The Daily Feed: Sites We're Searching 10/19

Another busy marathon weekend in the books and another round of me perusing the race results and reading up on what went down across the country. That and I'm still catching up from the weekend before where I was wrapped up in my own 26.2 adventure (and I swear that race report is coming, I'm just struggling with making 26.2 miles sound interesting over boring). So here's what's on my radar screen and hit list from the past two weekends.

• Under Armour Baltimore Running Festival. This event has become so large on the East Coast running scene that it turned from marathon/half marathon to festival. With events of all distances, it was all about running through Baltimore on October 10. Check out the results.
  
• Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Flat and fast--so fast that even the cold didn't keep Sammy Wanjiru from setting a course record on October 11. Runners toured the Windy City, packing its streets with foot traffic rather than car traffic, and many scored PRs in the process. Click here for results.
  
• Steamtown Marathon. Smaller in scale than Chicago but not amiss on the running scene, this Scranton, Pa., race is ranked among one of the fastest marathons in the country. And easily accessible for East Coasters, New Englanders and Midwesterners, especially those looking to avoid massive crowds. Find the results here.
  
• Towpath Marathon. Honestly, I hadn't heard of this 26.2 miler until perusing results at active.com. But this event hosts a marathon, half marathon and 10K, and runners flock from all over to participate. I'm guessing that the small field--less than 500 finished the October 11 marathon--is part of the draw. Click here for the results.
• ING Hartford Marathon. Natalie Morales ran this marathon roughly 10 years ago when she first tackled the marathon distance, and many a New Englander will say Hartford is a great spot for fast running (correct me if I'm wrong though). Not to mention, a friend nearly persuaded me to run this race until I realized it conflicted with the Chicago Marathon and since that's in my backyard and I had a participation streak going, I'd opt for the Windy City. But anyway, results can be found here.
• Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon. Until Alanis Morissette ran this race, it was off my radar. But it's a good thing Morissette took the marathon plunge so I could add another race, and a trail one at that, to my marathon memory bank.More results.
  
• Detroit Free Press Marathon. It didn't take The Biggest Loser alumni for me to follow this race--this Motor City event has been a perennial possibility on my calendar since I'd be able to sleep in a familiar bed at my parents' house and have them as my support crew (and I think my mom could convince a few friends to come out too). Not to mention, my hometown race usually falls just one week after Chicago, so I always keep it on the backburner if I'm not set for a Windy City race day. But enough about me, check out how the Biggest Loser crew and others fared on October 18 with these results. And also check out this unfortunate story that I didn't want to find Sunday night.
  
• Grand Rapids Marathon. When the 2007 Chicago Marathon was so hot, runners bailed or struggled to cross the finish line with dignity (wait, that was me), some scurried home to find another race to register for. Grand Rapids beckoned not just for the close proximity to Chicago both in mileage and timing but for the bargain race free (I can't remember exactly but it may have been free if you had your Chicago bib). Anyway, it hasn't lost popularity and remains on the small-town radar. Check out the October 18 results.
  
• Columbus Marathon. Home of the last-chance marathon to qualify for Boston in February, the capital of Ohio also boasts this October event. It's gained a reputation for being yet another fast course and produces a bevy of Boston qualifiers. See how the runners fared at its 30th running here.
• Denver Marathon. If you're a sea-level runner, it might not an easy task to take on a marathon at altitude in the Mile-High city. But that doesn't stop the masses from trying, and getting a tour of Denver in the process. Click here for the results.
  
• Mount Desert Island Marathon. I wish I could say I know something about this event but I only read about while screwing around on active.com and marathonguide.com researching an assignment I'm working on. But I will say it must be pretty scenic since it takes place around Bar Harbor, Maine, which draws tourists for nearby whale-watching and a little R&R. Check out the results.
• Indianapolis Marathon. I always forget about this race because of the popularity of this city's spring half marathon that gains a massive crowd, sells out way too quickly and includes a lap on the Indy 500 speedway, but yet this is no small race either with more than 5,900 participants last year and a race cap of 6,500.
  
• Humboldt Redwoods Marathon. Again, never heard of this one but if I want to judge a book by its cover I'd say it sounds like a scenic adventure. OK, I'd probably say that about any California race--my cousin warned me that the California International Marathon is far from exciting when comparing it to New York and Boston, but I was soakingit all in--but with redwood in its title I can only imagine running among those towering trees. Alas, check out these results.
  
• Nike Women's Marathon. Liz was a last-minute entry into the half marathon portion of this race (check out her race report) and I always wish it didn't immediately follow Chicago so that I could head to San Francisco to conquer--or flounder on--the hills. But I do it with a smile on my face just to check out the girl power at this mostly female crowd, shop the expo and witness the finish line where men dressed in tuxedos hand out Tiffany boxes filled with a unique necklace to all the finishers. Click here for the race results and runner photos.

And if these races weren't enough, there are even more to follow with big name Marine Corps Marathon up next weekend and the ING New York City Marathon after that. I might be kicking back now that my marathon is done but at least I have a ton of events to keep my eyes busy until the next time I lace up my running shoes, which might be a while (I think I earned it though).

Photo grabbed from zurnaly at flickr.com. Posted by Kate