A school bus took us from the Marriott Hotel in Coralville to the dam in Coralville where the 7 mile race started. Parking was available at the UIHC clinic nearby. Got to ride with a few elite runners, Ben and James. My gatorade drink filled my bladder and kept me hydrated before the race. Race started at 3:00 PM and I started by following David Nelson. David is a guy my age who has run plenty of marathons in almost every state of this country. First mile: 7:37. A little bit too fast. Although the race started with a downhill, there was a pretty good hill from the bottom of the dam to the road. First killer hill -done! Not sure how many people were in front of me, but they looked way ahead of me. I just tried to maintain the pace. Mile 2, 3 and 4, exactly the same pace at 7:43 (body machine). David started to slow down and I had to run by myself. I saw James at the water park and ran with him for part of the park trail. I was surprised he was not at the front. I passed him, and his running partner followed me. Doug Hamilton came along for the rest of the race. He wanted to quit on me a few times, but I did not let him. I kept encouraging him not to give up --and he listened!
I am glad Doug did not give up. There was this girl running ahead of us. We caught up with her crossing the Iowa River bridge, and then she slowed down (?). There was only about 0.7 miles left, and our legs were giving up, but we kept going. 0.7 miles of pain -- weeks of glory. Saw the finish line and sprinted. Passed Doug and another guy. Finished the race in 56:43 min (8:06 MM pace).
Doug was very happy he never gave up. He shook my hand and thanked me. I am convinced that running is a true team sport. It really helps to have a runner next to you cheering you up, or reminding you that you can do it!
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