Wendy's First Marathon - Portland, 1999
Preparation: I finally took the plunge and registered for the Portland Marathon, Oct. 3, 1999. I knew I could finish a marathon - 42K or 26.2 miles - after I completed a 36K day at the Nijmegen Four Days March in the Netherlands in July, 1999. I was sidelined with blisters afterwards, but my muscles and joints felt fine, so with a bit more training I thought I'd be ready. Through August I trained for speed for Portland to Coast and was pleased that my times were consistently under 13 minute miles. Then through September I worked on distance with several 20K days and more consistent walking within the week.
Next, I decided to share the misery, er, victory with my readers and so I announced the Walking About.com Marathon Team and got two dozen walkers to sign up and share our training tips and racing tips. I got several good tips from the walkers on the list, for example making it to Greeley by 1 pm before they close the course and walkers have to use an alternate route back to the finish.
Packet Pick-up for the Portland Marathon is on the preceeding Friday and Saturday at the Hilton Hotel, with a Sports and Fitness Expo open to all. I staffed the OTSVA volkssport registration booth at the Expo on Saturday and talked with many walkers and runners. Those who want AVA/IVV credit for the event registered with us. The Expo had booths selling everything a walker or runner could need for the race, plus booths for other upcoming events.
Race Day: I packed up my gear and caught a ride with Mike and Betty to downtown Portland. Here I managed to locate several of our About.com team and we snapped a quick photo. The team members received free About.com hats. I'm the one front and on the right, race number 2002. That's definitely the best I'd look for several days!
The Start: There were 6705 entrants in the marathon. Those registering as walkers numbered 1783 and we started two blocks away from the running start, with the course altered for us so the runners could safely get ahead of us. It was a bit chilly for the morning, and I kept my warm-ups on. I also got in line for the restroom 20 minutes before the start. This wasn't long enough. Most lines in front of the restrooms and porta-potties were a block long or more, and many participants resorted to using the bushes in the park. At the end of the race, the city smelled like a sewer. One group of women ahead of me in line, with a minute to go before the gun, walked to the side of the restroom en masse, dropped trou and did their job. I decided that modesty and sanitation would remain intact for me and I remained in line, missing the start but knowing I would make up the time later by not having to use the first sets of potties on the route where lines would be even longer.
So, my race started off unexcitedly at 7:06 am as I tried to determine which way the route went - and how far (the map was not useful in this regard). People on the street who I asked seemed oblivious that almost 7000 people had just gone by and didn't know if they had turned or went straight.. I saw the first runners going by on Naito Parkway and figured out that they went north and then turned at some point, so I paralleled Naito Parkway to where they entered it and started at the tail end of the race, without cutting any distance.
The dawn was breaking and it was going to be a glorious day with temperatures in the low 70's and sparkling sunshine. I soon caught up with my walking friend Donna and her niece Andrea. Our other walking partner Betty had to drop out before starting as her knee had been strained on a hiking trip a couple of weeks previously. At the Portland Marathon, over half of the finishers are female. The large participation by women and by walkers makes it a very successful and friendly event.
There are water and aid stations with porta-potties every two miles, as well as musical entertainment about as frequently. These ranged from an excellent bluegrass group downtown at the Fire Station to a very strange world-music tree trunk horn down along Front.
The route followed Naito Parkway south to a turnaround point and then doubled back in the opposing lanes. So, we walkers got to see the runners going by as we went south, and got to slip and slide on their discarded drink cups at the water stations. I am used to walking events where walkers put everything in the trash. Not so with runners, there were dicarded t-shirts and drink cups strewn everywhere throughout the whole event course. Now I understand why towns are leery of us walkers when we say we want to bring in an event with several hundred people but there won't be a trash problem. Well - there isn't with walkers!
As we returned back north we began to see some of the other events associated with the Portland Marathon - the 5 Mile Run and the Kids Marafun 2 Mile. The children's event was really cute - parents are allowed to run with the kids, and they had 578 children enter. There is also the 10K Mayor's Walk which walks the last 10K of the Marathon. They would be long finished before I reached that point!
