Ryan Hall's Blog, page 214

Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll Lisbon Marathon EDP

The 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll Lisbon Marathon EDP and Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon Santander Totta RTP – IAAF Gold Label Road Races—were held in the Portuguese capital on Sunday, October 2. Featuring one of the most scenic marathon courses in world, the race begins in the seaside city of Cascais and follows  along the coast where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Tagus River, touring the heart of old Lisbon and finishing at Parque das Nações, the location of the 1998 World Exposition. (Credit PhotoRun.net)

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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2016 Rock n Roll Lisbon Marathon

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The post Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll Lisbon Marathon EDP appeared first on Competitor.com.

Photos: Rock ‘n’ Roll Queretaro 5k

The inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Querétaro Marathon attracted more than 15,000 runners competing in a marathon, half-marathon, 10k and 5k races. Querétaro is a colonial city located in north-central Mexico, about 130 miles northwest of Mexico City and has a metropolitan area of 1 million residents. Race weekend kicked off with a 5k on Saturday night, followed by the marathon, half-marathon and 10k on Sunday morning.  (Credit Ryan Bethke)

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Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon






Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll Lisbon Marathon EDP







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Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose 5k




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The post Photos: Rock ‘n’ Roll Queretaro 5k appeared first on Competitor.com.

Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Kids Rock

California’s fastest half marathon, the 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon took place in downtown San Jose on Sunday, Oct. 2. Race weekend featured more than 17,000 runners participating in two-days of running with a 5k and Kids Races taking place on Saturday, followed by 10k and half-marathon on Sunday.  Local bands performed along the streets of San Jose, joining spectators and high school cheerleading teams lining the route to motivate runners to the finish line. Upon finishing at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, participants are invited to relax and celebrate with family and friends as headliner Rouge Wave took the stage for the Toyota Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series Concert. (Credit PhotoRun.net)

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2016 Rock 'n' Roll San Jose Kids Rock

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2016 Rock 'n' Roll San Jose Kids Rock

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2016 Rock 'n' Roll San Jose Kids Rock

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2016 Rock 'n' Roll San Jose Kids Rock

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2016 Rock 'n' Roll San Jose Kids Rock

Related Galleries



Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon






Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll Lisbon Marathon EDP







Photos: Rock ‘n’ Roll Queretaro 5k






Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose 5k




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The post Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Kids Rock appeared first on Competitor.com.

Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose 5k

California’s fastest half marathon, the 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon took place in downtown San Jose on Sunday, Oct. 2. Race weekend featured more than 17,000 runners participating in two-days of running with a 5k and Kids Races taking place on Saturday, followed by 10k and half-marathon on Sunday.  Local bands performed along the streets of San Jose, joining spectators and high school cheerleading teams lining the route to motivate runners to the finish line. Upon finishing at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, participants are invited to relax and celebrate with family and friends as headliner Rouge Wave took the stage for the Toyota Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series Concert. (Credit PhotoRun.net)

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2016 Rock 'n' Roll San Jose 5k

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2016 Rock 'n' Roll San Jose 5k

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2016 Rock 'n' Roll San Jose 5k

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2016 Rock 'n' Roll San Jose 5k

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2016 Rock 'n' Roll San Jose 5k

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2016 Rock 'n' Roll San Jose 5k

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2016 Rock 'n' Roll San Jose 5k

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2016 Rock 'n' Roll San Jose 5k

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2016 Rock 'n' Roll San Jose 5k

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2016 Rock 'n' Roll San Jose 5k

Related Galleries



Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon






Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll Lisbon Marathon EDP







Photos: Rock ‘n’ Roll Queretaro 5k






Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Kids Rock




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The post Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose 5k appeared first on Competitor.com.

Can You Beat The Blerch?!

There is no shortage of fitness apps out there motivating you to run. But funnily enough, there are no apps acknowledging the fact that sometimes you simply don’t want to.

Until now.

Welcome to the first app that demotivates you: Beat the Blerch. Beat the Blerch is an infinite running game like no other. Because it has donuts. And it periodically insults you, and the horse you rode in on.

It’s game is based on the blobby character, and race series originated by Matthew Inman. Creator of The Oatmeal and author of the best-selling book The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances. It’s no secret we’re big fans of Matthew. Last year we had the opportunity to bring his personal story to life through our Seeker Series, which featured his now famous character, The Blerch.

The Blerch represents every runner’s inner desire to skip a run, grab a bag of cheese doodles, and slump it on the couch. He follows you around pretending to be a pal when deep down all he wants is someone to share a bucket of lard with.

The Blerch: An imaginary creature representing your darkest, most sloth-like desires to take it easy, skip your run, and eat all the cake you can get your hands on.

