Here are some maps for reference.
Note to 50-Staters: This is the hard way to earn your Delaware marathon finish! If this is your first trail marathon, expect ruined shoes and a possibility of not finishing. If you do finish, it will almost certainly be your slowest-ever finish time. Dedicated roadies who prefer flat marathons on pavement should check out the Delaware Marathon administered by our friend Wayne Kursh at races2run.com. The 2012 Delaware Marathon will be Sunday, May 13th.
Doesn't actually instill confidence does it now?
The course and what to expect:
What to expect: Since this is a small event with a low registration fee, we are trying to keep things simple. There is no packet pickup prior to race day, no gauntlet of vendors, no pre-race expo. Claim your packet at the registration table on the morning of the race. You can even register for the marathon 6-7AM on race day. There is no "official" pre-race pasta banquet, but there are lots of good restaurants on Newark's Main St. This is a trail marathon, so you should expect more difficult terrain and a slower finish time than you would expect in a road marathon. By trail-race standards, however, this is easy terrain. The course is marked with colored pie plates on trees, spray chalk on the ground, survey flags through meadow areas and arrow signs to clarify critical turns at trail junctions. The course is two circuits around the Triple Crown half-marathon course. The 13.1-mile circuit has 8 water/traffic control points, so you will pass each of these twice, plus the start/finish area at the midpoint of the race, for a total of 17 aid points. The start/finish area and one aid station east of the creek will have various snacks, but the other aid stations are planned to have water only. If you require sports drink, energy gels or whatever, carry your own. You can re-stock at the mid-point. The half-marathon course fords White Clay Creek at about miles 3 and 10; marathoners will revisit this crossing at about miles 16 and 23. The water crossing is about 80 yards across, ankle- or calf-deep, and footing is slippery in spots. We recommend that you keep your shoes on in the creek. Wet or damp shoes should not be much of a problem (you have run in the rain before, haven't you?). This marathon is held simultaneously with the traditional Triple Crown race series, so you are likely to encounter runners in other races. The half-marathon will start ten minutes before the marathon, so faster marathoners will be passing slower half-marathoners. Later in the morning the 10K and 5K will be run on trails west of the creek, so you may encounter 10K runners coming the other way or 5K runners going your way within the Carpenter area. Please share the trails: signal to runners when you are going to pass them (e.g., "On your left!") and allow faster runners to pass you. There is no official cut-off time for the marathon, although runners finishing after 1PM may miss the BBQ. If you DNF, please inform the marathon coordinator so that we don't send out unnecessary search & rescue parties. Our aid station volunteers will leave at noon. From then on, aid stations are self-serve and road crossings are unpatrolled. You are solely responsible for getting yourself to the finish. What other marathon offers a shirt, finisher medal, BBQ lunch, snacks, 17 aid stations, and supportive church ladies for $3/mile? We even allow race-day registration--same low-low price but maybe without the shirt.
They have a few races that day. They have a 5K, 10K, Half-Marathon, Triple Crown and full Marathon. The Triple Crown are for those who want to race the Half-Marathon + 10K + 5K for 22.4 miles assuming you don't get lost. I'm (of course) doing the full. Got a river to cross twice in the half or 4 times in the full since we are doing 2 loops. Can I say again how much I HATE loops?
So, the previous Tuesday (April 24th), I left work early to pick the kids up from school and take them to an allergist to get tested. Lee had a class to go to in Brooklyn so she didn't go with us. I decided that maybe it's time to get tested again and to explore my options again. I'm really suffering. A few years ago I got tested and was found to be allergic to 6 different things or as the Doctor said: You are covered for all year around. Wonderful. So, good news first. Kids don't have any allergies at all. Jessie, who we thought might have some food allergies, doesn't have any seasonal or food allergies. Jeremy, who we thought might have some seasonal allergies, doesn't have anything either. And then there was 1...Me. Suprise!!! I am allergic to 6 things (Birch tree, Oak tree, one other kind of tree, grass and who the hell cares what anyway - probably pollen and something else). Wonderful. Also, he didn't like how my chest/lungs sounded. Breathe into this machine and I'm taking Antibiotics. I was sick a week or two ago. It was obvious. Still worked out and I thought I got over it but apparently not. Now, I'm on a Z-Pac and Steroids. Not happy about this. On one hand side effects include stomach issues including diarrhea which with my sensitive stomach that's not good. Apparently the steroids makes it even worse. I told him about this race and he compromised that instead of 5 days on the steroids to only take it 3 days. It was funny, because he also tells me that if I don't feel better by Friday to "just drop by". Then before I left, he came again and told me this another 4 times. Hm...Anyway, on the other hand, I am breathing better.
