<\/a>Sunday, October 7, 2007. Race Day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n6:00 am<\/h4>\n\n\n\n My alarm goes off and it’s time to start focusing on the race. I’m up before everyone else. I take a shower and try to focus on what I am about to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6:45 am<\/h4>\n\n\n\n The Marathon Makeover group leaves from the hotel to walk down to the race. We get there around 7:30. I check my gear and get in the 4:45 (that’s hours, not minutes) pace group. I figure that I can start out there and if I get swallowed up by the 5 hour group, that’s okay. I settle in and strike up a conversation with a guy from Chicago. Nice guy. I would meet up with him off and on during the race. I think his name was John. I could be wrong, but I’m going to call him John.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8:00 am<\/h4>\n\n\n\n After Jo Dee Messina sang the National Anthem, and the wheel chair start, the elites start. Everyone is bubbling with energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8:20 am<\/h4>\n\n\n\n I cross the starting line and my chip time starts. Yeah, that’s right. Twenty minutes after the start, we finally make our way across the starting line. I’m so pumped that I forget to start my watch. It takes me about 2 minutes to remember that. From here on out, I’ll use the mile markers or aid stations as reference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aid Station #1. 1.75 miles into the race<\/h4>\n\n\n\n Still excited. Probably going a little faster than I need to. Got water and Gatorade. My original plan was to walk through all aid stations. I’m feeling too good to walk. So I keep going. I couldn’t find my family back at the 1.5 mile mark so I figure I’ll see them at mile 3. Let’s keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aid Station #2. 3.4 miles into the race<\/h4>\n\n\n\n Missed my family again. That sucks. I’m really starting to need to see a familiar face about now. Maybe I’ll catch them on mile 12 when I come back buy. I’m now right behind the 4:45 pacers. Feeling good. Start to notice that the water tables are folded up and on the sidewalks. A girl is standing in the median with a megaphone saying, “We are out of water. Move on to the next aid station.” A little bit of panic sets in. This is my first marathon and I start to think, “Is this normal? Is this just the cost of being slower than everyone else?” I worry that this will happen all day. Then I start to convince myself that it’s okay. This was their first mistake and there is no way that the organizers will let this happen at another aid station. It’s at this point that I start to regret leaving my water bottles behind. You see, on all of my training runs over 10 miles, I carried a water belt. My theory about the race was this: There will be water every 2 miles. Why carry the extra weight? Never again will I not take my water bottles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aid Station #3. 5.8 miles into the race<\/h4>\n\n\n\n The last couple of miles were tough. Once we got to Lincoln Park, we were all looking for water. Just so happens that some sporting goods company set up a tent next to the course. All of the runners swarm the tent thinking that had water. Turns out they were just giving out water bottles. Empty water bottles. A few runners found a water fountain in the park and went and cooled off in it. We get to the aid station and, lo and behold, they had water…but no cups. Runners were grabbing jugs of water and drinking what they could and other runners were yelling, “Don’t waste it! Don’t waste it!” Starting to get a little scared now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aid Station #4 thru #7. Miles 6-14 into the race<\/h4>\n\n\n\n This part of the race started getting better. All the aid stations here had water and Gatorade when I went through. I actually got to see some really neat parts of Chicago. Running through downtown was great, but this felt a little more open and we could feel a breeze. By this point it is starting to get hot. Everyone is running on the left side of the street trying to stay in the shadows of the buildings. I think it was around mile 6 that I noticed the guy in the testicle costume. That’s right. Two giant testicles were running through Lincoln Park. He was running for Testicular Cancer. I’m pretty sure that guy is regretting his costume choice now. I also got to feel like a real Chicago native when I had to duck down an alley to pee at Aid Station 5 or 6. Good times. I rolled through the half with a time of about 2:28. On track to finish right under 5 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mile 15<\/h4>\n\n\n\n I just heard a cop say to stop running because the race was over. I was kinda puzzled. At first I thought she meant that the winners had already crossed the finish line so there was no use hurrying now. I felt that was pretty obvious. I don’t think anyone around me was going to set any land speed records anyway. Then I decide to pull out the contraband: my cell phone. All cell phones are banned on the course. As are mp3 players. I think just about everyone around me had both of these. I called my mom, who was on the curb crew, and she told me that the race was over. I asked her what that meant. She said that they called it off and is asking everyone to come back to the finish line because it is too hot and they are out of water. I was stunned and told her that I would call her back. She told me to pass the word. As I got off the phone, I started telling everyone around me. Everyone was like, “So, what’s that mean?” “What do we do?” “Have they turned off the clocks?” “What are they going to do about the medals?” Everyone was pretty confused. I called my mom back and told her that I didn’t train for 4 months to walk back to the finish line or ride a bus back. I was going to finish this race. She started getting worried. She said that the officials were closing the course which meant that the protection was going to be removed. She was worried that if I got in the wrong part of Chicago, I would get mugged or something. I assured her that I was not alone and a lot of people were doing the same thing. She told me that everyone would still get a medal. I told her I didn’t want a medal if I didn’t cross that finish line. That’s just me though. I’m prideful that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aid Station #8. 