Fargo Marathon

A quick snip-it I left off from the Rockford Marathon:
Knocking on the porta-potty door is not gonna make me go any faster and just might make stay in there a little bit longer
51st Marathon/42nd State/DC
Back to Fargo:
- When most people think of Fargo they probably think of the movie "Fargo" which wasn't filmed in Fargo
- Flying through ORD with weather issues can be just as bad as flying through ATL - they both suck
- I could write an entire about about getting to ORD but bottom line is I finally made it 2.5 hours after I was supposed in to get (12:30am)
- Grabbed a chicken Caesar salad and a mini-bottle of wine and then got to bed somewhere around 1:30am.  - With an 8am start I was able to sleep in a bit more but not much since I had to get there early for parking and my race bib
- The concern leading up to the race was how hot it was gonna be and if the Race Director would stop the race due to a high wet-bulb temperature.  Apparently they didn't look at the real forecast since that was calling for 30% of thunderstorms, high winds and then eventually some sun with a high of 83F.
- Woke up to a downpour
- It rained for about the first 7 miles - not really sure when it stopped - guess that is a good thing if you don't know when it stops must mean you aren't focused on the rain - as usual my mind was elsewhere but not wandering
- As we ran through downtown we ran past the Fargo movie theater which had the marque:
"Fago Marathoners Are Iron Men 2 (with the showtimes)" - pretty creative play on words
- After leaving downtown we crossed over into Minnesota (Moorhead) - sorry don't get credit for two states
- By the time mile 10 hit I was ready to walk - my legs were tiring or so I thought - I knew something wasn't right but I was still producing about 7:20 miles
- Hit the halfway point at 1:37:03nge
- The last few races I have been eating Jolly Ranchers in addition to Gu - some people put a bucket of Jolly Ranchers out around Mile 12 (would hit it again at Mile 14) I loaded up for the remainder of the race and my next three races
- Around Mile 15 what I thought was my legs giving way was actually my abdominal strain - it had been building since Mile 10 - so I tried to slow down but kept producing 7:20 miles and then by Mile 16 the pain was being too much to keep running but the beer at mile 19 it was really really good (not sure what it was but had never seen it before)
- Mile 16 was about the same time the clouds broke and unleashed the sun and wind
- By mile 20 I was running with my hand on my gut and had people asking if I was okay or needed water
- Maybe it is the cold long winters that make the people in Fargo what they are but they are pretty some creative and funny people and I think the porta-potty at Mile 21 summed it up - I wish I had taken the sign but it was better for others to witness: did you have bran for breakfast? Then  another sign had this long tirade about staying in there too long or at the water stop too long....you had to be there to appreciate it

- The official Fargo observation had wind gusts as high as 48mph - we were kinda sheltered with the trees and was probably closer to 25/30mph but still heat/humidity and wind not a good combo if even for the last few miles
- The last few miles were a race against the clock just like last week but this time I wanted to break 3:25 and once again I had to pickup the pace and not walk like I had been doing at each mile marker since Mile 20
- Was able to run the last 1.4 miles w/o walking and "sprinted" to a 3:24:55 finish
- With all my pain issues and the sights to see through Fargo my mind was pretty occupied - Fargo is a surprisingly pretty city- the winter would keep me from moving there and not to mention the small problems they have with the Red River (there is a reason the marathon is run in May as opposed to April) and going to the Washington DC Trapeze School tomorrow (assuming it is not canceled for rain) - should be a lot of fun

Tidbits:
- Ran into Don Kern who I ran Antarctica with in Feb 07 always great to 
see peeps from that trip
- After the race went to see the Roger Maris "museum" at the West Acres mall

- Heard on the radio, "Did you know Fargo is the least populous city in America named Fargo, I saw that on Wikipedia."
- Heard at the coffee shop in the Fargo Airport, "I'll need your John Henry" I'm pretty sure it is John Hancock but John Henry made the Urban Dictionary among other meanings
- Green day songs are awesome to run to heard at least five GD songs on the course
 
Next:
With this marathon I have nine states remaining but only three - maybe four the rest of the year if I decide to run Alaska.  With only nine remaining its kinda like being at mile 17 of a marathon - only single digits remain (if you don't count the Syndey Marathon in Sep 2011 (days after my 40th birthday)

Marathon #50 / Rockford Marathon (State/DC #41)

