Gebirgsmarathon Immenstadt

Event Stats:
Name Immenstädter Gebirgsmarathon
Date 08/01/2009
Location Immenstadt, Germany
Event Mountain Marathon
Finish Time 08:14:02

After having a ton of fun at last weeks marathon in the Algäu region, I figured I might just do it again. Found a cheap hotel and took the train down on Friday afternoon. The town – more a village actually – itself has not much to offer, so it was just dinner and off to bed early.

(As almost every time) I was ill prepared for the race, not only physically, but also as far as knowing what the race is about. I had assumed it is called Gebirgsmarathon (mountain marathon), because it is held in a mountainous region of Germany and probably has some hills in it’s course.

‘Some hills’ in numbers translated to 2700m (8100 ft.) of difference in altitude uphill and 2400m (7200 ft.) downhill. Subtracting about 7km of course that was more-or-less level, that means 35km with a total difference in altitude of 5100m, resulting in an !average! incline of 14.5 percent. A category one climb in the tour de france is a total joke in comparison.

Before the start

Pickup of the ‘race packet’ (an envelop containing the race bib) and payment is 30 mins. before the race, all is held in a very familiar setting and it is clear to see that everyone is a veteran here.

Start at 8:00 and after 2 minutes it is clear that I will bringing up the rear end of this event. Doesn’t matter, I’m here for a fun run anyhow. First aid station after 6km, took me about an hour and I felt like is was about to die. And it went all downhill from there. (Unfortunately just figuratively).

Steep downhill sections interchanged with inclines before each of which I was just staring at the mountain in front of me thinking ‘this ain’t true’.

5 mountaintops later, I reached the halfway-point after 4:00 hrs. Had some coke and bars, relaxed for some minutes and then started the way back. Unfortunately that wasn’t any easier.

Reached the finish a bit after 4 pm, totally dead but happy.

Picture gallery here

Race conditions: 4/5

Not too warm, dry, sunny, for the mountains that certainly is perfect conditions, absurdly difficult terrain and slippery cow dung might spoil your experience

Scenery: 5/5

Spectacular, what more can I say

Difficulty: 5/5

Perverse.

Information: 2/5

Low key event, website rather not working

Finisher medal: 0/5

NO finisher medal, how crappy is that

Goodies: 2/5

A (rather simple) finisher shirt. That’s it.

The Cheer: 2/5

Well, it’s a run in the mountains, so there is no spectators, but most passing trekkers cheered us on.

Overall: 4/5

If a run in the mountains is what you want, this is great fun. If you are looking for a marathon, or want to try a train run for the first time, better go someplace else.

Santiago Marathon Expo

After biting through the last one, my training over the last month has been pretty consistent, my back/leg/knee problem is getting better, so I felt confident I would actually race the Maraton De Santiago.

I arrived in Santiago on Friday and have a hotel that is 2 blocks from the start line and 4 from the expo, so everything was pretty much stress-free. Picking up the kit took 2 minutes, the problem with the misspelling of my name was resolved in 30 seconds (and in perfect English, as about everything here)

The expo revealed that of the roundabout 12.000 participants, about 6.000 would run the 10k, and another 4.500 the half-marathon , so that there would actually be only 1.500 runners for the marathon. But, giving out identical t-shirts to all participants , the crowd in all media coverage will look huge. Very slick

Also, and I’m sure this is the beginning of a trend, chip time was not done with champion-chip but with a one-way 3×4cm plastic card. And yes, i did take it apart after the race, and yes it is a simple RFID.

I didn’t sleep to well the night before, so I traded some extra nap-time for solid food. Breakfast therefore consisted just of a liter of coke.

Left the hotel 30 minutes before the race, got to the starting line to watch the usual spectacle of runners trying to desperately inflict some last-minute injuries to themselves (they call that ’stretching’) and off we went.

The first couple of km’s the race is on on the alameda, a big, 4 lane road, so that congestion was no issue at all. I didn’t even bother to bring a HRM; since the objective for today was to run the whole distance without a time goal I figured, PE would do. I managed to stick to a 6 min/km pace pretty well for the first half, reaching the halfway point in 2:07.

A little earlier than expected, people started crumbling right from the halfway point on. At around km26, the 4:15 train – very small, and a bit ahead of time – passed me, and I stayed with it for the next 10k, before letting it get away to take a pee. Aside from that break, I think I was passed by only 2 runners in the second half, which is quite nice.

