35 - New Hampshire Marathon - Bristol, New Hampshire

Running two marathons back-to-back, 2 days in a row — what was I thinking?

In the marathon community, running 2 full marathons in a single weekend is called a double.  In the 50 State Marathon Club, it is not unheard of so I "needed" to experience it.

Nancy, Lola, Brian

Thursday morning, I left Pennsylvania and drove to Nancy and Brian's beautiful new home in Nashua, New Hampshire.  Nancy is a childhood friend from Pompton Plains, New Jersey.  We had a delicious lobster dinner at Surf Restaurant in Nashua and had a great time catching up on life.

Sue and Jim

On Friday afternoon, I left Nancy's house and drove an hour north to Tilton, New Hamphire, where I had a hotel for the night.  It had been pouring rain the whole day so the weather wasn't looking too good for the marathon. For dinner, the hotel recommended a local restaurant called Onions Pub and Restaurant.   As I arrived at Onions for an early dinner, a couple (Sue and Jim) arrived for their wedding with the bride's parents and the justice of the peace.  They were getting married, and I became one of the witnesses. I was also elected wedding photographer!

After dinner, I drove 20 miles further north to check-in and pick up my race number  for the New Hampshire Marathon.  Then I headed back to the hotel for the night.

The Starting Area of the New Hampshire

Newfound Lake

On Saturday morning, the marathon was scheduled to start at 9 AM — a little late, but I was happy to sleep in.  When a group of about 300 marathoners gathered under cloudy autumn skies for the start of the race, the rain had finally stopped.  The course was very scenic, taking us around Newfound Lake.

The fall foliage was at its peak. There were a number of rolling hills, which made the course a bit challenging, but fortunately, most of the uphills were in the first half of the race.

Knowing that I was running a second marathon the next day, I tried to maintain an easy, comfortable pace.  Mentally, "holding back" was a challenge, but physically it was great!  After the race, I took a quick shower in a local school locker room, had a brief massage that the marathon staff offered, and then jumped in the car and took off for the 2.5-hour drive to Portland, Maine. 

Nancy and Lola

 Overall, this was a small-town, no-crowd race. But it was certainly well-organized and a charming marathon, and I would certainly recommend it!