Often times I ask runners how they got to a race. How did you get to Boston? Big Sur? Most of the time they’ll tell me they took a car to the airport and then a taxi to the hotel and after too long of a walk and getting lost, they arrived at the race expo.

Alexis Garcia of Miami took quite a different journey to get to the Big Sur Marathon and it all started sixteen years ago when he arrived on the shores of Miami in a kayak He came to American pursuing a better life than what he had in Cuba. Back on the island he met up with a man he hardly knew. It was a 55-hour , 90-mile journey. He didn’t find out that the other guy didnt’ even know how to swim until they were well away form shore in the tandem kayak. The 30-year old Alexis just knew how to survive. He didn’t know anything about running but now, the 46-year-old P.E. teacher and his wife Marlene are not only living the American Dream, they are loving it and are active in their local running community. Just before Big Sur, Alexis ran the Paris Marathon and two weeks later he did the Keys 100 miler back in Florida. Alexis recently heard from the American man who rescued them. This man would go out on his airplane and search for rafts, boats etc.. fleeing Cuba.   He is now up in age and told Alexis he wanted  him to have the photos he took when they were rescued. Alexis had never seen these pictures.I can’t wait to see them myself. I think Alexis has got a book’s worth of stories to share and it doesn’t end with his arrival in Florida.

Next weekend, Saturday May 9th is the 3rd annual Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon and 2-Person Relay. The race is sold out but you can still come to Santa Barbara and be athletic – do a bike ride thru wine country with me on Friday, the day before the race.

http://www.runsantaynez.com

Wine Country Half Marathon
“Course Preview” Cycling Tour
with Bart Yasso of Runners World

   
Friday, May 8^th, 2009
Half Marathon “Course Preview” Cycling Tour w/Lunch includes:

• Two Hour Leisure Guided Cycling Tour along the route of the Wine Country Half Marathon
• Professional Tour Guides
• Gourmet Picnic Lunch & Wine Tasting at Rusack Winery.
• Includes guest host Bart Yasso, author, endurance athlete, and Travel Writer from Runners World Magazine.
• Bike rentals with helmet & custom water bottles also included
• SAG vehicle & mechanical support available
• Distance = 18 miles; flat with some rolling hills.
• Rate = $120.00/person

Cycling Tour Itinerary (with Gourmet Picnic Lunch)

• 11:30 AM

•  
  • Meet at Santa Barbara Wine Country Cycling Tours (SBWCCT) store in Santa Ynez for bike fitting and ride description.
  • Depart on Cycling Tour from race start line in Santa Ynez.
  • Ride along country roads before we reach the quaint town of Los Olivos.   Our ride will continue up a short hill before we descend into the beautiful
  • Ballard Canyon past vineyards and cattle ranches. 
     

• 12:30 PM

•  
  • Arrive at Rusack Winery along Ballard Canyon Road for a gourmet picnic lunch under the shade of the Valley Oak trees on the wood deck over looking the vineyard. 
    
  •  Bart Yasso of Runners World Magazine will share running experiences and discuss tips for running this course during lunch at Rusack.
     
  • Lunch is followed by wine tasting.
     
  • After lunch we will continue a few more miles down Ballard Canyon into Solvang to cross the finish line on Copenhagen Dr. in downtown Solvang and stop in Solvang Park for a quick breather and refreshment.

• 1:30 PM

•  
  • Arrive back at Santa Barbara Wine Country Cycling Tours (SBWCCT) store in Santa Ynez. 
     

Half Marathon “Course Preview” Afternoon Cycling Tour includes:

• Two Hour Leisure Guided Cycling Tour  along the route of the Wine Country Half Marathon
• Professional Tour Guides
• Bike rentals with helmet & custom water bottles also included
• SAG vehicle & mechanical support available
• Distance = 18 miles; flat with some rolling hills.
• Rate = $70.00 / per person

• 2:30 PM

•  
  • Meet at Santa Barbara Wine Country Cycling Tours (SBWCCT) store in Santa Ynez for bike fitting and ride description.
  • Depart on Cycling Tour from race start line in Santa Ynez.
  • Ride along country roads before we reach the quaint town of Los Olivos.   Our ride will continue up a short hill before we descend into the beautiful
  • Ballard Canyon past vineyards and cattle ranches.
  • We will continue a few more miles down Ballard Canyon into Solvang to cross the finish line on Copenhagen Dr. in downtown Solvang and stop in Solvang Park for a quick breather and refreshment.

