From an E-Mail dated 10-26-2006

Jackie
I read with interest your Nike Woman's Marathon Report and all of the
problems staying there and traveling home. I have experienced some of those and versions of others. Like once for a Sunday marathon I made motel reservations for Friday night, but showed up Saturday night. And then there was the time I planned a red-eye from Anchorage to Seattle and then catch a 6 am flight to San Jose in time to work Monday. Because of storms in Chicago , the airplane was late getting to Anchorage . By the time the plane was turned around and headed to Seattle I missed my flight to San Jose.  Was standby on six flights before I got out and missed work on Monday - no work = no pay. Sort of drove up the cost of that marathon.

I like to look at out of town marathons as an obstacle courses of leave home go to the marathon, run the marathon, and get back home. Many things can come up to challenge the best laid plans and can I find away around the challenges.

Following up on Sharlene's suggestions for back-to-back marathons you might also consider on the third weekend in October Breakers Marathon on Saturday in Rhode Island followed by Mystic Country in Niantic, Connecticut on Sunday which is only 40 miles away. I was one of about 60 runners who did both. 


They even had a special T-shirt for those finish both. The T-shirt had the
logos of both marathons on the front. I know some runners used the same
motel for both events. Interestingly one 65-year old African-American woman from Maryland ran her 10th state in Rhode Island and officially joined the 50-States Marathon Club, and then on Sunday ran Mystic Country Marathon and picked up her 11th state. I am impressed since this woman ran her first marathon in January. An early start was an option in Connecticut , but this woman did not take it since it would mean she would be out of the age group competition. Good thing as she came in 3rd in her age group. Another woman runner from Ohio came and ran her 9th state on Saturday and her 10th on Sunday and joined the club.

Also the Victorville Runners ran again in Connecticut on Sunday and were
back to their usual form and finished over an hour ahead of me. I was 17
minutes slower on Sunday and they were an hour faster.

This Sunday Sharlene and I will again be running the Silicon Valley
Marathon . We both ran it back in 2002 when it was my second marathon. This time it will be my 74th. Before the start in 2002 I met a runner from
Phoenix. The date was October 27th and I asked her how many marathons had she run. Her answer was "Twenty-three. So far this year. Today's will be my fourth in October". That is back-to-back for you.

I have never met the Paul Reese that Sharlene mentioned. But in Rhode
Island I did meet 73-year old Tom Knoll. Tom took 6th place in the first
ever Ironman competition in Hawaii in 1978. Later he ran across the United States in 64 days by running 46 miles per day. He has written a book about his running entitled "Why Not a Million?"

Here is a picture of Tom and me before the start of the Mystic Country Marathon.


Charles