Jimmy Stewart Relay Marathon - April 22, 2001
A record 30 ARECers (and friends) made up six teams at JSRM. We staked out a nice large area near the shade of large tree and arranged all the blankets and bags. The entire group caravanned up from Long Beach (except sleepyheads Tim Hickok and Scott Ayres), and so were there exceptionally early and had a chance to look around before the races actually started.
Upon arriving, Todd Rose notified us that there were a couple of no-shows, but we would just figure that out as time went on. We greeted some of our friends - the Barefoot Guy and a number of hashers, listened to a taped greeting from "R.J." Robert Wagner and the enthusiastic Jackie Joyner-Kersee (who even helped a bunch of the little kids in the Kids Fun Run). And suddenly, the race was off!
Those of us with cameras headed down to the 1.5 mile mark to cheer the first leggers on. A few remained back at the campsite, including Heather Stevens, who was catching a catnap. First through was Todd Byers of the Mad Cows, at a 6:30 pace, followed a few minutes later by Dick Ames and Todd Rose (of the Monkey Butters and Banana Slugs, respectively).
Bringing up the rear were Sam Brooks of Team Tortoises, Dawn East of Team Sloths and JoAnn Levandoski of Team DFLs.
After just over 40 minutes, all six first legs were completed, and the next group moved on. It was quite a spectacle to see all the ARECers out there, running the same distance we do on Wednesday, but competitively. For Warren Nichols, it was his first race. For Heather Stevens, her first run in over 2 years. For Bernard Dean Mills, it was the first time I'd seen him race since I've run with AREC. For Lance Millar, it was his first time running two legs. For Team Banana Slugs, it was the first time that random people ran parts of the last leg and were not disqualified!
In the end, the two teams that were the same from last year both
improved on their time, and all six teams finished between a little less
than 3 hours and a little less than 4-1/2 hours - very respectable
times.
Big Sur Marathon - April 29, 2001
My father and stepmom, having run over 150 marathons between them, signed me up for Big Sur International Marathon as a birthday present last year. At the time, I wasn't sure if I should thank them or curse them. Known as one of the more difficult courses in the West, Big Sur is famous for its breathtaking views, but also numerous hills and strong winds for most of the course. My training basicaly consisted of AREC and hashing, so I was a bit unsure as to how I would fare.
Race day starts very early, as the only way to get to the start is by taking a 40+ minute bus ride (unheated school bus), which leaves at 4:30am. Once dropped off at the start, I found myself with over 90 minutes until the start, so I wandered through the cold, dark "corral" like a zombie amonst the other runners in an effort to get warm.
Once the sun came up, however, we were greeted by a cloudless, relatiely windless day (for now). The course is pretty simple: run straight up Hwy 1 to Carmel. The first 3 miles are basically downhill and tree-covered, which provided a good warm-up. Finally, rounding a curve, you get your first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean through a meadow. The sea is a constant companion throughout most of the course and it is absolutely spectacular. This is precisely the point, however, where the wind kicks in! We were told prior to the race that the forecast was 10-15 mph, but it was more like 30-35; not exactly a headwind, but diagonal, which made for difficult progress.
At mile 10, I see the famous "Hurricane Point" hill looming. From 9.8 to 12, the elevation increases by 520 feet. I had mentally prepared for it, and I made it up pretty well; now I see why all those returners wore "Hurricane Point Survivor" Hats! At the top, you have a pretty steep downlhill to the picturesque Bixby Bridge. The classical tunes of Jonathan Lee's grand piano greet you as you make your way down towards this landmark. Miles 13-18 provide more of the same, "boring" scenes: beautiful meadows, a lighthouse, cattle, and of course, huge waves breaking over the rocks below.
From this point on, there are several hills, to me, which were more difficult than "Hurricane Point," since I wasn't really prepared for them. Ending up at Rio Road in Carmel, you are greeted by a pretty good-size crowd, and a litany of food and beverage.
It was a great weekend and a great race. I didn't set a PR, but again, I wasn't planning on it. Both my dad and stepmom finished, along with some pain and minor injuries, which means their streaks as "Grizzled Veterans" (those who have completed all of the previous 15 BSIMs) continues. They were featured in a nice article on the "Vets" on the front page of the Sports section on race day.
Instead of being concerned about my time, I really focused on having a good time with my family, taking in the scenery, and simply enjoying the race, which was more than enough to make my trip a resounding success.