July Marathon of the Month: SOGONAPMIT Marathon, American Fork, Utah

Say what?
SOGONAPMIT is Timpanogos backwards. And? Ok, the Timpanogos is a half marathon which starts at the Tibble Fork Reservoir in American Fork Canyon Utah. It traverses down the canyon as the sun rises, providing spectacular views. The course is primarily downhill until it flattens out and heads into the outskirts of town. So....the marathon starts at the FINISH of the half marathon and runs the course backwards. It is timed such that the half marathoners are waiting for the full marathon participants to make it to the top before the half starts. The full marathoners are greeted by approximately 2,000 cheering people as they summit, then prepare to turn around and run their "2nd half" with the half marathoners on the way back down. Thus the marathon SOGONAPMIT.

As I read about this event my mind started racing with regards to crazy logistic issues. Like time. The half marathon starts at 6:00 AM! Yikes. The full marathon starts at 3:20 AM! You have 2 1/2 hours to complete the half (keeping in mind that it is primarily UPHILL as you leave town and head up the canyon and it's DARK).  I didn't even mention altitude. The Tibble Fork reservoir sits at over 6,000 feet. The town of American Fork is at about 4500 feet. Ouch. Marathoners are provided head lamps and are required to wear reflective vests. Carrying fluids is also suggested, as the aid stations are on the course, but not yet manned.  My mind couldn't get past how the pace timing was going to be handled for those that run the first half faster then 2 1/2 hours. (Not to mention having to stop running for a potentially lengthy amount of time before starting up again). Not that I think this would be an issue for ME, but reading further I see that it is chip timed, so I am assuming they take your chip times and add them at the finish. I have never heard any race like this before! Sounds crazy!

Ok so here are the stats:

2013 marks the third year for this race, and from the start it has been an organizationally top-notch race. The numbers from last year appear to be about 2000 people for the half, and only about 100 for the full. There doesn't appear to be an expo--merely a packet pick-up, which is disappointing. Still, the event appears to have a lot of sponsors for their race packets, and runners also receive gender-specific short sleeved tech tops.

The medals get rave reviews every year. This year's marathon medal appears to be a "spinner". Very big and colorful too. The race director has been quoted as saying, "It's all about the medal". This is my kind of race director.

Race day logistics seem pretty easy. The half marathoners take a bus up to the canyon start. I believe the full marathoners can have a bag taken to the top in order to drop off the "night time accessories" and pick up items for the 2nd half of the run.

Terrain wise, this would be an extremely difficult marathon, but one reviewer said, "the mountain isn't as visually intimidating in the dark", another person said it wasn't as hard as he expected, and another said the downhill 2nd half was incredible and went by fast. Finally one person practically screamed, "DO IT!"

I doubt there are any spectators on the course, but running with the half marathoners would make the 2nd half less lonely, and too, the scenery will make up for the loss of "hoopla", as always.

American Fork is a small town, but seems to have enough hotels and restaurants to make it work without having to stay in Provo (15 miles away) or Salt Lake City (a bit further away).  Getting to American Fork via Provo or Salt Lake City looks to be pretty simple too.

Weather-wise, it will most likely be hot and dry, with the lows in the 60's and the highs in the 90's, but it will be considerably cooler in the canyon before sunrise, and running the first half in the dark will be a blessing.

I'm not sure I can get up enough nerve to run this marathon, mainly because I am still scarred from the elevation battle during Utah's Wasatch relay. That HURT. I really like the race concept though, and I think it would be really unique to run the entire first half of a marathon in the dark. Everyone says that hitting the summit with the half marathoners cheering for you is incredible.

Here is their web-site: http://timphalf.com/

They also have a facebook page and several videos on you-tube.

So, interesting, yes! Do-able, yes! Maybe I should take the runner's advice and DO IT!

Embracing the Heat

Here we go again! Such is the torture of the Texas marathoner who has sights set on a fall marathon... Fall marathons require training in this gawd-awful heat! And let me tell you, it is tough, as in big-girl panties tough, as if training for a marathon isn't tough enough already. This is serious business. If you've never trained for a marathon in this heat, then listen up. I made a list of things to consider.

