W
Wayne Conway
Guest
Sorry for the length-just couldn’t find a way to condense
it. Save some for later if needed.
There are few more moving scenes than the softly
lit pre-dawn visage of the Oklahoma City Bombing
Memorial. For 168 silent seconds almost 1500
marathoners, and at least that many more relay
participants, stood at the starting line
reflecting on the tragedy that was the inspiration
for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. This
race, now in it’s fourth year, is already a mature
event. It has had few “new race” growing pains,
due largely to the fact that the race was
organized by runners, for runners. Most early
problems have been quickly addressed and fixed.
That being said, this mornings start was not
without a bump or two. Parking and navigation
around the downtown start of a big race is always
interesting. However, the organizers thought to
reserve a couple of nearby parking garages for the
use of race participants (only cost a buck). Of
course, no matter how many port-a-johns there are
at any race, there will always be the frantic last
minute tinklers. A popular home grown gospel
artist fought a sound system that was fine for
speaking, but less than perfect for singing. No
matter, the temperature was a comfortable 55
degrees, with a 10 mph breeze that would provide
welcome cooling as the morning temperature rose
into the 70’s. I nervously adjusted my pace
wristband and checked my stopwatch for the fifth
time. My Boston qualification hopes had already
been dashed by a nasty 9 month case of PF, and a
recent cold. I still wore my “3:35:00” pace band
though. Realistically , a 3:45:00 this day would
be considered a success. At 6:25 AM the horn
sounded for the start of the wheelchair race (only
one participant this year). The air valve on the
starting horn jammed and we were all treated to
about 30 seconds of deafening noise while the can
emptied itself. They had a spare horn (good
thinking), and at 6:30AM we were on our way,
catching one final glimpse of the East wall of the
Bombing Memorial as we headed down through the
heart of downtown Oklahoma City. The first half
mile is a narrow downhill chute between tall
buildings. The echo of footfalls here is not
unlike the sound of a stampede. After a left turn,
the course flattens out and passes through the
heart of the historic Bricktown area. Got to be
careful here. Between the starting downhill, the
scenery, and the excitement, it’s easy to go out
way too fast. I would later pass many struggling
folks that didn’t heed this warning. My first mile
was 8:45, just about right. We turned left at the
“throwback” Bricktown Ballpark, and headed North
toward the State Capitol Complex, which is at
about 5K. Those of us who have run this race every
year have been able to witness the continuing
progress on the Capitol dome construction. It’s
finished now, and an impressive sight. At mile 5
we enter a two mile stretch through some lovely
parks and moderately upscale neighborhoods.
Already, spectator and course support has been
superb. I would notice later that the race bibs
had the participants first name printed
conspicuously above the number. No wonder all the
spectators seemed to know my name. I wonder how I
missed that? It was a pleasant personal touch for
both the runners and spectators. All water stops,
aid stations, and relay points, were well supplied
and organized. However, there was the occasional
confusion as to whether you were being offered Power-
Aid or water. I saw more than one person, later in
the race, pour sticky Power-Aid over their head or
down their shirt thinking it was water. All miles
were marked, and splits were chip recorded at the
10K, 15K, Half, 27K, & 32K points. I don’t believe
the 27K point was accurate. There were some
squirrelly splits between the half and 32K. Your
projected finishing time, in addition to elapsed
time, was called at every mile. This is the only
race where I have ever seen this. It is an
incredibly helpful method of pacing yourself. My
10K split was about an 8:15/Mile pace. Just about
right, because the course is generally downhill to
this point. A couple of uphill sections between
mile 6 and 7, and mile 8 and 10 would quickly
remind me of the cold that had knocked me back a
couple of weeks earlier. Also, my lack of mileage
due to earlier PF problems would also become
apparent. My split between 10K and 15K would drop
me to about an 8:40 pace. I could tell that a BQ
today would not be in the cards. Now, I was
running for pride. From that point I started
paying closer attention to my ease of breathing. I
maintained that 8:40 pace steadily up to the half.