Slight recap:
Kinda neat that after running the Lincoln Marathon a few weeks earlier I found myself in the Land of Lincoln running the Rockford Marathon. I flew into MKE instead of ORD because it was cheaper and the drive from MKE was nearly the same as the drive from ORD. As with most marathons of late I wasn't too sure on how I was gonna do considering I played goalie on Friday night and I don't do too well after hockey games (even 36 hours removed from the game)

There is just something about driving through the Midwest that I really like but can't put my finger on
On my way to Rockford I stopped at the Pabst Mansion but due to time constraints did not make the tour
After peeking through the window made my way down to Miller Valley and the home of Miller Brewing

Fail:  Don't force people to sample Miller Lite before allowing people to try other Miller branded beers
After a quick bite to eat in Milwaukee it was time to hit the road to Rockford, IL

Some sights along the way:

After settling in and checking out the start location I hit JMK Nippon restaurant and was surprised to find it actually a Japanese style restaurant with "real" Japanese food - found it on facebook.  Once I got back to the hotel - grabbed two glasses of (bad) wine and then called it a night even though there was a wedding reception taking place in the hotel

Race Morning
- Woke up feeling hung over but after some water and a breakfast bar felt like a champ but was still unsure of how I was gonna perform - this race was gonna be different than the ones over the last month or so

- Perfect weather for the race light head/rail wind partly sunny skies 49F at start - maybe mid 60s by the time I finished
- The course was pretty much through Rockford, neighborhoods, parks, along the Rock River and some tributaries of the Rock River - some sights from the course

                       Rock Guardians of Rockford

- After a steep but short uphill around Mile 12 my legs were nearly shot but somehow I kept plugging away and managed to run a 1:37:49 first half - putting me on pace for 3:15/3:16 finish time

- Shortly after Mile 15 I started passing people and when I pass runners it usually means I'm gonna have a good run (and then the bad ab pain made its appearance but not as bad as past races) - I usually feed on those good vibes
- Then shortly after that (maybe it was a mini-runner's high) a thought popped into my head about NOT stopping after 61 marathons....I still want to do an ultra does that count as a marathon?
- In all I passed 15 runners in second half
- The last two miles was a race against the clock as I was closer to a 3:21 expected finish than a sub 3:20 pace -- I really wanted a sub 3:20 pace and I knew it was gonna be close but all you can do is pick-up the pace and try your best
- And pick up the pace I did as I was able to finish in 3:19:43, 28th overall and 6th in my age group
- Why am I not sore following marathons?  Its like I didn't run 26.2 miles
- My favorite marquee sign:  Dirty Bibles lead to Dirty Lives
- My top "award" to creativity goes to a runner who had a sign on his back with pull-tabs soliciting people to run a marathon relay with him - the thing is all but two of his tabs were pulled
- I'm amazed at how many references the bible has to running

Miscellaneous Thoughts:
- Love driving through the Midwest never know what you'll see....like a pickup truck in a tree:
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/9349
- Saw three Myrtle beach sweatshirts at the airport and in Rockford thought that was ominous sign leading up to the race (Myrtle Beach Marathon was canceled due to snow)
- Feel asleep while driving to Rockford, caught myself snoozing for a second or two not a good thing

Personalized license plates spotted:
Mybffpt (on a PT Cruiser)
Pygmy (on a Smart Car)
Big guy
Elct me 1

75% complete

I was thinking during my run around Whidbey Island on Sunday that I’m 75 percent done with my 50 State and DC goal.  I guess I started this endeavor in Sep 04 during my first marathon even though I did not commit to running a marathon in every state until Feb 06 and that was after I said I would never run another marathon again at Mile 14 of my first marathon.  Why did I run another one?  Because I knew I could do better and the marathon I picked out (Vancouver) was being run on the same day as I graduated college and thought it would be cool to celebrate the anniversary by running a marathon.  Why did I run a third marathon?  Because I knew I could do better and I had signed up to run Antarctica.  But I got to thinking what if I had done worse at Vancouver – would I have quit running marathons?  I’ll never know that answer…..

