October
25th Version
FINISHING THE BREAKERS
MARATHON
Of the 72 marathons that I have run, by far the finishing
of the 2006 Breakers Marathon in
Rhode Island
was the most fun and exciting.
When I arrived in
Rhode Island
the Thursday evening before, the temperature was a balmy 66F.
Friday it rained and the temperature was 55F.
Friday was also the quarterly meeting of the 50 States
Marathon
Club and I was on the meeting room committee.
As I moved about the host hotel’s lobby I noticed two runners wearing
2006 Boston Marathon Finishers Jackets, meaning these runners had qualified for
Boston
by running a sub-4 hour marathon. I
was impressed. I have never run a
sub-5 hour marathon and have never qualified for
Boston
. For the 2003 Boston Marathon I
came within 53 minutes of qualifying. For
the 2007 marathon, I am within 42 minutes.
During the 50 States Marathon Club meeting all in
attendance stand and give their name, home
town, career number of marathons,
number of states completed, and age. The
two runners with the Boston Marathon finisher’s jackets were from
Victorville
,
CA
. Now Victorville is about 90 miles
east of
Los Angeles
. Had this meeting be in
Southern California, I would just have shrugged my shoulders and think another
California
town, but from the perspective of being in
Rhode Island
,
Glendale
,
CA
and
Victorville
,
CA
are practically neighbors. When
the meeting ended I introduced myself to the Victorville runners and we
discussed running out of state marathons from
California
.
On Saturday, the day of the marathon, the skies had
cleared, but the temperature had dropped to 43F with a very brisk wind that
dropped the wind chill to near thirty.
Some runners gathered outside near the start line, others went inside the
Gaudet
Middle School
gym to keep warm. I elected to keep
warm. I did look for the
Victorville runners, but was busy talking with my 50 State Marathon Club
friends.
The route of the Breakers Marathon is three loops of 7.9
miles. To make up the
difference to 26.2 miles, there was a one mile out-n-back run to Sachuest Point
a wildlife refuge in
Sachuest
Bay
on the first loop and two laps around the
Gaudet
Middle School
track at the finish.
As I was running Mile 9 (on the first loop), the lead
runners past me running Mile 17 on the second loop.
From that point until I completed the second loop I was continually being
passed by faster runners. Just
before the end of each loop was steep hill that a lot of runners walked.
As I was completing my second loop I saw one of the Victorville runners
walking more slowly than I. I
assumed the Victorville runner was saving energy for a really fast sub-4 hour
finish.
As I ran the third loop I started passing some runners;
runners who had slowed much more than I.
However just after I passed Mile 20 I heard a spectator cheer a couple of
runners. I thought ‘who could that
be?’ Three quarters of mile
earlier I had passed two runners that may have been in may age group.
One had continued with me for maybe a quarter of a mile, but dropped
back. Then the Victorville runners
passed me. Just ahead was a
water station and they got there before I did.
I passed through quickly and said “I will get ahead so that you can
pass me again.” “Oh, I
doubt that we will” one answered. On
my next walk break they did. While
I was doing my run-walk intervals based around a 4 minute run and one minute
walk, they were doing theirs on topography.
Walk up hill, run the flats and downhill.
However we soon matched our run-walks.
I learned that they were not having a good day since one had a flu shot
on Thursday, and had developed flu like symptoms that slowed the running.
We exchanged running stories until Mile 25.
At that point I realized that I had been running a bit faster than had
planned, and if I was going to save myself for runs in the near future, I should
slow down. At Mile 25 I bid
the Victorville runners ‘good luck’ and took an extra two minute walk break.
I watched the Victorville runners continue ahead and quickly pass through
a cluster of 5 to 6 other runners, and then all walked up the steep hill at the
end of each loop.
When I got to that hill, I, too, walked up it. When I got
the top I saw 3 of
the runners that Victorville runners had passed. I knew all three
runners. One was Tom Adair, president of the 50 States
Marathon
Club. Tom had just
moved into my age group on October 1st. I greeted the group, and
one asked if I was going to join them for the two laps around the
track. This sort of
pleasantly surprised me. I have run about a dozen marathons at the same
time as this runner, a runner who is usually faster than I am. I
remember at the 2004
Old Mulkey and the 2005
Hatfield-McCoy being told by this runner, “Please go on. I don’t
want to be the cause of your being slowed.” However, I was
moving comfortably at faster speed than they were running, so I
just smiled, waved, and kept running. Later
I would see them after they finished. As I approached the
end of the third loop
and I made the turn toward the track, there were a lot of spectators
cheering. I raised my arms in a "V". They cheered all
the more and I felt energized
to continue my run toward the track.
I entered the track and suddenly it was the 1964 Olympic
10,000 meter run scene from the movie “Brave Runner”.
The Brave Runner is Billy Mills who grew up on a South Dakota Indian
reservation, was recruited to the
University
of
Kansas
and made the 1964 USA Olympic Team as the second 10,000 meter runner.
In my mind’s eye I was Billy Mills.
Between me and the finish were three runners; a solitary runner 150
meters ahead, and the two Victorville runners 200 meters (half of a lap ahead).
I saw the Victorville runners as the favored Australians. The track was
not the
Gaudet
Middle School
track but the Tokyo Olympic Stadium. The course had us first run the first lap
on the inside 4 lanes, and the last lap on the outside 4 lanes.
With 800 meters to go could I pass the fast runners 200 meters ahead of
me? I remembered my recent track
training sessions where two weeks ago the coach had the group run 800 meter
repeats, the distance I had to go, and just the past week he had us run 400
meter runs. I felt confident as I
started running at the pace I remembered from the 800 meter repeats;
arms swinging parallel to the direction of motion, elbows bent more than
90 degrees, thumbs gently touching the index and middle fingers, body slightly
canted forwarded, jaw dropped for proper breathing.
I remember to increase my speed by higher turn over, and not longer
strides. Must avoid pulling a
hamstring. I run the first lap
continually closing the distance on the solitary runner.
With 350 meters to go I over take that runner.
We exchange greetings and I am now running in third place.
Still 50 meters ahead are the Australians (aka Victorville runners).
I continue my pace and focus on my stride and turn over rate.
The runners ahead are running in lanes 5 and 6.
I move to the outside of lane 7 as I cautiously move to a position to
overtake them. I am cautious because
in the movie one of the Australians throws an elbow into Billy Mill’s side
causing Billy to stumble and fall behind. With
125 meters to go I pass the Victorville runners.
Fortunately they are better sports that the Australian in the movie and
no elbow was thrown into my side. As
I move ahead of them I imagine the stadium crowd falling silent as the favorites
are being overtaken. I continue to
the finish line; the crowd suddenly cheers.
I am Billy Mills and I have won the race by 15 seconds.
The medal that they hang around my neck is not the Breaker’s Marathon
Finisher Medal, but the Gold Medal for the 1964 Olympic 10,000 meter run.
Then I did something Billy Mills did not do.
I reached in pocket, took out my camera and took a picture of Victorville
runners approaching the finish line.
I realize that when we run we sometimes have good days and
we sometimes get lemons and have bad days.
I am thankful that the lemons given the Victorville runners were the
makings for my huge glass of lemonade.
Charles Sayles