Portland was fun. Once the race started you could hear drums in the distance. At about the half mile mark was a band of about 12 drummers, doing a rhythmic cadence that was so loud that it raised the hair on the back of your neck. I had heard that the race was very well organized and supported so I decided to try running this without my fuel belt. 19 aid stations along the way, each one having your choice of Ultima (yuk) Gleukos (not bad) and water. Many also had gummi bears and cliff shots, and a few others offered vaseline for the chaffed. I never felt as though I needed a thing. I felt fully hydrated the entire time.
There were also lots of bands in all shapes and sizes. Blues bands, rock bands, folk bands, and even a harp player. At mile 19, things turned a bit surreal. There was an actual RED BULL aid station where they handed out full ice cold cans of RED BULL! Just what you need at that point in the race, how brilliant!!! Then we came across some belly dancers, one of which was a man (I am really hoping that was the RED BULL kicking in) so there were plenty of laughs to be had on the way back into town. About 100 yards from the finish line there was a cartoon character of a female opera singer with an opera recording blaring across the course. As the saying goes, it aint over till the fat lady sings, so this clearly signified that the finish was near. Once across the finish line you enter a corral where only runners are allowed. There waiting for you is tons of food, drinks, foil wraps to keep you warm, and a large medical staff who walked up to each runner and checked on thier health. This was by far the best finish area of any marathon I have ever ran. From there you get a rose (complete with thorns) a medal of course, finisher's shirt, and a tree sapling that you can plant when you get home.
I didn't kill it, and it didn't kill me. I finished at 3:39:22 and felt great afterwards. So much so that the next day I actually was able to do about 30 minutes on the treadmill to loosen up my legs. That was a first... I highly recommend this marathon. It's a great time if you like to travel and make a short vacation out of your race, and it wont break the bank!
Unfortunately, Jerald did not make his goal of qualifying for Boston. At mile 20 his achilles flared up and he hobbled in the rest of the way. Undeterred, he already has his sights set for PF Chang's in Phoenix. What a warrior!
1 comment:
Sounds like a great race. Why did we never think of Red Bull before????
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