Date: Sept. 28, 2025 Participant: Ethan Schaefer #11211 Race: 2025 Boulderthon Marathon Distance: 26.2 miles Weather: Perfect running weather with temperatures in the 50's to 70's and nice cloud cover

Consistent Start but Declining Pace Ethan Schaefer, 22, from Houston, TX, started the 2025 Boulderthon Marathon with consistent pacing. His initial miles from 1 to 5 maintained paces ranging from 8:17 to 8:47 min/mile, keeping his overall and divisional placements competitive, reaching as high as 41st in his age division by Mile 5. Notably, Mile 10 featured his fastest mile at 8:08, showing an ability to maintain a sub-9-minute pace effectively early in the race. However, Ethan's pace gradually slackened after Mile 16, with the most significant drop occurring between Miles 20 and 23, where paces extended to over 11 minutes, culminating in a final stretch at 12:00 min/mile. Ending the marathon at 4:09:22, Ethan had an overall pace of 9:31 min/mile. Despite the slowdown in the latter half, he completed the marathon, providing valuable experience for maintaining pace across long distances. For future races, focusing on endurance in the later stages could yield improvements.