You: The runner. You must somehow summon the motivation to keep running to stay one step ahead of the Blerch. Avoid all the giant donuts, big slurp fountains and beer krakens (yes, beer krakens) he throws in your way to stop you.

And the demotivation continues outside the game. With original, occasionally hysterical, messages and notifications from the Blerch to you. Demotivating you from working out and encouraging you to sit down, binge watch TV and eat some cake. Eat the whole damn thing.

Do you have the fortitude to withstand the temptation, and stick to your run? Or will you be lured into a Mayonnaise Hell Pit (yes, it’s a thing).

Download the game and tell us what you think!

 

The post Can You Beat The Blerch?! appeared first on Competitor.com.

Can You Beat The Blerch!

There is no shortage of fitness apps out there motivating you to run. But funnily enough, there are no apps acknowledging the fact that sometimes you simply don’t want to.

Until now.

Welcome to the first app that demotivates you: Beat the Blerch. Beat the Blerch is an infinite running game like no other. Because it has donuts. And it periodically insults you, and the horse you rode in on.

It’s game is based on the blobby character, and race series originated by Matthew Inman. Creator of The Oatmeal and author of the best-selling book The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances. It’s no secret we’re big fans of Matthew. Last year we had the opportunity to bring his personal story to life through our Seeker Series, which featured his now famous character, The Blerch.

The Blerch represents every runner’s inner desire to skip a run, grab a bag of cheese doodles, and slump it on the couch. He follows you around pretending to be a pal when deep down all he wants is someone to share a bucket of lard with.

The Blerch: An imaginary creature representing your darkest, most sloth-like desires to take it easy, skip your run, and eat all the cake you can get your hands on.

You: The runner. You must somehow summon the motivation to keep running to stay one step ahead of the Blerch. Avoid all the giant donuts, big slurp fountains and beer krakens (yes, beer krakens) he throws in your way to stop you.

And the demotivation continues outside the game. With original, occasionally hysterical, messages and notifications from the Blerch to you. Demotivating you from working out and encouraging you to sit down, binge watch TV and eat some cake. Eat the whole damn thing.

Do you have the fortitude to withstand the temptation, and stick to your run? Or will you be lured into a Mayonnaise Hell Pit (yes, it’s a thing).

Download the game and tell us what you think!

 

The post Can You Beat The Blerch! appeared first on Competitor.com.

Hall Headlines Fast American Field at Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon

California’s fastest half-marathon returns to the Bay Area this weekend with more than 17,000 entrants. Photo: PhotoRun.net

Thirty-three-year-old elite American runner Sara Hall is raising four kids with husband and former elite runner Ryan, and now she’s prepping for her third marathon this year. As part of her preparation, the 10-time U.S. national team member will be lacing up her racing flats and toeing the line at the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon on Sunday.

“I feel really excited for the opportunity to race in San Jose,” says Hall, who graduated from nearby Stanford University where she was a 10-time All-American. “My family and I are making a weekend out of the race, my daughter will be running the Stanford Invitational the day before.”

The Halls adopted their four daughters (Hana, Mia, Jasmine, and Lily) from Ethiopia in the fall of 2015.

“It’s going to be special and meaningful for me,” she said, “We are also going to take the girls to where we got married in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I feel great and think it will be a fantastic opportunity to run fast on a flat course. I’m going to take advantage of that.”

Hall has been continuing to improve her performance, having set a personal best in the half marathon (1:10:07) in Houston back in January. She’s using the San Jose to tune up for the TCS New York City Marathon on Nov. 6.

“I felt good at Houston and it made me excited to run another fast course. I have an idea in my mind with what I want to run on Sunday, but it really comes down to getting in a really good effort. I love the half. It’s my favorite distance right now. It feels like a treat.”

Currently Hall’s marathon PR is 2:30:06—which is the fourth fastest time in the country this year, behind this year’s U.S. Olympic marathon trio of Amy Cragg, Desi Linden and Shalane Flanagan.

“I’m excited for New York. I’ve made some improvements  in my strength this year, I’m more focused on competing well than being concerned with he time, because the course is challenging.”

Hall has run in San Jose a few times, competing in the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot, but this weekend is her first time running the famed Rock ‘n’ Roll event.

“I love music,” she says. “Sometimes I wish I could race with headphones on. Music gives me a boost and I miss that in many races where there’s no entertainment like I’m sure I’ll see on Sunday.”

The concept of running and sports in the Hall family isn’t limited to Sara. Her husband, Ryan, an American Olympian, continues to train, as do her daughters. “Running looks different now,” she says. “I’ve had to wrap my mind around it after doing the same thing for 10 years. My running fits in the context of my family. Everyone is in sports. Not any one person is the sole focus.”