• 4:00 PM

•  
  • Arrive back at Santa Barbara Wine Country Cycling Tours (SBWCCT) store in Santa Ynez.

 MAKE YOUR RESERVATION TODAY!

To make your reservation contact Corey or Tim at: (888) 557-8687 
or e-mail  info1@winecountrycycling.com

Registration to “Wine Country Half Marathon” is not included and must be done through 
www.destinationraces.com .

The third annual Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon returns to the Santa Ynez Valley this May 2008, by Destination Races.  Located in a spectacular setting within the wine country; this event features a scenic course through rolling hills alongside the majestic San Rafael Mountains. The race starts in Santa Ynez and passes through the town of Los Olivos before finishing on Copenhagen Street in historic Solvang for the Wine & Music Festival. For more information, visit:www.destinationraces.com

Hi Bart,

I saw you this weekend at Big Sur after first having met you in Miami in January. I really enjoyed talking with you and the benefit of hearing your thoughts. Not only were you right about Big Sur being a great marathon, but your advice about running negative splits was spot on. I did the first half in just over 2:02 and sped up the second half. I finished at 3:58. Considering that I did Miami in 4:15 and that this was just my second marathon, I am really happy with my time. Thanks. I couldn’t have done it without you.

Marc

I just posted three links to our three-day seminar scheudle at Boston but here’s a quick run down below. Stop by and introduce yourself!

____________

2009 Boston Marathon Seminars

Friday, April 17, 2009

2:30 –3:00   Film series: Born to Run

3:00-3:45     Film series: Running The Sahara

4:00-4:30     My Life on the Run: Bart Yasso

5:00–5:30     How to Run Your Best Boston Marathon: Tips from the Runner’s World editors: Runner’s World Editors , Amby Burfoot , Warren Greene, Jennifer Van Allen, Dave McGillivray and Josh Nemzer

5:30-7:00     Film Series: Beyond The Epic Run

Saturday, April 18, 2009

9:30-10:00     Film Series: Born to Run

10:00-10:45   Josh Cox:  The Marathon – the final 24 hours.

11:00-11:45   Film Series: Running The Sahara

12:00–1:00    The Hoyt’s:  Team Hoyt “Everybody should be included in everyday life”. Dick and Ricky Hoyt, who finished 26 Boston Marathons together.

1:00–2:00           Boston Legends: Amby Burfoot, 1968 winner; Jack Fultz 1976 winner; Greg Meyer, 1983 winner; Kathrine Switzer and Dick Beardsley

2:30–3:15             How to Run Your Best Boston Marathon:  Tips from the Runner’s World editors: Runner’s World Editors , Amby Burfoot , Warren Greene, Jennifer Van Allen, Dave McGillivray and Josh Nemzer

3:30–4:15      My Life on the Run: Bart Yasso

4:30–6:00      Film series: Beyond The Epic Run

Sunday, April 19, 2009   

9:30–10:00     Film series: Born To Run

10:00-10:45    David Willey, Runner’s World Editor-in-Chief; Boston Real Runners

11:00–11:45    Dick Beardsley: Duel in the Sun

12:00-12:45    My Life on the Run: Bart Yasso

1:00-1:30      Your Mental Marathon: 7 Brain Strategies for Successful Runners:  Jeffery Brown Licensed Psychologist

1:30–2:15     How to Run Your Best Boston Marathon:  Tips from the Runner’s World editors: Runner’s World Editors , Amby Burfoot , Warren Greene, Jennifer Van Allen, Dave McGillivray and Josh Nemzer

2:30-3:15     Film series: Running The Sahara

3:30–4:00    Daniel Lieberman “how and why humans evolved to run marathons.”

4:00-5:30     Film series: Beyond The Epic Run

American Idol is over and I’m packing for Boston as we speak. If you’re going to be in town, stop by one of my seminars and say hi. Below are links to the three day schedule of RW seminars. I’l be be book signing at the end of my  seminars and at various times throughout the 3 days at the RW booth. You can also catch me MCing two Power Bar seminars on the expo floor. The RW seminars will all be in Room 200 on the second floor of the Hynes Convention Center. Stop by and say hi.

