Brian Rock 
The Presidential Fitness Test is a core memory for many Americans, especially if you’re a millenial or Gen X. For decades, we participated in an annual ritual that included, among other things, a mile run. The standardized test was phased out in the 2010’s, but it’s been back in the news since the president announced … Read more
You hear anecdotes here and there. Maybe you noticed your local marathon sell out earlier than usual. But it’s easy to lose the forest for the trees. Is this part of a broader trend where marathons are selling out faster than ever? Yes. Yes, it is. I first noticed this last year with a few … Read more
This is another project that’s been on my to do list for too long. Back in early 2024, I built an age grade calculator that calculated actual age grades for marathon performances along with a runner’s position (percentile) within the distribution of all finish times for their age group. I updated that calculator in early … Read more
A couple years back, I wrote an article about how finish times across different race distances can highlight a runner’s strengths and weaknesses. I used a particular runner’s post on Reddit as an example to highlight how with a relatively weak half marathon time – compared to predictions based on shorter events – would also … Read more
Feature image by David Lisnard on Wikimedia Commons – CC BY SA-4.0 When I started collecting and analyzing data on marathons a couple years ago, Paris was not on my radar at all. I mostly paid attention to American races, along with the international races that were part of the Majors. But Paris is a … Read more
This morning, I ran the Jersey City Marathon – for the fourth time. I ran the inaugural race in 2023, and it’s become my go to spring race. It’s close to home, so it doesn’t require significant travel. That also means there are lots of friends and acquaintances who either run, spectate, or volunteer. And … Read more
Are you the kind of person who likes a good challenge? Do you finish all the side quests in games and try to earn all of the achievements? Well if you’re a runner, there’s a similar way to incorporate this obsessive tendency into your running: run every street in town. I’d seen people talk about … Read more
When I was younger, I’ll admit that I was a fair weather runner. I often picked things up in the spring and tapered off in the late fall. This minimized my discomfort – and also severely limited my long term development as a runner. In the spring of 2020, I got back into running. I … Read more
Feature image from Governor Healy on Flickr. This week, the Boston Athletic Association released the entry list for the 2026 Boston Marathon. Athletes can log into Athletes’ Village to see their corral assignment, but that isn’t publicly available. The only information in the searchable entry list is a runner’s name, age, city, state, country of … Read more
Feature photo by Sgt. Chancellor Reynolds – Public Domain The 2025 Marine Corps Marathon was the 50th anniversary of the event, and it was larger than ever. The women’s winner, Tessa Barrett, set a new course record. But after word got out that her time – 2:34:08 – wasn’t actually going to qualify her for … Read more