This year’s Long Beach Event proved to be exciting in many ways - even I could not have imagined! My friends as well as work colleagues from Italy were coming to run with me, a very humbling feeling that they would want to fly 14hrs with a time difference of 9 hours! Daniela, Paolo and myself would run the half, and Cosimo was running his first marathon. Maria, also visiting was the official photographer and cheering section!!
I had been speaking with many of you about their visit and had also invited to them to our annual AREC Pasta Party. Everyone was great in welcoming them there, and even speaking a little Italian with them as their English is limited. You can imagine their exhaustion after the long flight, so after some pasta and conversation off to bed they went.
On Saturday morning I always volunteer activating timing chips for race central and it is so much fun seeing many familiar faces from AREC and of course my Italian friends. They could not believe the EXPO as they do not have this type of set up in Italy. I proceeded to tell them to rest that afternoon, but they had to do the tourist thing so off to Hollywood and Beverly Hills and I am sure too much walking!!!! They had dinner at my house that evening and off to bed to get ready for Race morning.
We all met that morning at the AREC tent and they could not stop saying how friendly everyone was, what a great club we had, it was more than just runners running!!
We took the traditional pre-race group picture and off towards the front of the race pack to line up for the start.
The gun went off and with much emotion we all began our 13.1 and 26.2 mile journeys through Long Beach. Cosimo and Paolo were always ahead of Daniela and I, In my runner’s wisdom, I kept saying I think Cosimo is going too fast; he has to run double the distance we do. At the split Paolo said good-bye to Cosimo and all seemed well.
I had previously warned them about the cement, that it would be hard on their legs, and they all said it was, as they did most of their training on trails. The three of us finished the half in under two hours which was the goal.
Took more pictures post half marathon now with our medals. We then changed and proceeded walking to miles 24 and 25 to wait for Cosimo which we did not expect before 4½ to 5 hrs., being his first marathon. You can imagine our surprise when he arrived at mile 25 (Junipero and Ocean) in just about 4 hrs. I almost missed taking his picture. Daniela was with him to run the last two miles for extra support. I live 5 minutes from mile 25, so I walked home and could not wait to take a much anticipated shower. We had made plans to meet later that evening for dinner.
I was not home more than 10 minutes that I get a phone call from Daniela crying hysterically and telling me in Italian Cosimo is really sick, and I am thinking I just saw him and he was fine. He crossed the finish line in 4:07, they put the medal around his neck and he collapsed. A Long Beach Police officer helped her and they got him over to the paramedics tent, they would not let Daniela leave his side as she had wanted to get to the AREC tent to ask for help. She with her little English had to help translate as Cosimo was not conscious. They had understood that he was diabetic, but he was trying to tell them his father was diabetic. You take for granted everyone speaks English and it can be really scary when there is an emergency. They gave him sugar pills which instantly made him sick to his stomach. Long Beach Paramedics transported him and Daniela to St Mary’s ER and I was off to meet them there (no shower). My biggest concern was to calm Daniela down and translate for the medical personnel. In total, Cosimo received 6 bags of fluids 2 at the end of the race and 4 in the ER. He was so severely dehydrated and many others were coming into the ER in this condition. It seemed unimaginable with the perfect weather that day. Cosimo said to me as he was starting to feel better, “I drank at every water station,” at that point during the race, yes, stay hydrated but you needed to be drinking days and weeks before, not to mention the whole time on a long 14 hr. flight.
Cosimo was fine that night and continued his vacation with a bottle of water in one hand and Gatorade in the other. They all had a great time and were sad to leave our Long Beach. Cosimo will surely not forget his first marathon and he says he wants to do another one; somehow I think he will do the next one differently, after this unforgettable experience.
To my fellow runners and friends keep drinking, water - that is and run smartly and safely.
Ciao for now!!! Until LB 2007!!!!