brought me enough to purchase these shoes. You'll see pictures of me in them soon! Thank you!

The women's race was won Ethopia's Marashet Jumma - broke the course record with a time of two hours, 39 minutes and 22 seconds.

The BBC has a short video clip of coverage from the event that you might find interesting. You can view the video coverage by clicking here.

For a list of the top-10 finishers, click the read more button below.

Here are the top-10 finishers of the race:
1. MUTAI, John 2:16:31
2. DZIUBA, Bodhan 2:23:44
3. PRIKHADKO, Vyacheslav 2:24:21
4. KERO, Jakoo 2:24:24
5. TUREA-CIOBANU, Sergiu 2:25:51
6. HUGHES, Tommy 2:28:38
7. PIMENTELL, Delfim 2:38:05
8. PATON, Colin 2:38:34
9. DOHERTY, Ciaran 2:39:05
10. FITZPATRICK, Michael 2:39:08

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