August: Park City Marathon

If you go back to May 2 at 5 a.m., I was preparing to run in Prescott, Arizona. That event, which started at 5,600 feet went up and over a mountain to a turnaround point where it was all repeated in reverse, is what I consider to have been the beginning of my summer marathon season. It would be a great understatement to say I was concerned about my ability to complete the summer events. The run in Prescott was mostly on trails, at elevation, with hills I had never experienced during a race longer than 11 miles. The same concern was present for my June event, which was originally planned to be the Estes Park Marathon...again at elevation. And then a July schedule change left my original plans in limbo, which eventually put me in the Missoula Marathon. My August weekends filled up quickly, leaving only one opportunity to complete a run, which is how I ended up in Park City.

Today was a significant achievement for me as I now move into the final third of my marathon a month effort. I have made it through some difficult summer marathons, which included travel to just north of Phoenix, just south of San Francisco, just north of Denver, downtown Missoula and now just east of Salt Lake City.

Of all the summer marathons, today may have been the most difficult.

I had the good fortune of staying in a hotel located just a few yards from the marathon start line. Location, location, location made my morning much easier than it could have been. Early Saturday morning I decided to update my ipod's marathon playlist, which caused me to arrive at the start line just two minutes before the race began. Other than the sunrise, the early part of the run was uneventful. I moved along well in the cool, dry morning mountain air. The temperature was in the low 50s, which was a treat.

One of the songs populating my ipod is "Here in America" by Rich Mullins. I was introduced to Rich Mullins' music by a friend in the early 90s, and I have always enjoyed his lyrics, music and how he lived. Unfortunately, Mullins was killed in a car accident in 1997 at the age of 41. In the middle of Mullins' "Here in America" song is the phrase, "And if I were a painter I do not know which I'd paint. The calling of the ancient stars or assembling of the saints And there's so much beauty around us for just two eyes to see But everywhere I go I'm looking." I admit the words don't flow quite as well without the music. But if you had run with me this summer, you would understand all the better the words "there's so much beauty around us for just to eyes to see."

Park City presents a challenging combination of elevation and a climb from the beginning of the run to the 16 mile mark. Yes, there are downhill runs mixed in there, but the run generally consists of a long, steady climb. The starting elevation is at 6,372 feet. The highest point is near mile 16 at 7,250 feet. According to my June post, the highest point during the Estes Park Marathon was near 7,500 feet. But the high point in Estes Park came at mile 6. In Park City, I faced an extra ten miles of climbing before reaching the top of the run. And, for a treat, even when you make it to the top, there are a couple of extra hills between miles 16 and 18 just to make your legs burn and keep you focused. Simply stated, the climbing and the relatively thin air proved to be a challenge.

I took just over five hours to finish in Estes Park, but I had run a marathon the prior week. Today, had I run a marathon a week ago, I may still be out there trying to finish. My Park City time was 4 hours and 47 minutes, good for 301st place out of 603 runners...always good to be in the top half!
It was just before mile 18 that I found my sign of the day. Since the picture was taken using an iPhone and I did not have the chance to set the lighting just right, it may be difficult to read. The sign is the first stanza of Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven, which reads: "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -Only this, and nothing more.'" Now, I have no idea why this sign is posted in the middle of Park City, but it seemed worth mentioning since it came at a time when I was both weak and weary. Oh, and there was a carved raven sitting atop the sign.

During the final hour or so of the marathon, the cool morning air disappeared. Bright sunshine illuminated the mountains for spectacular views, but the sun, the heat (temperature quickly rose in to the 80s) and the very dry air combined to take a toll on me. Despite the physical challenge, the reward as I alluded to earlier was views filled with high peaks, hot air balloons, ski jumps from the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games, bridges, tunnels, barns, summer views of ski resorts and downtown Park City.

So, I've made it through the summer events (although the September marathon will likely seem like a summer run) and we're headed in to the final 104.8 miles of my marathon a month challenge. I have been reluctant to schedule things to far in advance since so much of what I originally planned was eventually revised. With the hope that my plans may now be close to firm I'll offer the following schedule which, at this moment, appears to include the following events (the September and October events are still subject to change):

• Sunday, September 6 Tupelo Marathon in Tupelo, Mississippi


• Sunday, October 18 Nationwide Better Health Marathon Columbus, Ohio


• Sunday, November 1 ING New York City Marathon New York, New York


• Sunday, December 13 NexBank White Rock Marathon Dallas, Texas