Sunday, November 7, 2010

Eye-Q Two Cities Marathon & Half - 11.07.10

Eye-Q Two Cities Marathon & Half Marathon

Results HERE.
Photos HERE.

Eye-Q Two Cities Marathon
Bib FName LName City State Age Sex ChipTime ClockTime Overall SexPl DivPl AgeGrade
2103 Chris Rodriquez Bakersfield CA 30 M 3:10:28 3:10:34 31 29 6 65.6%
2106 Kathryn Turner Bakersfield CA 24 F 3:33:52 3:34:33 105 16 3 63.3%
2013 Hayley Tobin Bakersfield CA 42 F 4:00:39 4:01:05 244 62 18 60.3%
1358 Elaina Chapman Bakersfield CA 22 F 4:28:55 4:29:12 402 138 10 50.4%
1602 Richard Jewett Bakersfield CA 54 M 5:16:30 5:17:18 603 378 44 45.7%
1392 Craig Coupland Bakersfield CA 50 M 5:18:58 5:19:22 607 380 45 43.7%
1391 Charla Coupland Bakersfield CA 47 F 5:18:58 5:19:22 608 228 31 48.3%
1231 Paul Anderson Bakersfield CA 47 M 5:28:39 5:29:18 653 405 58 41.3%
1417 Gregory Dewitt Bakersfield CA 41 M 6:21:27 6:22:08 726 436 67 33.8%
2146 Michele Packebush Bakersfield CA 39 F 6:21:29 6:22:10 727 291 55 36.9%

Eye-Q Two Cities Ultra Marathon (50k)
Bib FName LName City State Age Sex ChipTime ClockTime Overall SexPl DivPl AgeGrade
1088 Hector Rubio Bakersfield CA 56 M 6:23:27 6:23:34 81 45 45 46.6%

Eye-Q Two Cities Marathon & Half - 1/2 Marathon

Bib FName LName City State Age Sex ChipTime ClockTime Overall SexPl DivPl AgeGrade
3939 Craig Gardner Bakersfield CA 54 M 1:32:37 1:36:32 69 63 4 74.8%
6029 Dennis Wolfe Bakersfield CA 25 M 1:37:44 1:49:05 116 99 12 60.6%
4781 Corey McKenna Bakersfield CA 40 M 1:40:22 1:40:40 151 127 13 61.5%
6751 Bruce Wearda Bakersfield CA 42 M 1:43:55 1:45:26 206 172 18 60.3%
4884 Jessica Moore Ali-Adeeb Bakersfield CA 31 F 1:46:12 1:46:23 253 48 11 62.1%
4347 Greg Johnson Bakersfield CA 63 M 1:54:25 1:54:34 516 376 7 65.8%
3927 Maria Garcia Bakersfield CA 28 F 1:54:37 1:55:28 523 145 36 57.4%
3189 Donna Beeson Bakersfield CA 53 F 2:04:10 2:04:32 930 347 14 64.2%













