Route 66 Tulsa Marathon
I woke up to 40 degree weather and I am
ready to run 26.2 miles in the rolling hills of Tulsa. Wind around 10 to
15 mph but compared to last year’s Tulsa Marathon, this weather was perfect!
Tom Brennan (high school
history teacher at Poteau High) saw me at the starting line and said,
"When I left Poteau it was 65 degrees, glad we are in Tulsa running in 40
degree weather." Coach Tim Hall of Poteau was standing in the
starting gate also and he said, "You ready to tear this race up?"
I told him I was pumped for the weather and was going to run as hard as I
could today. Coach Hall has been training harder than he has ever trained
and he also has been setting new Personal Record at every race that he has been
attending. About a month ago Coach Hall went to Chili Pepper 10k in
Fayetteville, AR and set a new PR (personal record) in the 10k. But not only
the 10k did he set a PR, he looked down at his 5k split and saw that he just
hit a new PR for the 5k during a 10k race. Coach Hall has been dreaming
of qualifying for Boston Marathon by running a sub 3:30 in the
Marathon. And that is what Tim Hall set out to do the cold morning of
Tulsa Marathon.
Tom Brennan on the other
hand has qualified countless times for Boston and veteran to running
and loves when the weather is cool and clean! He was chasing a top 5
finish and 1st in the Masters Division, what I like to call the "Old Man
Age Group." He doesn't train like most people do for a marathon he is
just ready to run fast almost anytime, anyplace, or anywhere.
He prefers a long run in the Forrest or an epic trail
race. Toms main reason he probably loves these epic long races is because
he dominates the competition in this area! Tom has taught many of us in this area that
yes we can run faster and further than we ever dreamed possible; but more
importantly, run to make yourself a better person!
It was starting to seem
really cold at the starting line with misty rain in the air. The national anthem started and my heart began
to speed up with knowing what I was about to try to do. I had been chasing a sub 3 hour marathon for
3 years now. And I am a realist, Tulsa
seemed to be to hilly and to windy to break 3 hours. I was going to go out at a pace that would
put me in reaching distance of 3 hours but not any faster. Tom on the other hand told me to get out
faster the first half and create some time in the bank. Most people seem to slow down the second half
of the race is probably why Tom is telling me to do this and he is right. Most of my previous races that I had done
well in I had slowed about 1 to 2 minutes slower on the second half of the
race. I like to think of the marathon as
running on the edge of a cliff. You are
trying to push as hard as you can without falling off the edge of this cliff
that most people call “The Wall,” if you push yourself faster than you can
handle to early you will find this Wall or edge of the cliff and then you are
done. Tom always says, “listen to your
body” Tulsa that day I was listening to
the wind blasting in my face on Riverside Drive mile 7. This is when I knew I was feeling pretty good
and I dropped in behind a 6 foot guy to let him break the wind. I also noticed 2 females were behind me
letting me block the wind for them. It
was 1st place female in the half marathon and 1st place
female in the marathon with 2nd place female shortly behind gaining
ground on us. We had a strong head wind
for about 4 miles on Riverside Drive before we turned up hill into Downtown
Tulsa. The half marathoners had turned
off to the finish and it was hard to tell what place I was in but I was racing
the clock and that is what I was trying to keep in mind. And in the mean time 1st and 2nd
place female were battling for the lead letting me take the wind for them. It was fun to watch. I told Maggie the female that was in 1st
place at the time that it was pretty normal for me to be racing the 1st
place female because Oklahoma City Marathon earlier in the year the helicopters
were over head at the end and I knew she was coming and I better hurry or she
was going to pass me. But this female
was much stronger and better trained, I thought at any moment she was going to
take off and leave me. It was one of the
perfect days that you dream about that you are just enjoying to run fast and
you know that you are going to have a great day.
As many of your know
Tulsa is rolling with hills, and that is what I was finding at mile 18 heading
up hill to TU campus. Our pace slowed a
little but the effort didn’t. I began to
wonder if I was going to fast up these hills and if I was going to find “The Wall”
at any moment. When reaching TU campus
it helped that it was beautiful but it had many turns that were also
frustrating because you really didn’t know which way to turn until you were
right up on the turn. At the beginning
of TU campus I looked back, runners normally never look back unless they were
worried about slowing down. I looked for alternative motives, I wanted to see
where second place female was at, hadn’t seen her since mile 18 and we were at
mile 21. When I looked back she was
right there, I was surprised and I thought she was going to gain on us to make
a run at first place. After TU campus
someone said we were in 15th place, this is hard to listen to
someone on the side cheering for you because there were many relay guys that
were ahead me and they could be counting them or they could be off of that
number and I could be further back than that.
