Missoula Marathon Pictures

Technology challenges limited my ability to post pictures with my original Missoula Marathon story. Since some of the positive feedback I have received this year relates to the pictures taken along the way, I'm updating the blog with pictures from the July 12 run.

By the way, the iPhone works great for taking pictures during a run.

The first photo is from the start line, which was located in Frenchtown, Montana. Based on the bus ride and the run back to town, Frenchtown appears to be about 26.2 miles from Downtown Missoula. But, I suppose the actual distance depends on the route you follow to make it back to town. Sorry the photo is a bit dark, but since it was taken just after five in the morning, it was actually dark.

One of the emerging traditions from my runs is a "sign of the day." I actually just started searching for a sign of the day during the May marathon, which should not seem that long ago, but it certainly feels like that marathon was a long, long time ago. I had a difficult time choosing the sign of the day for the Missoula Marathon. The first option came very early in the race, and is pictured to the left. Still, the best road sign from any marathon was the sign that anchors this page. The "Marathon in Progress" sign is a picture taken by our oldest daughter Hannah in Duluth, Minnesota while I was running in the 2008 Grandma's Marathon.

The next picture was actually taken by one of the real photographers posted along the route. For those of you who have not run in one of these races, one of the additional revenue sources is to take and sell photographs to the runners. I liked this picture, taken around the 18 mile mark, so much that I paid the fee and added to the Marathon's revenue. It's always nice to see that I was still lifting may feet off the pavement while running at this point in the race.

The other option for sign of the day showed up near the 24 mile mark of the Missoula Marathon. As I ran toward the sign I

became convinced either oxygen deprivation or dehydration were causing me to hallucinate. But as I moved closer, and stopped to take the picture, I realized it was actually a sign...made by a running fan who held it throughout the race. I actually came to conclude the sign was meant for the person running behind me.

Finally, we headed toward downtown Missoula and the finish line. In most every marathon I have run I find myself "leap frogging" people throughout the race. What I mean is that you will start out early passing someone, a few miles later you may stop to take a drink and that person will pass you, down the road you pass them back, and on and on it goes. The last picture is just after the finish line and shows a congratulatory "low five," which happened because I was too tired to give a "high five." As we neared the end, I had passed by the runner with me in the picture, Sarah Caffrey. The end of a marathon is a struggle for everyone. So, as we left the last aid station I told her I was going to push hard, stay with me and I won't leave you, but if I slow down, don't leave me and we'll push together to the finish. I've used this approach before since it takes the focus off your own pain and motivates you to keep going. So, after we moved along well for the last two miles, it was time for the low five.

Thanks for taking time to check out Watch Greg Run! The August marathon is scheduled for Saturday, August 22 in Park City, Utah. Why Park City? The answer is that it was the closest marathon during my only free weekend in August.

I'll post some new information before the Park City event, so check back every few days.