Marathons: Paul #25, Leah #15, State #10 : Pocatello Marathon 2013
31st August 2013, Pocatello, Idaho, USA
Finish Time = 3:50:44
Famous for their potatoes, as part of the packet pickup at the expo we had both been given a large bag of Idaho potatoes. We weren’t sure how we were going to get them into our carry-on luggage and onto the plane, but as long as no-one weighed our bags we probably would be okay.
We started the marathon in the dark at 6am, at 6,000 feet up in the mountains. They had fire pits with large fires burning and all the runners huddled around them to keep warm before the start. It was like a big camp site for runners. It was our first run as “Marathon Maniacs” after being eligible to join the club, so we managed to get in to the traditional picture they take before the start of each race.
We made our way to the start line and Leah sang the American National Anthem in front of the 500 runners to start the event. I was very proud. We had a great run and there were a lot of points on the course where we would be running on one side of the road with people turned around running back down the other side. This resulted in a lot of comradery with the other Maniacs, lots of shouting out to each other, and it was the perfect race to have as our first in the club. It felt like we were instantly part of a big family and definitely brought a new dimension to our running.
Potato Famine
When we packed up our bags to head to the airport, Leah decided to leave her bag of potatoes in the hotel room. I thought back to my Uncle’s wife’s Irish relations who maybe probably suffered through the Irish potato famine of 1845 and just couldn’t do it. Plus my Mum would never forgive me for leaving free food. So I crammed my bag of potatoes in my already full carry-on suitcase which pretty much tipped it over the edge on weight to the point where you can’t just throw it up in the overhead bin on the plane with a carefree look on your face. But I had an alibi; if anyone asked if I was okay while lifting my luggage I could refer to the pain of the marathon just run, rather than my hauling of Idaho potatoes back to Colorado.
Our first event as Marathon Maniacs
Elevation Graph from Running Watch
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