Pace was a little slower than I would have expected, especially on the first loop based on my HR and perceived exertion. Got caught in a very slow crowd touring the forest at mile 9-10; broke free on creek crossing and tried to pick it up. Still took 2:20 for the first half marathon, which I was very surprised by; I was figuring 2:00-2:10. Felt really good from miles 10-17, started to have some pretty hard cramping in my thighs but ran through it. Felt really good up again till mile 22 or so; then hit the hard single track before the last creek crossing. Lots of walking up the steep parts; pretty painful over all the logs, etc. Crossed the creek for the last 3-3.5 ran for a bit and felt OK. After that though, I fell apart. Guess I didn't anticipate the mental collapse that would come with hitting the wall; probably took 35 - 40 minutes for that part of the race. At this poit though I would have crawled across the line. I did make it across the line standing up and running; I accomplished my goal of my first marathon on a beautiful, but tough course.

3 things - (1) be more aggressive with my pace in spots to ensure not getting caught on the tight sections (limited by my lack of course knowledge); (2) do more long runs; I chose to do this race about 6 weeks out, and only got in two runs over 15 miles which contributed to my implosion at the end; (3) research and figure out how to address the cramping issues I've experienced in long races - I had salt crystals on my face and salt lines on my singlet

Walked around; got off my muddy wet shoes, called the boss to tell her I was alive. Ate like there was no tomorrow.


The course contributed to everyone's slower pace. But in the end, overall marathon fitness was my downfall. After checking the final results, there were only 5 people under 4 hours so I feelpretty good about things.


This was a great experience; I always feel good after a trail run. The course was well marked, although a few people made wrong turns (including yours truly, who was saved by some boy scouts camping). I would definitely do this race again, or try to conquer the Triple Crown - half, 10k, and 5k all in one morning. Only suggestion I would have is to man the street crossings/water stops (at least the end ones) for another half hour to hour to accommodate more marathon fools. However, the change to self-serve at noon was clearly published.

This race was a blast in terms of the course, the natural beauty of the area, and the nice people running it. It was for a good cause as well. John Mac, you did a great job.