2017 Shawnee Marathon Recap

As many of you know by now, this was our second year of ownership of the Shawnee Marathon and we took away many unforgettable memories of the 2017 edition. Here is a recap of this year’s Shawnee Marathon. 

As before, we have the full Marathon and Half-Marathon option. We decided to add a 10K option as well this year in an effort to boost the turnout numbers. I thought the 10K went well and we will likely return that distance in 2018. This year’s event featured runners from multiple states including Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Washington, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Ohio, Colorado and New Mexico. We have had participants from other countries in the past, but not in 2017.

We will be running a series of poll questions in the near future on the Shawnee Marathon Facebook page. We are considering making some minor changes to a few things and would love participant feedback.  If you have the time, please respond to those poll questions as that will allow us to make a more informed decision.

As you know, we are a certified Boston Qualification course. It was exciting to see several qualifying times were posted this year. Congrats to those of you that qualified if you wish to pursue entry into the Boston Marathon. The qualifying times and registration process can be found by clicking here.

The 2017 Shawnee Marathon photos have been posted on the “Photos” page of the website. We have posted photos that we took, some that others took and have shared and also the link to the event photographer Jeff Jones’ gallery. If you haven’t already seen the official results, they are posted on the “Results” page. 

I was able to witness the joyful tears on the face of a participant who completed her very first Marathon followed by a hug from her friend who waited at the finish line. We saw the emotional moment of proud young children hanging a finisher’s medal around their Dad’s neck as he crossed the finish. As the Race Director, I was thrilled to see one of my employees, Michelle Pearl, complete the Half-Marathon that she had worked hard to achieve. We were able to witness Elizabeth Morgan and her rescue dog Bella complete the Marathon together at a great time of 4:03:20! You can find more about Bella’s story in previous blog posts on this site. 

One of the most exciting things that happened at this year’s Marathon was watching Dave Jones finish the race as he inches closer to setting a world record in the Guinness World Record history books. I was able to spend some time with Dave post race and learn more about his story. Dave is going for the “50 + 7” record. What does that mean you might ask? Dave is attempting to complete a Marathon in all fifty states as well as on all seven continents in a years time. In late January 2017, Dave became 1 of only 4 people in history to ever run official, public marathons on all 7 continents in less than 7 consecutive days (166 hours, 54 minutes, and 11 seconds to be exact)! Dave had to catch a flight out of St. Louis after the race because he was competing in another Marathon in Cape Cod, MA. the next day (10/29/17). You can read about Dave’s story by visiting his website at this link – Click Here.

The course records for the Marathon, both male and female, and Half-Marathon, both male and female, were broke this year. Congrats to the four of you on that accomplishment!

The 2018 edition of the race will be October 27th. Log it in your calendars now! We will soon be releasing the registration for 2018 and providing a discount code for this year’s participants. The Shawnee Marathon was named the fifth best road race in the State of Illinois in 2017. Together, we can grow it bigger and better in 2018 and maybe climb up that list a little further.