I thought this was fitting for the current title I've chosen. Too, Aug. 3 my goal is a 3:15 marathon in SF.


March 03, 2008

After 65 Marathons, a Sub-3:00

Perseverance, thy name is Frank Livaudais.

The 33-year-old triathlete is on a quest to run a marathon in each of the 50 states; so far, he's knocked 37 states off his list. He'd run 65 marathons, in addition to several ultras, when he lined up last month for his 66th 26.2-miler: the AT&T Austin Marathon.

Livaudais had never broken 3 hours in the marathon before, but he'd come tantalizingly close, according to the Austin American-Statesman:

"I thought I'd have a shot at last year's AT&T, but when I hit that hill on 38th Street, I blew up and ended up with a 3:02:09," he said.

He came close again last November at the Sun Trust Marathon in Richmond, Va., missing by 49 seconds.

In Austin, he finally did it, clocking a 2:58:15. (The American-Statesman, bless its heart, knocked another 30 minutes off his time, saying that Livaudais ran "a fine 2:28:15 on the challenging course.")

Congratulations, Frank!

And a note to all those readers heading into spring marathon season: If at first you don't succeed, just try again... 65 more times.