Date: Sept. 28, 2025 Participant: Laird Macleod #12371 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

Mid-Race Strength Followed by Final Quarter Slowdown Laird Macleod demonstrated strong early pacing during the 2025 Boulderthon, transitioning smoothly from an initial 8:51 min/mile to a faster 8:29 min/mile by mile 2. Consistently maintaining a pace under 8:35 min/mile for most of the first half, Laird hit his fastest split of 8:04 min/mile at mile 12. This effort propelled him into a stronger position in his division, briefly climbing as high as 79th in the M20-24 category at mile 17. A slowdown occurred in the final miles, with Laird's pace shifting above 9:00 min/mile in the last quarter of the marathon. The increase in split times, such as the challenging 12:10 min/mile at mile 24, resulted in Laird finishing with an overall pace of 9:25 min/mile. Future races could benefit from targeted endurance training aimed at maintaining early race paces throughout the final sections. Laird's mid-race strength bodes well for improvements with more experience at this distance.