What did you do during the long winter months of the pandemic? I distinctly remember the evening Sarah and I were cuddling in front of the fireplace last February, talking about how fun it would be to visit her parents’ cabin and run this race. It had been snowing all day, and planning an escape to the mountains of North Carolina just seemed like a great idea. A few glasses of wine later and we made it official by registering! At the time we were still deep in the midst of wedding planning, with dreams of running our first race together as a married couple in the fall.
From the time we arrived in Todd Friday evening to the time we left Sunday morning, I must say the whole experience was delightful. With only a few hundred runners registered we had a relatively easy time with check-in at the Riverside Restaurant Friday night, before returning to the cabin for some good ole home cooking and race preparation. I laid out my clothes and pinned on my bib like normal, then enjoyed a much-needed night of rest after spending most of the day in the car.
The morning of the race was foggy, dark, and a bit chilly, so I was super grateful that we were able to leave early and arrive one hour before start time. After sitting in my car for a bit to stay warm we eased our way out into the gathering crowd near the start line, and were greeted with many other friendly runners. From there we moved on to an exceptional start line experience, as the race director shared quotes from Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire and led us all in a group prayer before singing the National Anthem together. Although it was too foggy to see the flag, my heart swelled with pride as I stood next to my father (his first time ever getting to see me race) and my wife in preparation for the event. “Back in Black” and “Eye of the Tiger” got me and the rest of the crowd super fired up, and with that we all launched into the dense mist by the New River.
I started out super quick (top 5 for a while!) and ran a few miles with Conner Williams, who informed me that he had recently done the Grandfather Mountain marathon and was aiming for a sub-3-hour finish. Glancing quickly down at my watch I realized we were laying down 7-minute miles, which I knew was not sustainable for me in the long run, so I wished him well and faded into his footsteps. Shortly thereafter I linked up with a runner named Jeff, who informed me he was also shooting for a 3:30 finish. We chatted amiably and cruised through the next few miles together, lamenting the lack of pretty scenery due to the weather. I made a quick pit stop (stupid bladder) and lost him, but from then on enjoyed such a beautiful stretch I was content to run alone.
The sun came out and the New River showed up in all its glory, as I and the rest of the field ran through an absolutely gorgeous stretch of fall colors while listening to the peaceful sounds of flowing water. At mile 6 we were greeted with a nice “warm-up” hill, but from miles 9-10 we hit a rather hellacious one that quickly zapped my strength. From there my heart and legs took over and I ran well for quite a while, as I received tremendous aid station support that included water, Gatorade, Espresso Hammer Gels (my favorite), and kindness from the local townspeople. They were all so friendly! Every biker or walker I passed shouted words of encouragement. At mile 11 I got a tremendous energy boost as we looped back past the start/finish line, where I saw my father, mother-in-law, father-in-law, and my dog Bud, all cheering me on. The next few miles were smooth, but then things started to get rather difficult for me. With the sun beating down and my stomach growling I kept moving forward at what I thought was a decent pace, but was shocked to see two other runners pass me (the first that had done so since mile 6). By the time I got to mile 15 I realized I was bonking pretty hard, so I chomped on a few salt tablets and had a Muir Sunflower energy gel. It definitely did the trick! My smile widened and my pace quickened, until I got to the soul-crushing hill at mile 19.5 where I had the pleasure of running alongside a large truck and breathing in exhaust fumes. Not cool at all! I guess they weren’t kidding about the elevation gain in the pre-race material. Definitely could have done without the carbon monoxide though lol.
Entering into the final 10K of the marathon I felt stronger than ever, as I was able to maintain a sub 8:30 min./mile pace with the sun beating down. I drew a ton of strength and energy as I passed some of the slower runners, and I remember being incredibly grateful that the course designer set up multiple out and backs so that we could all see one another at that point. They also did a great job of clearly marking the course, both for miles and kilometers, which helped me immensely in the home stretch. As the miles wore on, I eventually crested a small hill where I started to see some familiar sites, including a pretty blonde with a dog on a leash off in the distance. I immediately started smiling and waving as I realized it was Sarah and Bud, then proceeded to run the last quarter mile with them at my side. It was such a beautiful experience! Hearing my father cheer and shout “I’m proud of you son!” as we ran past him spurred me on to an even faster finish. I sailed across the finish line with a time of 3:40 on the dot, good enough for 6th in my age group and 11th overall. With close to 1,000 feet of elevation gain I was very pleased with the time, and even happier to learn that my beautiful bride managed to place 3rd in her age group in the Half-Marathon. I also found that my new friend Conner won the race with a time of 2:58, meeting his sub-3-hour goal and qualifying him for the Boston Marathon. Next up for me: the Harrisburg Marathon on November 13th. Perhaps I’ll get that 3:30 on a flatter course? Stay tuned…
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