By the numbers:
- 48: Total number of marathons
- 39: Number of states and DC that I've completed

- 3:35: Average time

- 3:29: Median time

- 7: Boston Qualifiers

- 3: Number of seconds I missed a BQ in Olathe, KS (goal for that day was a 3:30)

- 1: Number of times I cried after a marathon

- 9: Best finish in a marathon

- 6: Number of 1^st Place Age Finishes

- 9: Number of Age Group Award (Any finish to get an award)

- 12: States Remaining:  ID, HI, AK, ND, MN, CT, RI, NY, IL, NE, WY, RI

- 1: Numbers of continents remaining (Australia)

Some things I’ve seen or thought about or just want to comment on:

- Am I taking these marathons seriously (anymore)?  No.  Who would have three glasses of wine or a couple beers or chocolate chip cookies or Taco Bell or play hockey the night before a marathon or dress up in costume for a marathon?  Me! 

- Do I want to run faster?  Sure…but….I once had a friend tell me if I actually committed myself to train for a marathon, based upon the mileage I’m running now (100 miles/month) and the times I’m running (PR 3:12), that I could probably run a 2:45 marathon.  While I’m not gonna say he is right or wrong but from what I’ve run and my lack of training/long runs for these marathons maybe he is right.  But recently another friend told me that without my ab pain/CAT Scan results, said I should go for it but with my body maybe telling me something it’s probably not a good idea (and I agree).  While it would be nice to see what I could do if I trained I’m happy/content with where I am.  When I’m done with these marathons I’m not gonna lose sleep thinking what might have been.  I like running and I want to keep it that way – I don’t want it to consume my life (more than it is now).

- 2 minutes faster than I was in 2006:  I’ve run 44 marathons since my first BQ in Feb 06 and from that time of 3:15:01 to my PR of 3:12:46 in 2009; I’m only two minutes and change faster than I was then but then again I’m four years older.  Do I care that I’ve only improved by 2 minutes?  No

- Have fun:  Not sure how many people would dress in almost full hockey gear and run a marathon (Manchester City Marathon).  I’ve seen a lot of people in costumes in races over the years and after the MCM I’m officially part of that crowd – I’m glad I got to actually be silly in a race but will not wear something that is heavy and hot next time (unless it is 18F at the start like at Jackson, MS)

- Country side politics: doesn’t matter where you in this country go but once you get into the suburbs or outside of major cities and run marathons through these areas you are more often than not gonna see a ton of Republican election signs vs Democrat signs

- Am I running for the glory?  Am I running for attention?  Am I running to win? No, no, and no.  This one hit me right before the start of the Whidbey Island Marathon when most of the runners were huddled under heat lamps trying to stay warm before the start of the race and all I could hear was the game of one up-man's ship of how someone ran two marathons last weekend or what time they ran or from other runners who seem to revel in the spotlight by going for shock value distances.  I usually keep my mouth shut or when I’m asked how many I’ve run I know there are dozens more who have run more or have run faster.  Or when people ask me what is my favorite I want to say Antarctica but I don’t want to feel as if I’m bragging or have to talk about it for 10 minutes or have everyone else w/in earshot perk up and chime in.  I don’t need to run 100 miles in 24 hours or try a relay by myself or 300 miles.  Sure I’m competitive but it is not a intense competitiveness to the point that I need to push myself to make headlines.  Yeah I want to try one of these 100 mile races or an ultra just to see how far I could go but if don’t I’ll go on with my life.

- Do I still get nervous before a marathon?  Yes.  I don’t think I will ever say marathons are easy.  While my recovery time is less these days – either little or no pain following the marathon – I will never say they are easy because they aren’t and every race is different some good/some bad.  It took a good mile into the Whidbey Island marathon for my heart rate to settle down (and it wasn’t because of the hills) because I had psyched myself up before the start (about getting a PR).

-  What makes a good or bad marathon course?  I think how I perform in the race.  The better my time, the better the course – weird how that works out.

- State of mind:  I’ve seen slogans saying marathons are 95% mental.  I will say they are 99% mental if not 100% mental.  If you go in stressed, worried, angry or dejected you are just not gonna perform.  I’ve had  a wide range of emotions over the years and no matter how I can look at things or think of something else during the course of a race inevitably at some point whatever is troubling you is gonna creep in and crush you.  I had two traumatic events since I started running marathons and both of them were like a kick in the gut and both times I quit during the marathon.  I even saw it over the last year as I was stressed big time most of 2009 and into early 2010 and as a result my times went up considerably from a PR in May 09 to some of my worst in Jan 10.  But something happened late Jan/early Feb 2010 that I was finally able to get things back on track/come to grip with my issue of the last two years.  Then by mid/late Feb 10 things took a turn for the positive -- positive thoughts during a marathon can have just as a profound impact as negative ones during a race.

