Up early Sunday morn, caravanned to SLU with my sis, brother-in-law, and fellow Maniac, Stacy – all running today’s Go! St. Louis Marathon, my 25th state marathon. After today I’d be half-way thru my Quest.
Corral D start – bit frustrating when you can see your pace group & the next 2 pace groups starting a Corral ahead. Yeah, we’re chip timed but because I wanted to run with a pace group, had to throw two quick 7 minute/miles from the Start. Second or third time this has happened. Frustrating when asked to provide an estimated finish time, then placed with runners pacing 45 minutes behind that stride. It is what it is…guess if I were an elite runner it wouldn’t really matter – that should be my ultimate goal, huh? 🙂
Picturesque start in downtown St. Louis – view of the Arch – soon after, crossing the Mississippi into East St. Louis IL. Quick turnaround & across MLK Bridge back to St. Louis. Pretty amazing views. Well done, St. Louis.
Relatively flat course through mile 10 into Anheuser-Busch Brewery. Caught the 3:45 group & held on thru mile 12 – yep, went out way way too fast for a hilly course. Half-marathoners peeled off at mile 13, leaving marathoners to travel alone – east on Market toward Forest Park. Up, down, up, down – I was pre-warned, whole lotta hills.
Emergency Porta-Potty stop at mile 16 — yesterday’s river fish re-visited. Regrets? Maybe 🙁
Entered Forest Park at mile 17, dehydrated, started to drag. Looped around & around within the Park – released 5 miles later.
True to her word, met my sister at mile 22. Soaked in humidity, felt I had nothing left – but Tammy kept it all positive. Broke down to a walk & re-grouped mentally, listening to her cheery banter. We ran to mile 23. She paced me thru the triple hill threat into mile 25 – walk, jog, shuffle, run. Mentally I was shot this day. I owe her BIG time — best sis ever!
GO! St. Louis Marathon Saint Louis, MO
703 K R HAGA Louisville, CO 04:18:22
Tammy · April 12 at 5:06pm ·
How to sum up a spectacular weekend? A pic is worth a 1000 words so I’ll post some awesome ones but first, I didn’t race. I paced, I encouraged, I watched people gut it out and I saw a lot of first timers run and finish. I love a local race. I saw so many friends. I love people yelling “Go Tammy”. I loved seeing my city so pretty. But most of all, I FINALLY got to run with my brother when I could keep up and it was fun fun fun. Enjoy my great day. Thank you to FF. I learned more today than I did racing all year.
Long shower, followed by lasagna (my post-marathon go-to food) with the whole family – including my niece, who travelled home from college to join us. FAAANNNTASTIC!
Next marathon in 6 days – but I’ll think about that tomorrow. Today, I’m all about St. Louis AND finishing my 25th marathon, running side-by-side with my sis. Pretty spectacular.
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- beautiful downtown Start — corralled & ready to run
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- WOW whatta view – running over MLK Bridge into St Louis
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- True to her word, Sis met me at mile 22
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- Cadence is even the same. Legs are bent on same leg, every picture. Weird.
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- Swear, we didn’t practice the same hand gesture. Funny, must be genetic.
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- Best sis ever! First finished a Half (13.1 miles) then ran from mile 22 with me to the Finish. Happy Siblings Day Xtreme edition!
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- could manage only a grimace after running 26.2 — product endorsements, probably not my thing
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- lasagna & family — pretty much the best weekend ever
Woke early, packed, spent the work day in Boulder, Friday night flight to St. Louis – another race weekend, my third straight.
Been excited about marathoning in St. Louis since I race-registered last Fall – hometown to my sis & her family. Travelled tonite with Stacy, a fellow Marathon Maniac – plan was to meet up at DIA, same itinerary. Fifteen minutes out, she called: our flight was cancelled. Luckily, Stacy’s a take-charge gal with kick travel skillz. Tonite’s new destination: Chicago O’Hare. 5 hours of sleep at La Quinta (on United’s dime), morning connector to St. Louis.
