Boston Qualified 2026

BQ, PR and a great day at the Jack and Jill marathon

The race started at 6:00 am so we needed to drive about 40 minutes from Issaquah to the start line meaning waking up at 4:00 am to get ready. I did not sleep much due to the pre-race jitters and concerns something could go wrong. I was a bit tired when I went to sleep as I did 20 minutes spin bike in the morning and went to check out the start and finish line but was ready to take the race. I knew that this was probably the last attempt to try to qualify for 2026 and was going to go for broke. Boston or bust.

The weather was perfect with 47°F at the start and overcast without rain in the forecast. It was a bit cold before starting but after warming up I did not need a long sleeve jersey and was ready to start. The group was relatively small and divided into the fastest in a first wave and the second group with the rest. The 3:45 pace group started with about 10 runners that got spread at the tunnel entrance but by most the running in the tunnel was orderly and only one runner was trying to pass on the right during the entire 2 miles.

Started on pace but pacer kept picking it up and running under 8:30 min/mi. Felt good since the beginning of the race and was very cautious not to push hard at the start. The tunnel was an interesting experience and I was super careful with the potholes and ran in the center of the tunnel. After dropping the lamp at the end of the tunnel took the first gel, but was not sure about the distance as the GPS was messed up on the first 2.5 miles. The downhill was visible almost all the time during the run and felt the slope was pulling me and I started to pick up the pace around mile 5 or 6.  I thought the pacer would be way behind me, but he was always close. My HR was below 147 bpm for the first 1:30 hr and felt almost effortless to run under 8:30 min/mi. I kept reminding myself to trust in the process as I have done the work to get here. At mile 16 the pace group catched up with me and I was then staying with them. At mile 20 legs started to hurt but was not unbearable, and to distract myself started some music. However, I had a great time running without music, just immersed on my own thoughts and hearing the chatter from the pace group. Mile 21 there are few steep downhills coming down the trail and tripped and almost fall as the legs were not so responsive. I was determined not to lose the pacer and started to feel great doing mental math to see if I would qualify if nothing unexpected happened then. At mile 22 the pacer said we were 2 minutes ahead of schedule and was going to slow down but send me and two girls off to the finish line. That is when I started my playlist for Boston and felt elation much greater than the pain. I finished mile 25 at around 8:05 min pace and was ready for the last push. The Garmin was off by up to 0.4 miles so was not sure how far the finish line was and there were no markers for mile 25 and 26 but it did not matter. Kept pushing and then I saw the finish line and hear the announcer say: Gerardo just qualified for Boston as I saw my family and friends. Another dream comes true.

A beautiful scenery along the marathon's trail

My receipt

Fastest marathon run and BQ with more than 9 minutes buffer

Excited to cross the finish line

The race generates an AI report. Very cool!

RACE RECAP POWERED BY LAUREL INTELLIGENCE

Date: July 26th & 27th

Participant: Gerardo Toledo #1965

Race: 2025 Jack and Jill Downhill Marathon Marathon Saturday

Distance: 26.2 miles

Consistent Pacing Yields Strong Performance

Gerardo Toledo demonstrated a commendable level of pacing consistency and strategic execution throughout the Marathon Saturday event. The transition from an initial mile pace of 8:58 to sub-8:30 paces by mile five highlights a progressive effort to pick up the tempo. Notably, from mile 23 onward, Gerardo exhibited his fastest paces, logging consecutive split paces of 8:07. This late-stage acceleration effectively improved his overall ranking and reflects his endurance and stamina.

His final time of 3:40:47 corresponds to an average pace of 8:25 per mile. Gerardo placed 276th among the 1075 total participants, 187th within the male category, and achieved a solid 27th place in the M50-59 age division. His ability to maintain a stable pace throughout the latter half of the race is noteworthy. For future races, Gerardo might focus on optimizing his early split times to align with his strongest mid-race paces, potentially enhancing overall performance even further.