I’m still a little delirious from yesterday’s run. Could be a lingering runner’s high or it might be my quads screaming out in agony for all the downhill action they endured. They’re hurting no question but it’s a sweet sort of pain when I see this on MarathonGuide.com:
So let’s run some numbers as I’m not doing much else today. I went for a short constitutional, a perambulation, if only to remind my legs to keep moving and not to seize up and cramp into a fetal position begging to never move again. It’s tough love but necessary.
In any case, here’s the rundown on the weekend’s race demographics:
Rhinebeck Hudson Valley Full and Half Marathon:
In 2015, there were 23 marathon finishers. In 2016, there were 89 marathon finishers.
The 2016 overall winner was Will Adams and he ran a 2:45:49; the female winner was Mollie Turner and she ran a 3:10:39.
I ran a 3:30:14 and placed 12th overall. I was the 7th male, and apparently 1st in my age group.
The Pocono Mountain Run for the Red Marathon:
In 2015, there were 614 marathon finishers. In 2016 there were 559 marathon finishers.
The overall winner was Japheth Kuptamui who ran a 2:23:30. The female winner was Justyna Wilson who ran a 2:59:26.
I ran a 3:08:11 and qualified for Boston. I was 60th overall and the 57th male finisher.
To give you an idea of how fast the course and field was in the Poconos, the average finishing time was a stellar 3:52:39.
For a bit of perspective, according to runningusa.org, the largest marathon on record is the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon with a grand total of 50,530 finishers. And according to Forbes.com, the average finishing time was 4:34:45.
I’m sure I’ve bullet quoted this before but it’s worth repeating:
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics.” —Mark Twain et al.
But one thing that isn’t a lie, damn lie, or statistic: I qualified for Boston. And so I’m going to savor that for just a bit longer. After that, I’ll listen to good ol’ Teddy Roosevelt. President Roosevelt met with the men’s Olympic Team of 1908 (the famous year when Dorando Pietri stumbled and was helped across the finish line of the marathon, subsequently disqualified, and American Johnny Hayes declared the rightful winner).
Roosevelt offered some advice, the same words, he said, that he gave his crew of Rough Riders after the action in Cuba. “Remember you’re heroes for ten days,” he said. “When time’s up, drop the hero business and go to work.” — David Davis, Showdown at Shepherd’s Bush, New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2012. Page 180.