Friday, April 17:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=91035615409&ref=mf

Saturday, April 18:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=85379599306

Sunday, April 19: 

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=70140573765

What a terrific weekend in Champaign – at the first ever Illinois Marathon this past Saturday, the day before Easter. I was there – one of the Three Amigos. The other two – Dick Beardsley and GP. We were all over the place – speaking at the expo, expo, pasta diner and announcing at the finish line. What a great event and FAST course – fast, flat and fun. Congrats to all!

This is a piece by Mark Remy on Runner’s World Online, http://rwdaily.runnersworld.com/  

April 07, 2009

iPhone Apps: Have We Been Trying Too Hard?

Mark Remy In case you haven’t heard, apps are white hot. (No, not this kind of app. This kind.) Apple has sold approximately 900 jillion iPhone apps to date, and roughly 3 jillion new apps are being added every single day. Just in the time it takes you to read the phrase “iPhone apps,” according to our estimates, 320 million new apps were created. Feeling overwhelmed yet? So are we. In fact, we here at Runner’s World are feeling so overwhelmed that we don’t even have any apps for sale yet. We’re working on that. But I’m starting to wonder if we aren’t overthinking this iPhone app thing. All along, we’ve been working on the assumption that our apps should be, you know, useful. For instance: an app that creates a marathon training plan for you, then imports it into your calendar, then reminds you when it’s time to run and, oh yeah, that you also might be due for a new pair of shoes, and, hey, click here for a list of specialty running retailers in or near your zip code, and yadda yadda. What a bunch of chumps we are. Apparently, according to articles like this one in The New York Times, the hottest iPhone apps are the simple, goofy ones. Like iSteam. iSteam — and we’re not making this up — is an app that makes your iPhone’s screen appear to fog over. Wipe a finger across it, and you “clear” a path, complete with squeaky sound effects. Three guys created this app in seven days. According to The Times, “they made more than $100,000 in three months.” Which got me thinking that there has gotta be a Runner’s World equivalent. Say hello to iBart. iBart is a new iPhone app that, for the low, low price of $1.99, puts RW’s own Bart Yasso on your iPhone. What does Bart do on your iPhone? Hey, you’re lookin’ at it. I mean, come on… It’s Bart! On your iPhone! For less than two bucks! While you fish your credit card out of your wallet, I’ll get back to work on our next iPhone app. I can’t give out details just yet, but let’s just say it’s called “iAmby.”

I hadn’t been to Charleston for the Cooper River Bridge 10K Run and Walk since the new course went over the new Ravenel bridge. Not only is it a fantastic piece of engineering – the new bridge makes for a fast race. If only the weather was less breezy, we could have had some records out there. I always love coming to Charleston for this event. Julian Smith and his crew do a terrific job. This year I did live tv for Comcast C2 with Kellen Correia. The Comcast show was shown numerous times on local tv and also include footage from the expo, Kids Run on Friday and pre-race pasta dinner. Two Ethiopian runners emerged victorious at the finish line –  26-year old Amane Gobena became the fit non-Kenyan woman in the last 10 years to win the event and on the men’s side it was her countryman, 20-year-old  Tilahun Regassa. They were followed by 32,000+ runners and walkers. The current record for the event is 33,678 which was set during the first Bridge Run on the Ravenel bridge in 2006, when 45,497 registered. Mark your calendars for March 27th, 2010 – the 33rd running of CRBR.

This was one of those weeks our cat Mojave hates – seeing luggage (the “L” word) in the living room. Luggage means I won’t be home and the cat has taken to parking himself in my suitcase and tote – a new ploy: “See! I fit. Take me with you!” Mojave and I have a thang going on – just ask my wife. Wherever I go in the house or in the yard, the kitty cat goes – just like a loyal dog. I have about a dozen Mojave songs. My current favorite composition is “If Loving the Kitty Cat is Wrong I don’t Want to Be Right.” This week will be a tough one for Mojave – as I’ll be gone on three trips and home for a total of 16 hours. I’ll have three road trips in the course of six days starting with a flight to Greensboro, NC, then home for 12 hours before flying out to Chicago to speak  at Runner’s High and Dry in nearby Arlington Heights  - and home for three hours before heading out again, this time to the Pittsburgh for their marathon kick-off – a way to get the local excited about the return marathon and half – last time a marathon was run  there was ‘93. I return home early Saturday – just in time to do some yard work and most importantly, play with the cat.