- Anticipated last state marathon (maybe my last marathon): Amica Marathon Oct 2011.  I was born in Newport RI and this marathon takes place in Newport - no better ending for my marathon endeavor than where I was born.

Whidbey Island Marathon (11 April 2010)

     “I think I’ll run a PR tomorrow.”  Never in all my marathons had those words floated through my head but yet on the drive to the Whidbey Island Marathon Expo those words actually floated though my head (I didn’t say them out loud since that would have meant I was talking to myself).  Was it the wine tasting that I had just stopped at that made me think those words or just the fact that I actually wanted to push myself in a marathon instead of coasting?  For the life of me I can’t explain why I would “say” something like that.  I hadn’t come close to a 3:12 in over a year and Whidbey Island isn’t known for its fast flat course.  I had run the Ragnar Northwest Passage Relay three years ago and knew first hand just how hilly the course was gonna be since both courses shared nearly the same stretch of road.

     Once again I had a 6am flight out of DCA – that is really getting old.  I arrived in Seattle, got my rental car and headed off in search of a Japanese restaurant.  The one I found was located across the street from the Public Market and around the corner from the original Starbucks.  Not the biggest Starbucks fan but I usually go there once a day because it right across the street from work - convenience.  So like every other tourist there I had to get a coffee or in this case a peppermint mocha with whipcream.  Unfortunately the peppermint mocha tasted just like the peppermint mocha at the Rosslyn, VA store – maybe I was expecting it to taste a little better in Seattle.

     From Seattle I headed north towards Whidbey Island.  The drive went pretty smoothly (even got to see a bald eagle - two during the whole trip) and reached the ferry where I had to wait about 20 minutes.  I was not on a mission where I had to be somewhere at a certain time so it was nice to sit there and relax.  Boarded the ferry, took a few pictures and just like that we were at the ferry landing.  After disembarking it was about a 50 minute drive to Oak Harbor and the marathon expo.  Along the way I stopped and had a wine tasting of some local Washington state wines.  There was only one that was worth it and I picked up a bottle for after the marathon.

     I reached the expo, got my stuff and was out of there in about 10 minutes.  Now the one thing that struck me as weird were two people outside the expo petitioning to get legalization of marijuana on the November ballot.  Now maybe I’m naïve or stupid but I’m not sure that was the best place to petition because smoking doesn’t go well with running but I’m not sure if getting high goes well with running?  After a quick stop by the shuttle bus pick-up/finish line I headed to the hotel to check in.  I’ve always wondered what it would be like to stay in a motel that has a sign with “Hot Water, Cable Tv, etc” on the marquee.   Due to a reservation mess-up I got the “Honeymoon” suite.  Remind me to never book my honeymoon at the Auld Holland Inn.  It was missing about six panels of the vertical blinds which allowed the street light to shine in like it was noon instead of 2am.  Very little lighting, a mini fridge in which the ice cube tray was the only thing that worked but it did have hot water.  Other than that it looked like a 5-star Marriot once I closed my eyes. 

     Before bed, I got my second Japanese meal of the day and an Asahi beer.  My intention was to load up on as much salt/sodium as possible to prevent cramps.  It worked in Little Rock so why not try it again.  After dinner got back to the hotel watched a bit of TV, set the alarm and then at some point fell asleep and woke up about 1am with the TV and lights on.  Quickly turned them off and went back to sleep.  At 5am, I was awakened by a text -- even though it was 30 minutes before I scheduled to get up - but in reality for my body it was 8am.  At 5:30 I finally rolled out of bed, got a hot shower, got dressed and headed over to the shuttle pick-up area and then stuffed my face with a breakfast bar and yogurt before getting on the last shuttle bus.  The biggest decision of the morning was whether or not to short sleeve or long sleeve.  Temp were upper 40s with a 15mph wind but were expected to climb to 55F for a high.  I went with short sleeve since you dress for race/ending conditions not starting conditions.

