KidsTLC, a neighbor and community partner to Garmin, has offered the Girls on the Run program to girls in residence the last three seasons. The mission of KidsTLC is to provide opportunities that transform kids and families in crisis while ensuring a safe environment. For two of my coworkers and me, coaching Girls on the Run at this site has taught us to be mindful of the challenges youth experience today while we model healthy habits. We’ve found that the teen girls at this site are especially motivated by seeing how far they’ve gone during a lesson activity—aren’t we all when we take those first running steps? The girls have had a chance to wear our Forerunner watches to track their progress during Girls on the Run sessions. No need for coaching the girls how to use these watches. They quickly figured them out and soon started asking things like “can I have the touchscreen one today?” or “how can I get it to show my heart rate?”

In a post-season survey, the girls were asked to list the one thing they learned from Girls on the Run. Here are some of the responses: I am stronger than I think, physically and emotionally. To be a responsible, caring person. That I am worthwhile. I learned that you have to be plugged into the positive cord. How to be a positive role model. And here’s what the coaches had to say: "Running has given so much to me that giving back only makes sense. Working with the young ladies at KidsTLC has been enjoyable and rewarding,” said Marisa, an active runner. Jackie, a busy mom to two boys, said “In previous years, I declined volunteering with Girls on the Run as my spare time seemed so limited. This year, the call came at the right time and for the right site. Girls on the Run offers so much to our KidsTLC students. I am happy to play a small roll in enriching their lives.” For me, coaching at KidsTLC has been an extension of my belief in living out a healthy, active lifestyle as an example for children and teens. I hope the time we invest with these young ladies will inspire them to make healthy choices for a lifetime.

Thanks to community partners like Garmin and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) and others for making it possible for Girls on the Run to keep going and growing. If you call KC home, join us for our 5k celebration, Sat, May 19, 9 a.m. in Riverside, Missouri!

A small-town race competitive enough to welcome a team of collegiate runners gunning for their Boston qualifying times and a local runner, Kevin Miller, who smashed the Kansas master’s half marathon record. A small-town race charitable enough to draw Barefoot Rick, who not only celebrated a milestone on the yellow brick road (his 20,000^th barefoot mile), but also raised money for a charitable cause along the way — Samaritan’s Feet.

Stats: The race drew a total of 2,500 participants for the full marathon, half marathon, 5k and kids’ race. Among those were several marathon maniacs and 50 staters. In post-race tweets, some of those who’d crossed Kansas off their 50-state list reported they had so much fun, they planned to be back next year. The Garmin Marathon had runners from 44 states, 7 runners from Canada (who apparently can’t get enough of the Oz theme) and 1 from Sweden.

Smiles: We’re not sure if was the fast and flat course, the spot-on pace teams leading many runners to PRs or the themed aid stations and support along the route, but there seemed to be lots of excessive celebrations at the finish line. Jake was doing his fair share of announcer commentary/stand-up on the mic to put smiles on faces as they crossed — adding personal comments for the many runners he knew from work-day lunch runs. He got the crowd built up to cheer in the legendary Bart Yasso, who has run epic races on every continent.

After-party: The City of Olathe knows how to throw a party, and by many accounts, the race participants appreciated the details, from the unique finisher’s medals and shirts to the yellow brick road awaiting them at the finish to the post-race food and beverages. At the Garmin tent, product experts were on-hand to show spectators and runners that we also make products to help you fly, drive, hunt, hike, fish, bike and golf. We also had some fun handing out noisy Team Garmin-themed thunder stix for the young spectators who’d already knocked out their miler and were ready to cheer in more runners.

We could go on, but we’ll let one of our favorite race recaps, from Active Joe, tell more: “Clicked my heels three times and found a marathon PR.” Plans are already in the works to make the 2013 race even bigger and better, so mark your calendar: April 20, 2013, and we’ll see you back here at Garmin headquarters in Olathe, Kansas.

Runners in all race distances will be greeted by some of the most enthusiastic aid station volunteers on the planet. Garmin staff will be heading up many of the aid stations and let me tell you, they are pumped and ready to pump up even the weariest of runners. No promises, but I wouldn't doubt you'll see some Oz characters. We also have some special perks in store for our Forerunner customers. Before the half and full marathon start, Jake, the voice of Garmin fitness and morning emcee, will invite all runners with a Garmin watch to gather for a quick Forerunner Family Reunion pic. Post-race, we’ll be tossing tshirts to anyone wearing a Forerunner. There’s still time to join the fun! You can register in person at the race expo, Friday, noon-7 at the Olathe Holiday Inn.

