Maple Leaf Indoor Marathon Race Report - Goshen, IN (2.25.12 and 2.26.12)
When I first toyed with the idea of doing two indoor marathons in two days, I was excited, nervous, and arguably a bit naive. I had run two marathons in college, a 6-hour and 12-hour last year, and had recently transitioned to wearing only my Vibram Five Fingers. Nothing I did could have possibly prepared me for the fun, challenges, heartbreak, and feelings of accomplishment that summed up this whirlwind weekend.
The idea to run for a cause has always been a goal I have had. Growing up I participated in UNICEF fundraisers and activities for the food pantry, Lions Club, etc. at church and school. In middle school I had the opportunity to attend a weekend campout at a Heifer Project location in western Massachusetts. During this weekend I was fortunate enough to work with others to help this great cause. Heifer International seeks to provide economic security and independence to less fortunate people around the world by providing necessary farm animals to provide work, food, milk, and offspring. I considered Heifer for my run because one of the requirements for this great organization is that the families that receive gifts are not allowed to simply eat the animals they receive. Rather, they are required to raise and mate their animals to produce offspring they can pass on to a neighbor.
In September, I was fired up and ready to complete a run for a purpose. The Maple Leaf Indoor Marathon x 2 in Goshen, Indiana is in its fourth year in 2012. I set my sights on it for several reasons. Firstly, it was a destination marathon and one of my 48 states yet to run for my 50 state club. Secondly, it was unique in that it was run on a 208 meter loop (I actually prefer running on small loops because it helps me meditate and ‘zone out’.). Lastly it provided a challenge. I had completed a marathon before, then pushed myself to the ultra distance with the 2011 BPAC 6-hour and 2011 Mind the Ducks 12-hour. Never, however, had I tried to run a full 26.22 race on one day and then follow it up with another 26.22 mile run the following day.
I packed up my bags complete with extra shirts, towels, three pairs of Vibrams, two Nathan bottles and holders, and a couple audiobooks on Thursday and headed to Galway, NY to touch base with my mom, who was returning late Thursday night from Vieques in the Caribbean where she’d been since Valentine’s Day. After only four hours of sleep or so, I woke at 3am and was surprised to see my mom was up and going, despite getting in at nearly 11pm the previous night. The task before us - driving to Utica to pick up my brother Jonn, then on to Rochester to see my sister Su and drop Jonn off for the weekend, before continuing on to Goshen, Indiana by way of Buffalo, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
We picked Jonn up without incident and then quickly made it over to Rochester and went to breakfast with Su. We were back in the car and on our way before 10am, and were predicted to be in Goshen sometime around dinner time. I reserved a spot at the Courtyard Marriott in Goshen, as it was only 1.9 miles away from the college. We got in and got settled in the room - finding out there was a roaring fire, swimming pool, hot tub, and popcorn machine all in the front entryway! Dinner consisted of Ponderosa as it was the closest to the hotel. Mom and I were surprised to see Amish/Mennonite families in the ‘rosa fueling up too! I hit the pasta, buttered rolls, salad bar, grilled shrimp, and anything else edible to fuel up for the race on Saturday. By 8pm I was back in the room and rested with a little Law & Order before passing out.
RACE #1: MAPLE LEAF INDOOR MARATHON - SATURDAY, FEB. 25
6:00 AM - Woke up and got a shower before changing into race garb - short shorts, yellow Vibram Komodo Sports, and a blue tshirt. Nervously checked email, unsure of why I was doing this. Started to get a little psyched for the trials ahead.
7:00 AM - Headed to Goshen College - by the time the TomTom located the address, we had already found another car headed there and found the Athletic Center and parked! Went inside and scoped out the athletic arena. The track is upstairs, with the bathrooms, shower facilities and everything else located directly underneath. It looked like a pretty sweet track online, and I was a little concerned to find the track was not rubber as previously thought, but made out of cement and a thin covering of foam. Oh boy. “What have I got myself into?!”
