Today was just a celebration for me. Work this week has been hectic with 16-17 hour days and poor sleep added to the fact that I am running a marathon for the 2nd weekend in a row. I had a pre-race dinner at my house for some runner friends last night and we had a great time.
Troy and Barry came by about 5:05am to pick Kathy (sis-in-law) and myself up to get to the bus. I rode up with Kathy to give her some last words of encouragement since this would be her 1st full marathon. She ended up doing just fine and ran about what I thought she would.
I wished Jeff Shadley good luck at the start but unfortunately his hips didn't hold up for him. I was able to see lots of other runners I know before we started. Barry, Troy, and I decided that we would stay together for the most part and just have a fun day. We hit the half just as the gun went off for them to start. Barry pulled a bit ahead of us as I talked to some of the half marathon runners. Troy and I just stuck together during these miles. I started to feel the effects of the back-to-back marathons around mile 16. I was beginning to have to walk through the aid stations and then some.
Around mile 20 we caught up to Barry again. He was getting tired too as this was his 1st marathon in 2 years. He only ran because it was my 100th and he wanted to be a part of it. We decided it would be cool to finish together because we had never done that before. Around mile 23 we caught up to Fabian. He was really struggling to even walk due to an issue with his knee. He told me he was on a 3:15 pace through mile 18 when he couldn't stand the pain anymore. I let him lean on my shoulder and decided that I was going to bring him in. He was able to run for about a tenth of a mile before having to walk again. We repeated this process all the way to the finish. Because I was staying with Fabian, Barry and Troy pulled ahead and I figured I would see them at the finish. After talking to Fabian I found out that he has lost 93 pounds in the last several years and just started running marathons in the last couple years. I have seen how hard he works out at the gym so I knew this experience was just killing him. There was no way I was going to leave him behind.
When you think about someone's character there are always those moments that tell you all you need to know. Case in point...When Fabian and I hit the 26 mile marker, Barry and Troy were waiting right there for us so we could all run in together. I will never forget that and the picture that Sue took of us crossing the line together will always be one of my favorites.
I actually very much enjoyed how the whole day turned out. I was able to accept lots of congratulations on completing my 100th and celebrate with many of the good friends I have made along the way. This will by no means be my last marathon because I would miss them way too much.
Later I was interviewed by KPVI Channel 6 news and they did a nice story on me and my 100 marathons. My story was actually the lead on their website on Sunday.
Here is the link:
http://www.kpvi.com/content/news/local/story/Pocatello-Man-Runs-100-Marathons/BvEn-759OUumX9MoC6oHsg.cspx
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