Jackson Hole Marathon 2020

The COVID pandemic was a big interruption to everything in 2020, including running. I had a St Patrick’s Day run scheduled for early March, and it was cancelled the week of the race. I signed up for the Big Cottonwood Marathon in September and it also ended up being cancelled. Fortunately my friend, Chad, and I found the Jackson Hole Marathon, and we both got to run it on September 26, 2020. It would be my only race during all of 2020.

I’d never been to Jackson Hole and I’d never seen the Teton mountains up close, despite living in the Boise area for most of my life. We approached Jackson Hole from the Idaho side on the day before the race and saw the glory of the Tetons. Unfortunately when we got through the pass it was cloudy, and it would remain that way until we left.

Cyndi came with me on this trip and we did a drive-through packet pickup. One of the items I received was a mask, which became one of my favorite masks to wear throughout the pandemic. Since hotels were so expensive we ended up splitting a room at the Mountain Modern Motel with Chad and Julie. They arrived a little after we checked in and we went out to eat at Miazga’s, which was good and didn’t have too terrible a wait. After dinner we went to Jackson Town Square and got a scoop of ice cream. (Cyndi and I were about to sign a lease for Lovejoy’s Real Ice Cream, so we critiqued flavor options and got ideas.) We went back to the hotel and soaked in the hot tub for a bit before going to bed. The hotel was nice.

Chad and I woke up early to get ready and walk to the starting line. It was drizzling outside, but it wasn’t too cold or windy. The marathon starts right at Jackson Town Square. Due to COVID, they had everyone spread out and start by walking towards the Start line and then taking off. We had masks on right until the start and then we could take them off and put them in our pockets.

Jackson Hole Marathon Miles 1-4: 6:46, 6:44, 6:30, 6:33

I had been battling a strained calf for a few months before the race, so I hadn’t been able to do any speedwork. I was still able to put in a lot of miles though, so I was confident I could run a decent marathon, I just wasn’t sure if I could go very fast. I was targeting around 6:45/mi for the Jackson Hole Marathon. Chad thought he’d be a little behind that. We went out together and kept in control for the first couple miles. There was a slight downhill on mile 3 and Chad and I began to separate. There were three guys ahead of me at this point, but I passed one of them pretty quickly (a runner who had gone out way too fast).

The first 3 miles are on roads, but during Mile 4 we transitioned to a bike path which is where we’d be for most of the rest of the race.

Jackson Hole Marathon Miles 5-8: 6:45, 6:48, 6:51, 6:47

During Mile 5 the Jackson Hole Marathon course turns left and heads due south. The bike path parallels a highway and opens up quite a bit. At this point the wind had seemed to pick up. There was enough cloud cover that we couldn’t see the mountains. There were also some small rolling hills. I could see the #2 runner ahead of me still and I was able to keep my pace mostly in the high 6:40’s.

Jackson Hole Marathon Miles 9-13: 6:52, 7:04, 6:58, 6:43, 6:47

The course makes a right turn to the west right at Mile 8. After 1.5 miles, the course turns north and becomes very straight for a few miles. This portion of the course is a very gradual uphill and there was some headwind. I was feeling pretty good at the half marathon mark. I came in around 1:29:00, which I was happy with. While I wouldn’t have minded a little faster, it’s worth noting that the Jackson Hole Marathon course averages around 6200ft elevation. My calf was a little tight, but it wasn’t hurting so much to slow me down.

Around the halfway mark the rain started up in earnest. It alternated between a downpour and a light drizzle, but it kept up for the rest of the race. I’d never raced in rain for that long and it made things interesting. I was amazed at how hard it came down at some points during the rest of the race.

Jackson Hole Marathon Miles 14-19: 6:36, 7:00, 6:39, 6:49, 6:53, 6:51

The few miles after the halfway mark are the most interesting part of the Jackson Hole Marathon. The course winds up and around a small hill as it turns west — this is the biggest hill in the race and comes at a somewhat challenging time. The course then declines before flattening out and crossing the Snake River. From here the view of the Tetons should be spectacular, but it wasn’t to be on this rainy and cloudy day. All I could see was grey. Around this time I could see that I was starting to close the gap with the runner in front of me and that gave me some extra adrenaline and hope.

Jackson Hole Marathon Miles 20-26.2: 6:37, 6:29, 6:31, 6:38, 6:44, 6:42, 6:38/mi

Now I was closing fast on the 2nd place runner, and I over took him as we completed a side loop and turned north again. Mile 20 is often where a marathoner can tell whether they’re going to have a good race. In this case, I was feeling quite good (all things considered) and I felt strong. I was able to consume a last gel and I put in some strong miles as the rain came down in torrents at some parts.

