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Here is the finisher’s medal from the Medellin De Las Flores Half Marathon that took place on September 14, 2014 Medellin, Colombia.

The half marathon was also a PR for RIF’s Jorge Angel (his medal above).

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[medal photo submitted by RIF #207 Jorge Angel – follow him on Twitter @777jaah]

The Unspoken Rules of Being a Badass:

1. First rule of being a badass. A badass does not talk about being a badass. Period.

So many runners break this rule. It is the most important badass rule. Even if you are a badass, stating it to others, automatically disqualifies you from being a badass! There is no exception to this rule.

It’s fine to post to social media about your run/race result and how you placed or finished. It’s not ok to call yourself a badass in that same status update or hashtag. Our friends are extremely praiseworthy when we share our accomplishments on social media. If they read your update and you did something even borderline badass you can be sure one of them will anoint you ‘Badass’ in your comments.

However, badass is an often overused phrase even when others use it to respond to something you’ve posted on Facebook. It’s almost become code for “Good Job!”

True badasses are called badasses behind their backs when others are talking about them without their knowledge.

Let someone else annunciate your badass coronation!

2. A badass does not try to be a badass or look tough. A badass simply is a badass. A badass stays true to themselves, always. This means being themselves for themselves, and not being fake to impress others..

This one is pretty self explanatory! Be you!! If you cheat, cut courses, hop in vans during a race to get to the finish, or exaggerate/lie about your achievements to sell books or garner sponsorships then you are not a badass. Instead you are just a very bad person.

3. A badass does not give up. Badasses will always push themselves for the better, no matter how hard it gets.

Every runner you’ve ever considered a badass has had one thing in common, that’s that they never give up, no matter how tough it gets, or the unseen obstacles and hurdles that might pop up and slap them in the face along the way.

4. A badass is not a jerk! A badass does not prey on the weak. A badass shows kindness in return to those who are kind.

We all know sub-3 marathoners, elites and even non-elites, that have amazing running resumes, but who are simply jerks to others, and runners they consider ‘beneath’ them, by refusing to take photos, acknowledge, etc. You aren’t a badass if you are jerk to others, period.

5. A badass knows his or her limits. Don’t be stupid! You’re not Superman, you’ll die if you jump off a building.

If you end up in the ambulance week in and week out before, after, or during a race then you are just being stupid, putting yourself and others in danger.  Don’t be a dumb-ass!

6. A badass does not make enemies or go looking for fights. They don’t fight fights that aren’t worth fighting either.

Fights might find a badass, but that’s usually out of jealous or envy from the other party. A badass won’t go looking for a fight, but he or she sure knows how to end one or is smart enough to walk away from something stupid (see #4 and #5).

7. A badass doesn’t have to be a certain age. There are no age restrictions or expiration dates to being a badass.

It doesn’t matter if you are 12 or 92, a badass is a badass. Although if they are a minor you might simply want to refer to them as a “bad donkey!”

8. A badass isn’t always the fastest or strongest. However, a badass will grit & grind and give it all he or she has to achieve a desired result or help someone else out in need.

There is no BQ or shiny 100-mile buckle required to be a badass. Often times the most impressive badasses are those that have overcome hardships, bad luck, minimal talent, a disability, or something else that the elite runner never has to endure or even consider along their way to glory. You can totally be a badass by sacrificing your race to help a fallen runner or help another runner finish that likely would not have finished without your encouragement, support, and company.

9. A badass is not afraid of a challenge or failure. Most badasses have no noticeable fear because they aren’t afraid to fail. They’ve failed before and realized it wasn’t the end of their inquisitiveness. This enables them to take on and often knock off major challenges that others wouldn’t dare attempt.

Badasses have scars, and those scars are often from failures, messing up, or misstepping. A badass will take on epic things because he or she knows that true failure comes from a lifetime of regrets of not trying or attempting to maximize their talents or gifts.

10. A badass never takes him or herself too seriously

Seriously!

These are simple and easy rules to follow to help determine if someone else is in fact a badass.

Once you start calling yourself a badass, a blatant violation of rule #1, you become a Kanye West-like caricature of running grandiloquence.

When that happens, no matter if you are the greatest, or a tough mofo, you automatically will rub people the wrong way and trigger them to pick you apart or look for reasons to counter your self-proclamation.

Clint Eastwood never had to grab a megaphone and tell the world that he was a “Badass,” but almost every human on the planet knows that Eastwood was, and remains to this day, a badass of epic badassery.