It might make me weaker in the short run but I think I will be better overall. Lastnight swim is an example. I don't know why Andre had to stick the stupid sprints on a Wednesday but I rocked them so Hmph.
Anyway, bottom line on Steroids and Antibiotics and such is life. I like trail races. They are tough but on the other hand, there is NO WAY IN HELL of a PR so you can just relax and enjoy yourself. Just gotta ford the river and hopefully not get bitten by ticks and not step on/sit on Poison Ivy. It will be all right.
Plan: Finally finalized details. Not sure why I waited so long to do it but Thursday morning things were settled. Gonna pick up a car on Friday and drive there that night. Stay overnight. Run and hopefully clean up a little. Hopefully see Erik Martin and eat something. Drive home. Sounds simple, right?
Left work earlier on Friday. Was gonna take a train to Great Neck and get picked up by Enterprise but turns out Lee had an easier day. Hopped on a even earlier train to Bellerose and met Lee and LC at the train station. Walked home together and then we drove to Enterprise. They only had 2 cars: a red pickup and a Chevy Impala. Didn't want the pickup so opted for the undercover cop car. Asked them how to turn on the lights and sirens and they laughed.
Lee and I went to pickup the kids together. Had an early dinner, watched Glee and then started packing. I meant to leave no later than 7 pm but suddenly it was 7:40. Argh....
Erik told me to try to stay away from the Turnpike because of the construction. Mapquest suggested taking the Belt Parkway to the Verazanno Bridge. GPS didn't agree. I should have forced the issue but didn't. Should have forced the issue.
Took me to the LIE -> BQE -> Williamsburg Bridge and then to the Holland Tunnel. Should have forced the issue. It was horrible. Took me 30 minutes to do 2 freaking blocks. Finally in the tunnel and crawling when suddenly emergency lights go off. Wonderful. People changing lanes like crazy. It was an emergency tow truck and there are 2 trucks and a huge line of cars speeding behind it. Turns out there was a disabled van in the tunnel. Finally got there and saw the tow truck pushing it out. Traffic cleared up. I get on the New Jersey Turnpike and construction. Only 1 lane open and everyone is gawking at the construction crew. Slow driving. As soon as we cleared the construction, even tho still in a single lane, I'm doing 60. Finally!
When I first started driving, the GPS told me the ETA was 10pm. Now, closer to midnight. Finally pulled into the Howard Johnson's at 12:05 am. Asleep by 12:30 and awake by 3:30 for breakfast. Not enough time even for me but it is what it is. All my alarms went off and had hot water. Day is looking better.
I'm a little sore/tense. Had a (very) long drive, not enough sleep and that's what you get. Try to stretch a little in the bathroom. My fault for trying to stretch in a bathroom. Ended up elbowing the metal towel rack. The one with a nice straight edge. Elbowed it with a lot of force - imagine elbowing a person in the face. Ended up with broken skin and a little blood. Nice.
Until I noticed that half my breakfast is missing. Got my yogurt but my mixed nuts/dried fruit are missing. Had to eat something else so ate some pita chips. Later, I regretted it. My stomach was doing loops. Was gonna leave at 6 am toward race site ended up leaving closer to 6:20. That's ok. Supposedly, I am 3-4 miles away. Got on the road and I'm there. Sun is out, it's 34 degrees and I am cold. Can't decide about what I am gonna wear.
Decided on thick socks, tights with shorts, long sleeve shirt with my MM tech singlet on top, a tech hat but the gloves...Medium gloves or thin gloves? Not sure. It's cold. In the sun, I feel the suns warmth. In the shade it's cold. Can't decide what to do. Finally, decide on thin gloves. God help me.