7:50 AM - The Marathon Maniacs assembled for a group picture. This is a running organization of certified “maniacs” - oddly enough I had not qualified before to join this organization, but found out mid-way through the race that I would indeed qualify and earn 4 of 9 stars by running two marathons in two days. More to come on this later. They seemed to be a quirky little group with yellow singlets on, calves of steel, and a wide array of shapes and sizes.
7:57 AM - About 30 runners assembled for race directions and a group photo. I was elated to hear someone ask about course maps and course directions. Doug Yoder, the RD, responded “Well I ran the course this morning and it appears to be well marked. If you get lost it’s your own damn fault.” It’s funny at the start of marathons/ultras with small groups. It’s almost a fight to see how far to the back you can get before starting. I started fourth or fifth to last. My goal was to go as slow as possible while feeling “fresh” so as to save some energy for the second, and arguably harder day.
THE RACE (8:00 AM) - I set up my aid station in the far turn of the track. The course consisted of a 4 lane track and generally walkers stayed in lanes 3 or 4 and runners in 1 or 2. I picked a couple people I thought were going at a leisurely pace and started to click off laps. My early estimate had been to run 10 mins and walk 2 mins. I tried to stick to this as much as possible and stay hydrated early on.
I took one BR break at lap 64. Felt pretty good and had started to find a rhythm. This was good, I thought. At least I know I’m hydrated! Great thing about this race is that I had a cheering section every 208 meters. My mom was a great supporter, and helped fill my water bottle, get me pretzels, and offer words of encouragement as I clicked off each lap.
I hit the 13.11 mile somewhere around 2h30m and felt good. Did not take another break until lap 128 to change my shirt. Cotton shirts get really wet, really fast. I could feel my chest already chafing, despite the fact that I had already put bandaids on my nipples (ended up going to Target to buy wicking shirts that night!).
Continued to push on and felt myself battling hydration issues. The eventual winner, Jake Gillette, was trading the lead with Chris Friedman, who had led close to 120 or 130 laps before he got passed and fell about 100 m behind. Gillette ended up blazing his way to a 2:59:47 (winning by over 15 minutes), and I was ecstatic to discover I’d only been lapped about 85 times!
I did not really talk to anyone but ran by myself most of the day. I did exchange briefly with two others at the back of the back who were doing the double (as the majority of us were). Greg Beaulieu was from Ohio and offered a handshake and inquired about me running in Vibrams. I also passed some laps with Jenn Savage, who would become a close friend the second day of the marathon. Perhaps one of the most curious people out there on the track was the self-proclaimed “Maddogs” who ran with dog tags around his neck which clink-clank-clinked with each stride.
I hit the wall a bit early, around mile 17. This was expected as I had not done many long runs (only a couple 15 milers and a 17). I pushed through and continued on. As more and more runners finished, I found the track opening up and tried to focus on the cadence. I had started with 180 strides a minute (a goal for any minimalist runner), but had found my cadence slowing in the latter stages of the race. I was probably more near a 140-150. This would come back to haunt me the second race.
As I neared the end of the race, the folks at the timing table told me “Looking great #13. Nice job, Benn. 12 laps to go!” I made it my goal to run to the end. A couple laps went by. “6 to go, Benn! Keep it up!” 6 Laps? They definitely were not counting right. Another lap “3 to go! 3 to go!” I wasn’t arguing. Turns out number 3 was just ahead of me and the timing people had me confused with him. I pushed on hard, determined to finish feeling great.
I crossed the finish line in 20th place in 5:18:24, good for 19th in my age group. Only one woman had finished in front of me.
After the race, I got changed, went back to the hotel and then went out to grab some food at Chili’s and pick up dry wicking shirts at Target. I was back in the hotel by 6pm that night and I think I slept nearly 11 hours. Race time on Sunday was earlier by an hour, so would have to be up and ready!
