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City of Trees Marathon
November 3, 2002
Race Report by Bob Dolphin
The inaugural running of the City of Trees Marathon on November 3, 2002, at Boise, Idaho, went well. The original plan was to have a loop course for the marathon, but the many intersections involved required more course monitors than could be provided. To solve the problem, the marathoners were
directed to run two loops of the half marathon course. The 5 Mile Run/Walk that started after the other races used about four miles of this same course. This worked well, and at the 8:00 a.m. start for the marathon and half marathon approximately 700 participants lined up on Main Street at the
Owyhee Plaza Hotel, race headquarters.
It was calm, clear and cold with the temperature in the high 20's. There was thin ice on the surface of the water in cups at the aid stations....very unusual. The course was interesting as we passed the city center to the tree-lined suburban streets in a counter-clockwise trend. While essentia
lly flat, there was one minor hill to bring the runners to a plateau. From the upland there was a nice view of the State Capitol, the city center and the Boise River. A run down Capitol Boulevard was gentle, and we appreciated the scenery.
Jerry Martin, 54, our friend from Greenacres, WA, had a great race. He wheeled to a 2:18:11 and won a special award.
The marathon was won by Mike Carlson, 43, in a time of 2:39:15. He was followed by Craig Kenworthy, 40, of Bozeman, MT, (2:47:39) and Michael Kelty, 44, of Aurora, CO, (2:52:16). These three won special awards and were the first three Masters as well. Jane Hewett, 33, of Julietta, ID, won the
women's race in 2:57:13. Next were Elizabeth Hartsach, 26, of Missoula, MT, (3:08:50) and Catherine Thomas, 33, of Boise, ID, (3:11:42).
Gunhild Swanson, 58, of Spokane, WA, had a good race. Her 3:34:58 gave her an age class win and placed her as second Masters Woman for a special award. Other Washington friends who won age class awards were Doug Beyerlein, 52, (second); Paul Emmett, 56, (second); and Jack Swanson, 68, (third).
(See partial results.)
Congratulations to Jon Mahoney, 50, of Vernon, BC, for completing his 150th marathon at this race. He runs about 25 marathons per year, so he is quite a megamarathoner. He is a commercial pilot and flies his own plane to marathons. As far as I know, he's the only northwest runner who does this
.
A highlight of the marathon was the humorous presentation at the pre-race dinner by John "The Penguin" Bingham. He certainly is a "runner's runner"......and is very entertaining! Like other fans, I have signed on to receive his newsletter by e-mail. To do this, look up John's column under "Chr
onicles" in Runner's World Magazine.
My race was a challenge....to finish, that is. For months I have had a strained left heel that became more of a problem over time. I felt it hurting in the early miles at Boise and took some Advil for relief. It didn't work. In the 8th mile I was brought to a halt with a sudden pang and could
n't run a step. I could walk with some discomfort, so I did. Four miles later when I was walking at a 15 minute pace, I felt that it was going to be a long day. Then I tried a short shuffle step and found that I could maintain it. I reached the halfway mat in 2:30:00 and found Lenore and her
college friend (our local hostess) Barb Loftus, providing space blankets to half marathon finishers.
I started my second loop "shuffling along" at a thirteen minute pace and then improved to an eleven minute pace. At 20 miles a 3:51:00 split time made a sub five hour time seem possible, so I "raced the clock." An uphill and a 10 mph headwind at times weren't helpful, but a downhill helped. W
hen the finish area clock came into view, I was surprised that it hadn't turned over to 5+ hours yet. I crossed the line with a 4:57:27, a negative split. I finished in 271st position of 329 finishers and won the 70-79M division. Actually, I was the only 70+ runner in the race!
Even though I fizzled toward the end, I had finished my fifth marathon in five consecutive weeks. Thankfully, I will have a three week break before the next marathon.
Thanks are extended to the race director, the committee and many volunteers for making this interesting marathon possible.
Written by Bob Dolphin
City of Trees Marathon..........Partial Results
3:15:46 Brian Baker, 34, Boise, ID
3:26:05 Doug Beyerlein, 52, Mill Creek, WA
3:30:45 Paul Emmett, 56, Redmond, WA
3:34:58 Gunhild Swanson, 58, Spokane, WA
3:35:29 Arthur Heers, 58, Mendon, UT
3:46:08 Jon Mahoney, 50, Vernon, BC
3:46:44 Donna Forrester, 40, Maple Valley, WA
3:47:22 David Holm, 51, Sammamish, WA
3:48:16 Ron Fowler, 55, Seattle, WA
4:03:08 Susan Elderbroom, 49, Schenectady, NY
4:07:26 Dennis Spurlock, 40, Spokane, WA
4:08:34 Ed Sobey, 54, Redmond, WA
4:10:23 Jack Bettelon, 47, Federal Way, WA
4:14:45 John Bozung, 49, Orem, UT
4:17:38 Rick Reynolds, 55, Seattle, WA
4:25:37 Ruth Ripley, 55, Pennellville, NY
4:34:27 Michael Zielinski, 43, Mt. Prospect, IL
4:40:47 Jack Swanson, 68, Spokane, WA
4:43:35 Casey Rice, 40, Yakima, WA
4:49:24 K-G Nystrom, 64, Sweden (& St. Augustine, FL)
4:57:27 Bob Dolphin, 73, Renton/Yakima, WA
4:58:13 Ed Fouts, 64, Sewell, NJ
5:24:30 Bernadette Langdon, 49, Portland, OR
5:30:23 Barry Green, 49, Pullman, WA
5:57:20 Pete Dawson, 63, Alleghany, OR
7:34:58 Julie Baumler, Portland, OR
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