Christmas Marathon

I am disappointed in this race after the fact. The course was unimaginative with no traffic control. Apparently, medals were given out to all of the 2-milers, 5Kers, 10Kers and half marathoners because there were not nearly enough for the marathoners. It was a cold, drizzly day, so I really applaud the volunteers who staffed the aid stations. The reason I say that this was not a good choice was that there are some premier events around the state. One of my quirks, as I accumulate states and continents, is that I focus on the medal as my "collectable" from the individual events. This was the first in which I was promised one but did not receive one. I've e-mailed the organizer to try and work something out. Race results still have not been posted - I'd love to know why. And no response. For the relatively high price for a small event ($70) the organization has to be better than it was. I am very disappointed that I chose this event.

New course, I guess. I would have liked to have had a map of the course before signing up. You cross the finish line 4 times if you are doing the marathon. It involves two down-and-backs, but to accommodate the fact that they have a 5K, 10K, 10 Mile, half and full, they turn you around 5 miles in, run you past the finish line and go 1.5 miles in the other direction before doing it all again. The course is flat and the scenery is nice, and the participants were great. The aid stations were stocked, but the website said gel would be available, but there was only Gatorade, water, and cookies at the aid stations. So of course I didn't bring any gel and was at the mercy of generous fellow runners to get some running jelly beans. It was cold and very wet, and the aid workers didn't seem happy about being there. I saw no med stations or med support. When I ran the race much slower than anticipated (dress warm - I was underdressed, which was my fault and led to cramping), my wife asked if anyone was patrolling the course, and the people at the finish line said no. In summary, great, friendly participants; the organization was poor to fair; and the course could be improved, in my opinion. Great for a 10K or maybe even the half, but if I run this again, I'll skip the full.

I'm writing for two reasons. One, to echo the positive comments about the race: a beautiful start/finish in the park, leisurely run through the farmlands with the occasional farm dog for company, uniformly pleasant volunteers, nice view of Mt. Rainier, etc. And two, to point out that in any race this small, a lot of it is run on the honor system. And, when I finally staggered across the finish (Achilles problem - I won't bore anyone with the details), I forgot to tell the staff that I had taken advantage of the early start. To my dismay, I see that the posted results show me with a time one hour faster than I really ran. Although most of my marathons have been faster than that posted time, this one sure wasn't, and I don't want credit for something I didn't do. So, there are about 20 people who get to move up one place in the standings. Again, thanks to the organization and volunteers for a good experience.