SUMMARY.

I love oysters.
I love marathons.
The Newport Oregon Marathon has both, plus goddesses galore.

STATS

A.  Marathon
 a.  Miles - 26.2
 b.  Time - 6:39:58 (target - 6:40:00)
B.  Oysters
 a.  Total - 102 (target 134)
 b .  Time - 15:58
C.  Net time: 4:57:58 (gun time minus one min/oyster)

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The Newport Marathon has been on my wish list since the 2003 St. Patrick’s Day Marathon south of Olympia. 

It was to be an experiment in running 26.2 miles solely on water.  By mile 18, I was light-headed, wobbling/weaving and trying to hitch hike back to the start.  Then the then-RD of the Newport Marathon caught up and said, “try these glucose tablets.”  They worked so well and I was running so well at the finish it became a successful experiment in glucose instead of water.  She's been the Newport Angel ever since.  thank you debbie.

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Unfortunately, with Newport’s participant cutoff (800 this year), running there’d mean preempting local entrants and more competitive runners for the sake of 26.2 miles of exercise I could get at any of several more local marathons in the Seattle area every June.  However, when boomer boards' goddesses made Newport a mini-reunion run this year, I signed up right away.

;

It was the right choice weatherwise, runningwise, and oysterwise.
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In fact, everyone met or exceeded their expectations from mikemp’s now almost automatic 3:30 to PR’s for econo, tammy and friend laura, plus perfect splits for the carefree dove not even looking at a watch as she and divechief ran for the sake of future goals.  Though Opie announced a PR attempt too, it turned out he was just sandbagging to run with the goddesses as much as possible, . . . as if being the only guy staying with three of them in an oceanside condo wasn’t enough. 

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With my right knee being too sticky in the last year to run much any more, I started an hour early with the walkers and spent the first two hours extolling the virtures of oysters to a pharmacist from the University of Oregon Clinic, e.g. an appetizing, high-protein, low-fat, and low-cholesterol package of health loaded with an abundance of vitamin A and others plus several minerals (zinc, iron, calcium) essential to maintaining a strong immune system, wound healing, acute senses of taste and smell, improved physical performances, and necessary collagen and elastin fibers for preventing sagging and wrinkles.  The protein found in oysters is rich in the amino acid that helps regulate mood and adapt to stress.

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She also didn’t know that temperature, saline, pressure, etc. adjustments during early growth produces triploid (three chromosome) oysters that are firm and tasty seedless fruits of the sea all year long instead of just during the winter “r” months.  It's helped me over the years with the homemade oyster ramen that, I believe, had helped eliminated chronic calf cramping issues that were happening to me at the turn of the century.

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When Mikemp passed me around mile 8, I picked up the pace too and soon arrived at my main goal at the mile 11 oyster station in front of an 80 year old shuckery along scenic Yaquina Bay. Though Yaquinas usually average in the medium range, the oysterfest specimens were smaller around 1.5 - 2.0 inches, just right for the endless eating I’d remember from an earlier era all-you-can-eat oystery during a trip to New Orleans in college days.  .
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Except for a quick goddess greeting, Econo wasn’t about to stop for appetizers as she ran straight and tall with arms in perfect alignment to her PR.  Laura was strong at oyster number 20 and Tammy and Opie were talking too nonstop for anything other than a quickie greeting around oyster number 50.  Divechief stopped for one himself at number 70 that was so good he had another one. 

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I’d been planning 70 on the way out and 64 on the way back for every marathon I’ve done over the years since 1977.  However, they were so good, tangy and sweet that I couldn’t stop until number 100.  Even then I wanted to eat the rest but I’d already been there too long and wanted to save some for the way back when it would be mile 19.

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A photo op added one more just as Dove was coasting by during one of her “resting” phases.  It allowed a chance to run with her for almost two miles.  I tried the same oyster spiel on her as with the pharmacist but dove was one of a growing cadre of ultra-marathoners subsisting solely on a vegetarian diet.  "too bad," I thought but she is so svelt and pretty even after her 100K ultras that i wouldn't change anything either. 

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After the out-and-back turnaround at mile 15.5 along scenic Yaquina Bay, I anticipated 33 more Yaquina shooters at the oyster table now at mile 19.  However, when I got there, I just wasn’t that hungry any more.

