Wenatchee Marathon!

Wenatchee Marathon, April 20, 2008

We woke up to SNOW! It was in the forecast, but I was hoping for the mid-70s of the weekend before. Crazy weather! So long wind pants and long sleeve shirt. I wore the memorial photo of Rachel on my back, daughter of dear friends who'd been killed in a car wreck the first part of March. She's going on my back every race this year!

These two sculptures are in the little park near the race start. Something about the rabbit watching the moon?

First met Marian, then Shannon and Lisa found us. We all started together, thankful that it wasn't very windy!

We started in the snow, a couple of minutes late. Reggie caught us starting in the middle of the pack (let the 10Kers go first), and of course I was looking at my watch! We turned to go to the park along the Columbia River, and I don't know who the statue is, but with us running around him, I turned to get his picture.

It looks wet, but it was from snow melt, for it didn't really ever rain on us. The park trails are beautiful -- you can till it's been a late winter, but definitely spring is coming! The first part for the marathoners was out to about 3.5 miles, over the footbridge spanning the Wenatchee River, where the 10Kers and marathoners turned around.

Marian and Lisa had left us, so Shannon and I stuck together. But she was getting a toe blister, we needed to get something on it. The water station (close to mile 5 or 15 or 25, depending on what part of the route) had a box of bandaids. It wasn't ideal, but it was something. What it really needed was some thinner sports tape, but everywhere we asked, only had bandaids, if that.

Back on down the river trail we went. Here's the sculpture near the finish area, where the 10Kers turned off, and the marathoners started the two 10 mile loops around the river parks:

Soon we came to the footbridge near 9th Street, where we crossed the Columbia to the East Wenatchee side. From the bridge looking north, the blue sky started showing!

On the east side, the clouds lifted and the sun came out! Mountains all around had new snow, and the sun warmed us to peeling layers out there.

There was a little out-and-back section, one of the relay exchange points. I got a pic taken front and back, and explained Rachel's story. Then caught up to Shannon again near the 10 mile mark. Her foot was really hurting now -- the bandaid was too big, but there wasn't plain, thin sports tape anywhere!

We continued on -- this is a beautiful area. The river makes several turns, and there are so many birds out! Mile 11 I called Reg (love the cell phones) to have him pick up sports tape, some neosporin, and look for thin bandaids, and meet us when we came around on the west side again. We still had a ways to go to the bridge.

You can tell this would be sagey desert if they didn't irrigate. Several kinds of sage, some lupines, and some bright clumps of mules ear daisies. And apple orchards not far away. And close to the Odabashian Bridge, where we crossed the Columbia back to the west side, was sand dunes!

I was doing 4/1 run/walks out there. Shannon had told me to go on ahead, so I told her I'd meet Reggie so he could find her. I found out later she'd fallen on the downhill from the bridge, and hurt her knee, besides the agony the blisters were giving her. Shannon, if I'd have known, I'd not have run ahead! Here's how steep that downhill off the bridge was!

I met Reg at the part where there's a break of 1/4 mile between the trails along the river and an industrial section. I told Reg of Shannon's number, and he went back along route to find her. I ran on ahead, and asked him to call me as soon as he could. I ran ahead and passed the water stop near mile 5, where they asked me where my friend with the bandaid was, then ran a little further and found her mom waiting to cheer, and told her about Shannon's foot and that Reg went to help her. I didn't know that she'd fallen then, so told her mom that she needed her blue Powerade (what she used for training; the lemon-lime sports drink on the course did not agree with her) and the fresh socks she brought. Then I kept on...a short while later, I got the call from Reg that Shannon was DNFing, and that she was in my car. I explained where her mom was, then ran back to where her mom was waiting to tell her the news. Reg got Shannon reunited with her mom - what a hard day for her!

Now the 5 mile sign is 15!

The river was just beautiful! Going south on the route, I was amazed by the reflections in the water. Then the sculpture of the coyote taking the salmon upstream. Then passing the finish area -- next time around was my turn to finish!

More of the sights along the trail to the footbridge. Several sculptures are there, several little flower gardens with some spring blooms, there's a miniature train section. Outside the park area are huge apple packing warehouses, lots of freight trains, a big power station, and lots of things to see industrial.

There was no wind now -- check out the reflection first of the footbridge, then from the footbridge looking north and south:

On the east side, I had another aid station volunteer take a front and back picture, then turned back on the route for the east side bridge reflection. The clouds and bridge were so clear, either real or on the water!

Reggie met me on the out-and-back jog at mile 19 or so -- all the relay teams were gone now. Then he ran with me a little ways to one of the nature views, then gave me a kiss and I was on the route again. It was so pretty out there!

For awhile I'd been wishing that I'd braved it with the snow and had worn shorts, but those clouds above where making changes. Ahead I could see a snow squall in the mountains, and I really hoped it would stay north of 'my' bridge crossing the Columbia, for it would be rain down here. The water stop front and back pictures, you can see the storm ahead. And I pulled off the route to get pics of the apple blossoms in the orchard near the river trail.

One more water stop before the bridge, one more front and back photo op, and telling Rachel's story one more time. She touched a lot of people, just being a picture "in memory of" on my back!

The clouds were fabulous! I wish you could see them in the colors and 3-dimensions that my eyes were seeing them!

Back on the Odabashian Bridge (isn't that a great name?) and looking north and south (since Wenatchee's on the west side and East Wenatchee (obviously) is on the east side.

Looking down from the bridge to the river trail -- the finish is not that far away. There were few other racers out there -- I did pass a several people who'd done the early start for the walkers marathon, and even one lady still doing the out-and-back 1/2 marathon course. But it was surprising how few people were out there, with all that wonderful play space!

One more time across the Wenatchee River footbridge!

Last water stop, I got another front and back picture. This was the stop about mile 5ish, the bandaid stop from the first out and back, and the "Where's your friend?" stop the next time around. Then Reggie found me on the last part of the path coming to the finish -- notice the uphill. It seemed to get steeper each time around!

My finish time was 5:14:06.7 -- my guess was between 5:00 and 5:30, so right in the middle! Marian and her daughter were at the finish cheering me in, then relay team #7 came to meet me. I'd been passed by various team members (and they were part of when I ran back to tell Shannon's mom that Reg had called and she'd chosen to DNF the marathon) and they wanted to know about Rachel's picture on my back after seeing her smiling face several times, so they got the story, too.

After we all got showers, we did an honorary forum encounter. Scott had given me the address, and we rang the doorbell and met Gail's mom. We invited her to join us for pizza, but she'd wasn't hungry yet, having had a big meal at church. Very fun to get to meet her! And the Ciro's gourmet veggie pizza tasted so good after the marathon!