The turn north also put us on the same path as the Half Marathoners, who were doing an out and back. I had the #1 runner in my sights and I was able to slowly reel him in, finally passing him around Mile 23 or 24. Cyndi and Julie were also stopped near here and cheered me on, which was fun.

I pushed really hard through the end although I did waver a little in the last mile. The marathon runs through a little grass for the last hundred yards and it was muddy and sloshy with all the rain. Overall my body felt great and I finished in 2:57:29. That meant that I did a negative split, which I believe was my first ever! The second place runner came in about a minute behind me.

Post Race

The rain was still coming down and I grabbed my gear and got some pants on while I waited for Chad. He came in 4th place at 3:10. Shortly after he finished he began shivering almost uncontrollably and then puked quite a bit. The rest of us had a good laugh about it, especially when we had to stop the car on the way back to the hotel so he could puke again. I felt surprisingly good after the race. I’ve felt both good and bad after races, and sometimes it’s hard to explain why.

After a shower and a little rest we went to Jackson to eat, but it was absolutely packed. Cyndi and I decided to head home and we grabbed a burger at Stagecoach Bar in Wilson before heading over the pass.

I was very happy that Jackson Hole Marathon went through with the even in 2020. It was a good race and well organized. My only regret is that I couldn’t see the scenery due to the rain.

Jack and Jill’s Downhill Marathon 2019

I’d recommend Jack and Jill’s Downhill Marathon as a great race. It’s a fast course and has pretty scenery. Be prepared for wet conditions and for downhill that will eat unprepared quads. Overall it was a great experience for me.

Jack & Jill’s Downhill Marathon starts at Snoqualmie Pass, a few dozen miles east of Seattle. It begins with a two mile train tunnel and then follows a train track that’s been converted to a dirt bike/hiking/running trail. The trail is hard-packed dirt with a little gravel. (I wore road running shoes and they were fine.) The vegetation is lush on both sides of the trail, and the elevation decline is a very gradual ~80 feet per mile for essentially the whole course. There are half marathon and marathon races on both Saturday and Sunday. I signed up for the Saturday marathon which had about 700 runners.

It was a 7+ hour drive from the Boise area. There aren’t many (or any?) hotels around North Bend, WA where the race ends and where packet pickup is. The nearest hotels are about 10 miles west, they were pretty pricey, and we had all our children with us, so we decided to camp. There are two camp grounds nearby which I’m pretty sure were all full, but luckily there is dispersed camping all along the roads that run parallel to the freeway. We found a nice spot and set up camp. Packet pickup went smoothly and the shirts they handed out were nice racing singlets.

We ended up grabbing some food at Safeway to eat — a roasted chicken, some rolls, and JoJo’s (potato wedges). It was actually a decent pre-race meal. We also threw in some ice cream and of course s’mores since we were camping. Camping the night before a marathon means even less sleep than usual, but I didn’t expect much sleep anyways, so it was fine. I “woke up” at 4:30 and Cyndi took me to the starting line. The marathon powers that be had assigned me a bus time of 4am, so camping a few miles from the starting line worked out well.

It was drizzling while we waited for the race to start. I talked to a few people about the course and previous marathons and general runner-talk. Despite the rain it was fairly warm — about 60F. The race started right about on time.

The Tunnel, Miles 1-3: 6:47, 6:34, 6:31

Jack & Jill’s Downhill Marathon starts on a pathway and after a half mile curves around into an old train tunnel. Runners had been instructed to wear headlamps and/or carry flashlights. I did both. Since there were ~700 runners and we were still pretty bunched up, there was sufficient light to see the muddy spots, holes, drips, etc., even with my cheap lights. The tunnel was cool, dark, and damp. Running through the tunnel was great. I looked back several times to see all the headlamps behind me. Looking forward, you could just barely make out the other end of the tunnel, or at least I could as I’m 6’4″ and I was in the top 15 runners. The light gradually got bigger until we were out.

There was an aid station shortly after exiting the tunnel, and I was able to drop my flashlights there for pickup at the end of the race.

I was amazed to see that at mile 3, my Garmin Forerunner 235 was dead on the distance. I’m not sure how it kept accurate distance in the tunnel.

I tried to keep my pace somewhat conservative through the tunnel, although I felt myself getting a little fast as a lead group pulled ahead. I ended up keeping just slower than my overall target pace, which is what I intended with the first miles.

