Tag: Buffalo Marathon

Buffalo Marathon 2015: Another Great Run in Buffalo

On By The Running Griffin1 Comment

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Another great Memorial Day weekend in Buffalo, New York for my second running of the Buffalo Marathon. I ran this race two years ago and had a great time in the City of Wings and this year headed back to Buffalo for another running of the race. This winter in Boston didn’t allow for optimal marathon training but I got to the starting line with a rather good feeling as to how the race would go.

The weekend’s activities started on Saturday with a 5K taking runners on some of the same roads that the next day the marathon and half-marathon would be run on. Fortunately for us we had an early flight out of Boston on JetBlue and were able to get to our hotel just in time to see the 5K runners go racing by. We walked down the final stretch of the 5K and made our way to the race expo to pick up our numbers and race schwag. The expo this year was much larger than two years ago and had a nice assortment of different vendor tables available.

With a need to carbo-load upon us, we hit up Cafe 59 right around the corner from our hotel and had an amazing meal of chicken parm with penne for me and parsley pesto cheese tortellini for Mrs. Running Griffin. The portions were huge and the entrees were $12 each and for scratch made food you really couldn’t beat it! If in the area next year for the Buffalo Marathon or if just checking out Buffalo, get to this spot.

The Buffalo Marathon and Half-Marathon starts bright and early at 7AM and for the first 13.1 miles the two race’s runners stay together on the same course. Mrs. Running Griffin ran the half-marathon and enjoyed her first Buffalo running experience while I tackled the full. The course was changed a bit from two years ago but definitely was for the better. The first six miles took runners out of the downtown area and through a residential section of Buffalo where both the fans and volunteers were absolutely top-notch. Runners made their way back into downtown around Mile 6 and then headed out toward the International Peace Bridge and along the water for a nice stretch. Running past the Buffalo Sabres Arena a momentary pause of how awful it must be to be a Sabres fan and not a Bruins fan rushed over me but I kept on trucking. In the last mile of the half-marathon, a lone police bagpiper played Amazing Grace which to most Irishmen causes biologically response of getting goosebumps immediately upon hearing it.

The first half-marathon for me went really well and in-fact I would have been on pace to likely PR the half-marathon if I hadn’t signed up to run another 13.1 miles after that. Up until Mile 16 I was running ahead of the 4:00 marathon pace and was feeling pretty good but the legs definitely started getting sore. One of my favorite parts of the race was running in Olmstead Park in Buffalo which is a beautiful section of parkland complete with walking paths, a golf-course and a zoo. There was one decent incline in the 17th mile that when you crested you were greeted by two Buffalonians playing a violin which was an eery mix of beauty and also feeling like it may be God calling you to the pearly gates all at the same time.

The one thing I can’t emphasize enough is the fact that Buffalo has some of the greatest race fans and volunteers you can find. The people out on the course are genuinely happy to see you, want to be out there cheering for you and encourage you along the way when you need it the most. The 24th mile waterstop has its own Twitter handle and the 25th mile waterstop is manned by Team RWB and the energy that these two stops give is exceptional and provided when it is needed the most. The last mile of the run is a great downhill finish down Delaware Avenue and back toward the central downtown area. The crowd at the 26 mile mark begins to really thicken up to several rows deep and the fans cheer your number and wave you into the finish line. It’s a great finish to a great race!

Handing out race medals this year were members of the military and players from the Buffalo Bandits (professional lacrosse team) and the Buffalo Bills. Jeremy Towne of the Buffalo Bills was one of the stars of the finish line and one person most marathoners likely from the area hobbled their way to for their medal.

Post-race, we made our way to Dinosaur BBQ to devour some some great wings, an awesome pulled pork sandwich and enjoyed a flight of local beers (along with about 3.5 gallons of water it seemed).

I finished the Buffalo Marathon this year with a time of 4:29:10. Buffalo is an amazing city that puts on a great marathon weekend and this race is one I would gladly recommend to anyone looking to run a great race. The race price is kept low but the amenities and fanfare is that of much larger races. If you are considering running a marathon or half-marathon next year, make your way to Buffalo and you won’t be disappointed. For more information about the Buffalo Marathon, check out their website by clicking here and be sure to Like them on Facebook by clicking here.

Buffalo Marathon: A City I Now Know for More Than Just Wings

On By The Running Griffin3 Comments

ImageBuffalo: It’s not just a place with wings.

Having never been to Buffalo before, I was excited to check out a new city and even better run a marathon in a new location. It’s always a great way to check out a city by running a race there as you get the opportunity to see different sites, neighborhoods and the faces of a city that you otherwise might not be able to see. The folks at the Buffalo Marathon put on a remarkable race that featured an amazing course, excellent race support along the marathon route, fans cheering in the various neighborhoods we ran through and an all around great marathon experience.