RD gets up on a step and talks. I like him immediatly. He's a wiseass. Starts by saying that he saw the future this morning. He woke up and decided that he's tired and forget everyone and the race ... but he showed up. We laughed. He talked about the course. This is the 15th running of it and in order to keep things "interesting" they reversed the course. Instead of counter clockwise this year it will be clockwise. Obviously it doesn't mean anything to me but that's cool. The RD is thinking about the athletes. Nice. The creek/river crossing was brought up. Apparently the water is above knee high. And cold. Nothing can be done. He also told us that any extra miles we do, "we will not be charged extra for". Talked about the BBQ afterwards. Nice. That's my goal. Make the BBQ.
Heard a "A MANIAC, WANNA TAKE A PICTURE WITH US?". Took a quick pic with the Marathon Maniacs. Cool. I'm the lowest guy there. Least amount of stars - Least amount of states. And there are a few Boston finishers too. Nice.
The schedule of races: The half-marathon starts at 7:30. The full starts at 7:40. The 10K starts at 10:30. The 5K starts at 11:15. Not 100% sure of the 10K and 5K time but this is what someone told me. You can do any combination of the races if you are fast enough. Those doing the triple crown or 2 races had a bib with multiple tags on them. The triple had 3. How awesome is that?
The half's started 10 minutes late. We started 10 minutes behind them as planned but also 10 minutes late if you think of it.
First we start across the grass field full of frost. Then a downhill which we might have to climb later. Nice. Hook up with 2 MM's and we run together. They let me pull for most of the first loop before leaving. That's cool. Completly expected.
My opinion of the course and how I broke it down and approached it. First you run 3 miles until the water crossing. Not bad at this point. Cross the water. There's nothing you can do about that. Different reports of the water crossing but it's about 50 yards of water to cross. Very uneven terrain during the crossing as well. There were pockets where the river was deeper and sections where the footing was treacherous and someplaces where the current was strong but overall, it felt great for me. It was like an icebath and as I climbed out, I couldn't feel my feet or toes. After that you had 2 smaller loops to do that eventually gave you 7 more miles until you are back crossing the river. Those loops weren't too bad. The only thing that really sucked was the climb after the water in both directions. They were bad. Also, the path into the river on each side was becoming a mudslide so you really had to be sure of yourself going down and up.
Plenty of aid stations, I thought. All had water, most had Gatorade and some had snacks. Didn't see Coke but on the second loop, I asked and they had it! Nobody asked...I did. Yay.
From there another climb - of course. A field and I think we are going straight but there is a left. Cut across a field and near a private house/farm/barn thing. Saw a blue plate so I'm good but then another field and ZERO markings. Well, not exactly true - there were some small flags on the ground but it just didn't eem right. Wasn't sure what to do but then this woman came up behind me and we ran together. Another turn, another hill and suddenly I smell BBQ. Yes, I have a very strong olfactory sense and I think they started lighting up the grill. The woman I am with is hoping to do the triple crown. We run together up the hill, into another turn and we see volunteers pointing us in. Another turn and as I run to the finish line, the 10Kers start coming at me. I cross the finish and head out behind them.
I started getting chafed on my "man" parts and it's troubling. Got another 13.1 miles to go assuming I don't get lost and I am starting to hurt. I ask people if they have Vaseline but no one has. Someone tells me the EMS guys have, but they are not at their bikes. The RD said the same thing but again, they are not there and I can't wait. Tick Tock. Hook up with a guy and we start together. Figured he will drop me eventually. Talking about races and things. I see a guy throwing a frisbee into a chain basket with chains on top. Runner next to me explains to me that it's called Disc Golf and tells me the rules. Cool stuff. And oops...We are so engrossed in talking when he says to me, "something isn't right...". Yup, we went off course. Not too bad, just a small detour.
Some of the ridiculously fast 10Kers are on their way back. Unbelievable. These guys are pushing it. Make sure to get out of the way for them - faster people get right of way...
Did I mention that this is a trail race? And trail races have uneven terrains, and roots, and rocks, and logs to go over/under and somesuch? Well, we get to this log about 3 feet of the ground. I'm not hurdling it - I'm not stupid. I jump on it and move to the side to make room for the speedster. He jumps on and off and grunts a thanks. No problem dude. He is clear and I move back to the middle and jump except that my foot gets tangled and (Oh Crap) I go down. I never fell on the trails yet and here it is. Wasn't a face plant. I don't do face plants. Protected my self with my arms. Thought nothing of it. Skipping forward a minute. After the fall and race and a long drive home and I'm a little sore. But on my back?!? I feel like I bruised my ribs a little but on the back. When anyone touches my back, I feel like I have black and blues except that nothing is visible. More about that later - back to the present.