1. Pick a winter or spring marathon instead so you can train in weather fit for humans.

Yeah, I know, most of the good ones are in the fall. Here is just an example of what our group is training for: Chicago, New York City, Kansas City, St. George, and Twin Cities. Marathons in October and November are going to require most, if not all of your long runs to be in the heat. Just expect that.

2. If you insist on a fall marathon then get your head around the heat.

As Ginna and Sara say, "Embrace the heat".  Every year I tell myself that I am not going to crack--that I am going to hang tough and stay positive, knowing that the heat is only making me tougher, and if I lived on the west coast I'd turn into a wimp in no time--so pointless it would be to live where all you had were cool ocean breezes and marine layer fog and AHHHHH!!! I HATE TEXAS IN THE SUMMER!!! Crack....I crack every single summer, but hey, this year I vow to crack very very late into it....

3. You must CARRY FLUIDS.

Even if you are looping at the lake, where there is a water source every couple of miles you have to carry fluids. The other day I ran a loop (9 miles) with water stops AND my water bottle and when I got home I still lost 2 pounds. I am still training to drink more than I usually do--it's harder than you think to get this right. You must weigh yourself before and after the long runs initially to be sure you are drinking enough. You cannot compare yourself to your friends, as some sweat way more than others. Also, you need to get the electrolytes right. I take electrolyte pills and drink Gatorade. What I do works for me, but not necessarily someone else. You have to experiment with different products. So figure out how to carry your fluids, either hand-held or strapped on. If you think it's uncool, well you know what's even more uncool? You, lying on the side of the road.

4. Expect it to suck.

There will be long runs that will go OK and you will breathe a sigh of relief, like, "yeah I got this". And then the next run will leave you reduced to a whimper. It's just the way it is. Don't try to analyze it. Just accept it. Don't let it get at you mentally to where you think you need a "re-do" on the run because it was way slower or required a lot of walking. If you had to cut it short because you were feeling dizzy (and you do know that you need to STOP if you get dizzy right?), then here's an idea that has worked for me. If the heat is getting to me on a long run to where I am getting dizzy then I cut it short and finish the run on a treadmill in the gym. I've only had to do this twice, but I keep everything in the car just in case it happens. It is NOT FUN, but it gets done, and that's the name of the game here. The runs will be slower than you want. You will doubt your ability to run a marathon. At the very least you will doubt your marathon goal pace. I recall one summer where our first blast of cool air was when we arrived in Pennsylvania for the marathon! It's always nice to catch a break with a summer storm or an unexpected cold front, but don't count on it. When it happens though, euphoria!

5. Suffer with friends.

It's sick, but our summer runs are kind of fun. We have fond memories and wow, just crazy war stories from summer's past that leave us laughing now. And talk about bragging rights on how tough we are. I know I couldn't do it alone. I've had several  friends who, while telling me an engrossing story, got me through a very rough patch, or vice versa. We make interesting routes and pick up people along the way (called "fresh meat"). We have even broke out into song....I've had to run solo on some long runs and I can do it, but it is a lot harder. Still, sometimes if I am feeling bad I slow down and let the group go. Being by yourself during a rough patch is OK too if you need to slow down and take in whatever you need to get you back on track.

6. Things to try:

There are lots of products out there to test out, whether it be for chafing, keeping you cool, etc. Sara is carrying this towel called "Enduracool Instant cooling towel". She snaps it and amazingly enough it gets cold! I've also heard positive things about a sweat-activated cooling fabric by Columbia. There's also a lot to be said for ice baths--not just for faster recovery, but to help bring your core temperature down. One summer we had a small kiddie pool and some bags of ice waiting for us after our long runs. Maybe we need to do that again this year. I'm trying coconut water for pre-hydration this time around. With its high potassium content maybe I can back off on the bananas! Lots of fun stuff out there.

And so it begins...the training programs are written. The "Spring break" is over. Let's get to it!

Having fun?

June Marathon of the Month: Bay of Fundy International Marathon

This Sunday the Inaugural Bay of Fundy International Marathon will take place. First, a little geography lesson. You may need more than this little map to determine exactly where the bay of Fundy is, but the bottom line is the marathon starts and finishes in the state of Maine, and also runs along the bay within the province of New Brunswick, Canada.