Nutrition went pretty well, sticking to Gatorade every 5km and 3 gels (km 21, 29, 37), I only really felt a bit weak between km 38 an 40. Somehow I missed the 41km mark and suddenly was able to see the 42km arch ahead of me. Picked up the pace, passed about 25 more runners on the last 700 meters, including a ‘Markus R. memorial sprint’ to the finish line for a total time of 4:19:05. Certainly not a great time, but that was not the objective.

Now, after beer,steak, fries, coke, shower and nap (in that order), I feel quite happy and am looking for the next one (D’dorf in May) and ultimately, IM Lanzarote.

Race conditions: 4/5

Santiago is famous for having smog year round. Not today. The sky was clear, the view fantastic. In the sun it was rather warm, maybe 25-30C, in the shadow even slightly cool, maybe around 18C. A major downside is that almost all of the race is run on concrete.

Scenery: 3/5

Santiago is a very nice city, the marathon takes a nice route, a good deal of the streets are line with trees. But is is still a city marathon, so not really spectacular.

Difficulty: 4/5

The course is pretty flat, road quality is OK, but, as mentioned above, it is all concrete. So yes, a fast time is very well doable, but it might hurt some more than usual.

Information: 5/5

Website in English, expo and start right in the center of the city at metro stops, a flag waving volunteer every 50 meters or so, large km marker. Race results the same day. Perfect.

Finisher medal: 4/5 (3/5)

Good medal for international standards, for South America very good

Goodies: 5/5

Just paper in the race kit. But entry came with a very good quality adidas clima-cool shirt. And entry was just 23$. Which is considerable lower than the value of the shirt. And no, shirts cost (at least) the same here than anywhere else.

The Cheer: 3/5

The cheer at the start was fantastic, later, when only the marathoners were running, considerable less. But there still was a cheer, and also notably from the people living at the race course. 4 bands along the course were announced. I saw one, plus one stage, where clearly a band had played, but not anymore when I passed.

Overall: 8/10

If you feel the urge to run a marathon is South America, so far this is the one I would recommend. Very well organized and in a friendly city that is safe and easy to get around without speaking Spanish.

Below

The Merkerser Kristallmarathon is special in a very particular way: It is run in a salt mine, about 500m (1500 ft) below ground. This come with a couple of consequences:

• It is rather dark, so you have to run with a flashlight
• It is rather warm, about 22C, which means you can run a marathon although it is snowing outside
• It is rather dry. Humidty in the saltmine was about zero and you could litteraly feel the moisture being sucked right out of you
• It is rather hilly. The tunnels in the mine follow the natural structure of the stone. The race had about 800m of incline.
• The race is run in 13 loops of about 2 miles, which makes waterstops easy to organize and working. Also, even with minimal effort you get some sort of cheer.

The course was a little short, it was much more taxing than I thought, but although I still had to make extensive walk-breaks, I already feel much better than in Curitiba in November.

Going south

Stefan Is On Vacation…

I will go to the northern end of Argentinia (La Quiaca) and then make my way southbound on foot, pushing a baby stroller with my running gear.

Let’s see how far I get.

Have a great X-Mas and such.

Maratona De Curitiba

Event Stats:
Name Maratona De Curitiba
Date 11/23/2008
Location Curitiba, PR, Brazil
Event Marathon
Finish Time 05:14:37

I’m still more or less untrained, the pinched nerve in my back is still hurting, but what the hell: After not making it to the starting line the last three years, this time there would be no excuse.

I got to to the start early, took some painkillers for the back and tried to stay warm in the cold drizzle. As soon as the gun went off, I realized that marathon in Brazil is more for serious runners than in the northern hemisphere; I found myself towards the end of the pack pretty soon. Made it till about km 20 (mile 13) alright, then my legs and feet started hurting. That was to be expected. In the meantime it had cleared up and was even getting pretty hot. Well, it’s Brazil after all.

I ran-walk-ran-walk-walked the rest, making sure to run the last 2km and passing a couple of other runners on the last stretch.

Finished in about 5:15. This is certainly a pretty crappy time, but I’m pretty happy I could run a marathon again at all. Looking forward for the next one.