On Saturday it was off to the race expo which was hosted at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. The expo featured the bib number pickup and with a number of 123 on my bib perhaps it was a sign that the marathon was going to go well. The expo featured some charity tables, some local business tables, a section selling racing gear and other booths for runners to check out. I was lucky enough to be able to get a stretch and ART introduction from Zelasko Soft Tissue & Spine where the doctor focused on trying to loosen up my hip flexors to allow for better mobility.

After the expo we made our way over to Pearl Street Grill and Brewery where we had lunch which for me featured a ham sandwich on a big, bulky roll coupled with a pint of their Belgian white style microbrew. The rest of Saturday we spent over at Walden Galleria which was a large mall area where we also grabbed a great pasta dinner at Bravo and watched the first period of the Bruins playoff game before heading back to the hotel to watch the rest of the game and falling asleep nice and early to get a good rest for the marathon.

On Marathon morning it was up early to head to Starbucks and grab a croissant and a black coffee along with a group of other runners before we made our way over to the starting corral. The security at the starting line was well-done as runners only were allowed into the starting area. My wife took my coat and the rest of my belongings and headed out onto the course to be able to catch me at various parts along the race.

The first 5k of the race made its way out of the downtown area out toward an area near the Peace Bridge. It was pretty cool to see a sign while running that said “Canada: Next Right” and as we passed the 5k point it was running along the Niagara River which is off of Great Lake Erie. It was a really nice stretch of flat running along the water with an area called Lasalle Park on the left hand side of runners, as well.

The next stretch of the race was through a marina section that also hugged the water and through a residential area that looked like condos and townhouses. Right around the 10k mark there was a great  crowd of supporters cheering runners on and I saw my wife here as it was a strategic point to watch the race since it also was at the 20k mark.

I then made my way past the First Niagara Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres. This area was slightly under construction for just a bit but then runners made their way out to a relatively older, industrial section of town. There were a handful of up and down hills mixed in during these miles as you climbed uphill over some bridged roads. After making a loop, runners traversed back toward the First Niagara Center and back toward the 20k mark where I was able to see my wife amongst the fans once again. There was a slight uphill into the 13 mile marker where half-marathons split to the left and hearty marathoners such as myself headed right. Just past the half-marathon mark was some of the most amazing watermelon I have ever had; not sure if it was just because I needed some fuel or if it was in fact really that good.

The second half of the marathon was by far my favorite part. We made our way past Forest Lawn Cemetery, which on Memorial Day weekend certainly seemed apropos as flags marking headstones waved in the small breeze that helped to cool runners as we made our way past.

The Delaware Park section of the race was a nice loop around a public park that featured plenty of people running, walking, playing golf and just enjoying the beautiful weather that Buffalo ordered up for marathon weekend. At Mile 17 I took a preventative Tylenol along with my water and Gatorade which seemed to be a good idea and helped some twinges I felt in my ankle and just above my knees.

The next stretch of the race was in an area of residential streets and one of the fans was welcoming runners to “North Buffalo” as we made our way past. The support in this section was really nice with a lot of families out clapping and cheering runners along. The support was really sincere and much appreciated.

Another excellent stretch of running was around the Albright-Knox Art Gallery where the volunteers from Team Neurofibromatosis staffed the water station and cheered us along. After passing that water stop it was onto a parkway stretch of road where an idyllic tree belt separated residential street made for some really enjoyable running. There were plenty of cool houses to look at, plenty of people clapping you on and kudos to the combination of Buffalo Police officers and volunteers who controlled the traffic at busy intersections to allow runners to pass through with ease.

After a rather nice uphill mixed in to keep runners honest between miles 24 and 25, as soon as I saw the Walgreens on the corner of Delaware Avenue I knew I was home free as my hotel was directly next to the Walgreens and I had walked to the starting area earlier that morning. A final water station managed by Team RWB gave me a final cup of water I needed to make it the final 1.2 miles. The road started to descend downhill as I made my way back into the downtown area. After a little loop around Niagara Square, the mile 26 marker was seen and I knew it was time to make that final last little push. The final .2 miles seemed like a blur and as I crossed the finish line I couldn’t help but feel the emotion of joy coupled with a certain sense of exhaustion come over me. I knew I had run well, just didn’t think I did that well.

I finished the Buffalo Marathon with a time of 4:11:10 (9:35/miles), which is close to 40 minutes better than my PR for marathons. I have been training a lot and as goes the saying, “Hard work pays off.” The training regimen coupled with a great course and the encouraging fans made the Buffalo Marathon one of the best races I have ever done.

I can’t thank the people of Buffalo enough for welcoming me to their city and to the race directors of the Buffalo Marathon for putting on an amazingly well-organized and well-orchestrated marathon. I hope to be back in the future and hope you might consider joining me!

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