16 miles into the race<\/h4>\n\n\n\n Guess what. No water. No Gatorade. I meet up with my buddy John again. He managed to get a cup of Gatorade concentrate and was looking for water to mix with it. It was insane. I’d like to point out now that if it weren’t for the spectators and residents of Chicago, there would have been a lot more people in the hospital. The people would bring out bags of ice from their houses or bottles of water. Some homeowners had their water hoses hooked up and were spraying the runners down. I would like to say thanks on behalf of all of the runners. There’s no telling how many lives were saved because of these people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mile 17.7. The PowerBar Power Gel Zone<\/h4>\n\n\n\n I was actually looking forward to this spot at first. Now, with no water, what’s the point in using the gels. John jogs by and tells me he had to go and fill up his water bottle in Subway. Crazy. I don’t even notice the aid stations from here on out. There’s no water. I start getting my fluids from spectators. It’s about here that I picked up a cup and carried it the rest of the race hoping and praying that I would be able to find water or ice. Right after mile 18 was when they diverted the course. Cops were trying to direct people down Randolph. This street ran straight to the finish line. I asked one cop if that was the course. He said, “There is no course anymore. The race is over.” I saw a few people going past him and decide to follow them. I would later find out that the cops started making people divert and wouldn’t let people by. I would occasionally see people jog for a little bit and then stop. By this point, just about everyone was walking. This is also where I first started seeing the fire department trucks along the course spraying people down. Also, around mile 19, we got to Pilsen. I thought it was a really neat community. From what I’ve been told, it’s the neighborhood that has the highest concentration of Mexican-Americans in Chicago. The food in this neighborhood smelled great. The only bad thing was that there were a couple of thug looking guys standing on a stoop with a homemade megaphone shouting obscenities. That pretty much spoiled Pilsen for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aid Station #11. 20.6 miles into the race<\/h4>\n\n\n\n Everyone is walking by this point. My feet are killing me. I didn’t realize this before the race, but when you run for 15 to 17 miles and are then forced to walk, that hurts. It was the most pain I experienced throughout all of my training. Some people may say, “Well then, just start running again.” Well, I just have to go back to the fact that they had RUN OUT OF WATER. So, running the last 7 to 8 miles without water in 90 degree weather (sign at a bank at one point said 93 degrees) with high humidity would have ended up with me in the hospital. Then, the back of my ankles started hurting where the shoe meets my foot. I was trying out some different socks. Here’s some free advice: Don’t do that on race day. I later read in the numerous articles that the organizers had set up misting stations and had sponges at the aid stations. Well, I never saw the misting stations, but I did see sponges. The only problem is that they were all on the ground. This aid station looked like a deserted ghost town. I didn’t see any tables. There my have been one left, I can’t remember for sure, but I don’t remember any water. But I still have my trusty cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mile 24<\/h4>\n\n\n\n Final stretch. I look down and notice that the backs of my ankles were bleeding. The previous aid station was all but deserted. This final stretch is where I felt the loneliest. Granted there were still other runners around, but all the fans were gone. I had taken for granted the fans that were screaming my name earlier in the race. I needed them now. I really needed my family. I’ll be honest, I almost broke down a couple of times. I’m man enough to admit that. The only thing that kept me going was my girls: my wife and my daughter. You see, my wife had just made all 3 of us shirts the night before with our last name and a picture of us on them. On my daughters shirt, she put a little extra something on the front. It said, “My dad ran 26.2 miles … what’d yours do?” (Patent Pending, so back off.) I got such a kick out of it at the time. Now, at mile 24, it was the only thing keeping me going. I couldn’t let that shirt be a lie. I know it sounds silly, but it got me through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWe decided to get some printed up, so if you want one, you can go to our stores here<\/a> and here<\/a> to purchase one.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt was also here that some of Chicago’s finest (not) decided to have a little fun with the runners. They got on their PA systems and said, “Do not run. Give it up. It’s not worth it. Dr. Phil has advised that you not run. If you run, you will be arrested and prosecuted by Marcia Clark.” … Yeah, I didn’t think it was funny either. If anyone from Chicago reads this, I expected law enforcement in that town to have a little more tact and not mock the people that are bringing more money into their city. But hey, I expected more out of Chicago in general. I was disappointed in it, so why not be disappointed in the law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mile 25.2<\/h4>\n\n\n\n About half a mile back, someone gave me a bottle of water. I decided to throw my cup down and carry the bottle in case I need it or in case I run into someone that needs it more than me. I see the sign that says, “1 more mile.” I decided I was gonna cross the finish line running, so I threw the water bottle down and started running again. This goes back to how I said that it was more painful to walk than run. This is where I learned that. It actually felt better to run (with bloody feet), than it did to walk. I get to Randolph where we have the only real hill on the course. I’m not moving fast, but I’m running. Once I got to the top, I saw the first familiar face during the whole race: Robin Simpson, one of the directors of Marathon Makeover. Robin, all I can say is thanks. It was great to see you even though I don’t even think I have spoken to you before. I rounded the corner and had about 350 meters to go. I knew where my family was so I position myself in the far right lane so that I can see them. I am the only one in that lane. Everyone else stayed to the left when we rounded the corner. I’m pretty sure everyone thought I was crazy running out there by myself. I then saw my girls. That was all I needed. I almost started crying, but I didn’t. I held onto it and crossed the finish line 6 hours and 15 minutes after I had started. Not exactly the finish I wanted, but it was a finish none the less. The crazy thing was that after the finish, volunteers were handing out mylar blankets. My first thought was, “What?? Are you nuts? We’re burning up and you are trying to give us blankets!! Give me one reason why I shouldn’t punch you right now!” I got my medal and turned in my chip. Someone handed me some Gatorade. I took a drink and it was hot. I immediately threw it away. I grabbed a banana and some Organic Fig Newtons. They were really good. I called Amy and eventually met up with them. My body felt like it had been broken. I grabbed my gear and met up with my mom. I decided to fore go the after party. I just wanted to get back to the hotel and get clean. We ended up walking the 1 to 1.5 miles back to the hotel. Not really what I wanted to be doing after a marathon. But there were no cabs. And that was the end of my first marathon. If you want to read more about my thoughts on the marathon itself or if I would ever run one again, click here<\/a> or read on to the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n