Downhill, Miles 4-10: 6:20, 6:19, 6:19, 6:20, 6:21, 6:21, 6:32

Once out of the tunnel, Jack and Jill’s Downhill Marathon is mostly the same thing for the next 20 miles: a very gradual downhill with little curves and trees everywhere. The trail is double-track, with a slightly raised, rocky middle. I mostly kept on the hard-packed track on the sides, but I crossed the middle several times to attempt to run tangents. The forest is lush on both sides of the trail, with towering pine trees, wildflowers, and brush. Occasionally we’d see glimpses below of the river, the freeway, or the mountains on the other side of the gorge. However, it was drizzly/rainy and gray, so visibility wasn’t great. I was thoroughly wet even coming out of the tunnel, and I stayed wet for the whole race. There was a significant headwind at a few points in the race, although the curves mitigated it a bit (we weren’t running directly into it for too long at any time). We also went over a few bridges which I thought were spectacular. Sometimes we’d run on a bridge even with the tops of the towering pines from the ravine below.

The downhill in Jack and Jill’s is nice and gradual. It isn’t crazy like Big Cottonwood or the other Revel races, but it’s good enough to provide a good speed boost. I tried to do a little extra downhill training to prepare for this race. Anyone who doesn’t will probably suffer in the form of ripped up quads.

I came out of the tunnel somewhere around 10th-15th place. The pace I fell into was slightly aggressive, but it was basically where I wanted to be. I wasn’t sure I could run a PR, but I thought I’d give it a shot. To run a PR I’d need to hit 6:27/mile; I settled into low 6:20’s. One runner from the group ahead started slowing down around mile 6 and I caught up with him. It was his first marathon, so I surmised he’d gone out a little too fast (I didn’t tell him that). Later on I passed a couple runners who had to take a bio-break. Then I caught up with one more guy around mile 10 from Vancouver. I ran with him for a while and we chatted a bit before we got separated.

More of the Same, Miles 11-18: 6:23, 6:34, 6:17, 6:25, 6:23, 6:30, 6:17, 6:35

Around mile 12 a lady came up fast behind me and passed me before we got to the halfway mark. I was feeling pretty good. I had a few tired spots, but overall I thought I had an outside shot at a PR still and my pace was right on target. My nutrition was going down well although I realized that I’m starting to tire of Honey Stinger Waffles. I used to love them, but I’ve eaten so many and I’m starting to associate them with tough marathons too much.

A few miles into the Jack and Jill's Downhill Marathon
A few miles into the race

Around mile 17 I had to start pushing a little harder to keep my pace. It had been fairly smooth before that. Sometimes I thought the course was leveling out, but it remained gradual, dependable downhill.

Finishing, Miles 19-26.2: 6:25, 6:31, 6:46, 7:06, 7:15, 7:29, 7:36, 7:29, (7:23)

I started breaking down at mile 19 of Jack and Jill’s Downhill Marathon. My legs just couldn’t hold it any more and the pain suddenly started to spike. I was still in decent condition overall, but my legs were tiring out. I hadn’t done a 20 miler since running Boston in April, so before the race I was concerned about what would happen as I approached mile 20. I think up until mile 19 I was on PR pace, but it wasn’t going to happen in this race.

I trudged on and held the line better than I often do — I didn’t run any miles slower than 7:36. I forced myself to eat one last Stinger gel at mile 20 even though I didn’t want to. I was glad I got it down since the liquid fuel helped me in the last few miles. I didn’t have a total “bonk” like what happened in Boston and what has happened to me a dozen times, it was more just tired legs that wouldn’t move like I wanted them to.

Jack and Jill's Downhill Marathon
Passing a half marathoner near the end of the race. I was wiped out by this point.

The course finally changed during mile 22, with some sharp turns and changes in scenery. It was also really muddy as the rain poured beyond a drizzle. Instead of running tangents I began running to avoid puddles.

I think I got passed by two people who had strong finishes and didn’t fade like I did. As usual, I was very happy to see the finish line and to see my family waiting there for me.

Jack and Jill's Downhill Marathon
Approaching the finish line – alive enough to smile
Finishing Jack and Jill's Downhill Marathon
Happy to be crossing the finish line so I can finally stop running!

I ended up running an official time of 2:54:37, which I was happy with. The pace was about 13 seconds slower than I hoped for, but I was glad that I still ran sub-3:00 despite not having the best summer of training. That was good enough for 13th overall and 1st in my age group.

