on running afowl

This is the fourth in a continuing series on marathon mishaps.

It’s one of my worst fears when it comes to marathons: missing the start because I’m stuck in line for (or inside of!) a port-a-potty, or on the wrong side of a large crowd, or whatever. So I try to show up early. Maybe something like that motivated Georgene Johnson back in May of 1990. According to the St. Petersburg Times, “Runner Georgene Johnson got to the starting line 15 minutes early. The mistake cost her 20 miles and aching knees, but she said Monday she’s proud of the foul-up.”

That’s right. She showed up at the Revco-Cleveland Marathon intending to take part in the 10k but ended up running the full marathon.

She realized her error when she and 4,000 or so other runners left the downtown area. Fortunately, by mile seven Georgene encountered a friendly runner with some good advice: slow down, and once you make it to the halfway point you can get a ride back.

But when she did reach the halfway mark she was feeling pretty good, so she carried on. “I got to the 20 and it was like, well, I only have 10K left,” she told the Times.

Her time? Better than my first marathon! She finished in 4:04, despite never having run more than eight miles.