5833 David Urquhart Bakersfield CA 28 M 2:06:21 2:09:36 1018 620 85 46.9%
3957 Christine Gibson Bakersfield CA 30 F 2:07:30 2:08:24 1067 431 86 51.6%
4275 Odette Hudson Bakersfield CA 61 F 2:09:45 2:11:24 1189 502 4 68.7%
3830 Jill Fetters Bakersfield CA 48 F 2:12:14 2:13:06 1324 589 66 56.5%
3947 Zachary Geissel Bakersfield CA 24 M 2:12:31 2:13:33 1337 739 53 44.7%
3294 Elisa Brandon Bakersfield CA 32 F 2:12:32 2:13:33 1338 599 106 49.8%
4826 Lily Mershon Bakersfield CA 24 F 2:13:10 2:14:40 1372 617 69 49.4%
6507 Reidlee Lynn Bakersfield CA 15 F 2:19:26 2:20:57 1644 792 18 50.4%
6365 Emily Meurer Bakersfield CA 15 F 2:19:27 2:20:58 1645 793 19 50.4%
6173 Penny Schuh Bakersfield CA 53 F 2:20:09 2:21:20 1678 817 34 56.9%
4754 Kelly McCarthy Bakersfield CA 39 F 2:20:49 2:23:39 1710 836 161 48.4%
4151 Natasha Hayes Bakersfield CA 37 F 2:20:50 2:23:39 1711 837 162 47.8%
6268 April Snobarger Bakersfield CA 25 F 2:21:35 2:22:27 1753 868 166 46.5%
5272 Michelle Redstone Bakersfield CA 33 F 2:21:47 2:23:44 1761 873 155 46.7%
3796 Charles Everly Bakersfield CA 59 M 2:22:19 2:23:37 1778 894 43 50.9%
6100 Jennifer Soares Bakersfield CA 27 F 2:22:46 2:24:16 1796 898 170 46.1%
4923 Ed Murphy Bakersfield CA 41 M 2:22:59 2:23:57 1809 901 124 43.5%
4455 Marian Kramer Bakersfield CA 28 F 2:24:47 2:26:17 1889 969 181 45.5%
4351 Marilyn Johnson Bakersfield CA 61 F 2:26:48 2:28:00 1961 1024 13 60.7%
3885 Marvis Friesen Bakersfield CA 63 F 2:26:55 2:31:48 1968 1030 14 62.5%
5135 Mindy Perlman Bakersfield CA 34 F 2:29:25 2:30:28 2053 1095 211 44.4%
3646 Stacy Davis Bakersfield CA 31 F 2:29:25 2:30:29 2054 1096 212 44.1%
5701 Sarah Strahan Bakersfield CA 24 F 2:41:21 2:42:51 2420 1369 128 40.8%
3734 Claudia Duran Bakersfield CA 36 F 2:47:14 2:48:18 2547 1470 268 40%
3598 Cece Cross Bakersfield CA 46 F 2:50:48 2:52:27 2643 1549 152 42.7%
4131 Yiota Harrelson Bakersfield CA 36 F 2:52:06 2:53:01 2661 1564 281 38.9%
3632 Paula Darr Bakersfield CA 56 F 2:53:45 2:55:04 2700 1598 48 47.8%
6183 Richard Garrett Bakersfield CA 51 M 3:03:46 3:10:11 2863 1132 96 36.7%
4910 Harpreet Muhar Bakersfield CA 31 F 3:08:24 3:10:13 2932 1786 339 35%
4294 Angela Iacopetti Bakersfield CA 42 F 3:19:32 3:20:27 3069 1896 236 35%
3867 Aaron Fournier Bakersfield CA 39 M 3:41:45 3:43:02 3236 1199 194 27.6%
3868 Vanessa Fournier Bakersfield CA 27 F 3:41:45 3:43:02 3237 2038 370 29.7%

Bib FName LName City State Age Sex ChipTime ClockTime Overall SexPl DivPl AgeGrade
5878 Frank Velasquez Lamont CA 56 M 2:14:36 2:15:01 1436 777 37 52.4%
5877 Evelyn Velasquez Lamont CA 53 F 2:22:49 2:23:15 1801 903 38 55.8%














5418 Natalie Ryan Fresno CA 23 F 2:28:17 2:30:36 2013 1063 99 44.4%
5421 Thomas Ryan Caliente CA 46 M 2:28:20 2:30:36 2017 953 104 43.6%
5419 Sandra Ryan Caliente CA 49 F 3:23:25 3:25:41 3115 1936

My Two Cities Experience:

Because I traveled so much to Fresno, when I coached cross country and track at Bakersfield High, I never really considered running this event. After doing the drive so many times, I could not see myself driving there for a marathon.

But this summer I got an odd email from the race directors. They asked me what the password was for the facebook page I made for their race last year. They thought it was their page. Anyways I gave them the page and they gave me an entry, so I figured I would run the race and I am glad I did.

I still hate the drive but the race is worth it because of amenities they give you and the great volunteers. Plus the race is a nice change of pace from the mega field races that I have been running at lately. The race let me pick up my number the morning of the event which was really nice too.

My day started at around 4am and when I headed to Fresno, despite the threat of rain and a really sore right leg. All the way I worried if my leg would hold up and if i would stay dry. Running in the rain in San Francisco was cool but Fresno not so much. Fortunately for me, I stayed dry and the leg did not bother me at all.