Jack and Jill's Downhill Marathon
A photo op with the kids after finishing the marathon

I’d recommend Jack and Jill’s Downhill Marathon as a great race. It’s a fast course and has pretty scenery. It was well organized with sufficient aid stations, port-a-potties, and volunteers. Be prepared for wet conditions and for downhill that will eat unprepared quads. Overall it was a great experience for me.

Tips for Running the Boston Marathon

I have not mastered the Boston Marathon by any means, but in order to help others, and as a reminder to future Blake, I’m writing down tips for what to do and what not to do when trying to run a good time at the Boston Marathon while it’s still fresh in my mind. I recognize that just going to Boston is a big trip for many people, so maybe your finishing time will not be a priority. However, I think it’s fair to say that most runners toeing the line at Boston are hoping for a good time. Here are my tips.

Tips for Training for the Boston Marathon

Train on Hills

Everyone has heard of Heartbreak Hill, but I think most people don’t realize that almost all of the Boston Marathon is either uphill or downhill. It’s not flat. I think there is about 800 total feet elevation gain and 1200 total feet of loss. Your quads will be wrecked if you don’t train on hills, including downhill. Trust me.

Train for Heat

Maybe you’ll have a cold year, maybe you’ll have a hot year. You won’t know until 2-3 days before the race. Prepare for both. Since Boston takes place in April, people from about half the US won’t have any training in warm weather. I’d suggest purposefully doing some medium or long runs with too much clothing and consider spending some time in the sauna (I got that idea from Meb’s latest book). 60 to 80 degrees with humidity will roast you if you’ve been running in 20 to 40 degrees all winter leading up to the race.

Take Clothing and Shoes You Can Throw Away

Take warm clothes, shoes, and socks that you can toss right before the race starts. Wear them to the starting area. Then you don’t have to worry about being cold or getting your socks muddy before the race starts. You can get cheap clothing at Goodwill or other thrift stores. Easily worth the $10, but it’s likely you’ve already got something sitting around that you don’t need. Every marathon runner should have an old pair of shoes that they can discard.

Stay Put on Sunday

Don’t walk all over the expo. Don’t do the Freedom Trail. Just take it easy on Sunday. Go to church then go back to your hotel or wherever you’re staying. Standing/walking for two hours is not easy. You need your quads for Monday. If you want to be on vacation and don’t want to run a great race, then do whatever you want. I suggest saving the vacationing for after Monday at 2pm (when you’re done). If you want to go to the expo, do so on Saturday.

123rd Boston Marathon (2019) Race Report

On Monday I had the privilege of running the Boston Marathon for the second time. The Boston Marathon is my favorite marathon and I had a blast… at least for the first half.

Approaching the Boston Marathon

I trained pretty hard this winter. The only comparable training block I’ve done was leading up to the 2017 Boston Marathon. However, I wanted to enjoy Boston and relieve some of the pressure that comes with lots of training, a trip across the country, and a huge race. Therefore, I decided to do the Yakima River Canyon Marathon 16 days before Boston. I know that was a little stupid, but the Yakima Marathon went really well for me, so I’m glad I did it.

I ate lots of protein and tried to recover as much as possible between Yakima and Boston. It went pretty well, although my left quad became pretty sore a few days before marathon Monday. I cut off some planned mileage and got as much rest as possible.

Cyndi couldn’t come on this trip, so my friend, Greg, came with me. We flew out on Saturday and arrived late Saturday night to Boston Logan International Airport. We got an expensive Uber to Greg’s brother-in-law’s house and went to bed. On Sunday we:

  • Went to church at 9am.
  • Went to packet pickup. I just walked in, grabbed my bib, and walked out since we couldn’t find a parking spot. It took about 20 minutes. I would have liked to go to the Expo, but I went last time and I don’t need any expensive compression boots or more running clothes.
  • Drove to Newport, Rhode Island to see some opulent mansions.
  • Drove to Providence to meet up with Greg’s friend Jesse.
  • Drove back to the brother-in-law’s.
  • Played a game of Camel Up and discussed plans for Monday.
  • Went to bed around 10:30, which was a little later than intended, but I didn’t sleep well anyways.
We swung by the temple after church.
One photo I grabbed while getting my bib. I didn’t walk through the expo since we couldn’t find parking and Greg was aimlessly driving the car around busy streets.
The Newport Mansions were opulent and fascinating to walk through. Maybe a little too much walking and standing the day before the marathon. Oh well.

