Maniac questionnaire

Name: Brian Pilgrim

Maniac #671

State you live in: New Mexico

How many marathons / ultra marathons have you run? 7

What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance) Sprint Distance Triathlon

What was the first marathon you ever ran? What year did you run it? Did you have fun that day? The first marathon I ever ran was the Tucson Marathon in 2005. I did have a good time. Tucson is pretty evenly downhill so I was going too fast for my ability but I thought to myself, "Maybe I can run this fast since it's all downhill." My legs answered with a resounding "NOT" at about mile 12 and I ended up walking intermittently and then non-stop from about mile 23 to 26. However, I was walking with a guy who was a veteran marathoner who has done Boston a few times and he was having terrible stomach issues. We just walked and talked and that interaction allowed me to feel that anything could go wrong for anyone on any given day so despite my slowness we are essentially all in the same boat, out there trying to do the best we can day by day. It kept me coming back.

How long have you been a runner and why did you start running? I have been a runner since 2005, prior to that I ran because I was forced to do so because I was involved in other sports and while I was in the military. I had developed a deep hatred of running but the reality of my ballooning weight and my desire to do something about it once and for all caused me to seek any answer. I actually got into triathlon and only ran because I had to in order to compete in triathlon. Now I love running for its own sake.

Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? Since becoming active in amateur athletics I have developed a love for just being out at the events and meeting people who are also trying to do something that is both difficult and positive in their lives. Being involved through competition is far more important to me than how well I actually do so I maybe take the road less traveled and try to compete often as opposed to competing well. Some people can do both but I'm not really one of those people, at least not yet. Still, I do not care enough about my "speed" to allow it to trump just getting out there and seeing people, places and things. I learned about the Marathon Maniacs at a local marathon where I met someone who was trying to qualify. I had qualified previously and just didn't know about the existence of the group.

Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run? As far as Marathons go the one I would like to do the most is the Reggae Marathon in Jamaica. As far as events go I would like to do Ironman Japan and I think I would like to do Leadville. At least I'd like to be able to say I've done Leadville.

If you could run a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why? This is not a very interesting answer but I would choose my father because he has been very overweight all his life and has not been someone who exercises. His body is a wreck now and I doubt he is physically able to even get to the point where he could train for a 1K much less a marathon. None-the-less, I'd love to see it done. Next would be my younger brother. He is heading toward the chronic overweight category and I hate to see it happen.

What was you most memorable marathon and why? Finishing the P.F. Chang's Rock-n-Roll Arizona Marathon with my wife. It was her first marathon and I had broken my foot 6 weeks earlier so was not in any shape to try and PR. Instead I took it easy and ran side by side with her. We had a fantastic time and crossed the line together but the official times have her beating me by one second so she will always have that over me, which I suppose is a good thing.

If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest? Well, given my very limited experience I would have to suggest the P.F. Chang's Rock-n-Roll Arizona Marathon.

What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? 1,300 miles.

Do any of your non-running friends or family members think that you’re crazy for running as much as you do? What are some of their comments to you? Yes. Their comments are usually, "You are crazy" "When my other friends say I'm crazy I just point to you.", "Aren't you worried you are going to hurt yourself." "I just don't think running that much is healthy." Those are the usual comments.

If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? As many as my body could handle but probably no more than 52 per year because one of my main goals would be to travel to as many places as I could in order to run the marathons and I would want to visit for at least a few days.

From what race did you receive your favorite finisher's medal? Probably Ironman Arizona because it was my first official Ironman race. However, my favorite finisher's medal so far is the one from Ironman Louisville

Where do you keep your finisher medals? My wife and I have a kind of wall of accomplishment that has all our various finisher's medals and race awards mounted.

Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear? Yes, I wear the shirts that I like and keep the rest in an ever growing stack in my closet. I think we are saving up to make quilts.

If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it? There are so many events in great places that I have yet to do that it is difficult for me to imagine somewhere where a marathon doesn't already exist other than places that I'm not too keen on going anyway. We could probably use more marathons in New Mexico though. We have some very scenic places but for the most part the marathons are not in those places.

Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? Maniac Yellow

What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal? Lately my favored pre-race meal is a pizza, no cheese with mushrooms, black olives and jalapenos. My favorite post race meal is vegetarian bratwurst and potato salad.

What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice? I am not committed to a particular gel so much as certain flavors of certain brands. I use Accel gels, Hammer gels and Gu for the most part but am also fine with Power gels. The same is true with sports drink. I have to use a lot of Gatorade Endurance formula because that is all they serve at Ironman events but my current preference is Accelerade. I have also used CarboPro. I hate Heed.

Which race would you never run again and why? Probably the Grady Williams triathlon because it is very poorly run and it seems like the people who put it on are more interested in being defensive and explaining how much work event organizing is than they are in evaluating feedback and making changes.

What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why? It's a toss up. The most challenging races I have done more than once are Ironman distance triathlons because I really do not have my ultra-distance nutrition down yet. I have one ultra-marathon under my belt and that was extremely challenging too but it was a very different experience and I think my challenge there was not enough training and lack of experience at ultra distance racing.

What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training? My typical training week involves between 15 and 20 hours of training on the swim bike and run. All I do is cross train but from my perspective I don't see it as cross training so much as I see it as training in my identified sport, triathlon. At this point I have been running around 100 to 110 miles per month. I am trying to work my way up but have had some trouble with stress fractures so I'm heading upwards conservatively.

Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? I train alone quite a lot because I tend to do more volume more often that others on my triathlon team but when I do train with others it is with members of the tri team.

What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe? I train in New Balance 767s ad race in the same.

What are your short-term running goals? Increase my weekly mileage to 50 miles per week and complete a 50 mile ultramarathon.

What are your long-term running goals? Complete a 100 mile ultra. I think I would like to have done Leadville, Western States and Badwater but the more I read the more races I want to do, races that may not be as widely known outside the ultra community, of which I am a very, very new member.

Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons? Run triathlons. I also like backpacking and kayaking but have found precious little time for those activities.

Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head): I guess it would have to be Main Maniac with the cat on his head. I used to have a cat that would attach itself to my back every time I got out of the shower. That was a painful cat.