A runner’s legs and drive, not their mouth, determine one’s badassery!

Siri chimes in with her thoughts on what constitutes a badass. You’ll also note in the graph above the extreme usage uptick of the term in the past decade.

The term originated in the United States in the 1950’s as a slang term combining the words bad+ass according to the British Dictionary.

Oxford Dictionary

badass (n.): A tough, uncompromising, or intimidating person: one of them is a real badass, the other’s pretty friendly

A formidably impressive person: she is so wonderful, so sweet, so rad, so amazing; she’s a badass

badassery (n.): behavior, characteristics, or actions regarded as intimidatingly tough or impressive. See: Seal Team 6; people saving other people from sharks; most things done by Samuel L. Jackson

Don’t judge anyone too harshly for calling him or herself a badass. They likely are just uninformed of these unspoken rules and have likely fallen into the trap of our current over-usage of the phrase. Now you can simply point them to these rules by sharing this post.

[Rules 1-6 via Urban Dictionary. Rules 7-10 and all commentary by Joshua Holmes]

Top Photo – Badass Legends of Running: Ted Corbitt, Gordy Ainsleigh, Steve Prefontaine, Meb Keflezighi

Here are the psychedelic hippie medals from the Run Woodstock Mellow Marathon & Hippie Half Marathon that took place on September 6, 2014 in Pinckney, Michigan.

They are kinda far out, man!

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[marathon medal photo (below) submitted by RIF #144 Trish Leonard – follow her on Twitter @runfreetri and half marathon medal (top) submitted by RIF #322 Jeff Van Demark – follow him on Twitter @66mustang16]

I have run 126 marathons and ultramarathons so far in my running career. I would estimate that I’ve grazed or passed by close to 1,000 aid station tables during those races. I’ve tried many foods that have worked and others that didn’t and made the race even more difficult.

Race directors can make or break a runner’s chances of reaching their full potential based on the time, money, and quality of food they put at their aid stations.

Here is a quick look at my all-time favorite aid station foods!

Top 15 Ultramarathon Aid Station Foods

1. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches & Tomato Soup – For me it doesn’t get any better than this combo. This is like the surf ‘n turf of ultra food for me. So yummy and so many calories quickly. A good grilled cheese can soak up so much tomato soup, and they both go down so easily. A big calorie recharge that warms the soul during colder races at night.

2. Fruit – It’s something that is better the hotter and longer the race. Watermelon or oranges are usually the most available fruits at aid stations. My favorite is chilled watermelon during a hot race. It’s extremely refreshing and tasty. Pineapple, cantaloupe, and oranges are a great, naturally sweet snack as well. Frozen oranges on a hot day can taste like sherbet.

3. Boiled Salted Potatoes – Quick bite sized hit of sodium/salt and some carbs. Most ultras have these in bite sized chunks. Boiled potatoes are a solid and easy go-to that is easy on the stomach.

4. Bean Burritos – This is my go-to food 50% of the time as it is. Tasty with lots of good calories and protein that can easily be eaten with one hand without getting too messy.

5. Cheese Quesadillas – Pretty common at most aid stations, especially in the southwest and west coast. These are easy to make, handle and consume. Some are way better than others. The mexican grilled cheese (but not as golden)!

6. Chicken Broth – Ton of sodium and salt. It’s extremely useful at night during a cold ultra to warm the soul and lift spirits. Without noodles it’s easy to drink. Cheap Ramen noodles can be nasty, especially when partially cooked. Good RD’s go for the real chicken noodle soup, not that college Ramen ish.

7. Potato Chips – Salt, salt, salt! Grab a handful and take off! Dr. Karl Studtmann introduced me to the Lay’s Stax potato chips. The beauty of these is that you can grab 15-20 at once stacked together and eat them rather easily with minor damage to the roof of your mouth.

8. Rice Krispie Treats – Electric Youth! Sweet & tasty with a bit of nostalgia of getting off the bus in 5th grade for a snack upon returning home after a long day of trading baseball cards. RKT are sweet but on the bland side of most sweets. They are easy and quick to consume.

9. Gummy Bears/Worms – The Bernstein clan is great for a quick sugar kick. Throw several gummies in your mouth and suck on them for several miles for a sugar drain that is good for a super boost during a low spot.

