They say, "The Steamtown Marathon Will Humble You," and they aren't kidding! There's a reason it's the smallest field of runners of any U.S. Marathon! I also see why people DO run it and why the field of runners grows each year. It was an unbelievable experience and more than "just a marathon."

First off, the weather was perfect! At the start, fifty-some degrees at the beginning, 74 at the finish--a bit too hot for a marathon, but it could've been worse. It was in the high 80's there last year at this time! The first 7-8 miles were a steady downhill to the point I got blisters in places I've never had blisters like that and so early into a race! The scenery was breathtaking, and the fall colors at their peak, which was a nice distraction since I-pods and headphones are frowned upon at most marathons. 

Boredom can set in pretty quickly! We held a steady pace in the 8:15-8:40 per mile range through the 16th mile. From 11-18 miles, the hills were like an EKG wave but manageable. The uphills got steeper and longer, and the downhills fewer as the race went on. The leg heaviness got the best of us as we both experienced "Charlie Horses" to beat the band! Cindy and I ran our personal record (PR) for 5, 10, 15, and 20 miles of the race, which was VERY exciting! 

The seasoned Steamtown runners told us that was the result of so many initial downhills and taking them faster than we should've. Still, it felt good, so we went with it. With each stride, it felt like our calf muscles could rip apart at any moment. We pushed through it to hit 20 miles without losing much ground and with a PR of 3:05. The positive part is we had 55 minutes to finish the last six miles, at a comfortable 9:30 per mile pace, to meet our goal time of 4:00. Doing so shouldn't have been a problem considering we did the first 7 miles in one hour! 

Cindy and I "planned" to finish together but agreed if one of us felt better, we'd pull apart and go for it. (We'd completed our 2006 marathon together at exactly 4:28:46). As luck would have it, it took us 1:15 to finish the last 6 miles for a final finish time of 4:19:15. We both fell apart after 20 miles and had nothing left in the tank. There was the dreaded killer hill just before the finish. Then, a 7-block downhill stretch to the line. Cindy was about 100 meters ahead, and I don't know where I found the energy, but I caught up to her. We stepped onto the finish mat with identical times again! 

We're happy we at least knocked off ten minutes from our 2006 finish time in Columbus, OH. Still, it certainly wasn't close to what we were on target to finish. There were around 1900 runners registered for this race and 1500 finishers. I can't imagine not finishing, but I also see how realistic injuries are when you run a course without proper preparation! Given the hills being ill-prepared for those and the three miles on mulch and cinders, we experienced unfamiliar pain.

There aren't enough words to describe how horrible we both felt afterward and into the next few days! On the positive side, the hip pain I'd been battling in training since spring never flared up once, and that was what worried me more than anything! We learned a lot about how we need to train to meet our goals next time and try not to be too hard on ourselves, considering we didn't start doing full marathons until our early 40's! 

This race was an experience we'll never forget. The best part is, I reconnected with friends I hadn't seen in five years. (we met them on our Bermuda cruise back in 2003). We had a fabulous long weekend with them and had so much support and good cheer; it made the experience more than we could have asked. (FYI...Eastern PA has the BEST pizza!) The Pocono mountains are unbelievably gorgeous this time of year, and the race benefitted a great cause--the severely retarded and disabled residents of St. Joseph's. Three different times that we topped a hill, the residents were sitting in their wheelchairs along with their caregivers cheering us on in whatever way they could muster. When we saw all those people incapacitated in their way of life, it made the pain we felt all worth it.

At mile 23, I felt the need to take a walk break. There was a spectator with a prosthetic leg who yelled, "come on #1138, dig deep. You can finish this!" He was dressed in running apparel and clearly a runner despite his disability. His motivation became the turning point I needed to get this race done.

It was a fantastic feeling when I ran my first one in 2006, but this experience trumps everything I felt back then, even the agony afterward! I can't wait to do it again! For more great reviews, visit my blog at www.runwyld.life.