on running afowl

This morning I ran (and more importantly finished) my fifth marathon, the 2009 Quad Cities Marathon. Decent pace (7:39), nice weather (sunny but cool), and I felt great. The course was nice: a few manageable hills near the beginning, a couple of bridges, and several nice long stretches along the mighty Mississippi River, including a short tour of Arsenal Island. My only real complaints: the 6 mile out-and-back near the end, and the fact that the full marathon course kept diverging from and then rejoining with the half-marathon course. The latter flaw meant that every 45 minutes or so marathon runners would once again have to pick a path through slower half-marathon runners. Still, traffic flow at these points of convergence and divergence wasn’t bad thanks to all the volunteers. They were plentiful and friendly, with more than enough water, Gatorade, GU, etc. Fan support was decent, too: a number of musical acts were spread out along the course, and every few miles there were at least a few individuals or a small group of people waiting to cheer runners on. Oh, and the finisher’s medal isn’t bad, either.

But as much as I enjoyed the race itself, it wasn’t perfect. Execution was nearly flawless on race day, but I felt like information was lacking ahead of time. Now I know the Quad Cities Marathon isn’t as big as, say, Madison (or Disney for that matter), but it’s not tiny, either. It’s not even the smallest marathon I’ve run in–my first marathon, in Potsdam, Germany, still holds that honor, with 455 total finishers. Still, despite its small size the Potsdamer Schlössermarathon provided my family and I with all the information we could possible want or need. The website was great, and what little I couldn’t find there was explained in the materials I received at packet pick-up the day before. Of course the packet wasn’t a full color glossy magazine, but it got the job done.

Every other marathon I’ve run has not only provided info about where to park, but how to get there. That sort of explanation would be of particular use for the Quad Cities Marathon, since highway on- and off-ramps and lanes of traffic were closed to accommodate the race. Every other marathon has provided a schedule of events for race day, something the Quad Cities Marathon organizers either failed to make available or failed to make obvious. Indeed, my frustration with the information provided before the event had as much to do with the organization (or lack thereof) of that information as it did with “missing” information (course elevation, for instance.) There were other niceties I would have liked to see–shuttles from the recommended hotels, or some way to keep friends and family updated on my progress, whether via SMS, the web, or what have you–but I understand that not every race can afford every luxury. Well-organized and thorough sources of information, however, should not be a luxury.

Still, on balance the race was a positive experience. Though my pre-race criticisms were, I suspect, a result of the race’s relatively small size, that small size is also an asset. Running through four different small cities (Moline, IL, Bettendorf, IA, Davenport, IA, and Rock Island, IL), each with their own character, was great. And all the people involved, from racers and fans to volunteers and police officers, helped make it great. Given the opportunity, I probably would run this one again: pre-race communications may not be any better in the future, but for me they won’t need to be. I’ve already figured everything out, leaving only the positive aspects for me to enjoy.