Unfortunately, missed my nephew’s blistering 24 minute 5K finish – but arrived in time to meet my family at SLU for bib pick-up. Tammy’s long said NO to GO (Go! St. Louis Marathon) so appreciative she & hubby both entered the Half. Yeah, my family ROCKS!
Today’s pre-race activity – The Great River Road. Nothing says St. Louis like a day on the mighty Mississipp’. Quick obligatory stop at the Arch (even under construction, cannot miss St. Louis’ towering landmark), then east to Alton, Illinois. Detoured 30 minutes & toured Lewis & Clark State Historical Site. Always been enamored with Lewis & Clark and the American West (I was born in the wrong era).
Rode up Confluence Tower & viewed the meeting/confluence of 2 great rivers – the Mississippi & Missouri. Water on both sides of the highway, springtime on the Mississippi – happens every year. Though Confluence Tower was a bit of a bust ($4 to ride an elevator is kinda lame), picked up a map highlighting local passenger ferries. Now that would be cool – to ride across the Mississippi, right?
First lunch, then ferry.
My friend Cliff recommended I try Fin Inn Restaurant in nearby Grafton. Snapping turtle & river carp are muddy water favourites in this rural area. Decked with aquariums, ate tableside to my lunch plate’s kin. Started with turtle soup, finished with buffalo fish – deep fried, served with ketchup & an onion. Listened to locals discuss an episode of Swamp People. Redneck river day 🙂
Boarded Brussels Free Ferry – first of 2 ferries used to cross the Mississippi today. Sunshine overhead as we travelled scenic country roads & followed placard postings to Golden Eagle Ferry – dropping us back in Missouri, about an hour northwest of my sister’s home.
Marathon ready, feelin’ all Huck Finn – LOVED my day on the mighty Mississipp’!
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- the Gateway Arch – a St. Louis must
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- Lewis & Clark State Historical Site
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- Confluence Tower, Hartford IL
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- meeting of the Mississippi & Missouri rivers
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- small town USA
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- buffalo fish — a muddy water favourite in Grafton IL
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- Alton IL’s Clark Bridge, Brussels Free Ferry & the mighty Mississipp’
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- 6 miles of scenic country road — HUGE fan, beautiful day!
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- ferrying across the Mississippi — FAAANNNNTASTIC!
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- sunshine, mighty water, scenic bridges, river carp & 2 ferries – LOVED the Great River Road
Mississippi River ferry crossing
4:30am alarm, quick shower, hotel check-out, then parked in a public garage on Market Street, awaiting my 7am marathon start. Windy day so ducked inside a nearby shop alcove [with 2 other runners] ‘til 15 minutes of the gun.
Pre-warned today’s course would be hilly but found myself wanting to run; started quick with the 3:45 boys. Paced ahead on flats, they’d catch me on the hills. Hill, after hill, after hill. Long slog up, steep pitch down. 10 miles, they were gone.
4 hour crew passed at mile 18, 4:15 pacers mile 23.
So many hills. How did John Boy Walton make that walk to school every day?
Wind continued to blow. Never saw a marker for mile 25. Thinking mile 24 would never end, felt whooped & began walking up the final hill. Lady with a stroller shouted encouragement – Finish Line is only .2 miles from the top. BEST surprise ever 🙂
Crossed the ticker – no sub-4 this day, but I’ll take it. A finish is a finish, 24 states done.
15 minute sit-down, located my rental, then barreled back to DC (2 ½ hours away) for a 3:50pm flight.
Rental car return, flight check-in, security – then using a handicap bathroom stall, changed out of salty race clothes. Sink splash-bath, brushed teeth, washed my face, then boarded a plane to Chicago. Shamefully, that’s as clean as I would get this day.
Life as a marathon runner – not so glam. Next weekend, St. Louis.
Miller Lite Charlottesville Marathon
Charlottesville, VA USA
173 K R Haga 4:29:17
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- Marathon FINISHER — insane # of hills; this one whooped me
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- 24 states complete; next weekend St. Louis
