The weather was just a little bit chilly and forecast to warm up as the morning went on -- just about perfect for marathon running. I donned my usual red singlet and black shorts, and I also put on my black warm-up jacket. Since this race was marketed as the "World's Cheesiest Marathon", I ran the entire race in a foam cheese cowboy hat. More on that later.
The race started promptly at 7 a.m. I got to be a little bit closer to the start thanks to my hat. There were about 20 of us in the "cheesehead corral". The elite runners were to our immediate left, and it took all of five seconds for them to zoom past us after the start. My parents cheered me on as I went by. As usual, my dad brought his video camera.
I started out a little bit too quick. Since my last run of beyond ten miles was in November, I should have paced between 9:15 and 9:30. The usual pre-race excitement pumped me up, and I averaged 8:37 for the first five miles. I handed off my jacket to my parents around mile 4. It didn't take me long at all to get warm -- especially because my foam hat was bottling in the heat.
After a loop around downtown, the race meandered north along the lakeshore towards Carthage College. I saw Jenelle a couple of times on the way. She got some great photos. I slowed down a bit during miles 6-10, but I was still a bit too fast to ensure an even split. The north turnaround point was at about mile 7.5.
Just past mile 10, a shack containing actual restrooms (not portable ones) was conveniently located near the course, so I made a pit stop there. I could tell that I was getting tired, so I tried to walk a bit more at aid stations. I also began eating sport beans and energy gel at regular intervals (one serving every couple of miles). I brought six servings along with me.
Even though I was getting tired, I was all smiles. I got a lot of compliments on my hat from spectators of all ages. At mile 11.5, the half-marathoners turned back north for the finish while the marathoners continued south toward the state line. I saw my parents again just after the halfway point (which I reached in about 1:57). Every time I saw my mom, she asked if I was getting too hot in the foam hat and if I wanted to hand it off. I politely declined and continued on my way.
At an aid station, several folks mentioned that I was the "first cheesehead" they'd seen. This led me to believe that most of the folks in the cheeshead corral were either (a) in the half marathon or (b) had removed their cheese gear at some point during the race. Upon hearing this, I knew that I would probably keep my hat on the entire time. As I continued south, my pace slowed to over 9:30 a mile, as I was trying to conserve some energy for the final 10K.
I saw my parents again after reaching the south turnaround point. I can't remember how many times I saw them throughout the race, but I think it was at least five. My mom once again asked if I wanted to give her the hat. I smiled and said, "Tell you what -- I'll tell YOU when I'm ready." My mom laughed and said she'd see me at the finish.
I was really feeling it in the last few miles. I think my limited training (and not the hat) was what prevented me from finishing strong. Though I was trying to finish in four hours or less, I knew that it wasn't a big deal if I came in a little slower than that. As I took some extended walk breaks, I looked behind me to see if any other "cheesehead" runners were approaching. None in sight. I took an extra walk break with half a mile to go, which allowed me to zoom past runners in the final 500 yards and gave the illusion that I was full of energy. Heh. I put my arms up in the air as I ran by Jenelle and my parents, crossing the finish line with a chip time of 4:03:25
After finishing, I checked with the race announcer to determine if any other cheesehead marathoners had crossed the line. While she wasn't absolutely certain, she decided to interview me. As soon as I edit all of the great video footage my dad got (including most of the interview), I'll post a link.
Besides the usual post-race food (fruit, granola, etc.), I also was entitled to free beer and bratwurst. So, there was plenty of stereotypical Wisconsin-y stuff throughout the day. :)
I'm not sure when my next race will be, but as soon as my legs have fully recovered, I'm going to try and do more speedwork to improve my times at shorter races.
Race statistics:
| Miles 1-5 | 8:46 | 8:31 | 8:26 | 8:39 | 8:44 |
| Miles 6-10 | 8:59 | 8:53 | 8:51 | 9:05 | 8:52 |
| Miles 11-15 | 9:27 | 9:01 | 9:32 | 8:57 | 9:27 |
| Miles 16-20 | 9:28 | 9:44 | 9:27 | 9:31 | 10:03 |
| Miles 21-25 | 9:36 | 9:09 | 9:52 | 9:23 | 10:23 |
| Miles 26-End | 10:52 | 1:47 |
- Average Pace: 9:17/mile
- First half: 1:56:45 Second half: 2:06:40
- Fastest Mile: #3 (8:26) Slowest Mile: #26 (10:52)
- Race Photos (Shutterfly)
