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6118 participants ran the 118th Around the Bay 30K, not counting walkers who started an hour earlier and relay teams. This is a race where there are constantly runners around me, either passing me or passed by me. Not only that, spectators and volunteers lined up almost throughout the course, except on sections where only vehicles were allowed. Hamiltonians go out of their ways to support us: putting up signs, cheering, setting up unsanctioned water stations, handing out orange slices, high-fives, live music...Although Hamilton is known for its poverty and brokenness, I've came to know and experience the most generous and loving people in this city. I arrived and parked with well over an hour to spare only to find that I'm not as early as I thought. Copps Coliseum was packed already. Two of my friends, Christine and Julie from Runner's Den  were running it as well and I met up with them at the 55 section, our usual spot for ATB. I still remember my first run with them a...

Pictures say it all. Here are our pre-race clean and sparkling shoes: Here are our battered post-race shoes: I'll admit that the mud did add to the fun even though I wasn't very fond of it, especially when it's on my body. Rain started pouring down when we were waiting around at race start. Turned out other than getting soaked, the rain kept the temperature down and was perfect for running. The original course included a greenway section that was flooded, so they changed the course to doing a loop around the lake, and then an out-and-back on part of the loop.  The trail condition deteriorated quite a bit for the second half of the race after all the rain and beatings. I found myself dancing around mud holes while trying to stay balanced and plant my feet properly. Although that probably slowed me down a bit, at least I was never bored. Going into the race as a training run, my friend Brian Boyle from Gaston Rehab Associates suggested me to try negative-split the...

Did I think I could run for 24 hours? No! But I entered the Woods Ferry 24 Hour Ultra Trail Run anyway and came out finishing my first ultra in the least expected and unplanned way. For one, I didn't sign up until a week ago. And I didn't even think I could finish a marathon distance. Let alone an ultra. Woods Ferry 24 Hour is a low-key trail race organized and directed by Terri Hayes, who started the South Carolina Ultra Trail Series. Four years into its existence, the series now offer five races featuring various distances in different forests throughout SC. The best of all? They are all free events. No frills, no chip-timing, and no t-shirts. Only labors of love, fully-stocked aid stations, unique finisher's award, and good times. The race didn't start until 4 p.m., but I arrived early to set up my tent. Terri briefed us about the course 15 minutes prior to start. It's a lollipop-shaped course which consists of a 1.3 mile out-and-back connecting to a 4.5 ...

Little Uno Big Deuce is a one or two mile swim at Jordan Lake, and is part of  the Triangle Open Water Mile Swim Series in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. It is also my first open water event and my first two-miler. Leading up to it, I've been uneasy about my ability to swim two miles continuously in murky water, no black line, and no end in sight. My fear is later confirmed that open water swimming is almost a different animal than pool swim.  But what I didn't account for was the new experience that I was about to engage and the excitement of it. Arriving at Jordan Lake a little after 6 a.m., the sun has just risen above the horizon. An hour later, I found myself lining up at knee-high water with the rest of the big deuce (two mile) group, waiting for the big moment to come. My race strategy is to copy the people in front of me. They run, I run. They start to drop into the water and swim. I do the same. And the rest of my plan is summed up in two words: keep swimming. ...