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North Olympic Discovery Marathon
June 10, 2007
Race Report by Bob Dolphin
The North Olympic Discovery Marathon on June 10, 2007, was one that I've run every year since its inaugural in 2003, and I always enjoy the race. It's scenic, diverse and interesting. Because of past runs, every step of the way looks familiar.
The highlights from Sequim to Port Angeles along the Olympic Discovery Trail are the Carrie Blake Park staging and start area at Sequim, the Railroad Bridge Park and the Dungeness River flowing swiftly beneath it, three creeks crossed by footbridges in forested settings, and the last four miles along the shore of the Strait of Juan De Fuca to the finish line by the Red Lion Hotel, race headquarters, at Port Angeles.
At the 9:00 a.m. start it was a sunny day with the temperature at 60 degrees with light winds. I ran a Boston qualifying pace for 10 miles, but then I fell off the pace as the sunny weather affected my progress. About this time thick, overhead clouds appeared and headwinds moved in making for more comfortable running. However, the wind took a toll.
In the 17th mile the rains came and continued for the remainder of the race. The last four miles with headwinds, rain and mid-50 degree temperatures were a challenge, but at least it was a cool run with the finish area in view.
I finished in 5:12:14 (11:55 pace), 341st of 405 overall finishers and first in my division. At age 77, it was my 7th marathon in 7 consecutive weekends, a personal record. Of interest, Marathon Maniac Leslie Miller, 27, of Bellevue had run the same seven marathons and finished ahead of me in all of them.
Running in his first marathon, Danny Hayman, 22, of Seattle, won the marathon in 2:46:00. In second place was Zach Schade, 39, of Tumwater with a 2:52:30. Conor Haggerty, 22, of Port Angeles, finished in third place with a 2:56:36.
The first three women finished in 9th, 10th and 11th places overall. Lori Buratto, 36, of Spokane Valley was in first place with a 3:10:49, while Ann Armstrong, 45, of Poulsbo ran a 3:11:33. Ann finished in second place in 2006 and 2007 at the Yakima River Canyon Marathon and was the overall women's winner at the inaugural Tacoma City Marathon on May 13, 2007. Bridget McKinnon, 30, of Centennial, CO, ran a 3:13:50 for third place.
With a time of 3:16:58 Chris Warren, 39, of Renton was the first Marathon Maniac to finish. Friends of ours who placed first in their age divisions were: Larry Carroll, 67, Liberty Lake, 3:35:33; Gunhild Swanson, 62, Spokane Valley, 3:53:07; and Jack Swanson, Spokane Valley, 5:29:23.
Lenore worked at the finish area in the cold rain and wind opening up many packets of finishers medals for marathoners and half marathoners. She welcomed many of our friends and me to the finish line in the hours that she was there.
It's always great to meet new people on the course. When I talked with Bob Boardman, 60, of Port Angeles in mid-course, he told me that he had spent a lot of time on the race course trail, but this was his first long run on it. Congratulations for running a first marathon in 5:51:42.
A father and his 11 year old son had taken a two hour early start for walkers. I passed them in the 17th mile and they seemed to be in good condition.
In the 18th mile I caught up with a young woman from Marysville, a first timer, who was walking with a sore knee. I gave her some advice and reassured her that because there were other runners behind us, she wasn't keeping the volunteers from shutting down their aid stations.
I visited with Ken Yoder, 60, of Elkhart, Indiana (4:58:44) and told him that I had lived in Indiana for 13 years (1961-1974), so we had a lot of common interests.
Thanks go to Larry and Michelle Little, directors of the marathon and associated events, their committee, sponsors and volunteers for putting on a great marathon that gets better every year. We plan to return in 2008 to keep our string going.
Written by Bob Dolphin
Edited, typed and distributed by Lenore Dolphin
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