Jekyll Island, Moab, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Traverse City, Tryon + Vietnam
Races you'll love running + the man who made a million runners, life after Ozempic, and Martin Short's wonderful life
Morning, friends! ☀️
We have an action-packed issue today so I won’t take up too much of your time here, but I have a question for you, especially if you’re a new subscriber who just signed up this weekend.
Out of the blue yesterday, somewhere north of 200 people subscribed to the newsletter (and a number of them became paying subscribers, which is awesome!). What’s interesting is… this has never happened before!
My question is, I have no idea who linked to The Half Marathoner or shared us with their audience, so I thought I’d ask: how did you find us? If it was from another newsletter, I’d love to send a note to whoever shared us, as we’ve had a huge day (maybe the biggest ever!) in THM history.
In the meantime, I hope you have an amazing Sunday out there wherever you are in the world, and get a great run in — as always, keep in touch.
Your friend,
— Terrell
🏃♀️ To run
🍒 Meijer Festival of Races. You’ll get to run among the beautiful farmlands and tree groves of the Old Mission Peninsula, “an 18-mile sliver of land that juts out into the turquoise-blue waters of Grand Traverse Bay and teems with natural beauty and some of the most stunning vistas in the region,” according to the Traverse City Tourism board, at a race that celebrates the end of this region’s annual National Cherry Festival. After the first couple of miles along trails, the rest of the race features a long stretch along the shoreline of the bay, running south on Peninsula Drive all the way into Traverse City. Set for Saturday, July 11.
🐻 Sleeping Bear Marathon + Half. “Miles of sand beach, bluffs that tower 450 feet above Lake Michigan, lush forests, clear inland lakes, unique flora and fauna make up the natural world of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, where this early fall race takes place. You’ll run through the village of Glen Arbor and past Little Glen Lake, as well as past the “Dune Climb,” a popular spot for attempting to climb up pure, wind-blown sand dunes. “At the peak of fall color season, the tree-lined course will be one that both runners and spectators won’t soon forget.” Set for Saturday, October 3.
🌴 Vietnam Jungle Marathon. The second in a three-race series of trail marathons that feature once-in-a-lifetime, jaw-dropping running tours of the mountains and jungles of Vietnam, this race unfolds along the challenging hills of Pu Luong Nature Reserve, which lies just over 100 miles from Hanoi. Filled with waterfalls, old-growth jungles, dramatic limestone cliffs and views of rice paddies in the valleys below the trails, the 43,000-acre preserve offers runners several race distances to choose from — a 25K (slightly longer than a half marathon) in addition to a 10K, 50K and 70K. Sign up for the race only, or for a trip that includes overnight stays in one of the villages inside the reserve. Set for Saturday, October 17.