on running afowl

We were both right.

My wife was right: the guy she pointed out at the pasta dinner was going to beat me. (He came in second.)

And I was right: the guy I spotted wearing a cowboy hat at the dinner did indeed wear his hat while running the race.

The Newman Catholic School System in Mason City, IA runs the On the Road for Education marathon as one of a number of events aimed at raising money for its schools. A smaller race, this year’s 128 registered runners for the full marathon represented a record turnout. While this obviously was a boon for fundraising efforts, it did put what last year was a very winnable race out of my reach: this year’s winning time of 2:39:23 was over 20 minutes faster than last year’s.

Though I did entertain some thoughts of placing in my age group, the main reason I entered the race was to qualify for Marathon Maniacs. Mission accomplished. I also thought I might have a chance at qualifying for the 2011 Boston Marathon. I came pretty close, thanks in part to a relatively flat course and decent weather. Sadly, a less than perfect performance on my part and, to a lesser extent, a few muddy sections slowed me down enough to push me over the 3:10 mark.

The course was relatively nice, and not as hard to follow as some comments I’d read online suggested. Given the small field, sparse crowds, and limited number of volunteers, following the course was often a matter of spotting printed signs and arrows painted on the roads, sidewalks, bike paths, and trails along the way. But I was never lost, and though not as pretty as Des Moines the course still impressed with old neighborhoods and river views in addition to farmers’ fields and ubiquitous fog.

Organizers provided more than enough direction along the course and also made sure there were plenty of aid stations, with water, sports drinks, fruit, and GU. Spectators made up for limited numbers by appearing in multiple locations throughout the race; I saw my wife (and our dogs) at least three times along the way. A few volunteers–high school students, I think–appeared indifferent, but most were friendly, helpful, and encouraging.

I ran my race pretty well, all in all. I actually led for the first tenth of a mile or so, but the 6:30min/mile I started out at was not a pace I could maintain. So I let the leaders break away and settled in a few minutes behind them and a few minutes in front of the rest of the pack. As I expected, some of those leaders didn’t last, and by mile four I was passing an exhausted runner from the lead group. Out on the country highways another runner from the main pack reeled me in, passing me just after mile 14 when I stopped to tie my shoe. He and I were neck and neck the rest of the race, passing a couple other tired lead runners until I finally broke away in the last mile, turning it on and finishing the race with a 7:00min/mile flourish.

This was by far the smallest marathon I’ve ever run, but it was still a great experience and I’d definitely do it again. It was friendly and fun, and even if it isn’t perfect they’ve done at least as good a job as many of the larger races I’ve run. I suspect organizers will run into some difficulties if the race continues to grow–they’ll need to change the course, or fully close more roads–but these are the sorts of consequences of success that I don’t feel bad about wishing upon them.