Race conditions: 2/5

The day started out overcast, cool and with a light drizzle. It heated up pretty soon though, and around noon temperatures were in the mid 30s (mid 90s F). Being a city marathon, running was all on well-asphalted streets.

Scenery: 1/5

Curitiba is rather green for a 2+ million city and has a lot of parks. Unfortunately, the race course had nothing of that, just 42 km of wide city streets, asphalt, apartment buildings, no highlights whatsoever.

Difficulty: 2/5

The race is considered the most difficult marathon in Brazil, and for a reason. There is almost no plane stretch, it’s a constant, at times rather steep, up and down. Adding the high temperature (and my lack of training and in one word: Sufferfest

Information: 3/5

OK website, good registration site, good signs and km markers. Solid.

Finisher medal: 4/5 (2/5)

OK medal for international standards, for South America very good. Keep in mind that the race entry was about 15 US$.

Goodies: 5/5

15 US$ For a hip bag, a cap, a race shirt and a medal (and not to forget, a marathon), what more do you want?

The Cheer: 0/5

There were over 3500 athletes running, but I have run trail races with
50 participants that had more cheer than this. Wake up, Curitiba!!!

Overall: 3/10

Well, it’s a marathon, it’s well organized and tough. But for an experience, I’d pick something else.

World Record #25 or so

Event Stats:
Name Berlin Marathon
Date 09/30/2007
Location Berlin, Germany
Event Marathon
Finish Time 04:00:08

Berlin, my last marathon for the season and also my biggest one, in terms of participants; over 32,000 runners.

Maybe it was the sheer amount of people in a place, maybe it was the title sponsor real – the German equivalent to walmart – that set the stage, but from my arrival in Berlin airport on, I thought only one thing:

This is cheap, this is pathetic.

No sign at the airport whatsoever, you need to take a train for half an hour, walk for 15 minutes through stink of urine and overflowing trash bins to pick up the race packet (which consists of the start number and some fliers, that’s it). Then another 30 minute train ride to downtown, where the event starts on the next morning.

The good thing is that in Berlin, public transportation really works, so that it is no problem to get to the start in the morning.

The start, obviously is totally crowded, I have to walk about 1 km to get to the bag check for my number range and then another good 2km to the start, passing about a million people doing their business in the woods, since port-a-potties seem to be non-existent.

At the starting area, a six-lane road, warm-up is in full swing, only half the speakers seem to have faulty wiring.

From the time the gun goes off to the time I cross the start line a good ten minutes have passed (and I have started from the 3:30 block). The road is packed, runners crossing left to right and right to left, pushing their way to the front or idling along.

A great thing about the marathon course is that you pretty much do the whole Berlin sightseeing tour in 42 km. Alexanderplatz, Reichstag, you name it, you will pass it.

From the beginning on, I feel a pain in my right knee, the same sort of pain I felt the week before. Nevertheless, this is the last race, so I figure, I just run for a good finish time and then have all winter to go slow. This works out fine, at the halfway point I’m still reasonably fast, considering that the it was still totally crowded. At about km 24 I feel the pain in my knee getting sharper. I take some walking breaks, but that doesn’t seem to help either. So I figure, I just bite my teeth and get it over with.

In the meantime I have heard that Haile set a new world record. That makes me immensely happy for a while, he is my favorite runner after all.

The problem with an event of this size certainly is controlling traffic. I can see how it is difficult to block off half of downtown in a huge city, and with the field packed like it is in Berlin, I can also see why crossing a street in between runners is not an option for pedestrians.

However, rerouting the running course so that pedestrians can pass which leads to a longer race course can certainly not be the solution. At various point in the race, especially in the last quarter, the race course was substantially prolonged. Both my Polar foot-pod and my GPS showed a total race course of 43.9 km for me. This is a good kilometer longer than I usually have, even in a city marathon. This is clearly something that needs to improve. The way the race was is 2007, Haile got the fast course, and I got the slow one. And I bet he didn’t even have to pay for the entry

I finished in four hours even, which is still o.k. overall, had to walk 2 km to pick up my bag. Got to the train and got home, not really happy, despite the world record.

Race conditions: 1/5

I have never run an other marathon this size, so maybe my complaint about this one would be the same for all of them, but nevertheless, this was totally crappy. Endless lines, crowded for the whole race, significantly longer course (see above). No fun.

Scenery: 4/5

Berlin, Germany’s capital has a ton of sights, and you will pass most of them on the run. The best course for a city marathon I’ve ever seen.