The course approaching the half is moderately
cambered towards the curb. In past years, when I
have had some knee issues, this was a tough
section to comfortably traverse. I noticed many
runners weaving around trying to find a flatter
groove. Today however, nothing hurts, and I am
able to enjoy the throngs of spectators that
gather in this stretch. After the half, it’s a
short uphill over the Hefner Parkway and on to a
scenic couple of miles along the Lake Hefner
Trails. Last year, this section reduced many,
including myself, to walking, as unobstructed
30mph headwinds buffeted runners as the course
turned back on itself for the return leg of the
race. Today however, the wind is not a factor, and
the section through he trails and park was a nice
flat place to prepare for the final ten miles. The
photographers like this section too. Here’s my
picture if your interested. http://www.partypics.-
com/raceorders/zoom.wcs?OKC2004~1222678~00014~0029
After a short steep uphill over the Parkway bridge
at mile 17, we descend into the Nichols Hills
neighborhood. This area of estate residences,
country clubs, and sprawling parks, is generally
flat, and carries you through to mile 20. It is here
that the signature feature of the Oklahoma City
Memorial Marathon is most apparent. All along the
race route are hung large memorial banners, each
with the name of one of the 168 victims of the
Alfred P. Murrah building bombing. These banners,
against the serene backdrop of Nichols Hills and
Grand Park, offer spine tingling inspiration to
runners as mile 20 approaches. At mile 20 the
finishing pace calls have become increasingly
valuable. My higher math functions have begun to
deteriorate rapidly. I am now at about an 8:30
(3:43:00) pace. Not BQ material, but better than I
had hoped for. We are now back on arterial city
streets and are entering, what I consider to be, the
toughest part of the course. With the exception of a
couple of minor dips, the course from mile 20 to 24
is a steady uphill grade. The total rise over this 4
mile stretch is less than 100 feet. However, it is
constant, and the effect of this steady rise on a
glycogen starved body is insidious. Last year,
strong headwinds made this section a death march for
many. By the time you finally get some grade relief
at mile 24, you are exhausted. I watched one woman,
so tired and fixated on her next step, run right up
the back of a man that had been reduced to walking
by this section.
Finally, we turned back into quiet neighborhoods.
I’m no longer having fun. I can tell my pace has
fallen off, but I won’t know how much until I get to
that elusive 25 mile marker. I take advantage of a
couple of dips, grind my way up a couple of rises,
and there it is, mile 25. I’m now on pace for about
a 3:44:00. Remember the woman who ran over the
walker? I had paced off of her for the past 10
miles, sometimes swapping positions at water
stations. We are now running side by side. She pants
out that she just can’t make it. I panted back that
she would if I had to drag her. Bold words, but was
there anything left? We muscled our way through a
couple more turns, and then, we were on the straight
to the finish. The final stretch of almost a half
mile is flat to slightly downhill, with screaming
spectators covering the last three or four blocks.
You can see the finish line from a long way off just
begging for some kind of heroic final kick. As we
approached the mile 26 marker I hollered “let’s go”!
All we had left went into that final 400 or so
yards. Traffic separated us at that point and I
never saw her again, not even in the finishers corral-
I assume she made it. Too bad, I wanted to thank her
for the pace help. I had picked off a couple of
relay runners down the stretch when I heard the
announcer loudly proclaim my name. At the finish I
managed to just inch out a fellow who turned out to
be in my age group. I’ll bet he was peoed. I stopped
my watch for a 3:42:45 chip time. My gun time would
end up a 3:43:03. An worried looking aid worker met
me at the line saying something about my pale
appearance. I must have thought it was a compliment,
because I thanked her for her concern and headed for
the chip removal bench. We were well taken care of
in the finishers area. No shortage of food, drink,
or space blankets. All got a nice heavy finisher
medal with a relief depicting the “Survivor Tree”
from the Bombing Memorial. The finisher shirt was a
deep green and sported the same image. A block from
the finish was an outdoor expo with music, food,
merchandise, and massage tables. Went back to the
car, got some cash, and bought a shirt for the wife
and boy. I do enjoy this race. It will take more
than a little PF or a head cold to keep me away.
Really nice to have a major marathon a couple hours
from home. Can’t think of any negatives. I would
recommend it highly to anyone looking for a well run
spring marathon. Make sure and allow 2-3 hours time
to go through the Memorial Museum. Visit the memory
fence on the West side of the Memorial. Leave
something or just reflect on how blessed we really
are. You won’t be disappointed.