Expected to compete for the win against Hall will be Kenya’s Sally Kipyego, who owns an Olympic silver medal from the 10,000m event back in 2012. Other elite entries in the women’s half-marathon division include Americans Amy Schnittger and Molly Friel.

Sunday’s half-marathon features six American men with sub-64 minute personal best times and two other contenders who are making their 13.1-mile debut. Headlining the field is Shadrack Biwott (61:24), Patrick Smyth (62:01), Scott Macpherson (62:56), Fernando Cabada (62:00), Tyler McCandless (63:16), Daniel Tapia (63:39), Ryan Dohner (Debut) and Matthew Leach (Debut).

Further back in the pack on Saturday and Sunday will be thousands of other runners taking part in a series of exciting races in San Jose. Besides the half marathon, a 10K kicks off on at 8:00 am Sunday, and the day before, two more events (the Kids Rock and the 5K) will fill downtown San Jose with bands and cheering.

The flat, fast courses start and finish in downtown San Jose and is ideal for runners seeking to achieve their personal best. The event is home to both of the current California state half-marathon records: 1:00:22, set by Kenya’s Duncan Kibet in 2006, and 1:09:17, established by Silvia Skortsova of Russia in 2006, earning the title of California’s fastest half-marathon.

Event weekend gets underway with a Health & Fitness Expo at the San Jose Convention Center. Race registration is available at the Expo on Friday, September 30 from 1:30 pm to 6:00 pm and Saturday, October 2, from 9:30am to 5:00pm. The free Expo is open to the public and will showcase the latest in running products, services and free samples as all registered runners pick up their race number.

Rock ‘n’ Roll festivities begin with the Health and Fitness expo on Friday. The weekend will end when finish-line festival headliner Rogue Wave, an indie band from nearby Oakland, takes to the stage. As with all Rock ‘n’ Roll races, there will be no shortage of entertainment along the route.

The post Hall Headlines Fast American Field at Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon appeared first on Competitor.com.

Sprinter Usain Bolt Races James Corden and Owen Wilson

James Corden, host of The Late Late Show, challenges 9-time Olympic gold medalist and 100-meter dash world-record holder Usain Bolt, actor Owen Wilson and The Late Late Show staff to a 100-meter race in the CBS Television City parking lot to find out who is truly the world’s fastest man. Check out this hilarious video!

The post Sprinter Usain Bolt Races James Corden and Owen Wilson appeared first on Competitor.com.

Shoe Of The Week: New Balance Fresh Foam Gobi Trail

The New Balance Fresh Foam Gobi Trail is a versatile shoe with a bit of street style.

New Balance has put out great, lightweight trail shoes for a long time. But it’s also found a lot of crossover cred to some of its performance-oriented shoes in recent years, too. This new model is a legit moderately cushioned trail shoe, but it also gained some buzz for its lifestyle appeal too, thanks to its one-piece gum-rubber outsole and sleek two-layer upper. It’s perhaps best understood as a close cousin of the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante 2 road shoe with a little bit more traction from a low-profile knobby outsole tread. While it can suffice for semi-technical singletrack trails, it’s most at home running smooth dirt trails, gravel roads and those types of runs that have a bit of trail and roads. Like the Zante 2, it has a snug, performance-oriented fit and a cushioning profile that feels low to the ground but in reality has a sensible amount of foam underfoot. It’s equally fast and light and can run at just about any speed. But given the snug fit and modest cushioning, its sweet spot is running mild to moderate terrain for an hour or less. And there’s no denying that it looks cool and passes the “looks good with jeans” test. Plus, you can’t beat the price—it’s under a hundred bucks! For all those reasons, we gave it our Best Value award in the 2016 Fall Trail Running Shoe Buyer’s Guide in the October issue of Competitor.

This is the shoe for you if … You’re looking for a versatile shoe that’s good for all kinds of running and fun to wear around casually.

Price: $95

Weights: 8.7 oz. (men’s), 7.2 oz. (women’s)

Heel-Toe Offset: 6mm; 24mm (heel), 18mm (forefoot)

Info: NewBalance.com

RELATED: Shoe Of The Week—Hoka One One Speed Instinct

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Video: ‘Rise of the Sufferfests’ Obstacle Racing Documentary Trailer

Check out the trailer for the “Rise of the Sufferfests,” a new documentary film about obstacle course racing from journalist and avid participant Scott Keneally. In his compelling 94-minute debut film, Keneally examines the history, rapid growth, competitive buzz and sociological factors behind the world’s fastest-growing sport.

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