The route continued far north on Front through the warehouse district. It felt hot out there. I made my first potty stop at one with a very short line and took off my warm-ups and stowed them in my hip pack. I drank water and Gatorade at each water stop along the way.
I fell into using my racewalk technique at a pace of about 14 - 15 minute miles. It felt comfortable and I was not breathing hard. Between 10K and 20K I passed several volunteers and the racewalk judges who complimented me on my form. That felt very good to know, especially at 20K. One person who must have known me from my website said, "Of course she looks great, she's a coach." Correction - I'm not a coach, I just point to good coaches on the web!
There were 16 walkers entered as racewalkers who were judged for legal technique along the course. The top male racewalker was Theron Kissinger of Albuquerque, NM who finished in 3:55:28 and the top female racewalker was Mary Snyder of Boise, Idaho who finished in 4:48:02. For the rest of the entrants, walking was not enforced. Walkers could take off and jog at any time unless they registered as judged racewalkers. However - judged racewalkers can't just walk with any form - they have to keep a straight knee. I knew I couldn't do that throughout, so I didn't register as a racewalker.
We turned west up (and I do mean up) through northwest Portland and onto Hwy 30. Along the way was the most welcome sight - the 21K Half Marathon sign! I reached it in good time and without any noticeable problems. I had a GU energy gel at about 15K and that did make my digestive tract a little uneasy. The mile signs were generally large white boards with the mile marker and a sponsor name, often with the rose also painted on the street. There were kilometer markers at the major kilometer marks and time callers at several points as well.
The miles really did seem to fly by. Now came the major hill, up to the St. John's Bridge. This lovely bridge has always been a part of my life. We crossed it each weekend to visit my grandparents. This was the first time I would walk across the whole length. At a stop along Hwy. 30 I felt a blister coming on and stopped to apply a Band-aid Blister Block pad to the ball of my foot. I had a PowerGel at the same time and continued on. I was feeling strong but wished I didn't know about the 1 pm cutoff at Greeley - now I felt pushed to make it there and knew it would be close.
On the St. John's Bridge we knew it would be "all downhill from here," and there was a spectacular view of Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and distant downtown Portland. Amazing to think how far I had already walked and how much further to go!
Actually, they lied about it being all downhill from the bridge. There were a few more uphills through St. Johns to Willamette Boulevard. The downhills were bothering me, too. My knees, especially my left knee, were complaining but not in a worrisome way. At Willamette Boulevard I felt a heel blister come on and pop. I stopped and applied a Band-aid Blister Block. The pain went away in a few blocks.
They had some bananas at a checkpoint soon after the bridge - most welcome! But they had also run out of cups! Luckily I had my platypus water container to have them fill - they had water but no cups. A doctor from my medical center was on the sidelines at the University of Portland (my alma mater) and gave me some sliced apples as he awaited whoever it was he was there to cheer on.
Now the push against the clock along the bluff on Willamette Boulevard to make it to Greeley by 1 pm. I passed Donna and Andrea again along the way. I approached the intersection just as the police were talking into their radios and started motioning us to take the alternate route. Well, by my watch - which matched the start gun - it wasn't quite 1 pm, so I shook my head and said I was with the band of 5 walkers that just went through and sped on past the police. As I did I passed 81-year-old Ed Fong from Anaheim, CA who I figured I could outpace. I didn't want to take the alternate course because, as a trailmaster myself, I could tell from the map it just HAD to be a bit longer than the main course - it squared a corner that the main course diagonaled. I wasn't going to walk any further than I had to! As it turns out - I did "beat" Mr. Fong by a "full" two minutes.
It was a mixed blessing to be on the main route. The police sweepers were not far behind me as I passed several more people. Some had sped up just to make it past the cutoff and now dropped back to take a drink or fix a problem. Sure enough, I felt a blister on my OTHER heel develop and I had to sit down and apply a Band-aid Blister Block to it. But the cops with their lights flashing hadn't caught up to me yet. I was very tired of walking by now, but couldn't slow down appreciably. I was very grateful for the water and Gatorade stops - it was full sun and I knew I was fading. I took full cups and water AND Gatorade and mixed them together and drank completely.
