Monday, October 08, 2007
A Good Time
...was not had by all.
What a tough weekend for races, weather-wise. The Chicago Marathon was closed, due to intense heat. I called my friend Marcia yesterday and she said she was re-routed and told to walk when the race was canceled. Marcia is a back of the packer, and she told me that there was no Gatorade at mile 2. She said that had she finished, it probably would have been 6.5 hours. She got a medal anyway, but was not happy.
Heartbreaking stories all around. Jeanne ran the Army 10-miler, where they had water but not enough cups. Peter went to Chicago while recovering from a bad cold, only to have to deal with a canceled race. Juls finished, but her BQ continues to elude her. Fortunately she has a plan B. She said it was worse than Grandma's 2006, where I had my own run-in with the weather. Josh was at mile 20 when they canceled the race, though he stubbornly finished anyway!
I watched the Twin Cities Marathon with my neighbors at mile 3 and then with Coach Gary at mile 21. Officials were watching the heat index here, too, and came within 10 degrees of cancelling the race. I think the saving grace was the cloud cover; if the sun had been shining, there would have been a lot more medical emergencies. As it was, approximately 45 people were hospitalized!
I knew a lot of people running today, including some from my running club. Gary had two women that he coached running in this race, so he was out there to support them. He considerately packed little baggies of ice, which he distributed to the runners he knew, and some he didn't know if they looked like they needed it.
I haven't talked to Nat or AmyBee yet. They had also run in Chicago--it was Nat's first marathon. AmyBee has an entry to the New York marathon, which she planned to run just for fun, but now I guess it's her Plan B. Sunshine managed to have a good time, although she didn't get an official time.
The good news is no one died during the Twin Cities marathon. Sadly, the same can not be said for Chicago or Army 10 Miler.
The other good news, is that Michelle PRd during the Portland Marathon! I guess the west coast was the place to be this weekend.
To all of you who trained and met the challenge, whether you completed the distance or were pulled off the course, I say: Good Job!
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14 comments:
Nice comments on a lot of people's efforts over the weekend. Chicago was just dreadful b/c of the conditions, it made me really miss running the TCM which I did in 2004. I can't think of a prettier marathon.
Thanks for your visit.
I'm choosing how to feel about the weekend. When I have collected my thoughts, I'll have more to say.
The Chicago Marathon was awful, but I finished. Terrible heat, 90% relative humidity, disorganized aid stations, poor race organizing, gestapo course marshalls, my best friend sent to the ICU, hundreds of others hospitalized, and one fatality. 25,000 completed that death march out of 45,000 registered.
It was one of the best days of my life!
Join us next year at the 2008 Chicago Marathon.
10/8/2008
Official Motto: "The race has been cancelled. There are no more ambulances to help you."
I could not imagine the feeling of being told you could NOT finish. We had a miserable AFC half marathon here in August - due to weather, but it was a half, and finished before too many people got sick. I really feel for all the people who ran in the Chicago event.
I guess the thing is to go into each event with an open mind because even the best plans CAN come to a very hot halt.
I hope the organizers have learned from this experience. It sounds like the organizers didn't have a "plan B."
Dori,
Thanks for the mention in the previous post and in this one - I feel lucky to have been in Portland! I'm still waiting to hear from a friend who ran Steamtown - she's not listed in the finishers and I'm worried.
We have to start figuring out SF. I don't know the area at all - we are having a meeting tonight so maybe I can get a better idea where we are staying and then we can figure out a spot to meet. See you soon!
Chicago was very scarey - I'm glad to have survived.
The comments of "Full metal lunchbox" are eerie - but it's what we experienced.
My friend also was unable to finish chicago. Luckily she had money to buy some gatorade. She has received a list of 3 other marathons who will give her a discount and promise to have water and gatorade.
The weather was AWFUL. I am wish things would have turned out a little better this past weekend.
Chicago -- terrible and so sad.
San Francisco -- I'm SURE there will be LOTS of water!
I saw from Irene's blog that you'll be running SF. Hope we can meet. And if I don't see you beforehand -- have an awesome race!
I can't imagine having run Chicago either. I was down watching for people at TCM but only managed to see one person I kind of know, one that I thought was one I knew and never found the friend I was watching for.
I feel for those doing there first either place on Sunday.
I join you in taking my hats of to all the folks who ran this hot weekend.
Peace!
One of my friends ran Twin Cities and had a pretty bad breakdown after mile 20. She said the weather was awful!
nice wrap up of a rotten weekend! one minor correction: at the army ten miler they ran out of cups, water, gatorade (except concentrate), everything!
we may be down but we're not out!
Chicago was a tough one. Something I'll never forget but hopefully, will put behind me real soon! Hope you're doing great.
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