Difficulty: 3/5

The course is pretty flat, road quality is good, but you allways have to watch out for what is happening around you because of the never ending crowd.

Information: 3/5

If you have 30.000 runners running the downtown of any city, it’s rather hard to get lost. But aside from that: No info at airport and train stations, OK website.

Finisher medal: 4/5

Very nice medal depicting a famous runner, and a different one each year.

Goodies: 0/5

What goodies?

The Cheer: 5/5

32.000 runners in a city. Enough said.

Overall: 5/10

I think every serious marathoner should run one of the big five once. But probably only once.

Timberline Lodge

Event Stats:
Name Timberline Marathon
Date 09/15/2007
Location Mt. Hood, OR, USA
Event Marathon
Finish Time DNF

Mount Hood was the mountain I saw everyday when I got out the door in my six months in Portland. And it surely is a great mountain too look at. So what better way to end my stay in this fantastic city than to run the Timberline Marathon, a point-to-point course that starts at Timberline Lodge and is mostly downhill.

Arriving at Timberline Lodge by bus, having parked the car near the finish, I notice that is is rather warm, which, at 7 in the morning and 6000 ft. is a good thing. The race, which is rather small, starts in a very informal a-couple-of-persons-at-a-time manner.

Downhill, baby

The first part is steep downhill, with some cold air pockets on the way; then the course settles into a more comfortable forest track. The going is good (I’m big and downhill certainly is my forte), I pass the first aid-station all right, top off my drink bottles and shuffle on.

Suddenly, at km 12 or so, I feel a sting in my right ankle. Instinctively I stop, lift my leg, and swish whatever it was on my ankle away. Alarmed I see that there are about 10 small wasps (I later find out they are called ‘yellow jackets’) on my ankle. Within seconds, I have 5 or 6 more stings. Panic hits me, I run full out for a couple of hundred meters before stopping. The yellow-jackets are gone, but my ankle is already beginning to swell. I do have an allergy to insect bites, but the severity differs widely by insect, and I had never encountered this one, so I was very unsure what to expect.

End of the road

Since swelling is primarily a function of time, I decided I would be best to run as fast as I could towards the next aid-station. I reached that after another 3 km, the swelling at that time had gotten worse. The paramedics had some general creme for insect bites, which I put on, but it was clear very soon, that my race had ended here.

I guess it is only a question of statistics, but nevertheless, before it happens, every runner fears the three letters. DNF. Did Not Finish. Although it bugs me no end not to finish this race, I am also relieved. For one, that the swelling is already back a bit and nothing serious happened. And for two, that I got my DNF (at least my first one) for something that really was out of my control, and not for simply giving up.

Hardly open water

Event Stats:
Name Escape from the Gorge
Date 09/09/2007
Location Cascade Locks, OR, USA
Event Olympic Triathlon
Finish Time 03:03:07

The Escape from the Gorge is an sort-of Olympic distance triathlon that features a rather long swim of 1.5 miles.

Since the race is held not too far away from Portland, where I live, I decided so scout the bike part out on the day before. And a good thing I did. I found that it consisted mainly of a steep hill that you had to climb, descend, turn around and do it all over again. So I headed back to Portland, took of by rear wheel and went to the local bike shop to get me a decent cassette for such hilly terrain.

Race day started at about 4 AM, after breakfast and an one hour drive I arrived there rather early, which was good, since I got to have another half hour nap in the car, after having my bike set up in a good spot and everything ready to go.

The race starts from a steamboat. Weather was cold and sunny and rather windy. Somehow the race organizers felt that the conditions for swimming weren’t good (I totally disagree; I think the currents were fine and that anyone who cant swim well should the “%$ stay out of an open-water triathlon, but then again, it’s not my butt that’s on the line, so I respect the decision), so the swim part came down to taking the boat out, jumping in and swimming back to shore, probably less than 500 yards. So much for my long swim.

The bike part, new cassette and all, sucked just like I knew it would. My physique and my lack of training just make me utterly unfit for climbing.

On the run I really felt that I had not recovered from Louisville. My legs felt heavy, I was disappointed with the swim, and just did not find it in me to really push. So I finished in a rather disappointing 3:03:07.

The race itself is a great event, very good food at the end, friendly staff and the race director even kept my glasses for me during the race.

