PITPIF Does It Again – Grandma’s 2002 by Duncan Stewart

If you have a hankering for a marathon in June, you certainly won’t find one in Texas. Do what lots of other folks do – head north! I went all the way to Duluth, Minnesota. Land of 10,000 lakes and home to Grandma’s Marathon, a scenic point-to-point course along the shores of Lake Superior. Of course, any time you have to travel you might have delays, and this trip was no exception. Despite arriving at the airport before 7 am, I didn’t take off from DFW until after 3:30 that afternoon, due to bad weather in Minneapolis. It’s a good thing I brought a lot of reading material! After an uneventful flight, I rented a car for the 2 ½ hour drive to Duluth. Luckily for me the expo was open late, because I didn’t get there until 8:30 pm. After getting some dinner, then to the hotel, and laying out my gear, it wasn’t until 11:30 before I got to bed. Later than I had planned, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.

Early the next morning I boarded the bus for the ride out to the start. We got out there in plenty of time, which was fine by me. They give you a bag to put your extra stuff in which they then take to the finish area, so I just hung out for awhile in my sweats. Did a mile or so of warm-up right amongst the invited runners, which was pretty cool. It was a good day for a marathon – temperature in the 50’s and overcast. Then it was time to line up. They don’t have corrals, just signs with various finishing times. I was hoping to run 2:55 or so, but seeded myself at the 2:30 sign, based on how fast the other runners there looked. As soon as I tore off my trash bag, the announcer said the race would be delayed 30 minutes due to bad weather on the course! So we spent a chilly half- hour huddled there, shivering. Maybe the director wanted to make sure it was raining before he let us go? Anyway, the horn finally sounded, and off we went! There was a train full of spectators next to the course, and the conductor gave several blasts on his horn to encourage us.

I settled into a pace that was faster than intended, but it felt OK, so I stayed with it. The course runs along the shore of Lake Superior and is very pretty. There was the usual cast of marathon misfits, including a guy running barefoot! Ouch! I was wearing Texas shorts and singlet, and got several calls of “Go Texas!” as well as “Flag Man” and “Go USA!” What’s up with that? Don’t they recognize the flag from Great State of Texas?! C’mon!

I was in pain mode by Mile 18, with both quads hurting. To avoid cramping, I made sure to grab water and sports drink at every opportunity. The aid stations were good, and became more frequent as the race progressed. I had to keep repeating my mantra: Pain Is Temporary, Pride Is Forever many times during the last 8 miles. (PITPIF for short) That motto has gotten me to the end of more than one marathon! I was lucky enough not to hit the Wall until the last mile, and “made my move” at the 26 Mile mark. I was very happy to get my second-best time ever, a chip time of 2:51:40. Half split was 1:25:42. Mile splits were as follows: 6:56, :25, :21, :29, :27, :30, :42, :38, :31, :21, :36, :23, :32, :16, :28, :28, :37, :30, :22, :35, :38, :33, :38, :43, :37, :58, 1:19.