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2025 Spring Race Calendar + Goals

Writer's picture: Dylan BellesDylan Belles

Updated: Jan 28

Race Date

Race Name

Distance

Goal

Goal Pace






01/25/2025

Frostbite Series

Half Marathon

1:08:00-1:10:00

5:11-5:20

02/08/2025

Frostbite Series

15k

46:20 - 46:50

4:58-5:01

02/22/2025

Frostbite Series

20k

1:03:30 - 1:06:00

5:06-5:18

03/15/2025

St. Pats Run

5-Mile

24:20:00

4:52

03/27/2025

Wash-U 10k

10k

30:10:00

4:51

04/26/2025

Greater St Louis Half/Marathon

Half or Full Marathon

1:07 or 2:37

5:06/6:00

05/31/2025

Cardinals 5k

5k

16:00

5:09

06/21/2025

Grandma's Marathon

Marathon

2:15:45

5:11


Above is my current race calendar through the end of my "A" race: Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota.


This is a solid lineup of races, many of which I'll treat as training runs rather than all-out efforts.

With a busier travel year ahead, I wanted to keep my races as local as possible. Traveling to too many events gets tiring—and expensive. In August, Megan and I are heading to Italy for two weeks for our official honeymoon. Before that, we will take a trip to North Carolina to see my family and take a getaway to Las Vegas to celebrate Megan's birthday with a showing of "O" by Cirque du Soleil.


So, there will be plenty of time spent (for me, probably too much) in airports. I’m happy to focus on races closer to home.


Frostbite Series (Half Marathon, 15k, and 20k)


This series, hosted by the St. Louis Track Club, features five weekends of races at Forest Park. Each weekend offers a short and long option, ranging from a 3k to a Half Marathon. I initially planned to skip the 10-mile and 12k races earlier this year, but my schedule opened up when I opted not to run a marathon. Now, I can join in.


The series is affordable and low-stress—$80 for all races or $20 per individual race. With just a few hundred runners each week, there’s no need to battle large crowds.

The competition varies but can be strong. St. Louis' top runners often show up, whether they’re treating it as a workout or going all-out. You never quite know what to expect!


My goals for this series are flexible. I’m not putting high expectations on these races. They’re hilly, so they’re not always conducive to fast times—for example, the Half Marathon has just under 500 feet of elevation gain. My coach and I agreed on a “feel it out” approach: I’ll check in with myself on race mornings to decide whether to push or keep it controlled.


St. Pat's Run (5 Miles) & WashU Distance Carnival (10k)


These are two races I’m focusing on over the next three months. After being in marathon mode for so long, I’m looking forward to sharpening up with some faster training before transitioning back to marathon prep eight weeks out from Grandma’s.


I ran both events last year, finishing 4th in each (25:48 and 30:39). Last year, I was coming off the Olympic Trials, where I raced at about 85% after getting sick beforehand. It took me some time to get back to full strength.


This year, I’d love to compete for the win at both races. At St. Pat’s, I couldn’t match the breakaway before 4 miles last year. At the 10k, I moved up too late and ran out of real estate to catch the leaders. My goals are to win and to run 20-30 seconds faster for the 5-mile and 20-40 seconds faster for the 10k. My best 10k on the track is 29:39, and I’d love to dip under 30 again.


Greater St. Louis Half and Full Marathon


About a month after St. Pat’s and WashU, I’ll tackle the Greater St. Louis Half or Full Marathon. I’m leaning toward the Half, with a goal of around 1:07. If I do the full, I’ll treat it as a steady training run at about 90% marathon pace. The full would likely land in the mid-2:30s. Both races offer cash prizes for the win—definitely a motivator!


Cardinals 5k


This will likely be a tempo effort, and I’m only doing it for the perks. Winning gets you free Cardinals baseball tickets, and I’ve heard there’s a chance to throw out the first pitch. If that’s the case, I’ll be aiming for a knuckleball!


Grandma’s Marathon


This race has been on my radar for years. It’s a smaller event with top-notch competition, and I’m extremely excited for it. It’ll also be my first time in Minnesota!


My goal is to break 2:16 and set a new PB. My current PB is 2:16:59, set almost six years ago. It’s time to capitalize on the gains I’ve made since then.



That’s the plan for now! If anything interesting pops up along the way, I might add it to the lineup, but this is what my 2025 race schedule and goals look like.


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