From the marathon web-site: "We are a remote and rural marathon  in one of America and Canada's most quiet corners.  Our two beautiful places - Lubec, Maine and Campobello Island, New Brunswick - share shorelines, clean air, cool temperatures in June, and lighthouses that have guided the way for mariners for generations.  Starting at the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, the gently rolling course offers miles of water and harbor views.  Crossing from the USA to Canada by way of the FDR Memorial Bridge, the course takes runners past the FDR Summer Home in the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, through the scenic fishing villages of Welshpool and Wilsons Beach, to reach the northern tip of Campobello Island at the Head Harbour Lighthouse (also called East Quoddy Head).  The course then turns and retraces its steps back along the entire length of Campobello, back across the bridge into the USA, and finishes along Water Street at the Lost Fishermen's Memorial Park, in the heart of Lubec."

Years ago we did a week long cycling "Lighthouse Tour" in Nova Scotia, and one of our overnight campsites was in Digby, across the bay from where this marathon will run. Indeed, it is a quiet corner of the world, sometimes eerily so, but beautiful, oh so beautiful. And the seafood...after a week of cycling I actually gained weight. I specifically remember the scallops I had while in Digby-- to this day the best I've ever had. But I digress...

Race stats:

Number of entrants: I can't find any registration information on the web-site to indicate how large the field of marathon runners will be, or how much registration costs. In addition to the marathon there is also a 10K race, but again, I can't find any information on the web-site. I'll probably be able to get this information from the race results on Sunday, but I would assume the field would be rather small, making race day logistics pretty easy. It is noted that both the marathon and the 10K sold out before race day!

Race expo and swag: The expo is to be held at the Campobello Island Tourist Information Center (Canada), but the pasta and LOBSTER feed is in Maine. Best lobster I ever had was in Maine. I am a tad emotionally scarred from the experience of picking out the live critter from a tank and witnessing his transition from tank to plate right before my eyes though, so you may want to avoid that experience. Anyhow, this would be a pasta feed I'd recommend attending, given the convenience in a remote area.

Course: The majority of the course is an out-and-back, which some people don't like, but it does make for easier race day logistics. The scenery appears to be gorgeous throughout the entire race, and pretty flat too, with a few rollers on the elevation chart. Don't expect a lot of spectators or hoopla on this one!

Finish: The plan is to have a post race street party along the waterfront, which sounds like a blast.

Weather: This Sunday's forecast is 53 for a low, 71 for a high, with a 30% chance of rain. This is typical weather for this time of year, which is about as good as it gets for a marathon in the summer!

Destination choice: This is what I would consider a "bucket-list" place to visit, marathon or not. Bar Harbor Maine and Acadia National Park are nearby, with plenty of things to see and do.

Inaugural marathons scare me, as they have yet proven themselves, so it's best to wait until the first go round to give them time to correct their mistakes. Such is the plan for Kathy Murgas, who will be running this marathon NEXT YEAR as part of her 50 state quest, given of course, that this Sunday's run goes relatively smoothly. I will be checking for feedback on marathonquide.com and elsewhere. Fingers crossed, because it sounds like a marathon I'd like to add to my never-ending marathon wish list.

Here is a link to the race web-site:

http://www.bayoffundymarathon.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=202

Marathon #35: Newport Oregon, June 1, 2013

The Newport Oregon marathon has been on my marathon wish list for a long time, but for some reason it never showed up on my radar to run it, as was the case for this year, originally. It turned out that getting to the starting line of a marathon, any marathon, was going to be a challenge. The Newport marathon turned out to be my "Plan C" marathon, when all else failed. What's funny is that it turned out to be one of my favorite marathon experiences ever, so in the end it all had played out as it should have.

As I began to taper from my never-ending training I was pretty tired and felt like the marathon party train had already passed me by. As everyone started heat acclimatizing on shorter distance runs, I had to pound out one final 20 mile run, which wasn't exactly what you would call a confidence booster. It was pretty ugly. Still, I was determined to finish a marathon, so off to Newport Oregon we went.

