This last winter was extremely mild here in northeast Ohio. It was so mild, it allowed me to run outside most of the winter, with the unusual result that I was in half-marathon shape (able to run 13-14 miles) coming out of February. I was pleased by that.

Meanwhile, someone posted a small poster at school suggesting that runners could run the Cleveland Marathon in late May as a way to support Don Lichi, the husband of one of our school’s Spanish teachers, and formerly an avid long-distance runner until he was diagnosed with spinal cancer last fall. The sign caught my attention because I was actually in a place in my training where I could contemplate running a May marathon. I still was not sure, but kept thinking about it. Then, a few weeks later, the wife of one of our Bible teachers was diagnosed with cancer. I had also been praying some time for the daughter of another colleague, a CVCA graduate who had undergone several months of chemotherapy, and was now facing twelve to sixteen months of intense physical rehabilitation to learn to walk again.

So, I now had the possibility to run to support three people with strong ties to CVCA. That was too hard to ignore, so in late March, I e-mailed CVCA’s staff and some of my relatives to let them know I was going to run the Cleveland Marathon as a fundraiser for these three families. I also offered to bake desserts as an additional fundraiser for people if they preferred that method of support. In all, about $1,800 of pledges came in, so I was pretty well committed.

Last Sunday was the day of the race. I asked Mer not to come, since the Cleveland Marathon is shaped like a bow-tie or a figure eight, and as such is not a great spectator marathon. The key to good spectator marathons is easy access to different parts of the course, and with a bow-tie course, it’s hard to get from point to point because there are no shortcuts for spectators to take. I got up at 4:00 am, and was heading toward Cleveland at about 4:45. I parked the car around 5:15 about a mile from Browns Stadium, where the start line was, so that I could be assured of being able to leave after the marathon without being stuck in marathon traffic.

The pre-race was about bathrooms and battling nerves. The nerves made me want to use the bathroom a lot. Even though this was my tenth attempt at a marathon, I still get nervous for the race. The football stadium was open for bathroom use, and that was cool, as I got to see the inside the place, including getting to look down on the field. Outside the stadium, I lined up for the race around 6:30 as suggested, but I stayed seated on a curb to keep my legs fresh until pretty close to 7:00. The wheelchair division took off around 6:50, and we finally got underway at 7:00.

The day was already warm, and was going to get hot. The starting temperature was near 70, and there were no clouds to speak of. That was unfortunate, but there was nothing to be done except to drink a lot and pay attention to my body. The first two miles of the race were pretty crowded, as is the case in most big-city marathons I have run. The race started west and ran past a bluff over looking a pretty beach, and then we ran through a very swanky neighborhood. That was followed by some middle-class neighborhoods before coming back into the city across a long bridge that afforded a grand view of the skyline, which was hazy at this point (about 8:30 am). People were beginning to suffer from heat exhaustion, and from about mile ten onward, I heard many sirens. I kept drinking two or three cups of liquid at every water stop.

The half marathon split off from the full marathon downtown, for them to finish, and for us to slog on for another fourteen miles. It was just past the theater district when my favorite moment happened – I was running past a large church, and the doors were open. There was an amazing gospel singer’s voice pouring out onto the street. In front of the church were two priests in full formal vestments, cheering us on and sprinkling us with holy water. That made me smile for quite some time.

I was running well and on a good pace through miles fifteen and sixteen, but I could feel myself getting hotter. Finally, at about 17.5 miles, I started getting a few light chills, which is a sign of heat exhaustion. I did a rare (for me) smart thing and listened to my body. I decided to walk to the next water station, over a mile away, in an effort to let my body cool down. It was disappointing – I don’t like to walk during races, but it was not going to do anyone any good if I could not finish the race.

At least I had a pretty place to walk. Leaving the city was a bit tough; it was a three-mile straightaway of warehouses and offices and such, running right into the sun. At mile 17, the course turned north, and for three wonderful miles the road wended through a beautiful park, full of sculptures donated by other countries. It was lovely, and made the walking easier.

I did start running again around mile 19, and the route turned west again at mile 20, where it ran on a footpath along the lake. I was thrilled. Being that close to Lake Erie made the air a little cooler, and it was pretty. Sadly, it did not last. At mile 21, the course turned south, back into warehouses and such. The last five miles were rough. It was getting hotter, the crowd all but disappeared, and there was very little to look at. I had to walk several times from mile 22 to mile 25, but never so long as my first walk. I’m guessing that I walked 2.5 miles total for the race.

The finish was nice. The course took me downtown again, and then turned north toward the lake. The crowds packed the streets, cheering madly. The last half mile or so was all a slight downhill, so that made for a strong finish, even after such a long race. I was very glad to have finished.

I put in my third best race out of nine finishes. My best race ever was 3:28, but I knew that a repeat of that time was not likely, given the heat. I had hoped for a sub-3:45, but I finished at 3:50:11, with which I was happy enough. More importantly, I had finished the race, so I had maximized the money I had raised, which was largely pledged on a per-mile basis.

I walked back to the car after a couple of false starts that got me trapped by the marathon course. I had told Mer I would be home about 12:30, and I got home about 12:00. She had already looked up my time, so at least she knew I had finished.

We did go to a graduation party later in the day, but I’m afraid I was not much company. The party was inside because of the heat, and the house was very crowded, so I found a seat and pretty much stuck it out there. Mer made up for my social deficiencies, which was a good thing.

My stats from the race are:
26.2 miles
3:50:11
8:47/mile pace
Finished 511 out of 2634 finishers (top 20%)
Finished 406 out of 1597 men (top 26%)
Finished 64 out of 249 men ages 40-44 (top 26%)

First half: 1:46:31  — that pace would have been a 3:33:02 marathon if I could have held it.