I spent the weekend down in beautiful St. George, Utah. I completed my eighth St. George Marathon Saturday morning. I came in at 4 hours 34 minutes. And I gladly accept this time, especially considering that I had my gall bladder taken out the last day of May and didn't start running again till July.
Highlights:
1. I arrived at the bus park at 5:15 in order to catch the bus to the starting line. Within minutes, all of the buses had departed and there were still 1,000 runners standing there. I figured that they had more runners actually show up because of the second lottery in August, yet didn't sequester the additional buses for them. Because of this, 10 buses had to return to the park, pick us up, and make a second trip to the starting line just outside of Enterprise. I ended up on the last bus.
2. Because of the bus fiasco, the marathon started 15 minutes later. My first thought: "Oh great! 15 more minutes of running in the desert heat!"
3. At mile six, a woman wearing a make-shift bib passed me. I had enough time to see the picture of a cute one or two-year-old baby and read "Miles for Michael: In commemoration of...." before she was lost in the crowd in front of me. I never saw her again to talk to her about the story behind the picture.
4. At mile 11, J and kids and my brother-in-law were waiting to cheer me on. When I saw J, I knew she was worried about my time. I explained that they started the race 15 minutes late.
5. In marathon, especially with the St. George marathon, you have to hold back from exerting too much energy the first 20 miles because of the steep and/or lengthy hills at miles 7 (to 9), 11 (to 12), and 16 (to 18). The first 20 miles must be a race of patience, keeping a pace you know won't waste your resources-- strong legs, mental and physical energy, and hydration level. The last 6 miles of this marathon is like another race. If you have the reserves, you can pour it on going down some great hills and sloping streets all the way into town. This year, for whatever reason, the man who lead the entire race had to stop at mile 23 and stretch. The second-place runner, Joe Wilson, passed him at this point and went on to win the race. Ironically, it was mile 23 that got me as well. The heat had me feeling weak and loopy in the head.
6. The people of St. George and the townships along the route come up and line the streets and cheer you on. It's a highly supportive community and I have not experienced anything like it in all of the other races I have participated in. I read that over 1,800 volunteers assisted at the aid stations, traffic control, food services, clean-up, etc. Not only is this the most organized of the races I attend, even though the bus fiasco occurred this year. But these people are friendly to the bone, thrilled to be out there helping.
7. After 8 times, I still can't get enough of the unique landscapes along the route-- running among extinct volcanos, black lava rock hills speckled with sage brush, red and white cliffs of Snow Canyon National Park towering over the route, and the red hills that welcome you into the city of St. George. It's an amazing location for a marathon.
Next year, I'm back on achieving my goal of breaking the 4 hour mark and qualifying for Boston.
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