RACE #2: MAPLE LEAF INDOOR MARATHON - SUNDAY, FEB. 26
Got up at 6am and got changed quickly. I knew the commute was only 5 minutes and that I didn’t need a warm up. What I liked about Doug’s laid back race is that if you run the second day, you keep the same bib number. I was lucky #13 again. I was excited on the second day of the race to meet my long-time friend Alexis Mazzini. She was coming in from Illinois and was staying at the Courtyard Marriott as well. I walked right past her when I first got there, but after getting changed headed back and said hey. She is an inspiration to me. She is only 18 or 19 and this would be her 13th marathon or ultra race. And I thought I ran a lot!
6:57 AM - Marathon Maniacs assembled and grabbed their picture. Most looked to be in fine spirit again. One guy yelled out to Doug before our whole group picture at the starting line when he asked if there were any questions, “Yeah! Did the course change?!” We all laughed. A good way to start the race off.
7:00 AM - We started the race together. We both agreed we were a little foolish and a lot of dumb, though I guess I was a bit dumber as I not only planned on running 204 laps, but had run 204 laps the day before as well! She asked me why I made her sign up for this and I said, “easy! to have someone else share in this madness!” We ran a few laps together, and settled into a rhythm. I chatted with Doug Yoder for a bit, and then said hi to Greg. He was nursing a blister from the previous day as well. He had finished a few minutes behind me on Saturday, but had planned to go a bit faster today. He went on to have a really good race and ran a 4:31!
I stopped again for a BR break around 64 laps. I remembered today what I did not remember yesterday, to take in salt capsules every 45 minutes. I struggled all day with BR breaks, so I ended up making 4 visits before the 13.11 mark. Oh well. Lost a total of about 12 minutes with these stops.
The first lap was the hardest. After that it only got easier. I joked with Alexis that the great thing was that though she was starting on lap 1, I had the privilege (or stupidity) of starting on lap 205. I watched a very fast Grant Stieglitz and speedy Melissa Gillette, sister-in-law or wife of the previous day’s winner, racing around the oval. I think I was lapped somewhere near 80 or 85 times. At the 13.11 mile mark my mom and Alexis informed me that Melissa was on world-record pace. I think that the old record had been 3:10 or something like that. Melissa would go on to run a 3:08:53, only one minute behind Grant. As of right now she is certified for running a new world record! Amazing that someone can average 7-minute miles for an entire marathon, let alone an indoor one!
I kept plodding along, chatting with Jen about how Alexis inspires me and how one day I want to be a maniac like them. It is amazing how friendly and inspiring people are you meet while running marathons and ultras. By the halfway point people were saying “Hey Vibrams! Way to go!” I was the only one wearing minimalist footwear, and I see why now. The constant pounding was really taking its toll. I likened the bottom of my feet to that of ground turkey.
Somewhere I hit 23 laps to go. My mom checked for me. I just wanted to break 6 hours. I pushed hard and did not stop to walk or refill my bottle once in the last 23 laps. Slowly, minute after minute, I ticked off one lap, then another, and still another. It gets easier when you see the numbers decreasing from the 20s to the 10s, and finally the single digits.
I ended up crossing the line in 5:39:07, good for 22nd place overall, and 19th in my age group. I was really happy with my performance. Not only had I exceeded my expectations, but had only gained 19 minutes on the second marathon.
While I swore off running this race again during the entire trip back to MA by way of Buffalo (Sunday night right after the race) and Rochester, I think I may try my luck and do it again. I raised just over $1,500 for Heifer International and am glad to be a part of a larger cause - changing the world one step and stride at a time.
I think the take away from this awesome experience is that we all hold a little good in us, an untapped reservoir that allows us to fulfill greater causes. It is humbling to think about what others accomplish. I know it is not a lot, but it is something that I can do and work towards to help others. The Maple Leaf Indoor Marathons x 2 in Goshen, Indiana were worth every step and every penny to get there.
In 408 laps I shared laughs, high fives, handshakes, and life lessons. I look forward to maintaining some of the friendships that I gained during this trip and am anxiously looking forward to my next big races: BPAC 6 Hour in April, Mind the Ducks 12 Hour in May, Memorial Day Marathon (May), and the Self-Transcendence 24 Hour race in Ottawa in September.
Stay tuned for my next big adventure!
Always,
Benn | 