The rim

Here is an easy recipe for disaster:

1. Fly into the country less than a week before the run in order to have a solid jet-lag
2. Don’t plan ahead so that you end up driving for 5 hours to the race the night immediately before the race, thereby avoiding getting any sleep at all
3. Pick a race that starts at an elevation of 2300m (7600 ft.) and features a total elevation gain of 600m (2000 ft.) without allowing for any acclimatization
4. Don’t bring food

The rest will play out accordingly!

My poor planning aside, Crater Lake Marathon is probably one of the most scenic races to be had. Held inside the Crater Lake National Park near Klamath Falls, Oregon, the run follows the shoreline of the lake for about 3/4 of its circumference.

I started out slowly, since I planned on doing another marathon the following day. That plan got canceled due to a huge bloody blister I developed on my right heel. The first half went without any troubles, I ate the 2 gels that I brought, and stuck to water.

Stopping at the aid station at mile 15 or so and asking for food (as in bars or gels) I was told that there weren’t any. Not just at this aid station, but in general. Bummer. Yes, I could have brought my own. But outside of South America I have never seen a race that has no food. And the Gatorade they served was totally diluted.

So I slowly continued on, careful not to bonk completely. After a grueling steep last 4 miles, I finished in just under 5 hours, very happy to finally get some food (bagels & Mountain Dew).

Race conditions: 4/5

Clear sky, warm and sunny, but due to the altitude not overly hot, great conditions for a run (although too warm to run real fast).

Scenery: 5/5

Just look at the pictures. Absolutely breath-taking!

Difficulty: 2/5

The first 15 miles are mostly uphill (and that really means hills), followed by a long stretch of rather steep down-hill. At mile 22 you can see the finish-line, but have another 2 miles steep uphill (and 2 miles back) on a dirt track ahead of you. Definitely not a PR course. The photo taken at mile 17 shows the road a few miles back.

Information: 3/5

Sketchy website, good instructions in race package. good signs and mile markers. Solid.

Finisher medal: 1/5

Very poor generic medal with plastic sticker stating the event. Totally unfitting for such an event.

Goodies: 2/5

OK race shirt (which I would trade for a decent medal in a heartbeat. Nothing else. The race-numbers get sent out by mail, which is great, because it eliminates packet pickup, but the price for that is that there is no goody bag.

The Cheer: 2/5

Small event in a national park on Sunday morning. I was surprised to see anyone at all.

Overall: 7/10

Challenging run with great scenery, but not having food at the aid-stations and the crappy medal spoil it to a certain extend.

Prerace

Picked up the race packet in downtown Frankfurt on Thursday, assuming (since I have done my share of races and therefore know all there is to know) that I can just grab the packet, drive home and read the details over coffee.

Only, there is no, absolutely no information on how the race proceeds. The packet contains 3 colored bags (for T1, T2 and post race), swim cap, various stickers with the race number, the bib and a ton of marketing goodies. But no information.

So Friday, I am back in town for the race briefing. The briefing, which is held in a different place (about 5km away) from where the packet pickup is, supposedly starts at 2 pm. I arrive there at 1:45, only to be told that I can’t get in right away, because at 2pm is the pro athlete briefing, and that the briefing for mere mortals starts after that, at about 2:30 pm. It later turns out that the second briefing starts at about 3:30 pm, so people have to wait for 90 minutes outside the Frankfurt hockey stadium in the cold, with nothing else to do and not even access to a toilet. Organization at it’s best.

Fortunately that doesn’t affect me, because I quickly decide that I am a pro. No one bothers to question that claim and I am in. I have a little chat with Faris and get the good, (and quick, since this is the pro field, so there is no moron questions) race briefing. Still it would have been smarter to have the briefing and the packet pickup in the same place (or even better, have a recorded briefing available online).

Bike checking Saturday was a breeze and very well organized, once I arrived there, I was immediately assigned a volunteer who accompanied me through T1,helped me set up my bike and showed around. And it also assures that no one messes up some competitors setup.

At night, party @ Fuzzel and to bed early. Of course I didn’t sleep well, but that was to be expected and didn’t really matter.

Swim 2.4 miles!

Arrival at Langener Waldsee at about 5:30, 90 minutes to the race. It is already light outside. Slightly overcast sky, no sign of rain, rather cool, water temperature of 19.5 C (67F), In one word: Perfect.

