Glenn had unfortunately not been able to complete the Baltimore marathon 5 weeks ago...he had become severely dehydrated from the antibiotics he was on and made the smart decision to drop out. This time, he was determined to finish, come what may.
The AC Marathon was very small, with a total of about 500 runners for all races - marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K. The entire race was along the boardwalk. The race has the distinction of being the 3rd oldest marathon in the country, and was well-organized enough, despite the fact that the organizers dropped out and the race had to be postponed. It is not exactly my kind of race, however...I am a sucker for crowd support (though I could do without the hassle of being trampled over by massive crowds). And I am pretty sure I don't want to run 26.2 miles on the boardwalk, with some portions repeated over and over.
Food...
...drink...
...and other scenery:
As he was stretching, Glenn was wincing...he seemed to have pulled a muscle in his shoulder and was in pain. But when the race started at 8:30 AM, 
he took off with the other runners, cheerfully striking up a conversation with the person next to him. There were just a handful of spectators, so we did our best to make lots of noise (I decided not to pull out the little drum I had brought with me, because I wasn't sure I wanted to make THAT much noise). 
then walked a little over a mile from the start to get to the water stop at Mile 17 (also Mile 25). We waited there for Glenn, cheering the other runners. This was a race that brought out the hardcore runner in you. At Mile 17, you had the option of turning around and running 9.2 more miles...or you could just go 1.2 miles further to the finish line. Which would you choose?
DH and I then walked back to the finish. Glenn gutted it out to the finish, completing in 5:39:24. Inspiring, ain't it? 
he took off with the other runners, cheerfully striking up a conversation with the person next to him. There were just a handful of spectators, so we did our best to make lots of noise (I decided not to pull out the little drum I had brought with me, because I wasn't sure I wanted to make THAT much noise). The entire race was along the boardwalk. Parts of the course were repeated, so we saw the runners again as they passed the starting point at Mile 5. 
We hung around for the kids' fun run,
then walked a little over a mile from the start to get to the water stop at Mile 17 (also Mile 25). We waited there for Glenn, cheering the other runners. This was a race that brought out the hardcore runner in you. At Mile 17, you had the option of turning around and running 9.2 more miles...or you could just go 1.2 miles further to the finish line. Which would you choose? Glenn had hoped to complete the race in less than 5 hours. When he had still not appeared at 11:45, we suspected that something was not right. Sure enough, he called a little before 12, asking me to take his knee brace out of his bag (Glenn is always super prepared, and can survive comfortably for a couple of days if he ever got lost on any of his runs. At the race, apart from water and gatorade, he was also carrying his cell phone, GU, a protein bar and other little food items). DH & I were carrying Glenn's bag. I took out the brace as Glenn came by, limping. He was wearing a make-shift brace of gauze and tape that paramedics had clumsily draped around his knee. 
His knee was throbbing from what he believed was an ITB flare-up, but he was not ready to throw in the towel. We helped him get his brace on and I ran to the nearest store to get him Advil (believe it or not, inspite of all the preparedness, none of us carried painkillers). The brace didn't help much, so off it came. He limped a little, then decided that it hurt more to walk, so he ran instead.
DH and I then walked back to the finish. Glenn gutted it out to the finish, completing in 5:39:24. Inspiring, ain't it? Methinks the adrenaline worked wonders, because besides the miracle of completing the marathon in such pain, he also reported that his knee felt much better the same night, and he could walk without much pain.
On another note, I have been turning in some decent runs and feel stronger by the day.
Last week's runs totalled 32 miles.
Monday: 6 miles
Tuesday: 6 miles
Thursday: 12 miles
Friday: 3 miles
Saturday: 5 miles
Spectating at the Atlantic City Marathon made me realize how much I have enjoyed racing...and how I'd love to get back in the game. So, here's the announcement: I am gearing up for my first race since August...Turkey Trot...a.k.a. Ashenfelter 8K. Woo hoo!
A shout out to Philadelphia marathon runners...kick some butt this weekend!
16 comments:
Looks like a fun race to spectate - congrats to Glenn on his first marathon!
Congrats to Glenn! What a trooper.
YAY for the Turkey Trot!
i think you're 100% right. truth be told, i think that the only reason i got to the 36k marker in my marathon attempt when pain started at 8k is because of adrenaline. But huge kudos to Glenn for gutting it out and finishing his first!
Yay Glenn for being prepared and sticking it out!
That marathon looks awesome. I am a sucker for the beach...
spectating again...you are quite the cheerleader!! That is amazing that he toughed it out. Looks like a FUNKY race..
Congrats to Glenn! Great mileage week for you too.
Even though I do enjoy some of the larger, hugely attended races that offer a party atmosphere, I do enjoy the quieter races as well.
Glenn is amazing. I guess there's something to be said about determination! Send him my congratulations and a high five!
Loved the pictures!
WOW! That is incredible that he finished the race despite the challenges! Way to go Glenn! And hooray for you running a race! Can't wait to hear all about it
congrats to glenn! that knee trouble does not sound fun at all - good for him for powering through it.
you were an excellent spectator! i don't know if i could run on the boardwalk - i'd be afraid of falling and getting huge splinters.
Way to go, Glenn!
Are you coming down for Philly this weekend?
Yeah, adrenaline does a lot!
Congrats to Glenn and yay for you for being such a good spectator!
Go Glenn!!!
Awesome pics of AC. I ran the half last year, & noted that it's unlikely I'd ever run the full because of the tedium of the course. But then again, I've run the OC Boardwalk back & forth 4 times for a 20 miler, so maybe I could handle the tedium.
Beautiful pictures as always! Thanks for sharing.
Good job on your runs. I was wondering what you were up to. Good luck running the Turkey Trot!!!
Congratulations to Glen! He should be so proud of his race. You and DH are an awesome support staff! I'm sure that Glen appreciated all of your cheers and help. That is fantastic that your running is going so well. You are getting in some great miles. I can't wait to hear all about the Turkey Trot and I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Hey are you a professional journalist? This article is very well written, as compared to most other blogs i saw today….
anyhow thanks for the good read!
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