      After a short shuttle bus ride to the start line it was time to huddle with other runners under the heat lamps that had been set-up until the race started.  I had about 40 minutes before the race started to think about my statement the previous day.  I hadn’t run in about 4 days and the last time I ran I felt like I was at mile 24 of a marathon.  My legs were dead and I had to take several breaks on my run home.   Was my ab pain gonna come back, etc.  I had so much doubt that my heart was racing as the start approached and it took a mile before I finally settled down. 

(Start area several hours later)

     A little after 7:30am we were off.  The starting area was flat but after 1/4 mile we were into the rolling hills.  It would be that way for 21 of the next 26 miles.  Surprisingly, given the generally uphill course for the first 4-miles, my times were 7:07, 7:18, 7:30, 7:30.  I turned it up on the downhill and had a 6:58 and 6:48 before hitting the steepest hill on the course and knocking out a 7:59.  I never broke the 8 min/mile pace during the entire race and that included a few bathroom breaks and stopping at the aid stations for Gu and water.  Hit the halfway point at 1:36:12.  I was feeling pretty good and had been talking with Jason for the last three miles about running – go figure.  As we approached the halfway point I told him about my favorite quote, “Pass but don’t be passed.”  There were so few runners that it would be easy to count and within a 1/2 mile we had passed our first runner.  A little after 13.1 I stopped at an aid station and Jason kept chugging along (he was wearing a CamelBak).  The next few miles would be relatively flat before we hit the hills again at mile 19.

     I knew if I kept this pace up I had a chance at a PR and a BQ.  It was just a matter of whether or not I cramped or my legs gave out.  My ab pain when compared to the past few races was not that bad so that was not really on my mind.  As I ran those last few flat miles before the hills things started to look familiar – it was a leg of the Ragnar Relay I ran in 2007.  It was kinda neat to run through a stretch that I was ‘familiar’ with – not sure it did anything for me but it was still neat.

      My plan the day before was to turn it on around mile 21 and give it all I had.  Too bad for me I didn’t realize it was nearly all uphill from mile 19 to mile 24.  I guess I would just have to push myself up the hills and cruise the downhill into the finish line.  By this time we had merged with the hoard of half marathoners so I kinda lost track of marathoners but I had passed about five of them since the half way point and I could see a few runners at the turn around point around mile 23 and then I realized that I had gained on a bunch of marathoners.  As we crested the hill at mile 24 it was mostly downhill and it was time to give it all I had (again).  I caught and passed Jason about mile 25 and told him he had Boston in the bag as I ran by.  Within a few seconds I passed about 3 more marathoners and as the course flattened out I was running at a 6:53 pace.  I started to look for the finish line and looking at my time.  I knew that there was no way I was going to break 3:13 for a PR but that didn’t stop me from dropping my pace down to a 6:35.  About 50 yards from the finish I squeezed by between another runner and the finish-chute barricades and beat him out by 2 seconds for a 3:13:24 (he was not in my age bracket).  My time was good enough for 19th place and 1st in my age.  I wound up passing 11 runners from the halfway mark and four of them were in the last 3/4 mile and that pushed me from 4th in my age to 1st.  While I didn’t set a PR I still got a BQ.  As with my first marathon in which I cried I nearly cried again but it was not to be - I composed myself and walked over to get some water wearing a big smile.

     Got back to my hotel, got cleaned up, went back to the finish line got my age group award (certificate) and then made my way up to see the tulip fields on the north end of the island.  Along the way, got to see Deception Pass and the portion of the Ragnar relay that I ran at midnight (a portion of it doesn’t exist anymore – it collapsed into the bay).

(

Deception Pass

 (I was really there - not all postcard pics)

State #39, Marathon#48
Up next:  Lincoln Marathon

Little Rock Marathon (7 Mar 10)

The Little Rock Marathon was not the Arkansas marathon I wanted to run as part of the 50 state goal.  The reason was because of the "World's Largest Medal" and not a fan of bigger sized races.  The one I wanted to run was the Hogeye Marathon but in the end I'm really thrilled that I ran the Little Rock Marathon.  I had been to Little Rock three other times before and despite what people might think it is actually a nice little city (at least downtown is).

Lets write about getting to Little Rock.  First up I have a hockey game late on Friday night at 11:30pm followed by a 5:45am flight out of DCA.  I got home from hockey about 1amish, had to pack and then took a 1 hour nap.  Why I booked a flight so early is beyond me but I did and because of that I got in Little Rock at a decent hour and was able to check out the Clinton Library.  While I'm not a fan of the man personally it was still cool to see the library and see some of the good things he did as president.