Tire pressure, helmet, glasses, shoes, socks, glove, all systems go. Take dump, put on wetsuit. 1 hour to go.

I walk to the lake, warm up, chat with some other athletes. Check my watch, 10 minutes to go. Don’t know where the last hour went. Try to find a spot on the side of the main field. I turn around and warn the athletes behind me: “You may want to find a different spot. Swimming behind me is no fun!” Laughter.

Starting gun. Craziness. Kicking, hitting, shouting, people swimming over and under each other.

I don’t care. I swim breaststroke. I don’t get kicked (because I can see ahead). I kick (because the others can’t). That hurts. Them, not me. But I warned them.The good thing is that everyone swims in a black wetsuit, so nobody recognizes me and I am safe from retaliation. Because I sure didn’t make friends.

I finish the swim in 1:08:21. Six minutes better than last year, and without any training. Sweet. T1 is rather long (distance wise), but well organized and staffed with plenty of very helpful volunteers, who even offer to unpack your pack and hand you your things.

Last year I took the transitions as rest breaks, really dried myself off and so on which cost me about 15 minutes per transition. This time I decided to save some time here as well. I still decided to put on my good cycling shorts, which meant that I had to change completely again in T2, but also helped prevent my crotch from going numb halfway through the ride. All in all T1 cost me 6:21, less than 4 minutes more than the winner. That’s time well invested in comfort.

Bike 112 miles!

My bike training consisted of about 10 hours of spinning class and 10 hours of bike rides, none longer than 2 hours. I had not ridden the bike I was riding today for a little over a year, and I don’t think it had ever been properly fitted for me.

So I pretty much knew that this was the part where I was going to be punished. There isn’t any particular reason why cycling is my worst discipline, I just don’t feel comfortable on the bike. Therefore I don’t train. Therefore I suck.

The bike part went by pretty uneventful. It is a two-loop course, pretty boring (as all bike rides are to me), with two notable exceptions: The Hell and Heart Break Hill.

The Hell is a 300 m (350 yards) ascent in a small town named Maintal-Hochstadt. The ascent itself isn’t too bad, but it is all cobblestone. There are about 5000 spectators on that stretch. The noise is overwhelming. Holding on to your handlebars feels like grabbing a force-feedback Playstation controller on steroids and your mind stops working after about 2 seconds. And suddenly you are on even pavement again. And feel sort of empty. For me, this part could have gone on forever.

Heart Break Hill, a steep and rather long ascent in a town named Bad Vilbel, appears to have not only everyone from that town, but also from within a 100 km radius cheering you on. It really is pure Tour de France feeling, riding into a crowd of screaming people who only step back inches ahead of you to let you pass. If you can not understand why someone willingly takes upon himself the pain and agony of something such as an Ironman race, borrow a race-bike, and just ride up that hill next year during Ironman. You will understand.

Fortunately without any technical problems (one of my biggest fears on any bike ride) and remembering to get out of my shoes while still on the bike, I reached T2 in 5:57:20 . I stepped of the bike, which was immediately taken out of my hand and was directed to a changing tent by yet another fantastic supporter, who also suddenly and magically had my T2 bag in his hand and helped me change.

Yes, the bike part still sucked, but I improved a little more than half an hour since last year, and didn’t feel half as bad. Also, just like in T1, transition went a lot smother this time, taking only 4:37, again with a full change of clothes.

Run 26.2 miles!

When you get off the bikes and try to run the first couple of (hundreds of) meters, you feel so bad that you can’t possibly image that you will run a marathon. But you also know that this is normal and will pass. And it did, after about ten minutes.

What unfortunately didn’t pass was my feeling of being way to warm. Maybe it was my shirt, maybe some light sunburn, maybe I was just tired. But I constantly had the feeling that I was burning alive. I tried to drink plenty, but even eating a hand full of ice cubes at every aid-station did not help. So I suffered through a very miserable run.

The course, 4 loops up and down the banks of the Main river is not really a great place to run. You cross 2 bridges each loop with some rather steep ramps. On the upside, the layout brings a rather large (but not very enthusiastic) crowd, and the course features great aid-stations every mile or so.

I managed to run the course, walking the aid-stations and ramps, and although I felt like crap, finished in 4:37:49, a good 30 minutes better than last year.

Brag for the rest of your life!