39 - The Flying Pig Marathon, Cincinnati, Ohio

Why is it called the "Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon?"

"In the 1800s, when riverboats plied the Ohio River, Cincinnati was a center of Western commerce. Since agriculture was a prime source of revenue in this area, boats filled with livestock and produce would dock in Cincinnati to sell their wares. Hogs were a major source of income for farmers here, as well, so pigs that were brought in by boat, or herded into town from area farms, were marched through the streets of Cincinnati to the processing plants. So many, in fact, that Cincinnati came to be known as "Porkopolis." 

Fast forward to 1988, when Cincinnati celebrated its Bicentennial. To mark the occasion, the city decided to renovate its riverfront area to include a "Bicentennial Commons" park. Noted designer Andrew Leicester, was commissioned to design the commons, which was to reflect the city's past. When he submitted his plans, one signature feature caught everyone's attention: The entrance to Bicentennial Commons would be four smokestacks, for the city's riverboat heritage, with four flying pigs on top, reflecting, according to Leicester, the spirits of the pigs who gave their lives so that the city could grow. 

After much outcry in City Council, who donned pig noses to debate whether the swine symbols would make the city the laughing stock of the country, the project was approved and the pigs became the signature sculpture of the new Cincinnati Riverfront.

In the mid-1990s, when a group of avid Cincinnati runners discussed starting a local marathon, the names "Queen City Marathon" and "River City Marathon" were discussed. But in the end, the only fitting name seemed to be one that continued to honor those popular pigs that once were ridiculed and now are celebrated. The "Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon" logo, bags and distinctive medals are prized possessions for runners around the country and, indeed around the world, leading Runner's World Magazine to call it the 'best named' marathon in the country!"

From: http://www.flyingpigmarathon.com/about_us/

"The Pig" as the locals call it, was the obvious choice for my Ohio marathon.

Nancy, a friend from NYC who now lives in Cincinnati, also highly recommended it.  A week before the marathon, I was in touch with Nancy to see if she would be around.  It turned out that she was running the marathon too!  BUT she was running it as a "training" run.  The following week (May 11) she was doing a 50K (31.0686 miles) trail run.  In addition to her being able to run really long distances comfortably, she is a Speedy Gonzales; because of these two factors, we didn't run the marathon together.  But she was nice enough to pick me up at the airport on Friday night and let me crash at her place that night with her three adorable kitties.

From back to front:  Nicholas, Grete, Kisa

On Saturday, we went to the marathon expo to pick-up our race numbers. On the way, we stopped at The BonBonerie, Nancy's favorite neighborhood bakery for coffee and a scone. After the expo, we drove and walked part of the course and stopped for lunch at Kitchen 452.

Our pre-race pasta dinner was at a running friend of Nancy's home.  Jason and his wife, Lilah, made a delicious turkey lasagne —Jason even made the lasagne noodles from scratch!  There is NOTHING like a homemade dinner.  After dinner, Nancy dropped me off at the hotel where I was staying at for the next two nights, which was conveniently located near the start and finish line of the marathon.

Marathon morning was an early calling. Unfortunately, there was no time change so a 6:30 AM start was a 6:30 AM start.  However, there was the most amazing sunrise, making it all worthwhile!

After a few miles, it clouded up and was raining by the time I crossed the finish swine, perfect conditions to run 26.2 miles.

That night, Nancy and I went to The Quarter Bistro in Mariemont for our celebration dinner and had ice cream after at Graeter's next door.

Monday, before I flew home, I walked around Cincinnati and "pigged out" on some of the local foods that were recommended:

Breakfast -  goetta, breakfast sausage at First Watch ...

                       

Lunch -  Skyline Chili ...

Snack - ice cream at Graeter's ... again.

Thank you Nancy, for making "The Pig" filled with squeals of delight!
AND
Congratulation on placing first in your age division in the Gnaw Bone Dances with Dirt 50K
on May 11, 2013!

PS - Did you know that March 1 is National Pig Day?

This is a video that I took at the start.


Here are some links to YouTube videos about the 2013 Flying Pig Marathon:

2013 Flying Pig Marathon with Original Sound

Notice anything 15 seconds into the video?

Flying Pig Marathon in under 2 minutes

Notice anything at 2:04 into the video?

The beginning of June, I received this award in the mail.  It was for the fastest last mile in my age group/sex. I had no idea!

38 - Garmin Marathon, In the Land of Oz - Olathe, Kansas

My 38th state marathon was the Garmin Marathon: In the Land of Oz, which was held in Olathe, Kansas. For those of you like me who didn't grow up in the Land of Oz, Olathe is pronounced "oh-lay-thuh," with the emphasis on "lay" —it is a Shawnee Indian word for "beautiful."   

