Here is a map of the course.
Now the details. A few months ago, Delta emailed me that my return flight is delayed. Instead of getting back around 6:30, I will be getting back around 8:30. Sucks but whatever. It's not really Delta but their partner airline so whatever...Yet stay tuned for this.
Friday took a cab to JFK. Got through security no problem and waited at gate. I'm sitting next to this guy and at one point, he gets up and leaves and leaves 2 bags. Oh man... So I go after him and he says they aren't his. Damn it...OK, a little background. It was September 14, 3 days after September 11th. Also, on September 10th or 11th, some stupid minister, a real rabble rouser, produced a low quality garbage film portraying the prohphet Mohamad as a sex fiend. Violence escalted all over the world with break-ins at US embassies and people killed. And now, I see 2 unattended bags. Went and found a TSA agent. He wasn't happy about this either. He went to talk to the guy who was sitting next to me and he pointed at a guy sitting next to the window.
Apparently, this moron, an airplane crew guy, put his bags down and went about 15 feet away to make a phone call. TSA guy went to check. Phew...It's his. I apologized to the TSA guy and said "I had to do it" and he was cool about it. He shook my hand and said that I did the right thing. Damn straight...
Flight took off no problem and I landed in Ohio. Took cab to the expo at the Nutter Center. All the vendors were surrounding the arena and then you have to go down arena stairs to get to pickup. Wonderful...Whats goes down, must go up, right??? Not happy about those stairs and I still have my carry on. Then, I call for a cab and that takes 30 minutes!!! Still, to the hotel, which was close by and do my thing.
Eventually in went in search of food (Milk for dinner aspect and yogurt for the morning). Went to CVS, really close by to the Fairborn Hotel & Inn but they only had Chiobani Greek Yogurt. They sent to a place about a mile away, I walked, in search of yogurt. Beautiful area. Got there and the guy tells me this area of town doesn't really eat yogurt. Where the Hell am I Dorothy?
I walk back and right across the CVS there is a BP gas station and they have food. Why didn't I think of that earlier? Well, it turns out that woman who walked out as I walked in cleaned them out. She took an entire case of yogurt...Back to CVS where I got milk and a yogurt smoothie.
Since, the race starts and ends at the Air Force Museum, security is tight. There are basically 2 options for runners. You either drive onto the grounds knowing you can't leave at least until 8:30 or the preferred option is to get dropped off at the expo site, the nutter center and then board a runners only bus to the Museum. I had the taxi drop me off over there where I was immediatly challenged by a soldier asking to see my bib. Cool - security is tight. I then went to the bus. Only the driver and a soldier were on it and again I was asked to show my bib. I jokingly asked her if I would be able to find a seat. She laughed but then to my suprise, the driver closed the door and we were off. It was just me!!! Talk about special treatment...
By the way, I gotta say that when these guys talk on the radio, it is clear unlike the subway announcements where they get people with the worst accents talking as unclearly as possible.
Soon, we realize there are actually 7 more buses behind us which was pretty cool tho when I got off, I realized they were empty. So what was the point? Anyway, glad I brought a flashlight as there was a decent walk on wet grass. Hated the fact that my feet were getting wet but at least I was able to see where I was walking.
Walked around as is my thing. Eventually people started showing up. It was pretty cool that the finisher's chute was surrounded by planes. I always knew the Hercules was big but they had a Loadmaster (I think) and that plane looked huge. I think a double long bus could have easily fit into it. How it gets up in the air is beyond me.
More and more people showed up and I started talking to another MM, Clayton. Clayton goals are to do al 4 distances in every state. He already did this Marathon in 2005 or 2007 and the 5K the day before so today he was going to try to squeeze the 10K and the half in as well. You see the 10K guys go off at the same time as the Marathoners with the half's starting one hour and 15 minutes late. His plan was to do the 10K, go to baggage check and switch bibs (chip inside) and run the half. Later I found out he was delayed for 5 minutes at the baggage check because they couldn't find his bag. He then ran with his bib in his hand like crazy but killed his legs. Still, he is happy as he is done with Ohio. Nice. Definitly a different goal.
