Bakersfield Marathon

Published November 17, 2019

Early rise, check-out. No post-race hotel shower, not part of today’s equation. CSUB parking before 6. Same-day registration, easy straight forward. Baseball cap swag. Nice, Bakersfield. Definite keeper. Marathon’s 4th year. Lotta community support, well organized. Pacers. Big show from the pistachio industry. No talk of hills.

Day 2. Last night late. Diverted south to San Bernardino, crisscrossed America on empty farm roads thru isolated migrant towns. No public restrooms, grocery stores. No fast food. High-priced fuel & date-expired snacks. Apologies, Mexican brothers. Not the American dream we promised. Chin up; it gets better. We’re not all wall-building war mongers.

Lined with the 4:30 pack. Lil’ faster than planned but ironically, knew the pacer. Ran together & we finisher-posed with Carolyn in Santa Rosa, 2016. Small world.

Nice shake-out after Vegas. 9 miles of city street then diverted thru historic ‘Old Town’. Shopkeeper digs, trapper cabin, bank, old jail. Classy perk, unexpected & FREE 😊

Aid Station sat Mile 11. Not Las Vegas heat but I warmed with the day temps. Dizzy, unsteady. Came unexpected/out of the blue. End of the road? Nope; given a couple mustard packets – California MIRACLE. 6 years marathoning & never knew. Walked, took in fluids. Picked up pace & kept on truckin’. Mile 12. Mile 13. Half-way mat.

THREE MILES of HILL. Long grinder. up, UP & kept climbing. Bakersfield Community College – top of Bakersfield. Another mustard packet. Attitude upbeat, surprisingly all good. Started taking in scenery.

Caught the 4:50 pacer at mile 17. You never late-race catch the pacer. Kept pushing. Kept thinkin’ he was right behind me. Planned a short walk at 24. Skipped it. Again at 25. Just kept moving.

Re-entered Cal State-Bakersfield, mile 26. Folks cheering near the Finish – SPRINTED the last two-tenths. Crazy happy me. Hung close (3 minutes) & thanked my 4:50 friend for the late-game push.

Post-race burritos & beer if you’re a boozer. 4-hour drive ahead. Crossing the Mohave 🌵

2 days, 2 states, 2 marathons, 2 medals. Nah, it’s not Triple 8 but great training experience. Nevada & California join Oregon & Arizona, the ‘5’ Club. FIVE marathon finishes in each. big GRIN.

Early feasting next weekend. Thanksgiving Thursday flying trans-Pacific.

Life GOAL realized – SUPER excited! My 7 Continent FINISH in Osaka, Japan 🇯🇵

Congratulations on Finishing the Bakersfield Marathon!

Sun November 17, 2019

Bakersfield, CA US 93311

K R Haga Marathon Louisville, CO BIB#1328 CHIP TIME 4:47:36.6

10K: 1:00:13

13.1: 2:17:30

30K: 3:25:55

FINISH: 4:47:36.6