"Run like hell and get the agony over with."
--Clarence DeMar
On St. Patrick's Day 1928, Clarence DeMar won a 44 mile race from Providence to Boston in 5 hours, 41 minutes, 37 seconds (or roughly the time it takes to get out of the Gillette Stadium parking lot on game day.) He won Boston a remarkable SEVEN times, his last being in 1930 at age 41 - the oldest man ever to do so. The man could run!
So it is with that history in mind I will be going after my 10th marathon, named in honor of the legendary runner. I will be one of about 300 runners who will tackle the rolling hills of New Hampshire on Sunday morning, September 25th. The Clarence Demar Marathon gun goes off at 8:00am, and this will be the first of three marathons I'll be running in over the next four weeks (Smuttynose Rockfest 10/2, ING Hartford Marathon 10/15) in my effort to bring this 12 marathon 12 month challenge to a close.
Elevation for Clarence DeMar seems to be reasonable: net 500 ft drop over the first 13 miles, so I anticipate a decent split time - however there is a steep hill just past Mile 22, so I will be ready for it.
Speaking of running like hell and getting the agony over with, a bunch of us did exactly that this past weekend - covering nearly 200 miles over a 24 hour time frame, completing three legs in the 2011 Reach the Beach Relay. What an experience!
I had never participated in a relay race before, so wasn't sure what to expect - but it exceeded all of my expectations. Our 12 person team (Team Beachseekers) started at Cannon Mt high in the White Mountains and made our way via two vans to Hampton Beach. I was part of van #1, and we covered legs 1-6, 13-18, and 25-30. The start times are staggered depending upon anticipated pace.
Hundreds of teams, thousands of runners all with the same goal of running the 200 mile course and making it to Hampton Beach. We began at 9:30 on Friday morning, and it was cold!
I ran leg #5, #17, and #29 for what totaled 17.2 miles. My first leg was a net downhill 4.12 mile run, and my splits surprised me : Mile 1 6:24 was the fastest I ever recall running a mile, though aided with a decline, I am proud of that pace. Mile 2 was 6:42 and was pelted by hail for a few minutes, Mile 3 7:19, Mile 4 7:24. 28:48 over 4.12 miles, good for 6:55 minute per mile - I told my team I would do this leg sub-7, and glad that I made good on my promise.
We kept in touch with van #2 via Facebook and Twitter, blowing it up with updates and it was very motivating to see everyone go all-out for their legs. We even overcame a brief scare when our van's battery died, but we scrambled to get a jump and coordinated with the other van to shuttle the next runner to the transition area on time just in case we didn't make it - but we did.
My second leg was around 11:00pm, and it was my most difficult as it included two large hills. Headlamp firmly affixed, another component of difficulty was the fact that a portion of the course had a minimal (nonexistent?) shoulder, so I was running in the weeds for a portion of it, mindful of the vans speeding past me since we often times ran with, and not against, traffic. My fastest split time was Mile 4 at 6:40, but Mile 7 was 6:47 so I took advantage of the downhill portions. Finish time: 9.0 miles, 1:07:15, good for 7:28 pace. My best run in a very long time, especially since this was one of the hardest legs of the entire race.
Leg #3 was interesting because all six of us slept like vagabonds in the van and it was utterly ridiculous. Exhausted, we didn't bother to pitch a tent - just balled up in our own slivers of real estate and tried to sleep amid sore muscles, snoring, empty cans of Red Bull, and a jumble of New Balance sneakers. I managed a 7:14 pace over 4.09 miles, and though I ran it as hard as I could, fatigue is a very real opponent and I clearly did not have the same fire that I had the day before. I averaged a 7:13 pace over my 17.2 miles, and in addition to having an absolute blast, this was excellent speed/tempo work for my last few marathons.
Our legs complete, we headed to Hampton Beach where we waited for van #2 and our runner #12 and we all crossed together as a team through the chute in the sand, making the entire run in 28:02:38, good for a 8:46 pace over nearly 200 miles.
I was impressed with the race, how well it was organized, how smoothly/seamlessly it all went, and our team especially - what a great group to run with. A bunch of Team Beachseekers will be running in either the Smuttynose full or half in two weeks, I look forward to seeing everyone again! Can I get a hell yeah?!
The following day my son had the Kittery PTA 4 Mile run - we did it together last year, and he's been looking forward to this race all year long. He wanted to beat last year's time, but also really wanted me beside him. I had a race conflict, having also registered for the Wallis Sands Sprint Triathon that day, and both races had the exact same start time. Something had to give. Running with my son took priority, although I really wanted to do both. With three more 26.2's and after 17.2 miles run at race pace, I made the difficult but right call to use this as a recovery run, skip the tri, and make memories with my son - but truth be told I can't wait for the 2012 triathlon season to begin. I will be in optimal shape, my swim sharp, and ready to take on some serious races.
Lil' 12 marathons did an amazing job - he finished up in 46:01, beating last year's time by several minutes, and this year's time included two stops - one to tie his shoe after a brief tumble and another to take off his long sleeve shirt and for me to pin his bib back on. I trotted alongside him the entire time, talking, laughing, and it was such a wonderful experience. He charged when the saw the finish, and crossed with a giant smile on his face. 11:30 pace for a seven year old!
I'm a very proud, and very lucky Dad!