I woke up earlier than expected, grabbed my stuff and hailed an Uber. The Uber took me to the wrong side of the bag drop-off area, but it actually turned out to be exactly the right spot for my bib number. It was rainy.

It was a rainy ride in the Uber and all the way to Hopkinton.

On the bus ride to Hopkinton I met a guy named Kyle from Chicago. He’d done Boston a few times. During the ride there was a bright flash from a lightning strike that I’m sure made everyone think, “Just don’t cancel the race!” Luckily the storm passed through, it stopped raining before the start, and we had clear skies during parts of the race.

At Hopkinton I found myself a coveted tent pole to lean against. I also ran into Tyson, who was on my team for Ragnar Trail Zion. This was his first Boston Marathon, so I’m pretty sure he was even more anxious than me. I had about 2 hours to sit around and talk to people about marathons. Part of what makes the Boston Marathon fun is that there are a bunch of “serious runners” gathered in one spot. You can talk to others about marathon times, favorite marathons, training, etc.

Eventually the rain stopped and we made the 0.7 mile walk/jog to the start line. I dumped all my warm clothing and lined up. I was more calm this time than when I ran in 2017, which was nice. It was still really exciting though. The jets did a flyby, the National Anthem was sung, and we started the race.

Boston Marathon Miles 1-8: 6:50, 6:32, 6:35, 6:32, 6:43, 6:35, 6:31, 6:42

The first several miles of the Boston Marathon are mostly a blur. It was so fun to be out there!

The first mile got started a little slow. I was much more conservative this time around, so I was patient and tried to stay in my spot and not move around too much. Since my bib was 3604 this time, I was a bit farther back in the pack and maybe that made it more crowded. Around mile 2 a guy near me was tripped in the crowd, got very upset, and said some choice words. I asked if he was ok and he said, “Bleep bleep bleep no, but thanks for asking.”

The crowds are just so incredible! There is tremendous pent up energy in the runners and the crowds add energy and make it fun. I gave lots of high-fives to kids and other spectators. There were flags waving, signs flashing, people clapping, music blasting, and lots of smiles. It’s really one of the most incredible experiences I’ve had. It may have even been more enjoyable the second time around since I was less worried about my time.

Speaking of my time, I feel like I went out at a great pace. I wanted to beat my Yakima time, even though it was unlikely, but it was pretty hot. Humidity was very high thanks to the morning storm, and the temperature was in the mid-60’s. This may not seem too hot, but I don’t think I’d run in weather warmer than 45 since October, and most of my training I had done in morning temperatures at or below freezing. Therefore, mid-60’s felt hot. The sun broke through the clouds and added to the heat. From the first aid station I dumped water on my head and I drank a lot throughout the race.

Due to the heat, I was fine hitting splits around 6:40. I figured if I felt great later on I could try to speed up to beat my Yakima time, but I didn’t want to kill myself in the early miles.

At mile 8 I was still feeling good, which was comforting since that’s where I first felt signs of issues in the 2017 Boston Marathon.

I was noticing that my heart rate was unusually high — in the 170’s. That should have only been the case during a half marathon or even a 10K. I don’t know if my watch was off, or if it was all the anxiety, or the heat, or what. This was a little concerning.

Another thing I noticed this time around, is that Boston is full of hills. It’s not just the Newton hills and Heartbreak, the whole course is basically either going up or down. I had heard someone mention this, but this time I really noticed it for myself.

Boston Marathon Miles 9-16: 6:39, 6:44, 6:36, 6:30, 6:39, 6:39, 6:45, 6:23

I continued to feel pretty good in the next few miles. I didn’t really experience much fatigue or signs that I needed to slow down. My pace continued to be right around 6:40, which I was happy with.

I talked to a few people during the marathon, but not too many. Many of the runners seemed to be taking the race pretty seriously and were focused. I was willing to talk, but I didn’t come across anyone that really opened up. I’m not the most outgoing person, so maybe I didn’t try enough people.

I continued to give high-fives every once in a while, but I tried not to get carried away because I remembered from Boston 2017 that whenever I got pumped up I naturally sped up. The Wellesley Scream Tunnel was energizing, although I didn’t exchange any kisses (as promised to Cyndi).

There’s a downhill on mile 16 which was really nice, and I took it pretty fast as I was still feeling decent.