Not a lot of people seem to know where Newport Oregon is, and seriously, until I signed up for the marathon I had no real clue either. Newport is along Oregon's central coast, about halfway between Portland and Eugene. Its population is roughly about 10,000 people who rely primarily on fishing and tourism. Here is a map of the marathon course, which helps to describe the layout of Newport as it relates to the oceanfront area and the Yaquina Bay:

Newport marathon course

We stayed on the oceanfront in the Nye Beach area, but the majority of the course ran along the bay. The brief run along the oceanfront came within a block of the hotel. Ok, onwards to the race details!

The Newport marathon was capped at 1000 runners, but oddly enough my number was 1007. That mystery was never solved. I only know there was no line when I went to get my number in the 900+ section at the "expo". To be fair, they never called it an expo. They called it a "packet pick up". So that's pretty much what it was. Very disappointing. And no shirt. I'd have to wait until the finish line to get it. (One of my pet peeves). I know it's petty, but I obsess over things like the shirt not fitting and getting the right size and that's the last thing I want to take care of when I cross the finish line. Anyhow, the highlight of the "expo" was having a guy say, "Hey, aren't you Teresa from Luke's Locker in Dallas?" As it turns out this guy Jim Bob from Commerce Texas had just gone to Luke's the day before to get new shoes, said he was coming to Newport to run a marathon, and one of my co-workers mentioned that I was too. So he asks if I am fast runner. My co-worker, who I have not yet hunted down and beaten to a pulp, said, "No she's OLD and she's SLOW". Ouch. So we had a laugh about that because he and I are the same age, but I am thinking about this comment and really not laughing inside, because slow, I don't like to think I'm slow, although admittedly, I have slowed down, and it's a tough pill to swallow sometimes.

Come race morning I am not overly nervous, mainly because it's a low profile and stress free marathon, but also because what glimpses I have had of the course have left me excited about the scenery I am about to see. Toby and I drive a few miles down to the start in Yaquina Bay park, which is yet another breathtaking spot in Newport:

Without ANY fanfare at all, we were off and moving. I do prefer some fanfare, even if it's just the national anthem or a cannon or heck, even a cheap air horn would have been nice. Initially we headed towards the coast for a brief jaunt to the oceanfront:

This stretch was scenic, but tricky, with lots of sharp turns, steep ups and downs, and one brief section on a gravel road. We made our way back to the starting line, which normally would have annoyed me, but I really needed to re-visit this:

This time we headed in the opposite direction--out along the Yaquina bay for the remainder of the course.  At this point I'd seen Toby several times, but knew I wouldn't see him again until the turn-around point, around mile 15-16. This stretch of the course reminded me a lot of the Grandma's marathon, with the nice, gently rolling terrain, and peace and quiet that comes with no bands, no noise, and very few people. At about the time it became a little tiring the front runners were making their way back, so for the next several miles there was excitement in seeing fellow runners in the opposite direction. I high-fived Jim Bob as he came flying by.  Then I got excited because I knew I'd see Toby soon. He took this photo as I approached him, then handed me Gatorade, asked if I wanted my music (no, I was liking the quiet), and said I was looking good. I love this guy!

After that I knew I wouldn't see him until the finish, but knew the hard work was coming up, and sometimes it's best that your loved ones don't see that. ;)

I had been keeping my pace SLOW and steady for the majority of the race, which was between 9:00 and 9:15. I knew I couldn't hold anything better than that for very long, and it felt good and comfy up until mile 19, which was 9:19, so I changed the goal to sub-9:30 from there. I think my original comfy pace and focus was a little blown out by the stench and eventual visual of OYSTERS on the half shell, glistening in the sunlight, free for our taking! So after my stomach calmed down somewhere around  mile 22  I really needed a water stop and a gel. I heard a lot of noise up ahead, so I opened up my gel, thinking it was a water stop. It turned out to be a bunch of idiots banging on pots and pans, hooting and hollering--no water, nothing! Seriously? The sun was starting to get to me. The ugliness in me was clearly surfacing, so at the next stop I stopped to walk to take in the gel, lots of water, and regroup for the rest of the run. (And throw the pace goal out the window entirely--just finish). I got back to the business of running, keeping the ugly beast inside of me well contained for the remainder of the race.