Leading the way for the 3:15 pace group is Zac B, who holds a marathon PR of 2:34:42. If you can lay down 26.2 miles in that kind of time, you’ve earned the right to roll across the finish, like he's doing here. A little more about Zac: his mission as a pacer is to "make you slow down when you want to run too fast and make you speed up when you want to run too slow." He would say that the biggest mistake you can make, outside of failing to prepare, is to go out too fast. Zac was the 2008 Kansas City Marathon champion, where he ran the first half of the race in 1:19 and the last half in 1:15 as he moved from tenth place to first place.

Meet the rest of the SmartPacing team for the Garmin Marathon In the Land of Oz. Coach Eladio’s SmartPacing strategy works, and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of runners who’ve met their race day goals on account of it. I ran my first marathon without SmartPacing and the second one with SmartPacing, and there’s no comparison. I attribute my own my BQ, on the not-so-flat KC Marathon course, to Coach Eladio’s training, his pacers, and the Forerunner that paced me through the many miles leading up to race day. Maybe there’s a BQ or a PR in your near future. Register for the Garmin Marathon, half or 5k today!

The race itself promises a good shot at a PR in all distances, thanks to the flat and fast course. You'll also have an expert team of pacers from SmartPacing who will be using Forerunners. And, if you’re really speedy, you could be going home with our premier running watch, the touchscreen Forerunner 610. We’re excited to be awarding Forerunner 610s to the top male and female in the marathon and half marathon! So get registered, invite some friends to join the fun and watch for more news of what’s in store. Next week, we’ll share training tips from our special guest on race day, Bart Yasso.

After a welcome from one of the founding members of KC Express, Mary Edwards, Sarah and Dimity opened with a video showcasing dozens of women after the finish of a large female-only race giving their “Today I ran for _______” statements. This instantly set the stage for what keeps us all moving forward — which happens to be lots of reasons, some big, some small. Throughout the evening, we heard the authors’ personal mantras for movement, like Dimity’s “Forward is a pace.” Both Sarah and Dimity encouraged us to run naked once in awhile — no music, no Garmin Forerunner, no worries. They did offer an apology to Garmin ladies in the audience, but we later assured them no offense taken. Any given lunch hour, you might glimpse a few Garminites “running naked” on the nearby trails, while engineers in testing mode could have up to four Forerunners on hand. Another piece of advice from Dimity truly resonated with me: “Don’t think, just go.” The kids may be whining and tugging at your tech shirt, but take it from these mother runners, you’ll be furthering everyone’s health and sanity if you just get going.

Garmin Blogger Justin, “Another Father Runner,” shared his thoughts from the evening: What a privilege it was to celebrate the KC Express club’s 30^th birthday last night and to be amongst so many positive and lively Kansas City women. Listening to the entertaining tales from Sarah and Dimity, it proved even further that runners, though they might all have unique motivation to lace up their shoes each day, all have that one common bond — living in the moment. One of many takeaways that I will be certain to pass on to my five-year-old daughter when she gets a bit older is, “Don't ever say anything to yourself you wouldn't say to a friend”! It gives me a great sigh of relief to know that my daughter will be raised in a community where there are such strong women who live to promote healthy and active lifestyles. Happy birthday to KC Express and a big thanks to anothermotherrunner.com.

Attendees had a chance to purchase Sarah and Dimity’s second book, “Train Like a Mother,” through KC bookseller Rainy Day Books. As they autographed copies, Sarah said this was actually the first time she and Dimity had held the final book in their hands. I now have a bit of a bedside dilemma as my “must-reads” stack up, but I truly can’t wait to dig a little deeper into this one. It looks to offer a healthy balance of training plans, mother-runnerly advice and a sprinkling of just for funs, like Dimity and Sarah’s “aid stations we’d like to see” sidebar. Two of my favs:

A station where, for a $50 donation to Girls on the Run, you could buy yourself splits that are a minute faster.

A station that’s the human equivalent of a car wash: You would pass through it on a conveyor belt as sweat, dried salt stains, pit odor, etc. were cleaned off your body, hair and outfit.

