Race Information: City of Trees Marathon

November 7, 2004, was the day for the third running of the City of Trees Marathon in Boise, Idaho, and it was my third running of this race, as well. I was expecting a good run on the double loop course that ensures a good sampling of the city center and it suburbs.

The Owyhee Plaza Hotel in the downtown area is race headquarters for packet pickup and an expo, with the start/finish on the street in front.

At the pasta dinner at a nearby hall the night before, we enjoyed a good meal and the fellowship of six others at our table. Andy Kotulski, 64, from Montclair, NJ, (3:51:19, 1st) recently ran a marathon in Slovenia in southwestern Europe. He has run over 540 marathons…..in 39 different countries! He also is a 50 States and DC finisher and a member of the 100 Marathon Club North America.

Gunhild Swanson, 60, of Spokane, WA, (3:40:18, 1st) had run the 100 mile Javelina Jundred trail run at Fountain Hills, AZ, (north of Phoenix) the previous weekend on October 30th. Her time was a remarkable 22+ hours. Her husband Jack Swanson, 71, (4:38:44, 1st) ran the Tri-Cities Marathon at Richland, WA, on October 31st. This running couple are Marathon Maniacs (MM) and 100 Marathon Club members.

Roger Hauge, 73, of Excelsior, MN, (4:55:58, 3rd) ran his 100th marathon a few weeks ago and will join the 100 Marathon Club soon. Bill Mandler, 40, of Pocatello, ID, (3:10:46, 1st) is Marathon Maniac #17……having joined early as the club was forming. MM Janet Burgess (also known as Ester Selander), 43, of Renton, WA, (4:54:59) lives about one mile from the Dolphins’ Renton home and is a marathoner we see at many races.

At the dinner we also saw MM Ruben Contreras, 50, of Stanwood, WA, (3:12:18, 2nd). It had only been a week since we saw him at the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC. He gets around…..and runs fast times!

The speaker at the dinner was Don Kardong, a former Olympics runner, of Spokane. He was a founder of Bloomsday, the race in Spokane that has grown to 60,000 plus. He’s the present race director of this world reknowned event. With an entertaining slide show, he described how he represented the United States in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. In a tight contest for third place, he came in fourth. His teammate, Frank Shorter, was the winner.

At the 8:00 a.m. start of the marathon it was foggy and calm, and the temperature was about 40 degrees…….a good day for running. Many friends said, “Hi,” as they passed me in the first mile. Because I was running a bit faster than usual, I thought that I was going to have a good race. But, I was wrong!! In the second mile I felt a muscle pull in my upper left leg. It was sore immediately and painful for the rest of the marathon.

I took two Advil tablets and eased off my pace and stride length to find a comfortable gait. Talking to runners around me helped me to dissociate and ignore the discomfort. I congratulated Mike White, 45, (4:56:57) and Jenine Reynard, 38, (5:10:27), both of Boise as I learned that they were part of a marathon training group and running their first marathon.

The one 50 States Marathon Club singlet that I saw on the course belonged to Vince Ferraro, 57, (4:59:04), of Delmar, NY. I described the virtues of the YAKIMA RIVER CANYON MARATHON to him during our first conversation. A few miles later when we met again, he said that he’s planning to run our race on April 2, 2005……and he’s looking forward to hearing Dick Beardsley speak.

In downtown Boise in the 13th mile, my pace fell off. By the 14th mile I was using a “survival shuffle,” and the last twelve miles were a walking struggle. In addition to the injury, I had wall symptoms, fatigue and hypothermia. By the 25th mile, Kim, a medic on a bike, furnished the moral support I needed to be able to make it to the finish line. As the oldest runner in the field, I crossed the mat at 5:56:25, 293rd of 325 finishers and the first 75+M.

In a few days my walking was back to normal. I’m thankful that my second six week streak of the year is over and that I have three weeks to heal and recover before the upcoming Seattle Marathon on November 28th.

It’s always great to meet and greet 50 Staters at the races. John Connor, 48, of Newport, KY, (5:49:26) completed his 48th state at the City of Trees Marathon. He’ll be a 50 State FINISHER in no time.

Fifty-Staters from the Chicago area were Gloria Aguilera, 45, (6:16:21), Jim Hupke, 55, (4:10:48) and Bob Achilee, 57, (4:10:22). Gloria is a walker we had met two weeks earlier at the Mystic Places Marathon in Connecticut.

Ray Scharenbrock, 71, of South Milwaukee, WI, ran his 500th marathon at the YAKIMA RIVER CANYON MARATHON on April 3, 2004. Now he’s collecting half marathon events in a new division of the 50 States and DC Group. He ran a half marathon on Saturday, November 6, 2004, in Boise, and then competed in the City of Trees Half Marathon the next day. His time of 2:46:35 gave him a first place award in the 70-74M division.

Paul Hargrave, 65, of Gainesville, FL, a 50 Stater and YRCM veteran came in first in the 65-69M division with a 3:40:47.

The day after the race there were no newspaper accounts of the marathon, so I’ll report the first three men and women from the race results. MEN: (1) Michael Carlson, 45, Boise, ID, 2:41:24; (2) Bobby Hays, 38, Meridian, ID, 2:47:50; (3) Joe Bowman, 39, Dunwoody, GA, 2:53:18. WOMEN: (1) Juli Morse-Stump, 28, Pullman, WA, 3:15:22; (2) Shannon Donovan, 29, Moscow, ID, 3:16:11; (3) Allison Nuxoll, 31, Boise, ID, 3:16:42.

Donald Hill, 55 of Richland, WA, was 9th overall with a 3:06:26 and first 55-59M. He runs well, and in recent years he’s placed in his division at the two YRCM’s he’s run.

While I was recovering in the lobby of the hotel after my “long walk,” Brian Baker, 36, of Boise (3:16:21) and his fiance Tiedji Potter stopped to visit with Lenore and me for awhile. Brian has run the YRCM, and it was good to see him again. He and Tiedji will be married at a RACE on April 16, 2005.

Thanks go to our weekend host Carolyn Swofford of Meridian, ID, and to her sister Barb Loftus for the delicious post-race dinner she prepared for us at her Boise home.

Thanks also to race director Ruth Ulmer and her husband Jeff, the committee and the many friendly and helpful volunteeers on the course and at the start/finish. We look forward to returning for the 4th City of Trees Marathon on Sunday, November 6, 2005.

Written by Bob Dolphin