Pete crossing the finish line
I did it. I completed the Marathon to Marathon this morning in 4 hrs 46min & 16 sec. The race is from Storm Lake to Marathon, IA. Marathon is about 35 min from Pocahontas. It was a workout and I’m tired. We started at 6AM with a temp of about 66-70 and when I finished it was warm, probably mid 80s. There was a light to moderate breeze from the SSE which was helpful for the heat and pushing us to the finish line the last 8 miles. Being a marathon in rural Iowa we run through open spaces on straight roads with little change in elevation and little shade.
I felt good during the first half of the race and then started to slow down. 2hrs 9 min the first half and 2hrs 37 min the second. A bit slower that I hoped, but what I really wanted to do was to finish and I DID. I ran the entire way only stopping to take water and fill my water bottle. I was achy the last ~8 miles, but grateful for those running with me which kept me going. As runners speed up and slow down some of us were constantly changing places. I did have about a 4-5 mile stretch though without a particular person alongside me. During that I just pressed on.
Pete & Wendell after the race
I enjoyed running with several different people. Wendell from Ontario, Canada who has run a marathon in all 50 states plus the provinces. Ryan from Northfield, MN a senior at Iowa State in political science. He did the Twin Cities marathon a week ago. Gloriana from Lawrence, KS who was also running her first marathon. Kelly an experience marathoner from Tulsa who pushed me through the last 1.2 miles in good shape. She’s just behind me in the photo above. What is also interesting is that this race attracted quite a number of runners, at least a dozen, who are Marathon Maniacs and plan to run a marathon on South Dakota tomorrow afternoon. Crazy indeed! Overhearing their conversations they were all about where they could run doubles and how far along they were towards completing 50 in 50 states. A whole different culture around these races. Not for me.