I got to Fresno a little before 6am and parked right near the start and watched the 50kers start before I went and got my race bib. There I got a nice hat and a tech shirt along with my bib and the timer chip. By now it was 6:30am and there was not that many around. It was so weird to be at a marathon with so many porta potties available. In fact during the race, they was always a free one available. So all you runners who need to make pit-stops might consider doing the Fresno Marathon.

At 6:45am I decided to go to the start line and was amazed how few of us were there. There ended up being 741 finishers but honestly, I felt I was running the BTC half marathon. Of course once I got going I really felt like I was on a fully supported training run because there were very few penguins out there.

Now my goal was to break 5:30 and maybe even try to run sub 12 minute pace the whole way. I knew the course would be fast because Fresno is pretty flat and the weather was going to be cool. But then I saw Jessica standing alone in our corral and asked her if she had run this race before.

That question changed my plans for the better and made my Fresno experience a lot better. She said this was her first marathon and the longest she had ever run was 12 miles. She was a Fresno State student and the plan had been for others to join her but they all bailed on her but she was determined to break 6 hours (so she could get the medal and the finisher's sweatshirt) and finish with a smile on her face.

Then the coach in me offered my pointers on achieving those goals. I told her to do the walk/run strategy and to go out easy and just keep moving forward no matter what. Plus she needed to keep hydrated and fueled up. Fortunately she had read Galloway's book and was familiar with some of the ideas I was suggesting. Then she asked me if she could tag along with me and i said that was great.

So the gun went off and in a few minutes we were basically on a training run together. There was no one around us for the most part. We kept to a one minute walk / four minute run pattern for most of the race and started our back and forth with a couple other runners. Throughout the day we caught and past and then got past the "Disney Girls. These two had their 5th year anniversary Disney half shirts on and gave us something to focus on.

The course was flat and went the same way for miles at times. The first part ran through a real nice upscale neighborhood before we got on the bike path to head to the quaint downtown Clovis. While we were on the bike path heading to Clovis the first 50kers ran by us and I high fived Ultra Man Dean Karnazes.

Then a little later I high fived Bakersfield speedster Chris Rodriquez who ran 3:10 (The fastest Bakersfield time of the day.) and Kayley Tobin (4:00) who was the second fastest Bakersfield women of the day. Kathyrn Turner was the fastest Bakersfield women of the day in a time of 3:33. Their bike path is a lot nicer then our bike path and the numerous tunnels offered some relief from the flatness of the path.

Finally we made it to old town Clovis which is a nice little city. As we moved along Jessica said they we were going to pass her favorite bar and so we stopped for a quick photo shoot. we were averaging 12:15 miles with our 1/4 pattern and for the most part it felt easy. We past the time chatting about running, college and family which helped take our minds off of how far we had to go and how lonely we were out there.

Now every aid station had tons of volunteers (usually 20 for the two of us) but there were not many spectators out there and few fellow runners. One group of spectators that we were grateful for where Alexis's fans. She was behind us and they were at four or five locations throughout cheering on all of us. They had matching shirts with each letter of Alexis's name on their shirts.

Plus we had the Disney Girls to pursue. As we headed back to Woodward park, I found out we were not going towards Fresno for the last ten miles instead we were heading out into the hills that looked like the area around Hart Park. We were going out and back for 5 miles on road that had two lanes one way and two lanes the other way. Our side of the road was very desolate while the other side had a lot of half marathons finishing the final miles of their race.

We were three and a half hours into our race and they were three hours into their run (I later found out that they started at 7:20 instead of 7:30 due to an error by the timing people). Jessica and I now wished they were on our side of the road so we would have some company and someone to focus on. Instead we just saw a lot of tired slow moving people, which was hard for me to see (I am a veteran marathoner) and must have been really hard on her because we had already run 4 miles further then she had ever run in her life.

We were still in the 12 minute range but our average was creeping slowly to 12:30 pace and I knew my sub 5:30 was in jeopardy. I knew coming back was going to be lonely and hard especially because it was slightly uphill and the road was slanted. By now we had to focus a lot more on moving forward and neither had the energy to talk much. The minute walk seemed shorter and shorter too.

After awhile we ran out of halfers and started to see more marathoners and 50kers and they did not look good either. These were the 4 hour to 5 hour runners and many were moving slowly and/or walking even slower. soon we found out why because the course started going downhill after mile 20. We were hoping to see the turn around but it was obscured by the curve of the road. This main hill was about as steep as the longer section of the Bakersfield Distance Project's Dump Run which after 20 miles of runing is not fun to run down.