As I reached the final water stop before the Steel Bridge, the personnel started acting concerned. Now - I look half dead anytime I am exerting myself. I am one of those women who turns not red but purple when I exercise. Plus I was limping a bit from the new blister, whose pain quickly faded. One volunteer suggested I catch up with the walker just ahead of me for company. Yeah, right! As the nuns always recorded on my report card, I do not play well with others. I really prefer to be alone when I am working hard. What I could have used was a company of soldiers singing marching songs - that worked great for me in Nijmegen. Instead, I caught up with and passed the walker ahead.
The last mile was pretty tough, after crossing over the bridge it was down past an incredibly loud speaker blaring a live band playing Louie Louie at least as bad as the original version. Naito Parkway was totally trashed. In addition to cups and discarded shirts, the place smelled like a latrine after Oktoberfest. A good rain will be needed to cleanse things a bit.
I could see the Salmon Street Springs fountain which marked the final turn, off in the distance. But - no - those were just sprinklers in Waterfront Park. Drat. No, it was Salmon Street Springs. I would be done soon.
I turned up Salmon to the cheers of my friends at the volkssport finish table, which is two blocks before the main finish. The problem was, in all my preparation I hadn't brought my IVV Record Books nor my volkssport event start card. The thought of finishing, walking back two blocks to find out they had no substitute cards to stamp for credit in my Record Books, and walking two blocks back was beyond my comprehension. So I yelled to them that I hadn't brought them and didn't plan to return.
At the finish, I didn't hear them call my name as I finished. I wondered if I would show up in the results? Yes, I did, my time was 7:16:53. I collected my medal from my Portland to Coast teammate Kathy who was working as a volunteer, got my rose and space blanket, and headed into the food area. There I had a chocolate chip cookie and some water and Gatorade. Aha - there was Betty - my ride home! She collected Mike and I went down to the basement of the Portland Building to get my Finisher t-shirt. It is very cruel to make us walk down and then back up that steep ramp!
All I wanted to do was to sit down, but keeping moving guaranteed I wouldn't just freeze up. Besides, I wanted to take photos of Donna and Andrea as they finished - I knew they couldn't be too far behind me. Sure enough, they came in just after 2:30 pm with a time of 7:31:08. Donna beat Andrea by a second.
Now I am a Marathon Woman.
I got the medal.
I got the shirt
I got the rose
I got the space blanket
I got my name on the Results list
Lessons Learned
I could walk home from work if I had to - it's only 24 miles.
30K isn't so far when you're walking 42K.
20K seems like nothing now - heck, I could racewalk 20K with pretty much legal form.
If I was going to do this again, I would do a few 30K walks before the marathon.
My knees and ankles and feet survived without injury, just a couple of heel blisters.
The training was very valuable - due to my efforts I am now in better walking condition than I have been in years.
Walkers are much tidier than runners.
I prefer a true walking marathon like Nijmegen or the Discovery Walk Festival where you are encouraged to sit down at the checkpoints, have a bite to eat, etc. rather than walking constantly throughout the event.
A marathon is a good challenge, a good goal.
Good to have done. Emphasis on the done.
The Portland Marathon is indeed a very good first marathon and treats walkers very well.
My extreme thanks to the Portland Marathon organizers, supporters, and volunteers. A special thanks to Bob and Carmela Parsons who organize the volkssport participation in the marathon.
My congratulations to our Walking About.com Marathon Team!
The Portland Marathon will be October 1, 2000. You can register now on the website.
My plans for 2000 are to practice for the judged racewalk entry in the 5-Miler, but we shall see!
First-Time Marathon Tips and Preparation by Wendy.
More Information:
Portland Marathon
Marathon Event Net Links
Marathon Training Net Links
Photos © Wendy Bumgardner