Here a few pics of/from the library (or as the hotel shuttle bus driver called it a "trailer")

After the library it was time to head back to the hotel and take a nap.

Once I got to the hotel I got a beer at the hotel lobby, got up to my room and literally passed out (I awoke a little while later to find a half glass of warm beer).  Once I got up from my nap I headed out for dinner and finally settled on Wasabi - Japanese food in Little Rock - yikes.  It was actually pretty good.  Got some gyoza and sushi along with three glasses of Riesling (I can not just have one glass of Riesling).  (And then I ate two Double Tree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies after dinner).  Following dinner I intended to get to bed early but that didn't go as planned.  Wound up talking to a friend for what I think was close to three hours but the good thing was the race started at 8am so I had plenty of time to "sleep-in."

Race Day:
I wasn't too sure how this race was gonna go based upon past results/stress but leading up to this one I had run the most miles in a month w/o a marathon in 17 months and I got 100 miles in just 28 days (Feb).  I was seated in the "A" corral which put me in front of most of the runners except the elites.  While I didn't have a goal my corral had a time "qualifying" time of less than 3:20 so in a way that was my goal.  In reality my goal was to run 26.2 miles not fall apart at mile 20 and then limp the final 6.2 miles home.

At 8am we were off and unlike marathons over the last nine months, I actually felt good right off the bat and maintained a near steady pace of 7:25ish for the first few miles.  The first part of the course snaked through downtown Little Rock except for that jaunt into North Little Rock but by mile 8/9 we passed the governor's mansion and I could only think what took place beyond those walls when Bill was there.  My pace was holding steady which was surprising me a bit but with enough positive thoughts in my head I was not gonna let anything negative creep into my mind.  Got a little shot of beer around mile 9 but that wouldn't be the last beer for me on the course.  Just short of mile 13 we ran by the Little Rock Central High School (link provided if you need a history refresher).  It was totally unexpected and a very cool thing to see - kudos to the race director for adding that into the course!!

I hit the half way point around 1:39 which means I'm on pace for a 3:18.  I've been near or at that times numerous times over the last nine months only to see 3:40+ finish times.  Then suddenly it occurred to me, I could start counting the number of runners I was passing.  This hadn't happened in a race in a long time.  So I started counting the runners I was passing all the while - holding steady at a 7:33/4 pace (lots of bathroom breaks were slowing me down but it helped relieve the ab pain which by mile 15 was killing me).

Somewhere around mile 18/19 I hear footsteps and as this women passes me, she says, "I thought I was the only one who ran that!"  It was the same woman I ran by around mile 10 and commented on her running style - identical to mine.  We wound up running together for the next two+ miles talking about our weird running style (yeah - its that unique).  At mile 21 I stopped to get some water and Jessica pulled away from me.  She was trying to break 3:20 and set a PR so I knew I couldn't fall too far behind her.  After the short drink break I got to running again and I felt really strong and was kinda excited about the last few miles of the course since they were kinda hilly.

Over the next few miles Jessica kept getting further and further ahead of me but I was on a steady 7:34 pace so I know I wasn't slowing down.  As I approached the hills, I noticed Jessica getting closer and closer yet my pace was the same and I knew that I had a sub 3:20 in the bag even with the hills.  At mile 25, ran into the hasher's beer check and had another little shot of beer - couldn't stay too long since I had a time to beat.  As I crested the last hill somewhere around mile 25+ I was feeling pretty awesome (and passed Jessica at mile 26).  I may not have been smiling on the outside (or maybe I was) but I was brimming with excitement on the inside. 

I crossed the line at 3:18:44 nearly 30 minutes better than my last two marathons, best time since a PR of 3:12 in Burlington, VT last May.  While it was not my best time it will rank up there as one of my best overall marathons.  I finally ran a stress free race, had positive thoughts for 26.2 miles and all combined it contributed to a great race.

Made my way back to the hotel, cleaned up, packed up and got to the airport a little early and because of that I was able to fly standby out of Little Rock and Atlanta (where I got the last seat).

