Race #3 is in the books and my legs are on fire from 3,566 feet of hills.
I have been nominated as Visionary of the Year candidate by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. 12 nominees including myself are currently in a fundraising campaign to support LLS. To draw support and awareness, I am planning my craziest running challenge ever: run 11 marathons in 11 weeks for a total of 297.8 miles.
The race began at 6:00am which required me to wake up at 3:15am to begin preparation and nutrition. Cold weather was a factor with the temperature at 33 degrees when the race started. Temps stayed in the 30s until my final 6 miles. The terrain on the course is likely the most difficult of the 11 races so I am glad to have it scratched off the list early. The course also includes 12 water crossings. Most of them are shallow, but at least 5 of them completely soaked my shoes. My feet were wet for at least 20 miles of the race. The water on the final crossing came up to my waistline at its deepest part.

The scenery of Kannapolis State Park is stunning. This park is a state treasure of Kansas, filled with hills, water and rocks.
I felt strong most of the morning. The first 14 miles was relatively smooth with a good pace. The course becomes very rugged around mile 15 with steep climbs and descents. The course was very dry, which caused me to skid while going up/down the hills. I took a few wrong turns and lost track of the trail a few times which added an additional mile to my daily total. I felt wrecked by mile 20 but was able to keep moving to the finish line. Overall effort for 26.2 miles felt similar to the effort needed to run 38 miles on a flat surface. I finished the race with more soreness than my first two, but happy to report no injuries. My time was 90 minutes quicker than last year so I’m happy with my overall improvement.

My next marathon is an unsanctioned event. I will start running at 7:00am this Saturday at Sedgwick County Park. Come join me for a lap or two around the park—or run the whole thing with me!
If you would like to support this cause, please visit www.mattrunsforlls.com to make a donation or learn more. You can also help by liking our Facebook page (“Matt Runs for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society”). I hope to see some of you next week!
If you make a donation of $29.78, I will write your initials on the shirt I am wearing for all 11 marathons. For $100, I will write your whole name.

Big thanks for last week’s donations from:
Ignite Chiropractic
Jennifer Schaffer
Marcy Mendoza
Andrew Willette
Michael Schoenhofer
Stuart Langeland
Stephanie Hall
Sunny Brodkorb
Jamie Benavides
Craig Kimmerling
Jeremy Jarmer
Terri Vanwey
Lisa Racunas
Mary Reed