The marathon course was point-to-point; we were bused out to the start in Rochford, a tiny old Western town with a population of only 25 inhabitants, just after 6 AM for an 8 AM start.
Here I am passing the Moonshine Gulch Saloon during the beginning of the marathon. I'm on the right wearing black sweatshirt and pants and white hat; it was cold waiting for the start. The sweatshirt and gloves got tossed soon after this picture was taken. The temperature rose quickly.
The majority of the race is on the George S. Mickelson Trail, an old railroad bed named in honor of a late South Dakota governor. The "Mick," as it is called, is a wide trail of crushed gravel —not a "gnarly" single-track trail—thank goodness. The marathon climbs for the first 14 miles to an elevation close to a mile up, before dropping again over the final 12 miles. Both incline and decline are extremely gradual, but it STILL takes a toll.
For the first half, I took it REALLY easy; then I enjoyed the decline the second half. It seemed that all the runners settled into a pace and held it for the entire marathon. My strategy of "picking off" runners toward the end didn't happen. There was no one to pass!
Final Results:
Overall place: 132 out of 347
Division place: 4 out of 32
Gender place: 29 out of 161
Time: 4:31:35
Pace: 10:22
13.1 split: 2:18:16
Gun time: 4:32:04
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