I was pacing Ruth Anne who wanted to attempt to qualify for Boston here. She needed a 3:50:59 or better and her previous best was 4:09. I was concerned with my ability to run more than a minute slower than my normal pace but that turned out OK. What got us was the wind. We faced a pretty good head wind going out and looked forward to a tail wind coming back. Instead, we discovered that it had been cross wind that was twice as strong coming back. It took a huge mental toll and worse we both cramped do to dehydration in the final 4 miles. She PR'd at 4:00:02 and is feeling OK about the race.

As the "pace manager" I should have realized the fluid requirements and actively increased water and Gatoraid consumption during the race. With the rolling hills, keeping an even pace was difficult but she had Boston up until mile 21 and couldn't maintain the pace with cramps.

Walking around the awards and bar-b-q area.


Cramps


I recommend this race to anyone looking for a small town marathon with great atmosphere and great organization.