2016 Big Sur Marathon

Transcription

1 We arrived in Monterey on the Friday before the race. The expo was in a temporary building because the convention center was being renovated. The expo was smaller than they typically have, but still had the usual collection of vendors. There was one unique vendor selling Big Sur Marathon labeled wine. I think this was the first time I ve seen wine tasting at a race expo. The original plan was to drive the course on Saturday, but we decided to have a lazy day instead and just hang out at the expo. It was fun listening to various clinics. One was a panel discussion of the course, another discussed the run/walk technique, another promised no injuries ever again, and others were simply entertaining running stories. We kept things simple and ate at the buffet dinner put on by the race. It was going to be a short night. I set the alarm, actually several, for 2:15 am but woke up a little before any went off. For no reason at all it took an hour to get ready. It was a short walk to the bus stop and it was fun to see the other early risers on their way to the bus. Volunteers checked a couple of times to make sure that we were all headed to the Big Sur start but we had to wait until all the seats were filled before starting. We were on the way by 3:30. Our bus driver was very nice and gave us a safety talk. He told us how to use the radio to call for help, and to turn off the bus (just like a car), and how to use the brake lever if there was an emergency. A nice guy sat next to me. He is studying to be a nurse and said that he should be home studying for an OB final instead of running. We all assured him that he would think clearer after the run. He has

2 completed 9 marathons, but this was the first in the US. He was run Stockholm, Paris, Dublin, Rome, and others. He had been in the Air Force stationed overseas. Laura sat across the aisle and was going to Harvard. She had completed 7 marathons, 2 as a guide for blind runners. She said that New York does an amazing job of taking care of blind runners. It was a very dark drive along the coast, but every now and then we could see the white surf. Periodically we passed through daylight sections where the shorter races were being setup under spotlights. On the flat section after Hurricane Point we saw Dean Karnazes running towards the start. He frequently runs from the finish line to the start line and arrives in time to turn around and run the race. We listened to him at the expo and he said that he didn t like bus rides. My bus was among the first buses to arrive at the Big Sur Point start area. It was a little cool but not as cold as I was expecting. It was amazing to see all of the port-o-lets and no lines. There was a sign on each door with fun sayings like: Feral Pigs inside, Free Wi-Fi, only neon clothing, Fitbit Repair station, and only people from Fresno. I was early enough that I claimed a space at a picnic table. The bus ride was about an hour so I still had almost an hour and a half until race time. It was nice to have a place to sit and wait. I even got to watch a car being towed away for illegal parking. I talked to another old geezer who was a newspaper editor. We talked about the changes in the newspaper industry that weren t so different than our business downsizing of employees, selling off assets, and outsourcing work. I overheard an interesting conversation. One guy asked another one, So, who won? The second guy said, It would cost me $10 million to say. Even my mother doesn t know. It turns out that Tia from the current survivor series was running the race. He seemed a little disappointed that some people preferred watching the challenges more than the drama. I did a couple more restroom stops and then they started to call groups to the start line. They started with the group that would take over 4:45 to finish. The next group was 3:45 to 4:45, where I expected to run. On my way to the start area I saw Dean Karnazes approaching on foot. I stood near the 4:00 pacer but I really debated about going with the 4:15 pacer. The announcer had a real sense of urgency to keep on schedule due to the road closure. We had a nice national anthem with

3 a little pizazz at the end. After the first group was released we waited 5 minutes until they released us. The announcer said to think of the first group as targets. It was an amazing 5 miles of gentle downhill out of the redwoods. We had the whole road for the first couple of miles. On the rest of the course we shared the road with caravans, but I only saw a couple of them. The police lead cars and trucks up and down the coast, since it was the only road connecting some the smaller communities.