Unlike Grandmas, there is no crowd build up leading to the finish. The last mile of this run is just as remote as the previous ones, with the illusion that the finish line is nowhere near. As you crest a final hill you finally see the finish line before you and before you know it it's all over.

I was given a gorgeous medal made out of recycled glass, and a goodie bag of snacks. And oh yeah, that finisher's shirt. It turned out to be a long sleeved zippered tech top--very cool! I quickly made my way to the clam chowder and the beer, yes! Toby snuck into the finishing area, which he should be allowed to do since he clearly earned it by taking care of his wife! He went and got a print out of my results, which showed that I ran a 4:07:58 chip time, came in 8th in my age group (50-54, i.e OLD) and 378th overall, which means maybe SLOW is a relative term these days. I'll take it. We chatted with Jim Bob, then hit the road for more fun and adventure along the Oregon coast.

Clam Chowder!!!

Meeting Jim Bob was certainly a highlight

In summary, this was probably one of the prettiest marathons I've done, and at #35 this is saying something.  It's also what I'd consider a "gentle" course, with a few hills, but overall pretty flat. I lucked out with the weather. June can be tricky, even this far north.  Mainly, Toby and I were surprised at the beauty of the coast in this area. We knew it was pretty, but not this pretty. There were so many places to see and not enough time. This is truly a bucket list marathon and a great place to visit, regardless.

Here is the link to the web-site if you are interested. FYI, it is a charity event.
http://www.newportmarathon.org/

May Marathon of the Month: The Colorado Marathon

Starting area

I'm still scratching my head as to why the Fort Collins marathon changed their named to the Colorado marathon, but so be it. The Colorado marathon is a point to point course that begins northwest of downtown Ft. Collins at Steven's Gulch Campground, and runs along the Poudre river back into town. The finish line is in the heart of downtown Fort Collins. The course has a gradual decline of 1100 feet, which is great for those who are fearful of the idea of running a marathon at altitude. The downhill is gradual enough to benefit from without trashing the quads. The first 17 miles are spectacular, with the sun rising over the canyon walls as you travel down with the river by your side. The second half of the course is not as scenic, but the gradual appearance of more and more spectators as you arrive into town makes up for it. At some point you enter a bike path, which is not my favorite, but as far as bike paths go it's very pretty, lined with dense pine trees for shade. The finish into town is pretty festive, with free beer and pizza available to the runners at a local pub.

Stats:
Race size: The race fills up pretty quickly, as it is capped at 1700 for the marathon, 1500 for the half, and about a thousand for the 5K and 10K. The half marathon starts 13 miles south of the full marathon course, which is unfortunate, as they miss out on the majority of the fantastic scenery, but this does make the start of the full marathon much less chaotic, in fact, the start of the marathon is fairly peaceful. My only issue with the start would be that there is no shelter--once you exit the buses you are out in the elements until race start. If my memory serves me correctly we were not allowed to linger on the buses.

Weather: Even though this marathon is held in May, it's still pretty cold in this area, in fact, it snowed the night before the marathon (up in the canyon), and there was still snow on the ground race day morning. Running through the canyon was a lot colder than I thought it would be--I ended up wearing my "throw-away" long sleeved T shirt for the duration of the canyon section.

Expo: There was no real expo to speak of, as the packet pick up was in the  lobby of a hotel. There were a few racks of race apparel and a few tables set up, but that was it.  As far as I can tell from the web-site it appears to still be the case. Pretty disappointing for a race this size.

Swag: The medal was gorgeous. Runners were given tech shirts. All good there.

Fort Collins itself is a fun little town with lots of things to see and do. We missed out on touring the Fat Tire Brewery because they were closed on Sunday and Monday, DOH! Keep this in mind if you plan on touring. We stayed in town at the historic Armstrong Hotel, which had unique rooms and a fat cat named Oreo walking the halls and occasionally riding the elevator.

