Last marathon of 2014 – in America’s 1st state, Delaware.
Denver to Baltimore, rental [car] pick-up, White Marsh MD where I picked up Stephen travelling for work (awesome timing, huh). Lunch, an hour to Delaware, another hour half to Rehoboth, bib pickup, (must have) crab cakes, then early to bed.
Race in the a.m. – BAM that’s how I roll 🙂
Chilly Saturday start, arrived early on the boardwalk. Watched the pink surf sunrise – STUNNING.
Woke sluggish – time change related, me thinks. Have reined in most race variables – diet, when/what/how much…shows you can’t control everything. Sometimes it is, what it is…just gotta roll with the punches.
Another jumbled race beginning – halfers split off near mile 3 so synched into a rhythm early on. Beautiful scenic course, fairly flat too. Wish I had woke more rested, this course had all elements for a PR. Twice we broke thru state forests for long stretches on trail & wood planked pathways, built above the marshy wetlands below. Saw ocean waves break hard – the Atlantic seems more violent in December, possibly protesting the end of summer season.
Overcast day but forecasted rain held off for 5 hours.
Notta a huge fan of courses which loop (show us 26 unique miles please) – that said, Delaware’s marshy coastal habitat was eye catching & without a lotta wind. Can’t control the weather…but appreciative when it rolls my way.
Tomorrow’s adventure, Assateague Island & Marguerite Henry‘s must-see ponies of Chincoteague.
K R HAGA crossed the Finish
Course time: 04:30:42
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- crab cakes – a Delaware must
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- pre-race smiles
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- Atlantic surf sunrise
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- finish in sight
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- 2014 year-end — 17 states COMPLETED!
Early rise, caught a ride to my 16th Marathon start & located Maniac village.
Route 66 would be my 2nd in our trademark yellow-n-black racing shirts. Enjoyed a pre-race toast with a runner celebrating his 50th state marathon – fast forward 2 years, this will be me 🙂
Full & half marathon combined start meant a jammed race for 12 miles – but not as bad as Vegas. I now have a barometer to gauge against. Lotta runners in Tulsa…but not 44,000.
Went out a bit fast on a hilly course. Mentally, got to remember to run my own race. Matching fleet footed half-marathoners is not helping the back half of my race. 1:48 half is quick. Until I finish sub-4 consistently gotta keep folks outta my head.
Memorable – campus run thru University of Tulsa. Love marathons routed thru universities – crowd supported & visually easy on the eyes…beautifully landscaped, virtual botanical gardens. Seen a lotta road this year so I appreciate flora & fauna.
Hills.
Not the Colorado variety where you dig in, blast BIG, let it burn & soon you’re flying downside. Deceptive hills in Oklahoma – gradual inclines which can last for 3 miles. ‘Mess with your head’ hills – “I’m on flat ground, what’s wrong with my legs” hills.
Heading into mile 26, looked forward to seeing family. Not sure if they’d be waiting near the Finish but just the possibility was motivating. Nearing the end I heard them – WOW.
Received my medal, Finisher’s photo, grabbed a chocolate milk. I could hear Mom, my family behind the gates.
I reached up, she touched my finger tips, I heard her voice, I heard all of their voices now – one gets crazy emotional after pushing the body to extreme. Amazing, unerasable experience.
Shower, food, airport – time goes by so fast. Ash texted a pic of geese wintering on Waneka Lake. Home.
Bib Chip Time
1958 K R Haga Louisville CO 4:32:41
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- SUCCESS!
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- 50-state Finisher celebration
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- marathon medallions
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- wintering geese, my Colorado home
When you think of Vegas, one thinks bright lights & casinos. Nevada would be my 15th state marathon & my first race at night.
Struggled as how to prepare for a night run – when to stop eating (generally 14 hours before race time), what & how much pre-race activity is ok before running a full marathon. Lotta unknowns.
Since I was staying at the Luxor, pre-race pics with fellow Maniacs was super easy – took the elevator downstairs; check, done. Another first? Pre-race pic with Elvis. Yeah, everything tonite spelled Vegas.
And since this was a Rock n Roll marathon, watched Macklemore in concert an hour half before the start. Not sure if standing at a concert before running 26.2 miles was great prep but the experience was crazy fun 🙂
Vegas would also be my largest race to date – more than 44,000 participants. Starting 10 corrals back @ 1,000 runners per corral = no actual running until 20 minutes after the first firework blast. That’s a lotta bodies running at a lotta different paces.
First 4 miles down the Strip, soooo many runners but WOW — still kinda cool. Mandalay Bay, Luxor, MGM, the Mirage, Circus Circus — all colorful ginormous hotels. Unexpectedly however, found my favourite part of the Strip was Fremont Street in downtown Vegas – casino lights coupled with a flash of Vegas past.
From mile 4 to mile 21, not a whole lotta positive. Ran for miles on a highway in the dark, thru Vegas suburbs on dim roadways, past homeless under bridges. Vegas is a tough town – whether homeless by choice, self-inflicted circumstance or just plain bad luck, unfortunately there are many homeless in Vegas. Really puts life in perspective.
Mile marker signs dropped off after mile 21. Positive – the Vegas skyline is soooo BIG, I could see light by mile 23. Return pass thru Fremont — felt like I’d been running all night. A fellow Maniac called out at mile 25 & I tagged along. Many thanks Othman.
Nearing the Finish Line, Ash, Tom & Stephen screamed encouragement. FAAANNNNNTASTIC finish!
Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas – Marathon
OvrPl Bib Name City, State Time
1829 10078 K R Haga Louisville, CO 4:36:50
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- pre-race pic w/ the King
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- Macklemore
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- 44,000 strong
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- marathon magic
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- FINISHERS!