My new friend dropped me. It's ok. Completly expected.
Get to the water again. Now the river bank is just a mudslide on both sides. Don't make a difference to me. I don't fall, remember?
That hill, after that outgoing water (1st/3rd) is real bad, especially with stumps for feet. Eventually, I make a new friend, Carol. I chased her and caught her and we run together. We both agree that running together and talking is more fun. There is no one around so why not?
We run, we talk, we walk some hills. Told her my plan: We ran 3 to the water. Now, we just gotta go around for 7 miles and then the water and 3 more miles. Easy, right?
She has the Garmin with her and I was able to predict which aid station we would hit at what mile.
At one point, I hear a sound. I look up and I see an Eagle flying overhead. Gliding on the thermals really. I love running or biking and seeing hawks but this was an Eagle and he wasn't that high and he was hunting. What I heard was a skreetch. How great is this?
Carol tells me at 1 point that she feels dizzy and she can't continue. I joke that she can't stop otherwise the Eagle will think she is carrion and try to eat her. HAHA...She says she will continue walking but she can't run. I tell her she has to continue at least until the plates change from red to blue and that we will talk about it then. When we get there, I tell her she has to continue until we get to the water. From there to the next hill. From there to the finish. I am such a PITA, no doubt...But it's who I am.
Forgot to mention something...So during the start, at the first 3 miles (didn't reach the water yet) and I am running well. Got people following me. I (oops) twisted my right ankle badly and ... and ... and ... I don't fall. I somehow keep my balance, I didn't collapse, jump up and land on my left foot, jump again and land on my left and then continue running like nothing happened. People in back of me, started yelling. They thought it was pretty cool...It was. Remember I said I don't fall?
A little later, still on first loop, the guy who was drafting off me for a while, pulled a little too. Older guy with white hair. At one point, he said something and I said that was pretty smart and he told me "I didn't get by being stupid". Nice...Eventually we seperated but later on the 2nd loop before I met Carol, I suddenly heard "how come you are running with your ankle at 90 degrees?". I actually looked down before I realized that didn't make sense and then it hit me. The guy who said that must have seen me almost fall. Gene is a pretty fast guy and he took a wrong turn. Oops. Eventually he took off.
I'm running with Carol and we already crossed the water for the 4th and last time when he comes from behind. He took another wrong turn. The guy is flying. Said hi as he flies away.
At that field with Carol. The one I thought you go straight where you actually supposed to make a left. The one that will get you to that building/farm/barn thing and I see him in front of us. And he didn't make the left. He went STRAIGHT!!! I start screaming after him. Couldn't believe he took a 3rd wrong turn. Kept expecting him to come from in back of us but he never did. Told them at the finish line. Got some Burger and kept my eyes open for him but nothing...
When we finished crossing the water for the last time, Carol took a little slip in the water but nothing much more than that. At that time, when we were about to enter the water, 2 MM's came out. One of them was a young girl who just did Boston. With her was an older MM (a 3 digit MM so an early on member). I met him at South Carolina. Can't believe the time tho. We have 3 miles and they still have 10 more to go. Sucks...
Saw a guy running with a kilt. If I wear a kilt, will I get to be as fast as this guy too? I dunno but he dropped me...
Got my medal and coffee mug and a burger and headed to the cop car. Didn't stick around too long. On my way home.
A little traffic but eventually flying down the highway. Kinda funny that as people see me in their mirror, they immediatly cleared the lane, got out of my way or tapped their brakes. HAHAHA....It's only me...Fooled ya.
Forced the Verazanno on the GPS. No stupid Holland tunnel disaster again.
Drove straight to the YMCA. Kids swim from 4 to 5 and I parked the car at 5:05. Quick shower and we went to eat with the Balsans who hung around. Super nice dinner and then a long walk with LC and that ended a great day.
Monday, Arlene with her magic hands came. Helped out. Back was sore (see above), felt like BnB's. Toe nails a little sore on the right foot. Potential black nails. Legs a little tired.
Overall, a great race. Definitly enjoyed myself but the (extra) long drive killed me. Still, just scored Delaware. Sucks couldn't see Erik - he lives a few minutes away, but there will be a next time. I still want to do the "easy" Delaware race, the other one...