The Race Report
Seven of us traveled to Pocatello this weekend for the Idaho State Pocatello Marathon. What a great experience- this has to be one of my favorite marathons. I enjoyed every part of this race. Despite the mediocre food at the pasta party, it was still not to be missed. We met marathoners from NYC and NC, talked about other marathons, talked about race strategy and lots of other fun topics. There were no lines, the race organizers and volunteers were really nice. They seemed genuinely thankful that we had come to run their race. We received a tech shirt, a duffel bag and a bag of potatoes,(a bargain if you signed up early for $60).
The logistics in the morning could not have been easier. We left our hotel at 4:55 a.m. and we were seated on a chartered bus from the finish line at 5:05. (I had forgotten water and the bus driver gave me two bottles of water to take with me.) The drive to the start line was short. While on the bus, we met several Marathon Maniacs who shared their maniac stories with us. (Two them were running more than one marathon this weekend.)
The start line was next to a barn with goats. It was quaint and somewhat surreal as the farm lady came out to watch the start. They had plenty of porta potties for the 300 runners, a UPS truck collected our duffel bag and the race begins promptly at 6:15 a.m.
What a great start to the day as the sun came up. The first 15 miles was a relaxing run through the canyon with a moderate downhill and some beautiful scenery. At mile three, we were great greeted by enthusiastic volunteers in pj's and bathrobes, handing out water and power-ade. The aid stations throughout the race were plentiful and stocked with water, power-ade, fruit & candy. GU was offered at several stations.
The roads were not closed during the event but this didn't seem to present a problem at all. The only suggestion that I would offer to the organizers for the entire event is to put a few placards on the road that say "Runners on the Road" early in the race.
The final miles didn't have the nice scenery but it was fine. I have experienced a lot worse in other road races. The crowd support was limited during the race but encouraging at the end. The finish line was stocked with plenty - fruit, ice cream, a potato bar, water and power-ade. The finisher's medal was a nice addition to our collection - "Running the Gap" 2009.
Run long! Have fun!
Teresa
(Fellow harriers - Bob, Franz, Jim, Teri, Rita & Angie)
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Great RR Teresa!! It was so much fun to be with all of you for this really fun race. I loved it and the tech shirt is on my list of favorites. The swag was great!
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