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| Scotts Bluff |
I finally got to run the Monument Marathon in Scottsbluff/Gering Nebraska. A great event! Stellar scenery, superb organization, fantastic volunteers. If you like small marathons (102 finishers in the full, 315 in the half) in back roads locations this is the marathon for you!
The marathon started at a state park south of town where the visitors' center was open for us to lounge in, peruse the exhibits, use the facilities, and ooh-and-ahh over the wild turkeys poking around the building. After the National Anthem (sung beautifully by one of the runners), we headed north on the highway toward Gering where we wound through farm land and neighborhoods before turning west into the Scotts Bluff National Monument where we were treated to magnificent rock formations, signs of the Oregon Trail, and a course that meandered up and down hills and over packed dirt canal paths through Nebraska Badlands before coming back out into neighborhoods with a bit of zig zagging before pointing toward the finish.
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| About 18 miles into the Monument Marathon |
Hot temperatures (rising into the 80s) provided the biggest challenge of the day- and the organizers went above and beyond to make sure the runners were well-cared for. Aid stations had already been planned for every three miles - fully stocked with water, gatorade, gu., portapots and, further into the race, cut up bananas and oranges. Because of the heat, the race crew added water stations in between each of the pre-planned aid stations. As further demonstration of how much they cared for the runners, cyclists and cart drivers went back and forth along the course throughout the day asking each and every runner (staring right into our eyes) if we were o.k. Phenomenal! Early in the race, one of the cyclists came up alongside me and we got to chatting. I thanked her for being out there and said I was really impressed by the volunteers. She replied that every volunteer had to attend training where they learned the right and wrong ways to do their jobs. It really showed. Cups were offered perfectly. Course marshalls were explicit in their directions for where to cross, what direction to turn, which side of the road to run on. Truly impressive. And to top it off, every one of those highly trained volunteers was chock full of enthusiasm, cheering all of us on like we were the most amazing people on earth. What a boost!
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| Approaching the finish with Scotts Bluff in the background |
As the day went on and the temperatures climbed, two outstanding offerings were made. Around 21 miles, the aid station had a tub filled with ice water and a fellow with a frisbee ready to fill it up and dump the ice water down your back if you wanted it. Yes I did and oooh doggies that felt great! And at 23 miles (the beginning of the only truly shady mile on the course), the cup of gatorade I grabbed was not only my favorite flavor, but also was iced. The most delicious drink of the day! (After the race, I chatted with the woman I sat next to on the bus to the start and who finished a couple minutes ahead of me. She said that, for the first time in a race, she had eaten an orange slice out on the course - and that it was The Best Orange she had ever eaten in her life.) Yes, 'twas a tough day out there but I'd recommend this marathon to one and all. One-of-a-kind setting, exemplary organization.
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| The prize for 2nd place in my age - a framed photo of Scotts Bluff |