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Gazing at the remaining nectars of the sea with a fixed and curious stare in the dim hope that my stomach would become hungry again, I heard, “you’re the new king, have another one too.”  I was introduced to Queen Brigette from a previous year.  I knew all about her from divechief who’d met her in the Portland Marathon (?) and found out she’d been an AG winner in the Seattle Marathon a couple of years ago.  When I asked what she was doing back in the five hour range, she just smiled and pointed at King Neptune’s little treasures.  A goddess after my own stomach.

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She forged ahead with her bicycling son alongside as the lonely miles inexorably urged my tired stomac, . . .

I mean legs on to the finish.

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As my heart started realizing the truth of a 134th miracle of 26.2 miles was about to happen again after all, it was a delightful surprise to see Divechief, Dove and Tammy waiting under a tall shade tree at mile 25.  Divechief is so nice nothing should surprise me any more but vegetarian Dove had the kind of hug that only oyster lovers can know and thanked me for encouraging her first shooter (at mile 19).  Somehow, she was shining even more when I found that out.

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It was almost a shock though to see Tammy ready to run again after her magnificent 30 minute PR, turning it into the same 28 mile mini-ultras sometimes run by the Marathon Maniac crowd around Lake Youngs in Maple Valley near Seattle.

With the Queen at the finish too, we couldn’t help thinking about a possible oyster couple’s record.  However, her University of Oregon doctor husband, who had just finished the marathon too, intervened to caution that he “wouldn’t recommend eating that many oysters.”  The Queen tossed her head and, laughing, reassured me that he used to say that about marathons too.

I hope as many boomer goddesses and guys will be there with us too if next year somehow works out.

ps (navigating to/from Newport) - I guess he’s okay but thanks to divechief’s electronic girlfriends stella and annette for not only getting us there (or at least close) but also for figuring out the sushi stop for lunch on the way down when the Subway they were recommending was nowhere in sight, . . . to say nothing of going back again for someone's glasses left on the counter.  At least it was someone else's running shorts that were never found..   And thanks to dove’s navigator Opie the Magnificant for somehow keeping us on the right road back to Portland in almost zero visibility during drenching rain showers. Glad I didn’t have to eat 102 oyster in that kind of downpour.  On the other hand, . . .

....why did I know

 the Pharmacist he was Extolling the Virtues To was gonna be a LADY Pharmacist?????

once again tet, I am in Awe.........and also EEEEEwwwwwweee

Great RR

 Dove had the kind of hug that only oyster lovers can know and thanked me for encouraging her first shooter (at mile 19).  Somehow, she was shining even more when I found that out.

Perfect.

You know, Tet, when you want to make sense, you really connect.

Great, great report.

Walt

I didn't know there were oysters .

This is better than Rhode Island, where you get a lobster at the finish.

I lurve oysters .

I even love the Gene Kelly/Rita Hayworth/Phil Silvers movie "Cover Girl" where the trio goes to their neighborhood bar in Brooklyn after the show every night and order "ersters" to look for "poils."    Rita's almost at the altar with some rich guy when Gene finally finds a poil so Phil runs to the wedding and hands the poil to the older rich guy (who almost married Rita's grandmother) who is giving her away and pleads with him to give it to her. 

Then, Gene is at the club alone putting chairs atop tables, sadly humming their song, "Long Ago and Far Away" when Rita appears in the doorway in her wedding dress, singing the lyrics with him.   Then of course, they dance.

<<<sigh>>>

What type of wine did you bring along to pair with the oysters?

regretfully,

A

As with oysters, you can never run enough marathons.......is that how it went?, that was hilarious!  Somehow I'm not surprised you weren't hungry on the return stretch.

And the wine, now that is a new twist, but hey, gonna eat oysters, better have wine.  You are one cool dude.

Where is number 135 gonna be?

alright - who wrote this for you Tet? There are paragraphs, punctuation and it reads like a story.

ahhh, the things people will do to eat free oysters! you are the King Tet. It's always such a joy to see you again and you definitely made this weekend a memorable one. My friend Laura felt the same. she was so glad to have met you. Too bad you had to leave so early on Sunday morning because I would have been up for some barefoot beach running. Another time though.

Here's a few pics.  I love this first one of Jon running on the beach and how I captured him in mid air stride:

his photo taken by the course photograper:

most of the gang in Newport: (divechief Econo Tet, WoodsLady, Dove, Opie, seated: rasmussenmp and his wife, Sue)