“Running is a gift.”
(Amy Burfoot)
My Walk into the Future got an early start to the 2025 running season this year. I ventured up for the 2025 Fargo Half Marathon in May and back over to Winter Park for the 2025 Watermelon 5k for July 4th. I rarely race in May, June or July but decided this was my year to expand my race portfolio and get in more running tourist activities.
I don’t know when I made the decision, but the rest of 2025 will showcase the most aggressive running schedule I have created for myself. The quote above is poetic and I’ve embraced the total gift of running. The running tourist moniker will continue to pop up considering I’m looking to travel to 7 new states this year while visiting several of my old favorites.
The official running season starts for me in Madison, Wisconsin. They host the 2025 Midwest Financial Group Madison Mini-Marathon (13.1) this weekend, and this seems like a great way to see the city. The Wisconsin Badgers play in Camp Randall stadium and I’ve seen how passionate the fans are when they all get together and sing The House of Pain song Jump Around. The Badgers will not be in town when I get there but I’m hoping the race organizers allow runners to get in the stadium and jump around a bit—pun intended! 😊
My marathon training plan calls for a 15-mile long run while in Madison and the Madison Mini-Marathon will allow me to get in the first 13 miles—I will get the other two miles in via my warmup for the race.
I return to Winter Park, Florida the following week for the 2025 Celebration of Running 5k. This race normally kicks off my racing season, but I wanted the challenge of a half marathon to gauge my progress towards my Atlantic City Marathon goals.
The Virginia Beach 10-miler is back on the race schedule, and I love the weekend music lineup they always have. It’s a four-day running and music festival on the Virginia Beach board walk and the people are friendly. I plan to keep this race on my running calendar because it is a great location and course. They normally bring in at least one national music headliner, so I’m excited to see who they have scheduled this year.
I scale down a bit in September for the 2025 Outrun Hunger 5k back home in Fort Pierce. This race is hosted by the Treasure Coast Food Bank, and they reached out to see if I would be interested in joining their team this year. I accepted because of all the great work this organization has done in the local community. Not sure how the team concept works for the 5k but didn’t see any harm in joining the team. 😊
October will be the largest test for me during this running season. I am travelling to New Hampshire for the first time to tackle the 2025 Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon. This is a new state for me, and I plan to visit Vermont and Maine while I’m in that part of the country. These are my last New England states to visit so I’m happy to cross them off.
The 2025 Atlantic City Marathon is two weeks later, and I’m excited to test myself against the 26.2-mile course. My friend Lauren Apgar is running this race, and it will be great to see my friend in New Jersey. My goal time is in the 4:45 range and I’m feeling good so far in this training cycle. 😊
Here’s my full running schedule so far:
| 5/31/2025 | 2025 Fargo Half Marathon * | Fargo, ND |
| 7/4/2025 | 2025 Watermelon 5k | Winter Park |
| 8/9/2025 | 2025 Madison Mini Marathon (Half) * | Madison, WI |
| 8/16/2025 | 2025 Celebration of Running 5k | Winter Park |
| 8/31/2025 | 2025 Virginia Beach 10-Miler | Virginia Beach, VA |
| 9/20/2025 | 2025 Outrun Hunger | Fort Pierce |
| 10/5/2025 | 2025 Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon * | Hampton, NH |
| 10/19/2025 | 2025 Atlantic City Marathon * | Atlantic City |
| 11/9/2025 | 2025 Fort Lauderdale Half Marathon * | Fort Lauderdale |
| 12/6/2025 | 2025 OUC Half Marathon | Orlando, FL |
| 12/13/2025 | 2025 Palm Beaches Half Marathon | West Palm Beach |
| 1/25/2026 | 2025 Town of Celebration Half Marathon | Celebration, FL |
| 2/14/2026 | 2026 Fleet Feet Run for your Heart 10k | Jensen Beach, FL |
| 3/1/2026 | 2026 Marathon of the Treasure Coast (Half) | Stuart, FL |
| 4/4/2026 | 2026 Louisville 10 miler * | Louisville, KY |
| 4/25/2026 | 2026 Rock N Roll Nashville Half Marathon (Half Marathon #50) 😊 😊 😊 | Nashville, TN |
(*) denotes a new race for me
I’m still looking for additional half marathons to add to the list. The 2026 Rock N Roll Nashville Half Marathon will serve as the end for my official racing season. The goal is to see progress with each race AND enjoy the process. The gift in running is I’m staying active, traveling and having fun with the process. I wake up in the morning looking forward to my training runs and count the miles as I go. Fun fact—I’m on pace to going over 1,500+ miles again in 2025. Let’s see how far these old legs can take me. 😊
Irie!
Calvin Williams
“Take a deep breath and just enjoy your run.”
(MonitortheBeat)
Walk Into the Future 
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