I’m planning to run the NYC Marathon in November, as described earlier.
I’m also going to run the first half of the SF Marathon this coming Sunday.
If you’re interested in helping support my donation campaign for the NYC Marathon, I’d like to propose a fun challenge based on how I do in the ½ marathon this weekend.
I’ve run this ½ marathon before, 3 years ago, and finished in 1 hour 52 minutes — just a little faster than a 9-minute-per-mile pace. My training goal for this time is an 8:00-per-mile pace (1 hour 45 minutes overall), and my last couple training runs were at about 8:05 per mile. But I think I can do it faster.
I’d be happy with an 8:00 pace — substantially faster than my current record for this race — but even happier with 7:40 (just over 1 hour 40 minutes total). Want to bet I can’t do it? I’ll bet I can run 7:40 miles and you bet I can’t run faster than 8:00 miles and we’ll both donate to the MMRF based on the difference.
So. If you’d like to take this challenge, and challenge me to run faster than 8:00 miles this weekend, let me know and give me a dollar amount per second. I’ll promise to donate that amount for every second slower than 7:40 I run (average pace), and you promise to donate that amount for every second faster than 8:00 I run.
Example: you bet me $5 per second, and I finish with an average of 7:45. You donate $75, and I donate $25. Of course, if I finish with an average of 7:55, you donate $25 and I donate $75.
I chose these times because it’ll push me to run a little faster than otherwise, and it stands a good chance of raising some money for the MMRF (as opposed to, say, if I just bet you over/under 8:00, then there’s no disincentive to run slower and they get less money).
Of course, if you’d like to make a normal less complicated donation to the MMRF in support of my marathon bid, that’s welcome too, and my fundraising page is here.
But if this complicated challenge sounds fun and/or you want to make me sweat more, please contact me (email, comments here, comments on Facebook, carrier pigeon…) with your bet amount.