Lost Dutchman Marathon Race Report

My race strategy was this: Grab as many GUs as possible.  The marathon entry fee was $80, so if I managed to snag 55 GUs it already paid for itself!

As far as other race strategies, involving actual running, I planned to start out very easy, having no idea what 26 miles would feel like to my unprepared body.  I had a few goals, listed in order of priority (and reality):

1. Finish.
2. Run the whole way, except at aid stations, where I could walk while I drank or ate, if necessary.
3. Smile and thank all volunteers.
4. Finish in under 5 hours.
5. My ideal: Finish in under 4:30

Goals 1-4 seemed realistic.  Goal 5 was a bonus goal that I would shoot for if I was feeling great, but I did not start out pushing that pace because I had no idea what my body would do after 17 miles, having never been there before.

Since Karin would be driving out to Apache Junction, about 45 minutes from our house, with me at 4 am, she signed up to volunteer at registration for the other races (half, 10k, fun run/walk).  Only marathoners were allowed at our starting area because it was at a trail head in the Superstition Mountains.  The runner shuttle to the start was a 40 minute bus ride!  But the starting area was awesome!  They had tons of small fires and a table of coffee, bananas, cookies, water, etc. and we were right in the Superstition Mountains for sunrise.

Marathon starting area before the race.

This is a small marathon with only about 400 runners.  In a big race a 5 hour marathoner would have plenty of company, but in a small one like this I was definitely one of the sweepers!

The first 7 miles were on a dirt road through the mountains, which was great!  I felt great at the start of course, but I resisted the urge to surge because I didn't want to run out of steam half way through.  I was definitely well hydrated; despite 3 trips to the port-a-potties before the race, the first 6 miles were essentially a race between port-a-potties, which were at the aid stations every 2 miles.  I stopped at 3 in six miles!  After that I guess it got warm enough for me to start sweating and then I didn't go again till mile 20.

The fact that the finishing altitude was actually lower than the starting altitude is deceiving!  There was so much uphill.  Enough that by mile 20 I just started getting mad when another long ascent came into view.

Still smiling at the halfway point! (I had Karin's GoPro with me till mile 18 to document.)

The first 14 miles went by pretty fast.  I definitely noticed myself dragging around mile 10, when they had GU at the aid station, and I realized I hadn't had any since near the beginning of the race, almost 90 minutes earlier!  So I had a GU and about 15 minutes later I felt a lot better.  After mile 14 it started to get harder.  Karin and Riley were waiting to cheer me on at mile 18, which was a huge pick-me-up, and not a moment too soon!  I was struggling by then; my feet were killing me and my legs were steadily working toward full-blown revolt.

Petting my biggest K9 fan at mile 18.

By mile 21 my legs were angry.  If legs could yell they would have been yelling at me.  I figured those last 5 miles would be the hardest miles I had ever run, and boy was I right!  It was so hard.  It hurt so much.  By then I was walking through all the aid stations, and looking forward to the excuse to walk for a minute.  The problem was, after I drank my water or Gu Brew, my body did not want to start running again.  I would try to start running, and literally have to talk myself into it, and then sometimes I would do a sort of fast walk-step-skip thing until my body would finally work up the ability to force my tortured quads and aching feet to break into a sad version of "running."  I did finally give in and walk for a few minutes, around mile 23, not at an aid station.  It was yet another long ascent and it just hurt so bad and I looked at my watch and realized I could walk almost as fast as I was running at that point.  But I only let myself walk for about 2 minutes, because I knew if I did it too long I would never start running again!

During the last few miles I was thinking: If I had to choose between busting my lip in a bike crash again and running another marathon, it would really be a toss up at this point.  Everything from my waist down just hurt so badly at that point, and I was barely maintaining a 12 minute pace at times, and the ascents just kept coming.

At 26 miles the course turned a corner for the last .2 miles to the finish, and I found the strength to put a little pep in my step for that last stretch.  I didn't see my exact time when I crossed the finish line, but I know it already started with a 5 when I was approaching it.  Naturally, realizing I may have missed the 5 hour mark by just seconds, I started thinking "If only I had stepped it up a mere 100 yards earlier...or not stopped at so many port-a-potties...or not pet Riley for so long at mile 18..." and then, "Oh crap, now I am going to have to do another one!"

But when my official time came in, I had finished in 4:59:50!!!!

And I smiled and thanked all the volunteers for 26.2 miles.

And I got 11 GUs!