Boston Marathon Miles 17-21: 7:01, 7:14, 6:54, 7:21, 8:03

Mile 17 of the Boston Marathon is where the wheels started falling off for me. I was running up the first in the set of four hills, when my right quad suddenly tightened. It was enough of a change that I noted what mile I was on and thought, “Oh no.” When I hit The Wall, it’s usually my quads that go first and that feel the worst throughout the race. At the Yakima River Canyon Marathon I had evaded The Wall and I hoped I could repeat that glorious accomplishment at Boston.

Boston Marathon Miles 22-26.2: 7:41, 8:22, 8:17, 8:45, 9:00, 8:25/mile

The uphills slowed me down, and I started losing speed on the downhills. By the time I got to Heartbreak Hill I was pretty much wiped out. I’m a pretty strong climber, so I wasn’t getting passed too badly, but when I peaked on Heartbreak I didn’t have much left for the downhill and after that it was a complete slog. I had hit The Wall hard and I couldn’t wait to get to the finish line and be done. The first 17 miles of the marathon were exhilarating, the last 5 miles were excruciating. Miles 18-21 were somewhere in between.

Occasionally I would pass someone walking, or limping. I saw one guy step on a water bottle on Heartbreak Hill and roll his ankle. I thought he was ok but then he started limping pretty badly. I encouraged him along. For a while it felt like I was standing still in a river of runners that were flowing past me. Eventually everyone started slowing down and I felt a little better, but not before I’d been passed by hundreds of runners. That was even despite the fact that I didn’t walk.

It took forever to get to the right turn on Hereford, but I was so glad when I did! I was in my own world those last few miles just trying to put one foot in front of the other. I started looking for Greg and Jesse. I scanned the crowd as my head swam with fatigue and delusion. I finally found them at the top of the hill right on the corner of Boylston. It was great to see them and exchange high fives.

I couldn’t believe how far I still had to go to the finish line. It took forever to get there, but I was so happy when I could finally let myself walk!

Final time: 3:07:27. Better than 2017 (thankfully!), but not as good as I wanted. I really didn’t feel too disappointed. I knew doing the Yakima River Canyon Marathon 16 days prior was a risk, and I think my legs just weren’t up for another marathon yet. The heat didn’t help either.

Post Race

Once again, getting through from the finish line to a place where I could collect myself was excruciating. The second I stopped running I just wanted to faint or lay down; however, I didn’t want to get stuck in a medical tent. I did my best to keep on my feet. I had to find a rail a few times to lean against for 30 seconds so that I could keep walking. I got my medal, grabbed a bag of food, grabbed my bag, and finally found a curb that I could just sit down on. I remember this same feeling from some other races, in particular the Utah Valley Marathon and the Boston Marathon in 2017, both races where I hit the wall hard (although it has happened many other times).

I had a guy take my photo while I collected myself on the curb and rested. He was speaking Spanish, so I asked him, “Podria tomar una foto, por favor?” “Si.”

After resting for several minutes, I made my way to meet up with Greg and Jesse. I rested more at Boston Commons while they grabbed some pizza. Then we slowly made our way back to the hotel.

Meeting up with Greg after finishing

After a shower/bath and a game of Camel Up, I felt a lot better. We walked some of the Freedom Trail and ate some delicious Italian. I also downed two Canolies from Mike’s Pastry. (Two is probably too much, even after a marathon.)

As far as we got on Boston’s Freedom Trail
Yum!
Lots of steps on Marathon Monday

I just love the Boston Marathon! It’s full of energy and enthusiasm. It’s full of hope and potential disappointment. It’s full of athletes that are out to prove something to themselves or to someone else, or to just experience the event. I’m glad I could leave everything on the course and have another amazing experience, even if I hoped for more. It’s easily my favorite marathon to run and I hope to return again someday.

(Yes I used Glide before and Vaseline during, but by then it was too late. You can only do so much when you’re drenched for 26.2 miles.)

Yakima River Canyon Marathon 2019 Race Report

I’ve had my eye on the Yakima River Canyon Marathon for 4 or 5 years. It occurs on the last Saturday of March or the first Saturday of April. Since I usually run the Race to Robie Creek in mid-April, I haven’t wanted to run a marathon shortly before it and jeopardize my Robie time.

This year I’m planning on running the Boston Marathon. I trained hard all winter and my training went very well. I started thinking about whether my training would be best directed at Boston. The Boston Marathon is a hard course to set a PR at, as I found out in my first attempt. There are a few reasons for this:

  • Since it’s a destination in an awesome area, it’s hard to rest properly and avoid touring and walking around leading up to the marathon.
  • The race itself requires walking to the buses, walking from the buses to the waiting area in Hopkinton, and walking from the waiting area to the start line.
  • Since it’s the Boston Marathon, it’s hard not to get caught up in the moment and run a stupid race. Been there, done that.
  • The Boston Marathon course is somewhat challenging, with early downhill and late rolling hills.
  • The weather is completely unpredictable. Will it be 90F (2012) or 34F (2018) or somewhere in between?