Race Date: Sunday April 25, 2004
--
Random number generation is too vital a task to be left
to chance.
it. Save some for later if needed.
There are few more moving scenes than the softly
lit pre-dawn visage of the Oklahoma City Bombing
Memorial. For 168 silent seconds almost 1500
marathoners, and at least that many more relay
participants, stood at the starting line
reflecting on the tragedy that was the inspiration
for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. This
race, now in it’s fourth year, is already a mature
event. It has had few “new race” growing pains,
due largely to the fact that the race was
organized by runners, for runners. Most early
problems have been quickly addressed and fixed.
That being said, this mornings start was not
without a bump or two. Parking and navigation
around the downtown start of a big race is always
interesting. However, the organizers thought to
reserve a couple of nearby parking garages for the
use of race participants (only cost a buck). Of
course, no matter how many port-a-johns there are
at any race, there will always be the frantic last
minute tinklers. A popular home grown gospel
artist fought a sound system that was fine for
speaking, but less than perfect for singing. No
matter, the temperature was a comfortable 55
degrees, with a 10 mph breeze that would provide
welcome cooling as the morning temperature rose
into the 70’s. I nervously adjusted my pace
wristband and checked my stopwatch for the fifth
time. My Boston qualification hopes had already
been dashed by a nasty 9 month case of PF, and a
recent cold. I still wore my “3:35:00” pace band
though. Realistically , a 3:45:00 this day would
be considered a success. At 6:25 AM the horn
sounded for the start of the wheelchair race (only
one participant this year). The air valve on the
starting horn jammed and we were all treated to
about 30 seconds of deafening noise while the can
emptied itself. They had a spare horn (good
thinking), and at 6:30AM we were on our way,
catching one final glimpse of the East wall of the
Bombing Memorial as we headed down through the
heart of downtown Oklahoma City. The first half
mile is a narrow downhill chute between tall
buildings. The echo of footfalls here is not
unlike the sound of a stampede. After a left turn,
the course flattens out and passes through the
heart of the historic Bricktown area. Got to be
careful here. Between the starting downhill, the
scenery, and the excitement, it’s easy to go out
way too fast. I would later pass many struggling
folks that didn’t heed this warning. My first mile
was 8:45, just about right. We turned left at the
“throwback” Bricktown Ballpark, and headed North
toward the State Capitol Complex, which is at
about 5K. Those of us who have run this race every
year have been able to witness the continuing
progress on the Capitol dome construction. It’s
finished now, and an impressive sight. At mile 5
we enter a two mile stretch through some lovely
parks and moderately upscale neighborhoods.
Already, spectator and course support has been
superb. I would notice later that the race bibs
had the participants first name printed
conspicuously above the number. No wonder all the
spectators seemed to know my name. I wonder how I
missed that? It was a pleasant personal touch for
both the runners and spectators. All water stops,
aid stations, and relay points, were well supplied
and organized. However, there was the occasional
confusion as to whether you were being offered Power-
Aid or water. I saw more than one person, later in
the race, pour sticky Power-Aid over their head or
down their shirt thinking it was water. All miles
were marked, and splits were chip recorded at the
10K, 15K, Half, 27K, & 32K points. I don’t believe
the 27K point was accurate. There were some
squirrelly splits between the half and 32K. Your
projected finishing time, in addition to elapsed
time, was called at every mile. This is the only
race where I have ever seen this. It is an
incredibly helpful method of pacing yourself. My
10K split was about an 8:15/Mile pace. Just about
right, because the course is generally downhill to
this point. A couple of uphill sections between
mile 6 and 7, and mile 8 and 10 would quickly
remind me of the cold that had knocked me back a
couple of weeks earlier. Also, my lack of mileage
due to earlier PF problems would also become
apparent. My split between 10K and 15K would drop
me to about an 8:40 pace. I could tell that a BQ
today would not be in the cards. Now, I was
running for pride. From that point I started
paying closer attention to my ease of breathing. I
maintained that 8:40 pace steadily up to the half.