This marathon made my top 10 marathon list, mainly because of the scenery, but also because everything else about the race was pretty flawless--I don't recall any logistical issues, water stop issues, course issues, or anything sub-par with regards to the race. As far as course difficulty goes, I didn't find it to be that hard even though it was at altitude, so if you want to run a marathon in Colorado and you fear altitude, this one's for you. Here is the link to the web-site. There's a long video on the site that's worth watching too.

http://www.thecoloradomarathon.com/

More pictures from 2009, the year we ran it:

Oreo

Downtown Fort Collins

Texans in the Canyon!

Happy Finishers

Marathon #18: Ocean Drive Marathon, Cape May New Jersey, 2006

A marathon in New Jersey is a hard sell. You tell someone you're running a marathon in New Jersey and they scrunch up their nose and repeat "New JERSEY??" Forget that it's a coastal point to point run along the Barrier Islands from Cape May to Sea Isle City, one of the most popular tourist spots on the east coast, or that it's pancake flat except for a few bridges across the marsh lands .It's NEW JERSEY, EW!!! So naturally, the only people I could recruit were my "50 state" friends, Zac and Kathy.

First things first though as we drive into Cape May--Wine tasting trumps everything, including checking into the hotel. Currently, Cape May has two vineyards/wineries with a third on the way. The first stop was the Turdo Vineyard. Yes, Turdo. It's the family name, no reference to the soil, so no worries there. Then onward to the Cape May Winery, which was presenting their 2005 white wines in celebration. Both places produced some good wines worth buying. Later that evening we polished off two purchases with our BYOB dinner at the Black Duck. Can't recall exactly what I had, but it was delicious.

We stayed at the historical Congress Hall Hotel, which means it was really old and a lot of history happened there. ;) It was a great location. You could walk to the main shopping area, to the beach, to Bill's pancake house, and most importantly, to the race start, which was going to be right out in front of the building.

The expo was in the Wildwood convention center. We got kind of excited when we pulled into the parking lot and noticed there were lots of cars and people walking in and out until we realized the crowd was there for a boat show. The expo was off in a little side room to itself. Still, it was nice to have that verification that there was actually going to be a marathon taking place!

On Saturday the weather gradually deteriorated throughout the day. At nightfall it went from a cold steady rain to a wintry mix with a 70% chance of rain the following morning. The sense of dread set in at the "last meal". We considered a plan B. Can't discuss it here, for legal reasons. ;) I hate that sense of dread. I dozed off while repeatedly watching the weather channel feed every 8 minutes, hoping it would change, and then had one of those fitful dreams where you show up to run in a pair of wooden clogs or you missed the start or have to run through someone's house for the first mile. I hate those dreams!

Race day morning was clear! Cold, but no rain, and only a slight breeze, but the breeze brought the temperature down from 38 to 31 degrees. Again, seeing other runners milling about was a relief. It was weird. The whole week-end you felt like it wasn't going to happen and then here it was, finally! The three of us were all "gimpy" and wanted to run easy, so we ran together and chatted among other runners in the early miles. Small marathons are friendly like that. Two women we met had on Reach the Beach relay shirts! We met a guy who was running Boston in 3 weeks, same as Zac. He stayed around us for most of the race.

We noticed busted clam shells on the road, and at one point we heard a loud bang on the road. It was later discovered that this loud bang was a gull dropping the clam on the road in order to break it and eat the clam.  My favorite part of the marathon was a boardwalk stretch on old wooden planks along an amusement park with hot dog stands, rides, and arcades. Really neat! Zac and Kathy's favorite parts were the last stretches through Sea Isle City, with nice summer homes. All three of us agree that the finish was great. It finished along a bike path than ran parallel to the beach for nearly a mile.

Afterwards they served chicken broth which was surprisingly good! We hung out in a tent for awhile, chatting with other runners, one of which thanked us for pacing him to his first marathon. Even though we didn't remember him, Zac's photos show him behind us along the boardwalk, so he must have ran behind us in silence for a good ways. Finally, we made our way to the bus to take us back to Cape May, and then later we had to say good-bye to Cape May and head home.