Carol, a good friend from NYC, had been thinking about running her first marathon and choose this one.  It was a blast to share this experience with Carol, who did great!

We arrived in the "magical land of Oz" on Friday afternoon, rented a car, checked into our hotel, had lunch, picked-up our race numbers, and took a nap before dinner.  We partook in the customary pre-race pasta dinner offered by the marathon, which turned out to be one of the best pasta dinners that I've ever had! The dinner was held at a hotel next door to where we were staying, and I believe that the restaurant in the hotel, Johnny's Italian Steakhouse, was the culprit behind this delicious dinner. Scott Jurek, an American ultra runner gave a brief pep talk during the pasta dinner. Then it was early to bed to rest up for our 26.2 mile adventure along the yellow brick road.

Saturday morning was a sunny, chilly morning — perfect conditions to run a marathon. Getting to the start was hassle-free. Course support was impressive, despite the small running field; there were only 686 finishers.  There were "lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh my!" It was the fastest four and a half hours of my life - I remember the starting gun, and then the next thing I knew we were crossing the finish line.  We had a "wicked good time" each step of the way.

Carol was a trooper, as she expressed only positive emotions during the 26.2 miles.  Carol's heart, brain, and courage were with her long before we arrived in Oz.  After we finished, people asked her about her first marathon experience and all she said was: "It was so much fun!  Notice the smile on her face in each of these photos!

Alicia, Carol's friend from high school who lives in Kansas City, was at the Emerald City

finish line to cheer us in.

The rest of our stay was chock-full of naps and eating...

Jimmy John's... pre -pre-race pasta dinner, lunch -  Friday.
Steak 'n Shake...immediate post-marathon burger and shake - Saturday.
Johnny's Italian Steakhouse... post-marathon celebration dinner - Saturday.
Mom's Kitchen...post-marathon celebration breakfast - Sunday.
Rozzelle Court Restaurant at The Nelison-Atkins Museum of Art... post-marathon celebration lunch -  Sunday.
McCoy's Public House...post-marathon celebration, re-carbo loading - Sunday afternoon.
Port Fonda...post-marathon celebration dinner - Sunday.  This place had recently been written up in the NY Times.
The Q Hotel & Spa ... post-marathon celebration napping and sleeping  - Sunday night.
Blue Bird Bistro... post-marathon celebration breakfast - Monday.

Thank you Alicia for all the great restaurant recommendations!  Thank you Carol for a fun, memorable Kansas marathon!

37 - Little Rock Marathon, Little Rock, Arkansas

There was nothing little about the 11th Little Rock Marathon finisher's medal.  The Little Rock Marathon boasts "the world's largest marathon finisher's medal." It's true, it's mammoth!

The medal is a half-inch thick plate that is 8 inches long and weighs 2 pounds, 12 ounces— it's quite the sight to behold and an even bigger endeavor to wear when it was placed around my neck at the finish line!

I flew into Little Rock on Friday, March 1st and took a shuttle to The Peabody Hotel, home of the "world-famous Peabody Ducks."  Every day at 11 AM, the ducks depart the "Duck Palace," march down the red carpet laid out just for them and jump into the lobby fountain.  Then at 5 PM, they again march back across the red carpet to their Palace for the evening. The commentary on the following video was a random person standing next to me while I was taking the video.

 

On Friday night, I went to a local hot-spot, Cajun's Wharf for dinner.  On the shuttle to the restaurant I met Blayne, a women from Colorado who was also in town for the marathon.  Blayne and I ended up having dinner together. 

Saturday, I slept in and then walked the town.  Junction Bridge was my first stop on the way to the William J. Clinton Presidential Center, which was a short walk from my hotel.  I decided to give that a quick "walk by" because I really wanted to visit Little Rock Central High School, the location of the 1957 "forced school desegregation."  There was an informative, interactive center next to the high school, where I lingered for a long while.  

The high school is still in operation.  

That night, I had a delicious pasta dinner at the hotel and turned in early.  

Sunday morning, I had an "extra" hour of sleep due to the time change.  It was a frigid but sunny morning, with the temperature in the low 30's (I thought it was supposed to be warm in the South)!  The start line was a 5-minute walk from the hotel allowing me to leave the hotel 10 minutes before the start of the marathon. 

Mike Beebe

I love these "smaller" marathons (there were only 2,446 marathon runners).  The course took us by the Clinton Center, the Governor's Mansion (with the Governor himself, Mike Beebe  cheering us on), Little Rock Central High School, the State Capitol Building, and Rebsamen Park along the Arkansas River.  

                              I crossed the finish line in Riverfront Park with a time of 4:26:31.                                                                                       

I hit "The Wall" just after mile 20. 

It was still chilly when I finished, so I hightailed it back to the hotel for a hot shower.  There was no ice bath in my plans.  When I can, I like to soak in an ice bath after a marathon to ease the soreness but not this day. 

Across the street from my hotel was the historic Capitol Hotel.  Rumor had it that the Capitol Bar and Grill inside the hotel had a great burger, so I decided to check it out.  For marathon day, they were serving a special "marathon" burger— I'm still not really sure why adding mushrooms, onions and cheese would make a burger a "marathon" burger, but that's what it was. And yes, it was just what I needed to eat after the marathon!

A "Big & Bodacious Post Race Party" was being thrown by the Little Rock Marathon at the local convention center so I stopped by there.  There was a live band, BBQ and lots to drink, it was all included in the race entry fee.  I didn't stay long because I was quickly fading and I called it an early night.  Monday morning, I embarked on my journey home.

36 - Maine Marathon - Portland, Maine

As I mentioned in my last blog — running two marathons back-to-back, 2 days in a row — what was I thinking? 

After I finished running the New Hampshire Marathon on Saturday, I jumped in the car and took off for the 2.5-hour drive to Portland, Maine. I felt tired but not that bad after my shower and massage.

The drive to Portland, Maine on back-country roads was picturesque. However, the rain, which had fortunately stopped for most of the race on Saturday, started again.

My hotel was near the Maine Marathon start/finish area at the University of Southern Maine.  While picking up my number, one of the volunteers recommended a local place, The Great Lost Bear for dinner, so that's where I ended up eating.  Saturday night I slept really well — no surprise! I guess running a marathon that day helped.

Starting line

Sunday morning was a cloudy, cool autumn day. Fortunately, the rain had again stopped, and it looked like it was going to hold out for the run.  There were about 3 times the number of runners (about 900)  at the Maine start compared to the day before in New Hampshire.

Immediately after the starting gun sounded, the rain started and poured on and off during the entire marathon.  This was definitely NOT fun!

Double marathon veterans shared that the first few miles of the second marathon (remember that I did two marathons in one weekend) were tough but after a few miles, you loosen up.  This was NOT the case for me, every step was torture. All I kept thinking was, What are you doing?  WHY are you doing this?  To be honest the answers never came to me.  But after completing the marathon on Sunday, Nancy (my childhood friend from Pompton Plains, NJ who now lives in New Hampshire) made an excellent point, I now had bragging rights — no one could ever say that I was a wimp for not ever running a "double."  Not sure if I every really wanted them, but it sure sounds good now that it's over.

The Portland course was scenic like the day before but not nearly as hilly.  This day I was not holding back, I was going as fast as I could, but felt like I was crawling.  Surprisingly, I actually ran slightly faster than the day before, but it sure as heck did not feel like it.  On Saturday, I ran an 11:19 average mile pace whereas my average mile pace on Sunday was 11:15— yes, a whopping 4 seconds faster per mile.

Almost finished...

Finished!

My finish time on Sunday was 3.5 minutes faster than my time on the day before.  More or less, I finished both marathons in just under 5 hours.

Nancy, Lola, Brian

After the marathon, I took a long hot shower in the University's locker room and then headed back to Nancy and Brian's in New Hampshire.  I collapsed on their comfy couch and watched some Sunday football.  Sorry about those Jets, Brian. We had pizza delivered for dinner and I retired to slumber land early.

Monday I drove back to Pennsylvania where Mark was waiting for me.  He was not able to join me for the "double" weekend; he had just returned from lecturing all weekend at the New York State Veterinary Conference.

35 - New Hampshire Marathon - Bristol, New Hampshire

Running two marathons back-to-back, 2 days in a row — what was I thinking?

In the marathon community, running 2 full marathons in a single weekend is called a double.  In the 50 State Marathon Club, it is not unheard of so I "needed" to experience it.

Nancy, Lola, Brian

Thursday morning, I left Pennsylvania and drove to Nancy and Brian's beautiful new home in Nashua, New Hampshire.  Nancy is a childhood friend from Pompton Plains, New Jersey.  We had a delicious lobster dinner at Surf Restaurant in Nashua and had a great time catching up on life.

Sue and Jim

On Friday afternoon, I left Nancy's house and drove an hour north to Tilton, New Hamphire, where I had a hotel for the night.  It had been pouring rain the whole day so the weather wasn't looking too good for the marathon. For dinner, the hotel recommended a local restaurant called Onions Pub and Restaurant.   As I arrived at Onions for an early dinner, a couple (Sue and Jim) arrived for their wedding with the bride's parents and the justice of the peace.  They were getting married, and I became one of the witnesses. I was also elected wedding photographer!

After dinner, I drove 20 miles further north to check-in and pick up my race number  for the New Hampshire Marathon.  Then I headed back to the hotel for the night.

The Starting Area of the New Hampshire

Newfound Lake

On Saturday morning, the marathon was scheduled to start at 9 AM — a little late, but I was happy to sleep in.  When a group of about 300 marathoners gathered under cloudy autumn skies for the start of the race, the rain had finally stopped.  The course was very scenic, taking us around Newfound Lake.

The fall foliage was at its peak. There were a number of rolling hills, which made the course a bit challenging, but fortunately, most of the uphills were in the first half of the race.

Knowing that I was running a second marathon the next day, I tried to maintain an easy, comfortable pace.  Mentally, "holding back" was a challenge, but physically it was great!  After the race, I took a quick shower in a local school locker room, had a brief massage that the marathon staff offered, and then jumped in the car and took off for the 2.5-hour drive to Portland, Maine. 

Nancy and Lola

 Overall, this was a small-town, no-crowd race. But it was certainly well-organized and a charming marathon, and I would certainly recommend it!

34 - Run with the Horses Marathon - Green River, Wyoming

Who could pass up a marathon called "Run with the Horses?"  Kristen, a friend who I taught with in NYC suggested we make a vacation of the Wyoming Marathon.  We flew into Denver, rented a car, and drove to Wyoming.  Run with the Horses Marathon was in Green River, which is in the south-west part of Wyoming.

We had one night to explore before we needed to be in Green River.  Once we crossed the border into Wyoming we stopped at the local tourist office in Cheyenne, they suggested we spend a night in Saratoga, about a two and a half hour drive away.  Saratoga sits atop an active mineral hot spring.  We took the Scenic Snowy Range Byway to get there, which passed through both the Medicine Bow National Forest's Snowy Mountain Range and Sierra Madre Range.  We spent the night at the Saratoga Resort and Spa that had the added bonus of a Microbrewery (The Snowy Mountain Brewery) on site.

The next day we drove to Green River.  The Run With the Horses Marathon was coordinated with the local River Festival held on August 18 and 19 on Expedition Island in Green River.  Number pick-up and the marathon start & finish was at the festival on Expedition Island.  The race director warned us about the first six miles of the run—all up hill— and recommended that we walk and take it easy at the start. There was also a warning about rattle snakes: "just run around them." That night had dinner at the Krazy Moose Restaurant and hit the hay as early as we could.

We were up before the sun, which is fine since our "clock" was 2 hours ahead, one advantage of running out west.  Not many people gathered at the start at an elevation of 6100' — a total of 42 people had signed up to run this marathon.  The first two miles was getting out of town on paved city streets and the paved Green Belt along the Green River.  I thought the race director had maybe been exaggerating about the intitial part of the race.

Just before mile two, however, we turned onto Wild Horse Canyon Road where the paved road changed to a graded dirt road and a climb up the canyon. We climbed to the top of White Mountain at approximately 7300' elevation. There was NO way I was going to be able to run 26.2 miles if I ran up the canyon.  As I made the decision to walk, I started talking John, a runner from Michigan.  He was also walking so we walked and talked until mile six when he had to turn; he was doing the half-marathon, and I continued on.

This is about when Wild Horse Canyon Road plateaued.  From then on it was rolling hills at elevations of up to 7500' but nothing like the initial 6-mile climb.  Fortunately, there were some wild horses to keep me company.  There were water/food/aid stops every 2 miles, most needed for this race.  This was high plains desert and no shade.

Turn around point at 13.1 miles

Descending the canyon was a welcome relief. The second 13.1 miles were much better than the first half had been!  After the run, we sat in the river for a long time and just relaxed.  Believe me, there is nothing better than a cold soak after running a high plains desert marathon!

Over the next few days, we did another marathon— a marathon drive around most of the State of Wyoming! Leaving Green River, we first drove to Jackson or, as some refer to it, Jackson Hole.  We tried to spend as little time there as possible; it's a huge uppity tourist place.

Hidden Falls

Old Faithful

We then drove up to Grand Teton National Park and got a room at the Jackson Lake Lodge.   The next morning we took a hike around Jenny Lake and up to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.  From there we drove up to Yellowstone National Park and spent the night at the Old Faithful Inn.  The "sulfur" smell of the geyser was everywhere.

Proghorn antelope in Grand Tetons

Elk in Grand Tetons

Bison herd in Yellowstone

The next morning we continued driving through the park and exited in the north-east, and briefly drove through Montana.  From there we headed south and spent the night in Thermolopis.  Then it was back to the Denver area.  We spent the last night with a friend of Kristen's in Boulder, Colorado before heading back home.

This was a good trip, we saw a lot.   But I'll go back to see the beautiful scenery and parks at a much more leisurely pace!