Took the group picture with the MM's, the Half-Fanatics and the 50 Staters. Julia K was there. What a special story that one is. They did a 2 page spread on her n the Air Force Marathon magazine. She was diagnosed with brain cancer. She took care of it but decided to raise $$ for cancer through running. Eventually a marathon and there she goes. Her goal was to get 10 stars in MM. There are 2 ways to do that...1) 52 Marathons in 365 days or 2) 30 states/countries in 365 days. Ohio was her 30th state! And it was extra special because her boyfriend is currently deployed. I think he might be Air Force. I originally met her at the Run for the Red Marathon in the poconos. Very nice person. She usually paces the 4:40 group but this time she decided to do her own thing. I ran with her a little at the start of todays marathon and eventually left her as she had a friend there. She was running with Gorilla feet and looked like she was running on water...So light on her feet.
By the way, she did a little over 4 hours and got her 10th star!
Anyway, eventually went to the starting line and they told us to look up and WHAT THE HEL IS THAT?!? Every year, the medal features a different plane. This year it featured the B2 Spirit stealth fighter and don't you know it but we had a low level fly over by a real B2. WOW!!! Quiet and surreal with everyone looking up.
Soon the cannon went off and we passed by the stealth motorcycle developed at the base with supposed stealth something and it was not very stealthy! Looked sleek but loud as hell.
Running and paying attention to the course as I knew we would come back to this part of the course. Had fun running. All was well. Initially wore a garbage bag but took it off after a little while. It definitly got warmer from the 59.
Lots of people at every aid stations with bananas given at 1 point. Also nice sponges too...Better than the one I use. Took 2. They had a Zombie aid station which was pretty cool which we saw twice, a Rock-n-Roll aid station and at one station this band was really rocking!
Stopped at a medical tent to see if they have soda and they let me have some of their own stuff. NICE!
Picked up a ROTC kid and his friend at 1 point. Dragged him on at 1 point for something between 1.5 and 2 miles but he was suffereing too much and I had to let him go.
At around mile 21, I opted to walk up a hill. It is what it is. At mile 24.5, a fellow MM said hi and I made a new friend "Peter". Very nice guy. Has a crazy marathon schedule. Good for him. Ran with him and he was happy because he knew he was headed for a PR and well I can't resist that so I pulled him. Made sure at the end to really get him to run too. I sprinted. He did his best. We finished and he got his PR. Nice.
Grabbed a slice of pizza and it was awesome!
Peter was there with Kino, Nancy and Pascal who were nice enough to give me a ride as we were all time constrained. They got to their hotel a little late but they were nice enough about it. I got there in time and showered and got out. Called for a cab and when I heard 30 minutes decided I will walk to Wendy's and they can pick me up there - I mean it's only 2 blocks away!
Love the spicy chicken sandwich and spicy chicken nuggets and as I finished the cab came. Cool.
I got to the airport around 2:20 and my flight didn't go off till 6:46 so I was just gonna rest. Peter walks in and I sat with him as he ate and then escorted him to his plane. It's funny and sad. He lives in Forest Hills. His flight left at 3:30 to Chicago with a layover and then to La Guardia landing an hour after me... Kino and Nancy were also supposed to be on a layover flight to Newark and they eventually got there too but they switched flights to mine. Because of them we had 8 people on the plane!!! It was empty.
The flight was crazy. I was trying to rest until 6:46 when I get a call from Delta how it was delayed to 7:40. Then 2 minutes later I get a call that it is changed to 7:10. I figured eventually they would switch it to the correct time. Nope, they didn't but they tried to make some time up and we landed around 9:10 instead of 8:45. Funny as way back the flight was supposed to land at 6:30. Whatever. Took a cab home and started a wash immediatly. I need the stuff for the next day!
Said Goodnight to Jeremy and Elizabeth and babysat the laundry. Would have been better if I could have went to sleep earlier but it was what it was and I went to bed by 11:30 with a 4:00 wake up. Why you might wonder? Well, that's covered in a different race report...Check out the 2012 Summer's Not Done Aquarun Race Report.