The course approaching the half is moderately
cambered towards the curb. In past years, when I
have had some knee issues, this was a tough
section to comfortably traverse. I noticed many
runners weaving around trying to find a flatter
groove. Today however, nothing hurts, and I am
able to enjoy the throngs of spectators that
gather in this stretch. After the half, it’s a
short uphill over the Hefner Parkway and on to a
scenic couple of miles along the Lake Hefner
Trails. Last year, this section reduced many,
including myself, to walking, as unobstructed
30mph headwinds buffeted runners as the course
turned back on itself for the return leg of the
race. Today however, the wind is not a factor, and
the section through he trails and park was a nice
flat place to prepare for the final ten miles. The
photographers like this section too. Here’s my
picture if your interested. http://www.partypics.-
com/raceorders/zoom.wcs?OKC2004~1222678~00014~0029
After a short steep uphill over the Parkway bridge
at mile 17, we descend into the Nichols Hills
neighborhood. This area of estate residences,
country clubs, and sprawling parks, is generally
flat, and carries you through to mile 20. It is here
that the signature feature of the Oklahoma City
Memorial Marathon is most apparent. All along the
race route are hung large memorial banners, each
with the name of one of the 168 victims of the
Alfred P. Murrah building bombing. These banners,
against the serene backdrop of Nichols Hills and
Grand Park, offer spine tingling inspiration to
runners as mile 20 approaches. At mile 20 the
finishing pace calls have become increasingly
valuable. My higher math functions have begun to
deteriorate rapidly. I am now at about an 8:30
(3:43:00) pace. Not BQ material, but better than I
had hoped for. We are now back on arterial city
streets and are entering, what I consider to be, the
toughest part of the course. With the exception of a
couple of minor dips, the course from mile 20 to 24
is a steady uphill grade. The total rise over this 4
mile stretch is less than 100 feet. However, it is
constant, and the effect of this steady rise on a
glycogen starved body is insidious. Last year,
strong headwinds made this section a death march for
many. By the time you finally get some grade relief
at mile 24, you are exhausted. I watched one woman,
so tired and fixated on her next step, run right up
the back of a man that had been reduced to walking
by this section.
Finally, we turned back into quiet neighborhoods.
I’m no longer having fun. I can tell my pace has
fallen off, but I won’t know how much until I get to
that elusive 25 mile marker. I take advantage of a
couple of dips, grind my way up a couple of rises,
and there it is, mile 25. I’m now on pace for about
a 3:44:00. Remember the woman who ran over the
walker? I had paced off of her for the past 10
miles, sometimes swapping positions at water
stations. We are now running side by side. She pants
out that she just can’t make it. I panted back that
she would if I had to drag her. Bold words, but was
there anything left? We muscled our way through a
couple more turns, and then, we were on the straight
to the finish. The final stretch of almost a half
mile is flat to slightly downhill, with screaming
spectators covering the last three or four blocks.
You can see the finish line from a long way off just
begging for some kind of heroic final kick. As we
approached the mile 26 marker I hollered “let’s go”!
All we had left went into that final 400 or so
yards. Traffic separated us at that point and I
never saw her again, not even in the finishers corral-
I assume she made it. Too bad, I wanted to thank her
for the pace help. I had picked off a couple of
relay runners down the stretch when I heard the
announcer loudly proclaim my name. At the finish I
managed to just inch out a fellow who turned out to
be in my age group. I’ll bet he was peoed. I stopped
my watch for a 3:42:45 chip time. My gun time would
end up a 3:43:03. An worried looking aid worker met
me at the line saying something about my pale
appearance. I must have thought it was a compliment,
because I thanked her for her concern and headed for
the chip removal bench. We were well taken care of
in the finishers area. No shortage of food, drink,
or space blankets. All got a nice heavy finisher
medal with a relief depicting the “Survivor Tree”
from the Bombing Memorial. The finisher shirt was a
deep green and sported the same image. A block from
the finish was an outdoor expo with music, food,
merchandise, and massage tables. Went back to the
car, got some cash, and bought a shirt for the wife
and boy. I do enjoy this race. It will take more
than a little PF or a head cold to keep me away.
Really nice to have a major marathon a couple hours
from home. Can’t think of any negatives. I would
recommend it highly to anyone looking for a well run
spring marathon. Make sure and allow 2-3 hours time
to go through the Memorial Museum. Visit the memory
fence on the West side of the Memorial. Leave
something or just reflect on how blessed we really
are. You won’t be disappointed.
Race Date: Sunday April 25, 2004
--
Random number generation is too vital a task to be left
to chance.