"The gun
goes off; 14 seconds later I cross the starting line. The Kenyans are
already out of sight. I look behind me, a sea of people of which I can't see the
end. The 2 million spectators are screaming on the chilly 33 degree
Chicago downtown morning. My heart rate is going crazy, as I begin my
long journey of a race 26.2 miles."
Matt Aguero
Matt Aguero is no stranger to the marathon. He started at
almost the very front of a 48,000 registered race because he has mastered the
run! Matt graduated from Poteau High in 1999, and
then went on to run at ECO in Ada on a college scholarship. Currently he
is a cross-country coach at Cameron University. He has built a program
from the ground up and still finds time to train as much as the elite marathoners.
His resume of races and achievements are quite incredible! In
Chicago he didn't run a Personal Record (PR), but he did come in 100th place
with a time of 2:33:19. That is an amazing 5:50 seconds per mile pace.
He was running with some of the universe's greatest athletes and was
taking it all in.
"I felt my hair stand up my arms 6 or 7
times during the race from the enthusiasm of the crowds of people!"
The news stations in Chicago stated that 2 million spectators came out to
watch the marathoners as the city of Chicago was nearly shut down for the race.
Matt and two other fellow hometown Poteau men
made the journey to the Chicago October 11th Marathon, Matt Aguero, 28, Jeff
Fesperman 27, and Josh Snyder 27. When I
thought about training for my first marathon I didn't know where to start.
Then I heard the rumors of a Local Marathon Master, Tom Brennan. He
is a great husband, father, teacher, and trainer to me! He has ran more
marathons than probably all of us combined in the local area. "I
just run because I love to run. Win, lose, hurt, emotion, weather, you just
take in the moment and enjoy it while you can”. That is what he has shown
a lot of us in this local area.
Josh Snyder is a hometown
Poteau boy, USA! “I was worried about which
train to take to get to the start of the race in such a big city. But
when I walked out the door at 6:30am my worry of getting lost was gone because
I just followed the crowd. It was like a herd of cattle heading to a
feeding, but we weren't about to eat. We were about to burn around 4,000
calories during the time of the race!
And that wasn’t counting the mile and half we walked to the start and then
back again to the hotel after the race.” When we got to the race, the guys and gals
that are new to the marathon start in the back of the pack. Jeff (Fesperman) and I made our way to the
front of the open corral and when the gun sounded a crowd of 15,000 people
behind us cheered and screamed, but we didn't move. It took four minutes for
Jeff and I to get to the starting line, because there were still 20,000 people
in front of us. Out of the 48,000 registered for the race, 35,000 made it
out to the start of race that cold 33 degree morning. I can't explain the
crowds of people, from the runners to onlookers cheering you on. It is
just one of those things that you just have to experience.
Josh’s
personal goal was to run under a 3:10:59. If I were to run a 3:11, one
second more, I would not qualify for the famously elite Boston Marathon of which
Matt and Tom already have plans to run in in April. I would love to go with them but run and not
just watch the race! So I took on a great pace to catch a pace group
3:10. Nike had 10 guys with shirts and
signs that said 3:10 and paved the way for us fresh to the marathon. When
I finally caught my group at mile 8, I had about 4 minutes in the bank, so I
knew if I could stay with them I would make it, and what an amazing pace group
to run with. Everyone that has been around the marathon knows about Boston,
and they seemed to cheer our large group on because everyone would yell,
"Boston or Bust" "All the way to Boston" "You
guys can do it". It was just the encouragement I needed.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I thought I could make it. But I
had never put my body to these limits. When I got to mile 16 I felt great
and I just knew I was going to make it. When I got to mile 21 I wasn't
looking around at the city to much anymore, I was looking down and looking at
my pace group. I occasionally looked up
to see the skyscrapers of Chicago. Talk about amazing! The crowds grew larger
and the screams got louder as we approached the finish. I stayed with the 3:10 pace group and finished
up with a time of 3:06:47, a 7:07 mile pace. I was so glad to cross the line!
I wished I could hug my wife but it took 30 minutes later to get to the reunion
area to find her, and then she didn't know if I had made it. I then thought
about Jeff, curious to see him and his results, but I was too tired to try to
find him!
Jeff native to Poteau,
started running about 6 months ago. He said then he was going to run a
marathon, and that he was registered for Chicago, and I responded, "Are
you nuts?" He has some family in Michigan and makes an occasional trip to
Chicago and absolutely loves the city, the lights, the buildings, the history,
the pizza, the CUBS, and the muffin shop (Sugar Bliss). This was Jeff's
first marathon. Josh says he can
remember the nerves, and remember thinking can I make it that far, will my body
take it? But he kept a great cool about him even though I know he was
nervous. The people and crowds help take that away, almost like your feeding
off of their energy and excitement! Jeff
started beside me and wanted to jump up with the 3:30 pace group. His
original goal was to finish in less than
4 hours, so it was great for him to set high goal of a 3:30 first marathon.
He went out even faster than that, with a half pace of a 2:24 marathon.
After so many miles 18 to 20 start to hit you like a ton of bricks.
He said, "my favorite part of the race was when we turned the corner
into Chinatown and the crowd was going nuts, and there were so many people on
that mile stretch!" That was a fast
mile for everyone to feel that energy! He still kept a great pace
finishing up with a 3:35:46 an 8:16 mile pace. He is an amazing athlete
and I know he has enjoyed proving many wrong about how far he can run and how
fast he can do it! He is hooked and ready to run another one!
As for Tom, Matt, and Josh,
we are making plans to go to Boston in April. We’re raising money,
saving, and putting some back to get there for the next great experience.
I write this story not to boast about my achievements as I got 1050th
place! There is always someone faster! I write this to encourage
others to get out and enjoy our area. It is so beautiful and running has
made me see that and brought me more energy, better health, and a positive attitude
about life! We are all so thankful that God is alive and has given us the
ability to enjoy this life to the fullest! Registering for a race will get you
up off the couch and living STRONG! Tom puts on a great race November
14th, 2009. World’s Highest Hill 5 Miler, so register now and come out and run,
walk, or crawl up the hill with us! http://www.tatur.org/whh5m.html Worlds Highest Hill Link.
