In
other words, it’s no secret I love running.
It’s
also no secret I’ve done a lot of the things I’ve done simply because I made
them a goal and I did whatever it took to make them happen:
·
Running a mile without stopping.
·
Running a10K without stopping.
·
Qualifying for the Boston Marathon.
·
Running the Boston Marathon.
It’s
also no secret I’ve done a lot of the things I’ve done simply because they
seemed like a good idea at the time:
·
Running 135 miles across Death Valley in
temperatures very, very close to the number of miles.
·
Entering the Western States Endurance Run—twice,
actually—when I had absolutely no business running on trails. (If Montrail named a shoe after me it would
be the Nontrail. If New Balance named a
shoe after me it would be the No Balance.
Any questions?)
It’s
also no secret I’ve done a lot of the things I’ve done simply because it gave
me something interesting to write about:
·
Running the Boston Marathon course in reverse,
then turning around and running it the correct way with everyone else on
Patriot’s Day.
·
Running the Peachtree Road Race from the very
back of the pack. In other words, starting
behind 59,999 other runners for a 6.2-mile run on the 4th of July in
downtown Atlanta.
Finally
it’s no secret I do a lot of the things I do simply because. In other words I’m prone to putting
requirements on myself that no one in the solar system gives a rat’s a** about
other than yours truly. Such as:
·
Running every day since November 30, 1978 (with
no end in sight).
·
Running 1,000 races, 200 marathons and 50 ultras
(two down, one to go).
·
Running 150,000 lifetime miles (ETA 2019).
·
Running 50 consecutive Peachtree Road Races (ETA
2028).
Ah,
that last one. Fifty consecutive
Peachtree Road Races. Having just
crossed the finish line for the 37th time, I’m beginning to question
if I still have 13 more of them in me.
Allow me to explain.
The
Peachtree Road Race assigns runners a starting corral. My finish time in last year’s Peachtree
qualified me for a spot in Time Group A, which basically means you are assigned
to a corral close enough to the starting line that you can read the word
‘START’ on the banner across Peachtree Street and in all probability will
finish the race in well under an hour.
(Time Groups B through L will finish the race in less than two hours, M
through V in less than three hours, and W through Z sometime during the month
of July. I jest, of course: almost
everyone in W through Z time groups finish in time to see the fireworks later
that same night.)
Anyway,
I opted to start in Time Group L with my friend Valerie who submitted her
application for the race without a projected finish time and was at the mercy
of the Atlanta Track Club’s method of random Time Group assignment. Valerie and I ran our first Peachtree
together in 1994. Incidentally after
that race it rained for two days (the result of tropical storm Alberto) in the
Atlanta area, causing floods that resulted in considerable damage and the loss
of 30 lives.
As
we were driving to the race there was an interview with a former Director of
the Peachtree Road Race on the radio. As
the skies overhead became darker and darker I heard her say that the chances of
lightning in Atlanta in the morning were pretty slim because most of the storms
in the area occurred in the afternoon. I
couldn’t help but think those words should not have been said aloud, especially
in a forum that could be heard by many.
Moments later the rain came; it wouldn’t stop for hours. For the first time in my Peachtree Road Race
career I would be running from Lenox Square to Piedmont Park in the rain that,
to be totally honest was a lot more pleasurable than the usual heat and 100%
humidity we’ve all come to know and abhor.
As
I’ve done for the past decade, we parked near the finish line and ran to the
start. Taking the back roads Valerie and
I ran (and occasionally walked) a slow and easy five-mile warm up. Wearing my Time Group A number, I stood out
like a sore thumb standing next to Val in Time Group L. Actually, I stood out like a STUD—remember, I
was amongst runners who hoped to finish in modest times in the one-to-two hour
range and my number indicated I was a STUD.
(Pardon my use of Exaggeration
Font. I don’t get to use it often.)
Every
three minutes another wave of runners was allowed to start the race. Every three minutes volunteers led the
runners in Time Group L another 100 yards closer to the starting line. Every three minutes the sky grew darker and
darker. The race officially started at
7:30 a.m. By my calculation Time Group
L’s projected starting time would be around 8:30.
Then,
at 8:24 a.m. it happened. A bolt of
lightning flashed across the sky. The announcer on the PA system immediately
said the race had been suspended, the timing system would be stopped, everyone
would be led to safe quarters and the race would resume in 30 minutes unless
more lightning was spotted. Surely he
realized there were thousands of runners spread out all over Peachtree Street;
did he expect everyone to stop, mark their spot on the course and seek
shelter?
Val
and I looked around and we knew what had to be done. Others had the same idea as well. In a driving rain and with the wind in our
collective faces, we all took off running down Peachtree Street like bats out
of hell, timing system be damned. We
were running this race come hell or (forgive
me) high water. As far as we were
concerned Time Group L had heard a public cry for a JAIL BREAK over the public
address system. From what I saw the same
can be said for Time Groups J, K and M.
I’m guessing Time Groups N through Z heard it as well. There would be very little need for the ‘safe
quarters’ that the announcer had made reference to. Not today anyway, because today we were here
to run.
As
Val and I left Lenox Square behind us, I couldn’t help but notice that had I
started with Time Group A moments after 7:30 a.m. I would have already crossed
the finish line. As it were it was
already 8:30 and I was just starting the race, and as far as I knew I wasn’t
even an official runner since the timing system had allegedly been
stopped. I wondered if my streak of
Peachtree Road Race finishes was in jeopardy, but I didn’t care: I was not
going to wait in the pouring rain for 30 minutes, resume my position with Time
Group L and continue the 100-yards-every-three-minutes march towards the
starting line.
As
it turned out the 6.2 miles down Peachtree Street was quite pleasant. The steady rain and gentle breeze kept the
runners cool if not hydrated. Val had
(what she said afterward was) her best run in years. We crossed the finish line in a little over
an hour, collected our commemorative finisher T-shirts and headed back to the
car. As we made our way across the grass
of Piedmont Park I couldn’t help but think of the Woodstock music festival:
There was mud everywhere. The rain and
the runners were certainly taking their toll on this most unusual 4th
of July.
Once
we got back to the car we changed into dry clothes. I placed my running attire in a plastic bag and
tied it shut, making a mental note to throw all of the contents into the
washing machine once I got home. (Runners—you all know the drill: Wash the
clothes today or burn them tomorrow.)
Overall
this year’s Peachtree Road Race was a good experience, with the exceptions of
paying $15 to park for 15 minutes so you can run into the expo to pick up your
race number and a goodie bag featuring nothing more than a coupon for a free
waffle, a $500 discount on a new Mercedes Benz and a plethora of advertisements.
My
37th Peachtree Road Race finish was in the books.
Maybe.
(Later I would learn the timing system had never been turned off. Valerie and I both received official
finishing times.
Next year Valerie hopes to qualify for a starting position in Time
Group B, if not A.
Fortunately for me I will still be eligible for Time Group A.
After next year I may find myself at the mercy of the
Gods of random Time Group Assignment.
If that’s the case, thenGodhelpme.
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