The marathon with an asterisk - now I know what Barry Bonds feels like :>) The Chicago marathon or the "Chicago Death March" as it is now known was all over the local and national news so I'm sure you heard about it; due to the extreme heat and humidity it was cancelled before thousands of runners could finish.
Starting the race was a real adrenaline rush - I felt like I was in the Olympics; thousands of runners taking off to cheering crowds. I was really psyched at the start and stayed that way for the first 4 miles. We skipped the 2 mile water station because folks were lined up 20 deep waiting for some water; we figured we'd get some at the 4-mile stop. At the 4 mile stop we noticed that water was no where to be found and were told to "keep going" to the next stop; apparently the first 15000 runners consumed more than expected and there was literally none left for us "slow pokes" My daughter Cara and I were unable to get any water until the 6 mile marker and unable to get any Gatorade until mile 8. That put me in a bad way right off the bat; my body was crying out for hydration. Local residents and business owners were bringing out their garden hoses to help cool off the runners. I saw runners running into local 7-11s buying water and Gatorade (note to self - bring money next time) and some even ran off the course for a short while to a local park to cool off in a public "wishing well".
I did fairly well to the 13 mile halfway point. I tried to run in whatever shade I could find. Most of the course after 13 miles was in direct sun with very little shade. The temperature was bad but the humidity was even worse - stifling. I didn't experience any cramping; the only thing that was "hurting" was the bottom of my feet. The pavement was so hot that my feet were "on fire". At around mile 15 I walked for a while. The race actually started to look like a "walk-a-thon" more than a marathon - everyone was walking. At mile 16 we began to here rumors that the race was being called off and that we should leave the course and make a beeline to the finish. We ignored their advice and continued on the course since we thought it was just a "rumor". At mile 19 the rumor became the truth. Imagine if you will police officers shouting at runners to "walk the race is over!!"; yes that was what happened when anyone attempted to run to finish the race after they passed the word it was cancelled. We joked with other runners we saw starting to run by yelling "Stop running, what do you think this is a marathon" :>) We walked some more.
When I reached mile 20 we were told that there would be no more water stations and that we should get on a bus or "walk at your own risk". I followed the crowd and got on a bus back to the park. After getting off the bus we ran the last .2 mile to the finish line. It was a very unfulfilling feeling crossing the finish line and getting the medal knowing I had not "fully" finished the race.
Besides not completing the race and running under extreme conditions, the race experience itself was awesome and the "fans" were great. Running through all the Chicago ethnic neighborhoods throughout the city and hearing live music in each area was really cool.
I also have a new nickname. The name on the front of my shirt it appeared like RAYA instead of RAY. Throughout the entire race everyone was cheering "GO RAYA" - my daughter and I laughed each and every time (1000's). We ran together for the first 10 miles and then lost each other. She was actually able to complete the entire race in 5 hours and 35 minutes.
I have posted some video of the race on http://www.youtube.com/. If you type in "Chicago marathon 2007" in Youtube's search window it will bring them up. Look for those posted by "rbaum0519"
The silver lining for all of us Team in Training runners was that regardless of the race outcome those with Leukemia and Lymphoma benefited from all the donations you made to the Team. There were over 1000 Team in Training runners who raised over 2.5 million dollars in this one race; our St Louis chapter raised over $100K; that was the main focus of the race anyway. In spite of all of my whining the real goal to help those struggling with these deadly blood cancers was accomplished - Thanks again for all your support.
My goal to finish the race was secondary and not really important compared to the real reason for the race. I'd like to challenge all of you to get out there and "make a difference".
Check out the Team in Training web site to see what may be going on in your neck of the woods; you won't be disappointed.
http://www.teamintraining.org/firsttimehere/tnt20/?KNC-TNT20
Remember, I was a couch potato severely out of shape and a "non runner" who was able to do it; if you are like me you can do it too. If you don't like to run they have "walking" programs too. You will meet some of the greatest people and make some new friends for life.
Since I did not "officially" finish the race I still have the desire to run another marathon. Running for a charity is such a win-win opportunity I've signed up to run the Disney World marathon on January 12th 2008 for another cancer-related charity. The charity is the A-T Children's Project.
What is A-T? -- Imagine a disease that combines the worst symptoms of muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, immune deficiencies, and cancer. Children with A-T are usually confined to wheelchairs by age 10 and often do not survive their teens. Because A-T is a multi-system disease, scientists believe that A-T research will help more prevalent diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, AIDS, and cancer.
I'm not going to keep "bugging" everyone for donations - you've already done your fair share by supporting me in Chicago. If you are interested though you can go to:
http://www.communityatcp.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?&pid=243&srcid=259&frsid=651
Cheers
Ray Baumann - Marathoner wannabee
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment