After my first (difficult) marathon a year ago and my latest marathon running tragedy last fall, I’m happy to report that last month I completed the Clarence DeMar Marathon with a smile on my face. After the first two, I had wondered if the running universe was trying to tell me something (maybe the marathon distance is not for me?) but before I gave up on this distance, I gave it one more go and I’m glad I did.
The Clarence DeMar Marathon is named after the famed 7 time winner of the Boston Marathon. Also known as Mr. DeMarathon, he was the oldest person to ever win Boston at the age of 41 – and people made a big deal about Meb Keflezighi being 39! It is a very small race with just under 400 finishers, and it has a very small town feel. The volunteers couldn’t possibly be any nicer, and the crowd support (while minimal) was enthusiastic. The biggest perk for me was the availability of shower facilities on the Keene State Campus at the finish line. My family came with me for the day to cheer me on. Since the race is so small and the course is open to traffic, they were able to see me at 5 different spots which was fun.
Overall I am happy with how I ran the race. Based on my training times and most recent half marathon, I had set expectations for myself that were quite lofty. Adding those thoughts to a course that is an overall downhill profile, encouraged me to go out too fast which came back to bite me in the end. Considering that my time of 4:13:21 is over an hour better than my first marathon, I am quite happy. It was a great learning experience which will definitely help me for the next race.