10. Double Stuf Oreos – As far as a quick fix, Double Stufs might be at the top of the list. Lots of sugar, chemicals, and often a perfect elixir to get that pick me up from a low or dark spot. If you ever do a race that has regular Oreos instead of Double Stufs then you should write a bad review about the race and never return!!! If you do a race and they have reduced fat Oreos then you can be sure that the RD is Jobie Williams! 😉

11. Enchiladas – The Silverton 1000 Challenge (multi-day) had this mexican specialty last week. It was beyond good. I was instantly transported to Mexico City and had to stop long enough for another plate full before returning to el rastro. Kudos to RD Mark Hellenthal for this culinary treat.

12. Brownie Bites – Cheap Costco aid station food, but it’s small, tasty and a lot of calories in just a bite (or two). Beware of the Brownie Bites in Colorado and Washington.

13. Lasagna – Perhaps my favorite food of all-time when not racing, so when I see it during a race (usually a 100 miler or multi-day event) my eyes light up and stomach purrs. It’s very tasty, has a lot of calories, some protein, and a lot of carbohydrates.

14. Cheeseburgers – Burgers are good almost every day of the year as it is. During a race they taste even better. They are a natural handheld (unless someone is going Atkins on it), and they easy to walk/run with while eating it.

15. Chocolate – Chocolate is good for sugar boost, like most candy, and it’s good for a bit of caffeine jolt as well. My chocolate of choice is bite size Nestle Crunch bars.

Here is the finisher’s medal from the Big Wild Life Runs Marathon that took place on August 16, 2014 in Anchorage, Alaska.

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[medal photo submitted by Alicia Eno – follow her on Twitter @karhu262girl]

Georgia native Joe Fejes just set the 6-Day record with 580.3 miles at the Six Days in the Dome ultramarathon in Anchorage, Alaska.

The previous record of 577.75 miles was set by Stu Mittleman 30 years ago.

The race was the first competitive indoor 6-Day race since the 1994 race in La Rochelle, France.

Six Days in the Dome took place at The Dome which is an indoor track that measures 413 meters long, slightly longer than a traditional quarter mile track. The surface was harder than most participants expected, but the venue was flawless otherwise with it’s artificial lighting around the clock, restrooms right off the track, and ample infield area for runners to sleep and rest. Joe and others took their down time in RV’s they rented that were parked just outside a side door.

Fejes rose to national attention late last year at the Across the Years 6-Day race where he beat legendary ultrarunner Yiannis Kouros by putting down 555.36 miles to Kouros’ 550.157 miles. The first 6-Day defeat ever for Kouros.

Several other records were broken at The Dome including Traci Falbo running 242.09 miles in 48 hours to set the US 48-hour record and World 48-hour indoor record. Andrew Snope put down 136.98 miles to set the 24-hour record for most miles run barefoot.

[photo: Israel Archuletta]

Here is the finisher’s buckle for the Badwater 135 ‘World’s Toughest’ Ultramarathon that took place on July 21-22, 2014 in Lone Pine, California.

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[medal photo submitted by Joshua Holmes – follow him on Twitter @bayou]

New England Patriots head football coach Bill Belichick ran and completed the St. Jude Country Music Half Marathon on Saturday, April 26, 2014, in Nashville, Tennessee.

He ran the race with his fiance Linda Holliday. Belichick was born in Nashville and Holliday graduated from Vanderbilt University within the city.

Belichick finished the 13.1 mile race in 2:36:46. To everyone’s disappointment, no hoodie was worn by Belichick during the race.

Congrats to Bill and Linda on their half marathon finishes.

Media mogul Ryan Seacrest interviewed 2014 Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi early this morning on his radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest on KIIS FM based in Los Angeles.

“It makes me appreciate life. It took 31 years for an American to win it, but most importantly it was a very meaningful victory, not for me, but for Boston, for San Diego, for United States and people who help me and the world!”

Listen to the complete interview above!

Related 2014 Boston Marathon Stories
Meb Keflezighi Runner’s World Interview After Winning Boston
Meb Keflezighi Wins the 2014 Boston Marathon (Top Elite Male Results)
Rita Jeptoo Wins the 2014 Boston Marathon (Top Elite Female Results)
2014 Boston Marathon Live Blog/Coverage
118th Boston Marathon Finisher’s Medal
2014 Elite Men and Women Running the Boston Marathon

Below you will find an interesting 8 minute interview 2014 Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi did with Runner’s World just a couple hours after winning his first Boston Marathon.

He says in the interview that it’s by far the top accomplishment in his well decorated running career.

Well done, Meb!