Yes, Ted co-founded the race as a fundraiser for a specific cancer-related charity. He had cancer at the time. It went away, then it came back... and he died last July.
I had a poor race and didn't really enjoy it. Wenatchee is pretty and the weather was awesome Saturday, but the out-and-back 10k up front with a bunch of 10k walkers (many of which were walking as teams, 3 and 5-wide both directions... then there were the team spectators who thought it was ok to *stand in the middle of the not-wide path* waiting for their walkers to come by) really beat me down and made me grumpy. Didn't recover from that.
I registered a couple months before the race and paid over $100. I'm glad that money goes toward a good cause, but in no way should that race cost three figures.
I saw Dave right after the start and yelled, but you didn't hear me :-).
Sorry about the DNF Michael. You looked really strong when I saw you.
Wow, Mariposa, you did great!
Marathon Maniac #957
Mariposai - 2 hours’ drive, and that’s your home race? What lovely scenery, though. I would certainly drive 2 hours to run there, and even more if I could run with you. Congratulations on your 20-minute PR, and on a hilly course, too – and heck yes that is relevant! Great job!
Divechief – sounds like a smart move changing to the half if your winter training has been lacking, and 2:08 is still a respectable time. Glad that you got to get to the sunny side for a day, and to meet up with friends.
Rassmussen – bummer! I have been watching your training and was hoping to see a great race for you today, but, as you already know, sometimes months of great training can get derailed by the smallest (seemingly) things. How many times I have tripped over pavement cracks or holes in the road and thought to myself, “all it takes is something like that to snap an ankle.” Sorry you had a DNF, but it definitely sounds like the right choice. Hopefully it will clear up quickly and you can still take this training to another race soon. Tough day for Runnrwife, too. Tummy issues certainly take the fun out of the race.
StevieRay - sorry you didn't have a great day, either. Those walkers with poor race etiquette annoy the heck out of me, too. And in races where I run across them near the end of the race, when I'm too tired to weave around them (usually HM walkers converging on marathon finishers), I admit that I just want to carry a switch and start swatting at them.....
Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, "Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapenos."
Sorry there were some meet-up problems.
Mari - glad your "other" son pulled through for you. The adrenaline probably spurred you on! Great race. Love the graph - clearly an out and back. Those hills don't look too bad, I was wondering which is hillier, for anyone how has run both, Mercer Island half or Wenatchee?
Dive - sounded like some nice sunshine at an enjoyable pace. Glad the sun has finally arrived here, on the wet side of the mountains. Let me know how the bourbon chicken goes....it is next on my list.
Mike - wow, that sucks. But I was extremely impressed that you have run so many marathons without a DNF. That says a lot. I hope the parts all heal up quickly.
srlopez - bloody walkers, in their own little world aren't they? You'd think the RD could give them some specific instructions prior to the race, but it probably wouldn't make a difference.
"During a marathon, I run about two-thirds of the time. That's plenty." - Margaret Davis, 85 Ed Whitlock regarding his 2:54:48 marathon at age 73, "That was a good day. It was never a struggle."
There were some nice meetings. mari, congrats on your PR. dive, good job. rasmussenmp, sorry about the DNF but you were wise. sr, bummer about the walkers but you still got 'er done.
TomS