Bi-Lo Marathon - Canceled

A month ago I was planning on running 16 marathons in 10 months to finish the 50 States quest.  Then during my first year of the year with a little bug planted by a friend I decided not to run 16 marathons and push my completion date to Oct 2011 instead of Oct 2010.  The schedule I built did not allow for any hiccups since South Carolina only has two marathons (Feb/Dec).  Well if I hadn't decided to delay it on my own, the Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon would have done it for me.

After a week of snow in DC there was a break in the weather and everything looked good to get to MYR on 12 Feb.  Even with a new storm brewing in the Southern US, it didn't appear that it would cancel or significantly delay any flights.  Apparently my concern was in the wrong spot as it was the marathon that I should have been worrying about.  Around 1pm I started getting e-mails saying that city officials were debating on whether or not to run the race.  They said 5pm would be a decision point and by 5:30pm the race was on.  So at point I had a decision to make, not travel to MYR, cancel the hotel and cut my loses.  My flight to CLT was delayed so I had time to make this call.  By 6pm, MYR Marathon put out another message saying a final decision would be made at 10pm on whether they would cancel the marathon.  My 5:13 flight was now delayed until 7:15 but I had a three hour lay-over in CLT so I wasn't in any real danger of missing my connection and still had to go just in case the race was on.  At 8:10pm we finally take off after a 1.5 hour delay for snow in CLT.  We arrive into CLT with about 3-4 inches of snow on the ground and huge delay for departing aircraft due to only four de-icing vehicles.


We board the plane, doors shut at 10:25 and at 10:30 the decision was made to cancel the marathon.  Here is the official press release:
We regret to report that the BI-LO Myrtle Beach Marathon and Half Marathon have been cancelled for tomorrow, Saturday, February 13.  The city staff has monitored weather conditions and delayed making a decision as long as practical, in hope that the forecast would improve.  Unfortunately, the forecast consistently calls for snow accumulations overnight, raising concerns about the safety of all involved in the marathon. 
 
The marathon course is not completely closed, which means that runners and cars must safely co-exist on city streets.  Given the potentially dangerous surface conditions which may exist tomorrow morning, that would not be the case.  Safety is paramount for the runners, motorists and volunteers who assist, as well as for city employees who set up the course and monitor the intersections. 
 
The BI-LO Myrtle Beach Marathon is valued by the entire community, and we do not make this decision lightly.   We are disappointed by the cancellation, but believe this action is necessary to ensure the safety of our guests, volunteers and staff members. 

I finally arrive into MYR at 1:30am.  The rental car agency was closed so I got a taxi to my hotel, grabbed some Budweisers and then ate the ramen soup I brought with me.  Yeah it was snowing but it was 34F and the snow was sticking to the palm trees and grass but pretty much melting on the roads.

I got up at 7am to see what the conditions were like and the roads were clear of snow (not from plowing but rather from melting).  I went back to sleep and finally got up and made my outside for a run about 10am to get my bib that was supposed to be at a hotel near the finish line.  Here is a picture of the conditions at 2am vs 7am

The bib wasn't there but they were handing out medals.  This is what I think of the medal

 

 I ran about 10 miles and there were people running with their bibs on and medals around their necks.  I felt embarrassed for them and just because you were out for a run must have meant you were part of the marathon because cars were blowing their horns and people were yelling and cheering as if you were actually running the race.  

I make my way to the airport where I encountered an airport where you still have to show your boarding pass to the TSA agent by the metal detector.  I didn't have it out and when I took it out I showed it to me on the other side of the detector and must have made a move towards him with my wallet out and in a stern voice he yells out, "Sir, stop and put the wallet away!"  Holy shit, I thought I had a gun in my hand instead of my wallet  the way he was reacting.  

The flight from MYR to CLT was uneventful and I actually got to track it because my Garmin was on:

But the flight from CLT to IAD was pretty cool because there were four empty seats in First Class and they moved all active and retired military up to first class.  Props to United Airlines!

