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Beautiful downhill marathons and half marathons that will take your breath away. Use #runrevel to be featured! Registration below ⬇️

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Every instinct in a marathon screams at you to bank time early. Doing the exact opposite was terrifying.

At mile 9, the math in Nathan’s head was completely broken. He was running slower than his target pace, watching seconds tick away, and fighting the urge to surge.

Coach Paul Carmona’s entire strategy for downhill racing at REVEL Race Series’ Big Bear Marathon comes down to discipline: protect your quads early, ignore the urge to hammer, and stay comfortable being behind pace for the first third of the race.

Trusting someone else’s plan when your own panic is kicking in is the hardest part of endurance sports.

The result? Negative splits, an all-time PR of 3:02:57, and a Boston Qualifier on marathon #30.

We sat down with Coach Paul to break down the exact downhill course strategy, how to train for descent even if you live somewhere completely flat, and how to handle the mental game of pacing.

🎧 Full interview is live now on Marrying Your Passions: The DINK Travel & Adventure Podcast (Link in bio).

#marathontraining #bostonqualifier #BQ #downhillrunning runnersofinstagram

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The beach helps you escape. A mountain race helps you become 👇
Stronger on the climbs.
Steadier when it’s hard.
Prouder at the finish.

Your 2027 mountain lineup:
🏔️ Grand Teton | June 4–5
🏔️ Glacier | June 26
🏔️ Mount Rainier | July 16–17
🏔️ Rocky Mountain | Aug 6-7
🏔️ Black Hills | Aug/Sept
🏔️ Big Cottonwood | Sept 11

Shot in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Comment the mountain you’re climbing next.

#VacationRaces #mountainrunning #halfmarathon #BigCottonwood

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Post the run. Post the finish line. Post the messy middle. You never know who’s watching and quietly getting inspired.

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Long overdue recap of marathon #8 for me- the Revel Cottonwood in Salt Lake City, Utah. I’m glad I ran my fall marathon in September since I’ve had a lot of busy weekend travels since. My finish time was 3:12:24, my second fastest to Vegas. While I always aim to PR, it was an especially hot day and hard with the altitude, so I’m happy with how much I pushed myself (to the point where I had to get an IV in the med tent immediately post race). As you can see in my splits if you scroll right, I was feeling great up until mile 18 and had to dig really deep in the last miles that felt like death. This time around, I thought I properly carb-loaded (and ate my practiced pre-race pasta from @noodlesandcompany ). The race was on a Saturday, and I flew home that night. Sunday, I had a relaxing spa day at @thepeninsulachi to kickstart recovery with an incredible massage and facial followed by dinner at the best steakhouse in the US (!) @asadorbastian 😋 Overall, the views of the sun rising in the mountains were amazing on course, and I’d recommend this race to others. I stayed at a Marriott super close to the bus pick up to the start line in Murray. Now I’m 1 marathon closer to my goal of 50 by the age of 50. 💪

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We waited 30 marathons and 2,160 miles of training for this shot, and the universe had other plans. 💀

Nathan had just dropped 5,000 feet down REVEL Race Series’ Big Bear Marathon to finally hit his Boston Qualifying time. Alicia was in prime position past the timing mat, phone locked, ready to capture the triumphant scream at marathon number 30.

A moment a decade in the making.

And then… an accidental front-row photobomb completely blocked the lens at the exact second he crossed the line. 🤦‍♂️

The scream is there. The milestone is real. The cinematic proof? Lost to someone else’s running shirt.

Hear the full, hilarious breakdown of how our race day unfolded on Episode 29 of Marrying Your Passions: The DINK Travel and Adventure Podcast (link in bio).

#bostonqualifier #runningfail #photobomb #runningcouple #dinklifestyle

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Wish you were here. In 2027, you can be.  Big Cottonwood Canyon in early morning light, with aspens turning gold, an entire switchback full of runners, and views at every bend.

The 2027 waitlist is open: early access, the lowest price of the year, and savings of up to $59.

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Alicia had never raced farther than a 10K. Nathan had run 29 marathons without qualifying for Boston. One morning on one mountain changed both.

November 13, 2021, at REVEL Race Series’ Big Bear. Alicia finished her very first half marathon, then pretended she needed to rest in the recovery chairs for almost an hour just so she’d be right at the finish line when Nathan came in. He crossed in 3:02:50 on marathon number 30. Boston qualified!

The full story is on the blog now: the year of training, scouting the finish the day before, the speed bump that nearly took Alicia out, mile 15, and how we celebrated after. We also included everything you need to know if you’re running Big Bear this November 7.

Comment RECAP and we’ll send you the blog post.

#revelbigbear #bostonqualifier #firsthalfmarathon #runningcouple #dinktravel

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Serendipitous September

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After having to cancel several trips in the past month due to health issues, missing an engagement party, a wedding, and having to DNS several races, I’m happy to finally be traveling to Wichita, Kansas for the 50 States Half Marathon Club Annual Meetup and the Prairie Fire Half Marathon! Please keep me in your prayers as I travel and especially for the race on Sunday (which I will have to walk since the cancer is kicking my butt right now and I’m unable to run). 🙏
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and many law enforcement agencies wear these pink patches on their uniforms in support. Thanks to Fresno Airport Police Officer Mendoza, I was able to obtain one of those patches today! 💕 Thank you very much for your kindness! 😊
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Looking forward to seeing friends from all over the country in Wichita!
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#breastcancerawarenessmonth #50stateshalfmarathonclub #travelingsistas #pinkpatchproject #metastaticbreastcancerwarrior

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The day before a goal race matters almost as much as race day itself.

Before @runrevel Race Series’ Big Bear in 2021, we did four things: Nathan got in a short shakeout run (his streak wasn’t taking a day off), Alicia kept her legs fresh and found some shade, and together we drove to the finish line in Redlands to see it, walk it, and picture crossing it the next day.

Seeing the finish ahead of time made race morning feel less unknown, and those few minutes of visualizing came back to Nathan in the final mile.

Save this for your next goal race. And comment BIG BEAR if you want to hear how it all turned out.

#revelbigbear #marathontraining #racedayprep #runningtips #runningcouple

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two marathons. three weeks apart. one second apart.

i started this year with a 4:30 goal and really committed to my training, but running ended up giving me so much more than a faster time. it gave me structure, something to work toward, and something that helped me through a harder year.

i’m really proud of the 4:24, but even more proud of how strong and prepared i felt getting there. Big Cottonwood and St. George are two very different courses, and being able to run them just three weeks apart and finish within one second of each other is something i’m really proud of.

two very different courses, three weeks apart, and one second apart 🏔️☀️❤️‍🔥🤭

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One of us was about to run marathon number 30. The other had never raced farther than a 10K.

That was us in November 2021, the day before the REVEL Big Bear Marathon and Half Marathon, with no idea how the weekend would end.

Episode 29 is out now. Our Big Bear story: Nathan’s 30th marathon, Alicia’s very first half, and a love letter to REVEL before its last Big Bear on November 7.

Want to hear how it ends? Comment BIG BEAR and we’ll send the episode straight to your DMs.

#revelbigbear #runningcouple #marathontraining #bostonqualifier #dinktravel

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