Category: Race Chronicles

The 2025 ONU Polar Bear Marathon and Half Marathon took place on January 26th at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. This is an indoor race with participants running either 105.5 loops around the 200 meter track for the Half Marathon or 211 loops for the full Marathon.

This is a unique one of a kind opportunity to run an indoor event in a fun atmosphere with music and support on every lap.

The ONU team provides cheering and lap counters for each runner. The aid station is available whenever needed and is never farther than your next lap around the track. Being an indoor event, the track is flat and fast, and the weather is perfect.

This race had an upbeat playlist of great music playing the entire time. The team at ONU made an awesome poster for each finisher.

I finished 9th overall and 3rd Place female in the Half Marathon. I just barely missed my goal of a sub 2 hour finish, with a time of 2:00:38.

Overall this was an extremely fun event. I look forward to running this race again, and plan to come back and attempt the Full Marathon.

May 18, 2024

The Viking Half is hosted by US Road Running Race Club as part of their 2024 Race Series. The Beavercreek edition of this race takes place on the third Saturday of each month.

This race includes a variety of distances for runners to choose from, including a 1mile, 5K, 10K, 15K, or Half Marathon. All races start together at E J Nutter Park and run along the bike path in Beavercreek.

Each race is an out and back to a specific turn around point. The Half Marathon consists of 4 “loops” from the start to the turn around and returning back to the main aid station at the start.

Loop 1:

I won the woman’s race as the first overall female finisher.

Each finisher received a Viking Medal.

This race is part of the series hosted by the US Road Running Race Club. Membership to the club is $49 annually, and members receive half price race registration. After each race, runners are awarded Series Point based on age group finishing place. Points are accumulated throughout the year with the top 3 males and females in each age group receiving a special award at the end of the year.

With 5 Half Marathon age group wins so far this year, I now have 100 points. I am currently in 3rd place in the overall standings for my age group.