This morning I'm greeted to the news that the MYR Marathon will not be issuing refunds.  While I didn't expect a refund; I was hoping for something to make a negative situation a positive one but so far nothing.
http://www.wmbfnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=11981844

Race director: Full MB Marathon refund 'not an option'

Posted: Feb 13, 2010 5:21 PM EST Updated: Feb 14, 2010 10:42 AM EST

 MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - Race organizers with the BI-LO Myrtle Beach Marathon met Saturday morning to discuss runner compensation opportunities after a winter storm forced the cancellation of the 2010 race.
Shaun Walsh, co-director of the marathon, says a full race entrance fee refund is not an option for runners. Due to the nature of advertisement for the event, organizers with the Myrtle Beach Marathon report they are not financially equipped to give runners a complete $85 refund.
After deep deliberation Friday night, City of Myrtle Beach officials felt they would be acting in the best interest in all registered athletes to cancel the event after heavy snowfall blanketed the downtown race course.
The following statement was released by the City of Myrtle Beach on the heels of Friday's decision:

"The city staff has monitored weather conditions and delayed making a decision as long as practical, in hope that the forecast would improve. Unfortunately, the forecast consistently calls for snow accumulations overnight, raising concerns about the safety of all involved in the marathon. 

The marathon course is not completely closed, which means that runners and cars must safely co-exist on city streets. Given the potentially dangerous surface conditions which may exist tomorrow morning, that would not be the case. Safety is paramount for the runners, motorists and volunteers who assist, as well as for city employees who set up the course and monitor the intersections. 

The BI-LO Myrtle Beach Marathon is valued by the entire community, and we do not make this decision lightly. We are disappointed by the cancellation, but believe this action is necessary to ensure the safety of our guests, volunteers and staff members."

Walsh adds the race will not be rescheduled due to the extensive organizational efforts that go into planning the mass event.
"The issue with Sunday is that this is not an event that is as portable as people think," he commented moments after the cancellation. "You just can't pick it up and move it. We have over 1,500 volunteers in the event. Sunday is a worship day. People have things to do. People have plans."
While the Myrtle Beach Marathon was canned, Walsh says Sunday's cycling event will be pushed back from 7:30 a.m. to a 9 a.m. start time.

Here is my thought on there decision:
Mr. Walsh,

You can't control mother nature but you can control your Plan B! The forecast for snow was known for more than 48 hours and didn't change during the 24 hours leading up the cancellation decision. (I'm a meteorologist so don't say anything differently about the forecast and I can and did read the NWS discussion and TAF).

If you are going to cancel - either cancel Friday morning before people travel to MYR or cancel at 7am. If you know the snow is coming and you know things needs to be set up at 1am set up as much as possible before the snow starts so that you can minimize setup time in the morning. Mile 21 doesn't need to be ready at 7am. Would a start at 8am been possible? Every race I've been in has a max time limit and after that you are on your own to find it to the finish line.

While safety may have been at the heart of the reason to cancel, I found that an excuse.  Cars can skid into runners in the rain or even on dry pavement. So if the concern is cars near runners then close the course to cars. If that is the case then the marathon itself is not safe regardless of the weather conditions.  What if someone sprains their ankle in a pothole during the marathon?  They can still sue, right? Isn't that a safety risk? Running is an inherent risk - if you are afraid of getting hit or hurt then go run a trail marathon where you can get attacked by a bear or sprain your ankle - oh wait that isn't safe either.  And while there were slick spots from the slush, it is far cry from black ice since it wasn't really cold enough long enough to develop black ice.

I spent 12 hours at airports and on planes to get to MYR and I was not thrilled to travel all the way there to run 10 miles to get my packet and useless medal (only to find out my bib wasn't at the Sheraton).  I could have run 10 miles at home.  If you canceled at 7am, then that is fine because you waited until the very last minute (10:30pm is not the last minute).

I bet if city officials made the call at 7am instead of 10:30pm and reduced the max time limit for the course and started at 8am there wouldn't be unhappy campers right now. Hindsight is 20/20 but it didn't seem like there was a coherent plan in place before the panic ensued Friday afternoon. If the bike start was pushed back on Sunday then it could have been pushed back on Saturday because most Saturday mass/services don't start until 5pm, etc.

I'll gladly let the officials keep my registration fee, let me race for free next year and spend the $60 to develop a contingency plan.  I realize you won't make everyone happy but I could have saved well over $300 by not going to MYR this weekend.

Thanks

Michael Mills
P.S. I've been to MYR Beach twice before but I will not return or attempt to run this marathon again unless something "positive" comes out of this.  I will run a marathon in a place I don't want to run due to price (Kiawah Island, SC) just to complete a marathon in South Carolina and possibly miss a race here in DC that I've run every year since the inaugural race.