More Adirondack Marathon Pictures & Ancedotes

My friend Jericho and Jesse near the start of the Adirondack Marathon
A view along the lake

Sharing my finisher's medal with a finisher's bear
The finish line 45 minutes later

Enjoying a post-race swing

As I wrote in my previous blog, the Adirondack Marathon is one of my favorite races. The course is beautiful, the townspeople are really nice, there is lots of hiking/activities very close by (which means my husband Tristan easily entertains himself during my run) and there is lots of food before and after the race (during the race there is lots of beverages, but food is more available than Marine Corps and Disney but less than Niagara Ultra, Frederick Marathon, George Washington Birthday...). On a positive note, at about mile 13 you pass the one traffic light town of Chester that has a small general store so you can always buy a ring-ding, ho-ho, snoball or yodel halfway through the race.

One of my favorite memories of this race is the spectators on the course. I am pretty convinced the townspeople bet on the runners and thus encourage you to pass certain numbers (maybe I am handicapped to be pretty good because of my age, but all they have to do is google my name and they would find out I am not that fast!). Both times I have run this race at about mile 20, I was running up Route 9 and a large group of spectators was sitting there with binocoulars and race brochure looking at the runners bibs then yelling out your name and hometown as you crest the hill. It is really neat to see so many people supporting the runners so enthusiastically. I sadly was going to take a picture of these folks however I was prevented by the rule "You CANNOT cross route 9". It is pretty amusing to me how this rule is repeated over and over. The road is closed so this rule is a bit puzzling, but regardless, the fact they say it numerous times cracks me up. It actually makes me want to cross the line to see what happens. I think the fact they mention it so much (and publish it in the brochure as one of the first rules) makes it stick in the runners mind; so it becomes a topic of conversation (a small survey I took with some back of the packers suggest I am not the only one tempted to just touch the yellow line). In fact if we could get a DNF for thinking about it I would already be disqualified for my next running of this marathon!

Another odd memory I have about this race is being last place quite extensively. Because I like pictures (of me, the course and others), I tend to have a hard time at the beginning going out fast. In fact this race I was stalked by the ambulance for several miles. I think the ambulance folks were a bit amused at my picture taking and at the finish line they commented that they felt we had formed a bond because of this stalking. I do find it a bit disconcerting to have the follow vehicle right behind me. This has happened several times although frequently it is a cop car, not an ambulance. The ambulance made me nervous because I kept thinking: what if I fell down and was bleeding...a cop might sort of laugh and point, but the ambulance folks might be tempted to fix me up and perhaps take me from the course. And considering I fall about once every hunred runs I might be just about due for a stumble. Also having an ambulance so close makes me wonder "do I look that bad?" which is not necessarily the most positive thought:-)

I really enjoy this race and was really happy that I could catch up with my friends Jesse and Jericho and hope I convinced them to 1) run the Vermont City Marathon next Memorial Day weekend and 2) pace me a little in Vermont 100. Although this course is a bit hilly it is a wonderful small marathon with crowds that although small make up for it with loads of enthusiasm!