I also just want to enjoy Boston and have no pressure. Because of those reasons, and some others, I decided to use my training this year to focus on running a good race at the Yakima River Canyon Marathon. That would leave me with 16 days to recover and see what I can still pull off at Boston. My wife, Cyndi, also ended up signing up for the Half Marathon at Yakima.

Yakima is about a 5.5 hour drive from the Boise area. We left late morning on Friday and went straight to packet pickup at race headquarters in Selah. The Yakima River Canyon Marathon race organizers put on a full weekend event for those interested. We decided not to participate in the spaghetti feed since we had our 6 kids with us (2*$10 + 6*$5 = $50 for spaghetti) and we aren’t the most extroverted people anyways. Instead we ate a McDonald’s (kids) and Subway (adults), which is always a safe, consistent choice before a marathon. I’d been eating all day, so a 6″ was great for me along with a few fries I taxed from the kids.

We went to a nearby hotel and let the kids swim. I did a couple laps in the pool and sat in the hot tub for 20 minutes or so. I find hot tubs very relaxing before a marathon, but I try to limit my time.

My sister-in-law met us at the hotel, which was great. She took most of the kids to her room so that Cyndi and I could get some rest. I got to bed around 10pm. Success!

I woke up at 2:30am by chance and ate half of my PB Honey sandwich. Then I slept until 5am and finished it off. By 6am I was on the bus and finishing my Lemon Lime Gatorade. It was chilly, but near the starting line there was a hotel with a clubhouse that runners could hang out in. I talked to one runner on the bus ride, but I was pretty introverted otherwise. There were lots of Marathon Maniacs at the race (they were having a reunion) so I heard some stories. I think there was a guy there that had run 1400+ marathons. There were definitely a few people that had done hundreds. Crazy.

The starting line was about a quarter-half mile from where we were. This made for a nice warm-up. A lady sang the National Anthem and the gun fired around 8:05am. I wore a tank top and gloves, which I ditched after a couple miles.

Getting Started, Miles 1-5: 6:32, 6:33, 6:39, 6:37, 6:40

Why is it so hard to not go faster than target pace at the beginning of a marathon? I was looking at my watch ever few seconds and doing everything I could to SLOW DOWN. It felt so easy. I was able to keep my first mile to 6:32, which was a success. My target pace for the first half of the marathon was 6:40, but I was willing to be in the 6:30’s if I felt good.

Two fast-looking guys took the lead during the first mile, followed by a third man. Just ahead of me a group of 3 people formed, two ladies and a guy. I thought about going with them but they were definitely going faster than 6:30, so I let them go and trailed behind them.

This group continued to build a bigger lead from me, but I stayed within the boundaries I had set. Around mile 2 or 3 another guy passed me and then went passed the group after the third place guy.

The first 5 miles of the marathon are ran on country roads outside Ellensburg. We actually enter the beautiful canyon around mile 5. The rest of the race follows the Yakima River through the canyon on a 2-lane highway. The canyon is green with grass and sparse trees. It has rocks, bluffs, and hills surrounding it. There are birds of prey and pretty vistas. Traffic is pretty much closed down, except for an occasional car passing very slowly.

Meeting Steve, Miles 6-12: 6:34, 6:32, 6:36, 6:38, 6:40, 6:35, 6:41

Right at mile 6 is the first notable hill. Actually, there are two hills about 40 feet each back-to-back. The group of three ahead of me began to break up. One of the ladies fell back and another charged ahead. I took the downhill portions of the hill pretty fast, so I passed one lady and caught up to the guy.

His name was Steve and he was very friendly. We started chatting and ended up running the next 7-8 miles together. He was from Seattle and had done 40+ marathons. Even though he was 50 years old, he was keeping right up with me. It was a pleasure to talk with him. I don’t think I’ve ever hung with someone for that long in a marathon before. We talked marathons in general, Boston and Yakima in specific, and various other things.

It was nice to pass the miles with someone and not worry too much about how I was feeling. He was pushing a little harder than intended, both with the previous two ladies and with me, but it was definitely within his range. I was right where I wanted to be, running mostly in the 6:30’s, pretty close to my target of 6:40.

