Mile 2.5: You've been watching the lead pack of Marathon runners head back north on Front Avenue. Suddenly you take a sharp right turn on Harrison and you begin to climb a hill. It's steep, and it keeps going up. If you were chatting with friends, you'll find conversations just kind of fade as breathing takes priority. At the top of the hill, you turn left onto Barbur. You'll keep going up hill until Mile 3.5, but Barbur is MUCH more gentle.
Mile 3: There will be another hydration station, with a bank of Porta-Potties. Nothing like a little hill-climbing to shrink your bladder to the size of a grape. If the queue in front of these Potties is short, jump in line. Then grab some water or sports drink and take a swig. When you toss the cup, laugh this time! It feels good to litter. Just be a nice litterbug and aim reasonably close to the gutter. Thank the volunteers with the rakes.
Mile 3.5: A hair-pin turn to the left takes you onto Front Avenue, heading north and downhill. Suddenly, rude police on motorcycles will sweep past and demand that you move to the right side of the road. Actually, it's me being stubborn, not them being rude. The reason for this measure is…
On the opposite side of the street, the first Five-Mile runners approach. This is another fun distraction. During my earlier and less tempered Marathons, I used to call out: "Five miles is for wimps!" I'm more forgiving now. Maybe they're training for a Marathon.
Off to the right you'll find a small wooded area with people coming and going amongst the shrubbery. The Marathon has since added a bank of Porta-Potties here. The bushes have dense and healthy foliage, as they've been "watered" annually by generations of Marathoners who didn't want to stand in line at the last bank of potties.
Mile 5: You're well back into the city, with crowds once again cheering for you on both sides of the road. To the left you'll see ANOTHER fun part of the Marathon: The Children's Fun Run. It's a family-oriented event. You'll see kids of all ages scooting along to complete their first "run". They get lots of cheers as they go by. You'll see Moms with strollers, Dads holding hands with children, Moms carrying pooped-out kids… It's totally charming. Then, suddenly, you're on your own…
Mile 6 to Mile 11: Front Avenue. Not very scenic. 'Nuff said. Some nice condos on the left and right at first. You'll pass beneath the huge steel arch of the Fremont Bridge and find warehouses on the right and a rail yard on the left. The crowd has thinned out well and truly. The course is flat so you can hit your training pace. Water stations and Porta-Potties are at close intervals here. Good music too, from the entertainment that you can hear going and coming back.
Mile 7 to Mile 9: Runners and walkers who've passed the turn-around are on the far side of the street, heading back into town. At Mile 9.2, you hit the turn-around (a chip-reading mat there prevents cheating) and you get to see everybody who's behind you. This really sucked for me, the first couple of Marathons, because there were maybe 40 people behind me. Half of them had broken legs and were wearing walking casts. The others turned out to be volunteers raking paper cups. I trained a lot harder after that.
Mile 11: You'll angle right off of Front Avenue onto 17thStreet and have a change of scenery. You're into the quaint NW Portland district now, and really on your way. You'll pass more warehouses and vacant parking lots before you hit a nice residential area at Mile 12.
Mile 12: Some residents here camp out on their porches and cheer you on, which feels oh, so good. Two years ago, we passed two little girls dressed-up in princess gowns. One was playing a kiddy piano as the other danced for us. Their mothers watched from recliners. I'm getting weepy as I remember this - the girls were doing their best little performances for us because, as their mothers explained: "They wanted to help you run better!"
Some 5,000 souls floated skyward here, accompanied by a gossamer-gowned pianist and a tiara-crowned dancer. The flying souls paused for a moment, then got back to the route, with happy glances back.
Next up: Mile 13 and the Halfway Point.