Cody: Not only was this my longest run ever, it was also my dog's first race and longest run. I did the first lap solo, then had my wife pass off our dog for my final lap. To aid in this transition, I used the Garmin Astro 320 and a couple DC40 collars. I gave my family the handheld and I carried a DC40 transmitter in the back pocket of my jacket. This allowed my family to know exactly where I was on the course and see me in a few spots where the course ran next to the road. It worked great. My dog and the DC40 were ready to go with her official race number and timing chip pinned to it. It was great to have 4 fresh legs to pull me along the hilly course!

Reid: Rolled an ankle around mile four.  Started icing at the finish, but I think the ice was warmer than the air around it.

Brian: Redeemed myself from last year's failure to finish.  Bruised feet but a big smile.  #vibramnation

Lee: Actually had fun in the 20, finished with many icicles in my hair and still very sore, but planning to try the 50k next year.

Rajat: My first trail run ever. Got tested to the extreme against weather, terrain and mental strength. My friends wanted me to declare my will in their favor the night before. I am glad they're gonna get nothing.

David: Great trail run. My first.  Who knew there were so many hills and turns?  Legs still trying to recover. Would do it again.

Kurt: Felt pretty good yesterday except for that fuzzy-head I always seem to get after such a run. Sore feet were the worst pitfall during the race.

Bob: Another fun but hard race. Conditions were good but cold. Thanks to everyone wearing shorts to create the appearance of warm conditions.

Dan: No snow, no ice. And you call this Psycho? I didn't slip even once!

Sharon: What an awesome morning for a trail race! This was my first time on this course, and my first trail race in over 4 years (having babies will do that). My adrenaline was pumping, especially when a deer came flying across the trail around mile 2.

Rick: Run Toto Run was a blast! A frigid winter frozen blast. Knee & ankle joints made from titanium and Teflon are highly recommended for the frozen, pitted, rocky, trails.  

Peg: While I much prefer to run the WyCo trails with a hard-pack layer of snow, but I was grateful to have a solid base for the brutal bridle trails. According to race director Ben Holmes, the conditions were the perfect set up for some fast finishes. And I’ve gotta call out the top female finisher who earned the spotlight in Ben’s race report. I saw this girl at the start, who looked about 16, and I was in awe she was sporting a 50k bib. From Ben’s report: Kaci Lickteig (25), of Omaha, Nebraska blew away the 50k female course record with an incredible finish time of 4:46:19! She is the only sub-five-hour female finisher (so far), in the eight-year history of this race. She had almost perfect loop splits: 1:34:00, 1:35:52, 1:36:27. To add to the scope of this accomplishment, this was Kaci's first trail race, and her first ultra-distance event.

We had some stellar performances from the Garmin crew too, including Dan's 8th place in the 10 mi with a time of 1:24:04 followed by Nathan in 9^th place with a time of 1:24:23 and Lee’s 3^rd place in the 20 mi with a time of 3:06:39. Pretty sure they’d chalk it up to having the right training tools on their side. And just the fact that we had two finishers in the 50k, true trail runners Kurt and Bill, is amazing. I had a chance to run with Kurt from about mile 8-10. While my Forerunner 610 confirmed I was on track to meet my 4:20 time goal, it was nice to get human endorsement from Kurt. Knowing I had banked some minutes in the first loop, I took time to properly refuel before starting round 2 (lesson learned from my near-bonking crankiness Jake had to endure last year). That dilly-dallying between loops could’ve been my wisest decision of the day, along with walking some of the uphills on the 2^nd loop.

My biggest challenge of the race was actually gear-related. Water bottle spout froze up early on, so I just had to take my time and unscrew the lid to take a sip now and then. No biggie. Until about mile 16, when I had to come to terms with a real drinking problem. The ice was so solid in my bottle cap, it wouldn’t screw back on. I wasn’t about to waste electrolytes when I had another two miles to the next aid station, so I did what any trail runner might do. I don’t know if traipsing the trails with an “open container” is against park regulations, but I know it’s certainly not advised. As I neared the final aid station, a volunteer ran up and asked what I needed, then promptly topped off my bottle and knocked out enough of the ice to get me on my way.

As always, the volunteers for this race are second to none and the Trail Nerds once again put on a fantastic race. Thanks to SeeKCRun for all the photos. Check out the course details in Garmin Connect and we'll see you out there next year!