As we were going down it, we noticed that everyone in front of us was walking up it. jessica asked me a couple time if we too could walk up it and I said we will see. She was still moving along well but her right hip was starting to bother her more and more. I was impressed that she kept up our relentless 1/4 strategy for so long. For never running more then 12 miles in her life she was doing quite well and we were passing people along the way.

Often at this point in the race, I am the fastest moving thing around because of all the miles I train and the marathon plus long walks I do before races. Few catch me in the last miles of a race and the ones I pass can not stay with me either but her was this college girl in her first marathon of her life running along with me. A few out there said I was lucky to have her pulling me along and there were a few times that I thought she would leave me.

Once we did the turn around we were relieved to be heading back to the finish but were dreading the HILL. we took some aid at the bottom and ran for awhile until we caught the Disney Girls. Then we walked and our current mile pace was in the fourteens and going higher. The one thing both of us noticed was that they hill was not as bad as it looked when we saw the faster runners walking up it. In fact as it flattened out we went back to the 1/4.

At around mile 22 though both of us started to feel sick to our stomachs at the same time. I expect this feeling but still hate it and get discouraged by it. I can not imagine how Jessica felt, we are so close to the finish but she is starting to feel ill and I know how that can lead to barely making it to the finish. The good thing was the road was flatter and going slightly downhill but the canter on it was ugly. Plus the new asphalt disappeared and the old road was hard.

I could feel every step and it felt like I was running on concrete. Amazingly we were moving faster then our average pace of around 12:30and we were catching some pretty fit and experienced marathoners and 50kers. No one was catching is btw. But now when we took our walk breaks I noticed that Jessica was having a hard time running again. Her hip was hurting and the hardest and the slant of the road were not helping.

We did a couple more 1/4 cycles until we got to mile 24. Then Jessica said she could not run any more. I knew this time would come but I hoped that we were close enough for her to stay with me for the rest of the way. But she instinctively knew that she needed to back off to insure that she finished or did not slow done to a crawl and not make her 6 hour goal. At this point I was hurting but felt I could break 5:30 if I kept to the 12 minute miles plus I really wanted to get the thing over.

So I told her to keep moving forward as best she could and try running 30 steps at a time if she could. Then I put on my headphones and cranked up my Above & Beyond "Trance Around The World" podcast and started chasing down my fellow marathoners. Trying to wog 12 minute miles was hard but I knew I could get that sub 5:30 if I did it. As I struggled down that long road, it started to sprinkle a bit and there were more spectators.

Now I have the trance music blasting and can not hear them but I high five as many as I can and am driven on by them. It is surreal running to this music and seeing people clapping and urging you on in silence. Finally we got off that awful road and turned right and head up hill to where the start was. I knew the final bit was slightly uphill from all those times I have gone here for cross country meets and now I was going to find out how hard it was for all those high schoolers to finish at Woodward.

I entered the entrance of the park and it is where the the high school 5k heads uphill for the final half mile of the course. Now there are barriers keeping the crowd of the course but most of the crowd is just heading to the cars and not paying attention to us slow finishers. At this point i sensed someone coming up on me despite my loud music blaring in my ears.

For a moment I hoped it was Jessica because since I left her, I had not looked back. But I knew her leg was bad and that it must be someone else. It turned out to be an lady about my age who I had past at mile 25 and I thought good job. Usually no one catches me this late in a marathon. But I at the 26 mile sign there was a slight hill and she almost stopped dead in hear tracks. I past her and got to finish by myself in 5:28:39.

My mission was complete and I got one of my goals. Then the wait began for Jessica, as I waited I saw many happy finishers and even saw a finisher propose to his girlfriend when she finished. She said yes btw. What made it hard looking for Jessica was that she was wearing the race shirt and a hat with black capris and it seemed like every other woman was wearing that uniform. In fact, the Disney Girls were wearing their blue Disney shirts that looked like the Fresno shirts and had hats and black shorts on.

Then I saw her and she had a big smile on her face and broke 5:40 for her first marathon! I was just as proud of her as her dad and her friends were at the finish line.
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