4 The only spectators were at the couple of homes, hotels, stores, and restaurants that we passed. There wouldn t be the typical cute signs held by spectators, rather each mile was marked with a large sign with a fun picture. I took pictures of most of them, but tried to stay near the pacer. When I stopped to take pictures I had to run faster to catch up. The road was smooth but you had to watch out for the centerline reflectors and the camber of the road. Once we got into the open section, I really appreciated the benefit of running in a pack to block the wind, since it was tough going it alone. One guy was dressed as Hulk Hogan. Someone said, I hope he used lots of glide. Someone else said, I can t follow that., but many spectators liked his outfit. I guess, just like the real Hulk, he had many fans and detractors. The route was very scenic with occasional sections that had a cool blast which felt like we were running through a refrigerator. We had strong headwinds at many points. Most people thought the winds were the strongest in race history. I didn t see any whales or hear sea lions like they do some years, but I could hear the surf and even occasionally feel the mist. There were several miles of open rolling farm land with a gentle uphill leading to the race s most notable climb. As we were finally approaching the start of the Hurricane Point climb, I noticed many hats and visors on the ground that blown off runners. The side wind on the approached rattled the bib numbers so much that it drowned out all other noises. At the bottom of the climb they had Japanese drums to motivate us up the hill. They were originally used in war times to motivate troops and to provide directions. The

5 climb was long, but it was really just one foot in front of the other. I stopped a couple of times to take pictures and I saw the pace group slowly disappear in the distance. I never saw them again, but I simply couldn t risk running harder to catch them. Laura recognized me from the bus had also lost the pace group, but we didn t end up running together. It was just like someone had said earlier in the day, Look around and there a couple of dozen people with the pacer, but by the end there will only be four or five. As we descended we could hear Bridge over Troubled Water being played on the grand piano at the Bixby bridge. The Big Sur Marathon is truly a class act. The relentless hills and wind continued for the

6 remainder for the race. It seemed like a small price to pay for spectacular scenery and such a sense of accomplishment. Starting around 19 miles, I used the power shuffle to run up the hills. I walked up most of the hills and then ran down. People passed me going up and I passed going down. I just kept hearing Patty saying, Never waste a downhill. I heard that a lot in my head. I saw Dean Karnazes doing a selfie with a couple. I said that I ran with him in Indiana when he did his 50 states in 50 days. He yelled back, Thanks, brother I passed a few relay runners along the way and many of the 21.6 mile racers who were walking. Most of the spectators on the course were at the relay transfer points and aid stations. With our names printed on the bibs, we were cheered for by name. I took GU at 6, beans at 17, and GU at 21. There were lots of clouds to keep the temperature comfortable. Towards the end, one aid stations handed out fresh cut strawberries. When I saw runners ahead of me reaching in and grabbing a handful, the germaphobe inside me kept me from taking any. Finally I saw the 26 mile marker and I knew the fun was coming to an end. I was actually going to complete the Big Sur Marathon AND the Boston to Big Sur Challenge. Our finisher medals were made of ceramic and quite unique. I went to the finisher s tent and picked up a little box of food that had a banana, pineapple/orange juice, apple, and raisins. You could add strawberries, cookies and chips. Julie met me as I left the tent and led me to the B2B tent that she had already checked out. I was awarded my extra medal, signed the poster and got my finisher s jacket. They had a nice selection of food including chicken, tenderloin, asparagus, pasta salad, chocolate milk, cookies and other stuff.

7 We talked with other runners in the B2B tent. One asked what I thought about Boston. I said, It was tough. He said that he was 20 minutes slower than last year. He also said that 1000 people didn t finish and there were far fewer requalification. We talked to an ultra-runner who is dong the 100 mile race at Woodstock. He said that he couldn t eat the strawberries on the course either. He had a friend who ran Leadville and picked up a parasite at an aid stations and two years later is back to normal. After a rest and some more food at the B2B tent we took the shuttle bus back to downtown Monterey and walked back to our hotel. It was an incredible journey.

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10 BONUS This race offers unique length shorter races in addition to the marathon. I think the distances are determined by where they could set up a start area. Julie signed up for the 10.6 mile race allowing her to experience the last section of the marathon. While she didn t have the biggest hill, she got plenty of chances to go up and down and many amazing views. Her bus ride started an hour later and wasn t quite as dark. She also didn t have a very long wait at the start line, but did meet someone who was running their very first race. He was from Mexico and travelling with his YPO group. She took many pictures during her walk; the following illustrate her experience.

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