I think Kathy and Zac would agree that this marathon is way more than a check off a list. It's truly a unique marathon worth considering. Yes it's small with 450 runners (up from 300 last year), but small marathons can be a nice change, especially with the sound of the ocean in your ear as you near the finish line. Logistics are so easy too--we didn't even need timing chips. And if you need another reason?
Hey, it's New Jersey!!

Marathon #18: Ocean Drive Marathon, Cape May New Jersey, 2006

A marathon in New Jersey is a hard sell. You tell someone you're running a marathon in New Jersey and they scrunch up their nose and repeat "New JERSEY??" Forget that it's a coastal point to point run along the Barrier Islands from Cape May to Sea Isle City, one of the most popular tourist spots on the east coast, or that it's pancake flat except for a few bridges across the marsh lands .It's NEW JERSEY, EW!!! So naturally, the only people I could recruit were my "50 state" friends, Zac and Kathy.

First things first though as we drive into Cape May--Wine tasting trumps everything, including checking into the hotel. Currently, Cape May has two vineyards/wineries with a third on the way. The first stop was the Turdo Vineyard. Yes, Turdo. It's the family name, no reference to the soil, so no worries there. Then onward to the Cape May Winery, which was presenting their 2005 white wines in celebration. Both places produced some good wines worth buying. Later that evening we polished off two purchases with our BYOB dinner at the Black Duck. Can't recall exactly what I had, but it was delicious.

We stayed at the historical Congress Hall Hotel, which means it was really old and a lot of history happened there. ;) It was a great location. You could walk to the main shopping area, to the beach, to Bill's pancake house, and most importantly, to the race start, which was going to be right out in front of the building.

The expo was in the Wildwood convention center. We got kind of excited when we pulled into the parking lot and noticed there were lots of cars and people walking in and out until we realized the crowd was there for a boat show. The expo was off in a little side room to itself. Still, it was nice to have that verification that there was actually going to be a marathon taking place!

On Saturday the weather gradually deteriorated throughout the day. At nightfall it went from a cold steady rain to a wintry mix with a 70% chance of rain the following morning. The sense of dread set in at the "last meal". We considered a plan B. Can't discuss it here, for legal reasons. ;) I hate that sense of dread. I dozed off while repeatedly watching the weather channel feed every 8 minutes, hoping it would change, and then had one of those fitful dreams where you show up to run in a pair of wooden clogs or you missed the start or have to run through someone's house for the first mile. I hate those dreams!

Race day morning was clear! Cold, but no rain, and only a slight breeze, but the breeze brought the temperature down from 38 to 31 degrees. Again, seeing other runners milling about was a relief. It was weird. The whole week-end you felt like it wasn't going to happen and then here it was, finally! The three of us were all "gimpy" and wanted to run easy, so we ran together and chatted among other runners in the early miles. Small marathons are friendly like that. Two women we met had on Reach the Beach relay shirts! We met a guy who was running Boston in 3 weeks, same as Zac. He stayed around us for most of the race.

We noticed busted clam shells on the road, and at one point we heard a loud bang on the road. It was later discovered that this loud bang was a gull dropping the clam on the road in order to break it and eat the clam.  My favorite part of the marathon was a boardwalk stretch on old wooden planks along an amusement park with hot dog stands, rides, and arcades. Really neat! Zac and Kathy's favorite parts were the last stretches through Sea Isle City, with nice summer homes. All three of us agree that the finish was great. It finished along a bike path than ran parallel to the beach for nearly a mile.

Afterwards they served chicken broth which was surprisingly good! We hung out in a tent for awhile, chatting with other runners, one of which thanked us for pacing him to his first marathon. Even though we didn't remember him, Zac's photos show him behind us along the boardwalk, so he must have ran behind us in silence for a good ways. Finally, we made our way to the bus to take us back to Cape May, and then later we had to say good-bye to Cape May and head home.

I think Kathy and Zac would agree that this marathon is way more than a check off a list. It's truly a unique marathon worth considering. Yes it's small with 450 runners (up from 300 last year), but small marathons can be a nice change, especially with the sound of the ocean in your ear as you near the finish line. Logistics are so easy too--we didn't even need timing chips. And if you need another reason?
Hey, it's New Jersey!!