It was easy for Maggie Nelson because she was the first female and
everyone was cheering for her, “Go First Place Female.”
Me and Tim were doing a
training run a few weeks ago talking about the course and he seemed to know
Tulsa area better than I did. He said,
“Yeah when we get to TU you at mile 20 it should be downhill to the finish at
mile 26.” Tim was running a 7:45 pace
for the 1st half of the race a little time in the bank getting ready
for the second half. He was sitting
perfect for hitting a sub 3:30 marathon.
Meanwhile his son Nico Hall was sitting at the finish line because he
had finished the half marathon in 1:27:38 that is a 6:41 pace. I am pretty sure this is the fastest half
marathon ran by a Poteau High student ever, getting 4th overall in
his age group 21st place overall.
I saw Nico for the first 3 miles he ran with me, then he began to rush
the pace and I said, “Go get em.” I saw
him the entire race ahead of me and he ran a smart race that I am very proud to
see him run this well at this distance!
And I know a lot of runners are excited to see what he does next year
for the Poteau XC team!
Coach Tim Hall would go
on to finish the marathon in 3:40:28 this is a 8:25 pace and I must say is
amazing! I hope I can run this when I am
his age! I haven’t heard from him when
and where he fell off his goal pace. I do know that he is going to come back
and try again for a Boston Qualifier and I hope I am at the finish line to
cheer him on when he does it. You
inspire me a leader, and I know the XC Team couldn’t have a better coach that
leads by example as a man and coach!
I am not sure on what
goal time Tom had set out to run. I ask
him at the beginning of this race if he was going for a PR and he said, “Are
you kidding me with this wind!” Brennan
you never know, but I do know running with him over the past few years that he
has many more amazing days than does bad.
Tom went out just where he had planned and hit the half marathon mark
just about perfect. He said the wind was
tough downtown because he kept thinking were done with the wind. Aside from that section he ran a perfect race
on into the finish. Tom didn’t know what
place he had crossed the finish line but knew he was pretty close to the top
finishers. He had passed several guys
the second half of the race and said, “I didn’t like the hill at mile 25 but
the rest of them were not all that bad.”
Tom called me after the race and said he was leaving the race because he
was getting cold. I told him to turn
around and head back because there were about to do the awards ceremony. They called his name for 1st place
Masters Division. They only gave out 2
trophies from stage, one for 1st place man and one for 1st
place Masters. Tom finished the marathon
in 2:48:49 that is a 6:27 pace and he finished 6th overall. Not his fastest marathon, but he was very
happy with the race that day!
So I am at mile 23 when
I see 8 police motorcycles heading right at us.
This had meant first place guy was already finished and he was fast, and
also meant they were there to take 1st place female to the
finish. I said to Maggie, “the Calvary
is coming for you, and you better give me some of that 1st place
adrenaline,” and I also said “stay relaxed and you got this.” When I said this to her I was thinking this
is what I needed to do is stay relaxed!
She started pushing the pace and was great if you could hold it. Then I
see a hill at mile 24 and we are steadily passing more male marathoners with
are up tempo finish. I almost fell off
pace on the last hill at mile 25 that Tom was hating on, but I thought I have
ran 21 miles with this pace I need to just tough it out. And when we reached the last half mile to go
the motorcycles started the sirens and we both took off to the finish. I saw my wife on the last turn and she was
screaming like crazy for me! And we finished the marathon side by side as she
crossed the tape and ducked off to the side.
I will never finish first in a marathon but that day I had a good adrenaline
of what it would feel like to finish first and it was amazing to be a part of
Maggie’s first place marathon run. I
also set almost a 5 minute PR by running a 2:57:04 and placing 10th
overall.
Oklahoma has some of the
best weather for running in the winter in the United States. So start that new year’s resolution today by
finding a trail or a route to run on and getting some time on your feet
walking, jogging or running. Sign up
for a 5k, 10k, ½ marathon, marathon, or
Triathlon today! You have to train at an
enjoyable pace and get in a habit of it and you will live a healthier future!
