A Rewarding Finish

Before I signed up for Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, I signed up for the Cedar Rapids Marathon. However, once I got into Grandma’s, I knew that I would not run the Cedar Rapids Marathon because it was only two weeks before Grandma’s. That would not allow my body adequate time to recover.

But, since I spent my money and had already entered, I figured that I may as well drive to Cedar Rapids and pick up my “swag” bag that I get for entering. I typed in the wrong address into my phone for the packet pickup and so I ended up a few blocks away. I ended up near Big Grove Brewery and Tap Room. Since it was about 11am, I figured I may as well go inside and get something to eat. After a delicious grilled chicken sandwich, fries, and Mountain Dew, I was off to the real packet pick-up location at the Double Tree Hotel in downtown Cedar Rapids.

While there, it dawned on me that my training run for tomorrow should be a half-marathon. So, I reclassified into the half-marathon and decided to drive back the next day and use the race as my training run. I’m glad I did! It was a fun run. I met a lot of interesting people along the way. It was such a relaxed environment when I wasn’t focused on running for time. I took it easy and talked to a lot of people along the route. My goal was to run a 9:00/mile pace and I did exactly that.

My pacer in the 2-hour (half-marathon)/4-hour (full marathon) group was from Utah. I thought it was odd to have a pacer all the way from Utah. I asked her how she got to be a pacer. She stated that she inquired and was accepted. She is also an ironman triathlete. Her goal is to run a marathon in each state and so she jumped on the opportunity for a free entry fee. My favorite story from the day was soon to come.

At a little past the 11.5-mile mark, I ran by a woman, tired and leaning over, resting with her hands on her knees. All runners are familiar with this pose. I gave her some encouraging words as I ran by. Something like, “You’re ok, you can do this.” She replied, “How much is left?” I continued to run and yelled back, “About a mile-and-a-half.” Then it hit me, I should turn around and run with her. And so, I did. I went back and said, “C’mon, I’ll run with you to the finish.” She replied with a polite, “No, you go ahead.” I assured her that I wasn’t running for any time and would stay with her. So, off we went.

We didn’t talk much. She was tired but still running pretty well. We ran for about a mile. It wasn’t long before I could hear the finish line and knew we were close. My Garmin told me that we were about a quarter mile from the finish. I could hear the commotion of the music playing and the announcer calling out the finisher’s names or bib numbers. I asked her if she had enough energy left for a kick. She said she didn’t and so we just kept going. We turned the corner and the finish was in sight right in front of us. I ran right behind her for the balance and we finished mostly together. Once across the line she told me that her goal was to finish in 2 hours and that she ran it in 1:58:40. She said that this was only her second half-marathon and that this was her personal best. She thanked me and told me that she couldn’t have done it without my help. That made me feel good and I was definitely glad that I went back and helped. We turned and headed to pick up our medals, get some post-race nutrition and hydration and we were both on our way.

I’ve noticed over the years that the running community is very supportive. That is one of the things that I enjoy the most at events like this. Everyone encourages each other. I’ve never really had to have anyone help me during a race, but I’ve had people help me on training runs. Including the lady who helped me last year when I got dehydrated during a 20-mile run in a heat index of over 100. I got lightheaded and didn’t think I could make it home. My run ended about one mile from home. I knocked on a random door for help. I regurgitated my rehearsed plea for help, “My name is Mike. I live in the neighborhood. I’ve been running and I think I’m dehydrated. Do you have some water or Gatorade?” She graciously accepted me into her garage, got a chair for me, put a fan on me, and brought me some water. She did the best that she could, but I eventually ended up in the hospital overnight for hydration. So, this was my chance to help someone. I didn’t need a medal as a reward. Her thank you was all the reward that I needed!

Next up, Grandma’s Marathon in 11 days!