After the 1635 mile drive from Jacksonville, FL, to Duluth,
MN, I found cool
weather and partly overcast skies on the shores of Lake Superior. Upon my
arrival there on Thursday, June 18, the temperatures were in the 55-65 degree
range during the day, though the nights have been much cooler.
Grandma's Marathon is extremely well supported by the people of Duluth. It
seems that everywhere one goes here, people are talking about the race,
wearing shirts or hats with the logo of the race, or just getting ready to run
in the race. Shop keepers welcome visitors with questions about where I've
come from and whether I will be running in Grandma's -- it helps to keep
one's focus on the running purpose of the trip.
Race day came early, since the race starts at 7:30am. Busses take the
runners to the start area, about 25 miles from the finish line at Canal
Park, just a block from the restaurant that gave the marathon it's name --
Grandma's. Race morning was foggy and cool, with an electronic sign showing
that the temperature was 48 degrees just before the start. After being
dropped off at the start area, up the North Shore of Lake Superior near Two
Harbors, runners leave their bags of dry warm-up clothes at the delivery
trucks that will make sure our gear is waiting for us at the finish. It is
cool, but I decide to start in a singlet with a throwaway T-shirt over it.
Five minutes after the wheelchair start, the runners begin our trek to
Duluth, and I cross the starting line with my brother again -- only about
15-20 seconds after the signal. This is the fourth time I have started this
race with my "little brother" who often runs the same pace as I do... but
not this day.
I started off quickly, faster than I had planned, with most of my first
miles being 7:03 to 7:11 per mile. It felt fairly good, though, so I kept up
the pace for awhile and slowed slightly as I got through about 10 miles.
Nature require me to stop at the 13 mile marker for a trip to the
port-a-let, but the rest of the race was comfortable and smooth. There was
fog for most of the race, soon after the start and all the way to the finish
line. There had been a prediction of scattered rain through the day, but we
only experienced about 10 minutes of actual rain. While the course for
Grandma's Marathon is one of the most beautiful I have run, this year
newcomers would not enjoy the scenic vistas along the shoreline. The thick
fog obscured the long views across Lake Superior and down the course. The
gently rolling hills along the shore came to us without the views of them
miles ahead. In some ways, this was a kindness, since runners would not be
so intimidated by the upcoming hills we could not see.
As I passed the 20 mile mark, I calculated the time and what my pace would
yield at the finish. Realizing that I could slow down and still beat my PR,
that feeling of a "second wind" reached my legs. I continued to complete the
miles, recheck my pace, and calculate my expected time remaining. Each mile
I felt happier and got even more of that energy from the crowd and from
within myself. As I crossed the 25 mile marker, I knew that I could walk the
rest of the way and still break my previous PR by minutes -- but I did not
slow down.
I was passing weary runners, encouraging them, waving and smiling at the
spectators. By the 26 mile marker, I was laughing out loud, shouting to
myself and looking for the finish line clock that would show my time as I
crossed the line in 3:17:29 -- a new personal best by just about five minutes!!
I went through the finish line chutes and was given my new finisher's medal
(much more special to me this time than ever before), and the mylar space
blanket that would help me stay warm and keep the falling rain off. I had
not even noticed that it was raining during the last few miles... or maybe
it just started when I finished. I grabbed a cup of water and ran back out
the course in reverse to watch for my brother and other friends. When I saw
my brother, I shouted to get his attention and ran back to the finish with
him, reaching the end of the chute in time to congratulate him and share the
excitement of the finish. We found more of our running friends and ate and
drank the goodies that make Grandma's finish area so special. After a couple
ice cream cones, I was ready to find a warm shower and change into dry
clothes. Another marathon was completed and I was very satisfied with my
finish time.
I may have said this before, but I will repeat it: Grandma's Marathon is one
of the best anywhere. The town of Duluth supports it the way you would think
ideal from a runner's point of view. This race is well worth the trip!
The day after the Marathon, I was even able to race again -- though this time
in a sailboat race on Lake Superior with the wonderful hosts with whom I had
been staying in Duluth. In keeping with the trend of this racing trip so
far, we won the sailing race. Following my stay in Duluth for Grandma's
Marathon, I went to Bayfield, Wisconsin, to participate in a series of nine
offshore sailing races, also on Lake Superior. In the custom 50-foot racing
boat named Chewbacca, we won our division in the 63 mile Around the Islands
Race, finishing about sunset -- our fastest ATI race ever. During the week
of eight more races, I rode a mountain bike each morning before racing the
sailboat. In the offshore racing, we won several, got seconds in some more,
and finished second overall for the Race Week series, barely losing out to
another 50-footer. Even with the long drive straight through to Florida
(another 1600 + miles), this was a great trip!
The official site for Grandma's Marathon on the Internet is
http://www.grandmasmarathon.com/ |