During this part of the race, runners will probably really notice the road curvature. The road winds back and forth along the river, but the road is also slanted, so you’re never really running on flat terrain. Fortunately there are enough curves that the angle of the road alternates between angling down to the right and angling down to the left. It didn’t bother me a ton, but I could see it aggravating knees/ankles in some runners.

Around mile 10 my quads were feeling pretty heavy, but there wasn’t much I could do about it besides plug on.

A Kiss for Cyndi and Leaving Steve, Miles 13-17: 6:37, 6:43, 7:03, 6:15, 6:41

As Steve and I approached the Half, we could see the Half Marathon runners corralled up ahead. We joked with each other about not breaking into a sprint as we got pumped up by the large, cheering crowd. I’m pretty sure most marathoners have made that mistake before.

Since we were the ~6th and 7th marathoners through, the Halfers were cheering pretty loudly and it was fun. They were going to start their race in 3 or 4 minutes. Cyndi, who was waiting to start the Half Marathon, separated from the crowd to give me a high five. I stopped and gave her a quick kiss, which led to an “Awwwww” from the crowd. It was fun to see her and wish her luck for her race.

At mile 14 things got serious again. We could see the first big hill ahead: a 140ft climb over a half mile. We started plugging up the hill. It isn’t terribly steep, so my pace didn’t go much above 7:30 for any part of the hill. I started to separate from Steve during the climb, and I knew I’d take the downhill pretty fast. I wished him luck as we approached the top.

As I sped back down towards the level of the river, I noticed the lady ahead of me was slowing a bit. Steve had said that she told him she’d be happy with a 3 hour marathon, so it was likely that she was going too fast to maintain. I caught her around mile 16 or 17. She was still going pretty strong and would end up getting 1st Female.

I was feeling good at this point. There were no major alarms going off. I was trying to keep the pace in the 6:30’s.

Last Stretch Before the Final Hill, Miles 18-21: 6:15, 6:35, 6:38, 6:43

A few miles back, I had also seen the 4th place guy seeming to slow down. I felt like if I had a strong race I’d be able to catch him in the last few miles. Sure enough, I closed on him around mile 18 as he began to fade a bit.

There happen to be some tiny rolling hills in this section of the marathon. Most of them go by unnoticed. I realized this when I myself really pushing to maintain a 6:40 pace in miles 19-21. It didn’t seem like my legs were that tired yet. I determined that it was a combination of some slight uphill portions and a steady headwind that we had encountered throughout the race depending on which way the road curves were headed. I really wish it had been a tailwind. Fortunately it was pretty light. Maybe 5-8mph at its strongest.

I was saving a little energy for the last hill while still trying to keep my pace.

A few fast half-marathoners passed me. It was nice to have some of them to keep me distracted.

The Bigger Hill, Miles 22-26.2: 6:49, 7:33, 6:08, 6:25, 6:10, 5:56 pace

Finally during mile 22 I could see the big hill. It was definitely long and steady. It rose about 275 feet over a little more than a mile. I dug into the hill the best I could. I was past the spot I’d normally hit the Wall, so my confidence grew as I ran up the hill.

The nice thing about a hill at this stage of a marathon, is that it gives your legs something different to deal with. To some degree I appreciated this change of slope.

But even more, I appreciated the downhill! The final downhill is long and fairly steep. I went fast and tried to make up for the slow uphill.

After a half mile of downhill I felt my right hamstring start to tighten into a cramp. I slowed down in time to keep it at bay, although I was a little annoyed. I was sure to grab some PowerAde at the next station to get all the fluid and electrolytes I could.

I continued charging down the hill and I was able to maintain a fast past for the last flat portion leading into Yakima. I couldn’t believe how much energy I had going into the finish. It was by far my best marathon finish ever.

I ended with a time of ~2:53:55. This was my second best marathon finish ever, and my best on a course without significant downhill (my PR was at the Big Cottonwood Marathon). I was very pleased with my time; I beat my primary goal by about 1 minute.

I celebrated with the other runners as they came in — especially Steve. He ended up around 3:05 and the 1st lady was close behind him.

Cyndi finished the half marathon in about 2:05, which was great for her coming off her 6th childbirth in July.

After cleaning up we got some KFC (hard to beat after a marathon) and went to a park with the kids for a while. The weather was great in Yakima, which polished off a good day before driving home.

I would highly recommend the Yakima River Canyon Marathon. The organization is good, the scenery is excellent, and the course is fast.

Now it’s on to the Boston Marathon in 16 days. In the meantime, recover recover recover recover recover…