The Delaware marathon was restarted 7 years ago because some members of the 50 state club couldn’t find a marathon to run in the state of Delaware. With that background, it’s not surprising that the field includes many 50 Staters and many Marathon Maniacs. Wilmington is close enough to home for it to be a driving trip and I was hoping the family would go with me. Generally, we like to spread out when travelling and I couldn’t find a hotel less than 15 miles from the start that included space for all of us. I settled on a small room a little under a mile from the start. We decided that this would be a better solo run, so I drove up on Saturday, ran the race, then drove home on Sunday afternoon.
When I checked into the hotel, I parked in the garage and found a back entrance. I had to navigate ballrooms and meeting rooms that were filled with barber shop quartets and men’s choral groups – not my typical running crowd. When I got up to my room, imagine my luck – the “Hospitality Suite” was right across the hall from me. After hotel stays in Baltimore and Charlotte where I was awakened to drunks in the middle of the night, I was thinking this place would be a disaster. It turns out the choral competition isn’t a noisy party crowd – thank goodness. Although I mocked the singers internally, they seem like genuinely good group of people who happen to pursue a passion that I have zero talent for … so good for them!
I traded emails with a maniac and agreed to meet up for dinner. About 8-10 other Maniacs were meeting at Joe’s Crab Shack – something that wouldn’t satisfy this vegetarian. I figured if Ryan wanted to join the big group at Joe’s, I’d just make a hasty exit to find something more filling for me. Ryan talked to the RD who suggested a little Italian place for a better pasta option. We met up and walked about a mile or so to our dinner spot. There were other people carb loading at the restaurant – we chatted briefly with them. Ryan was in from Detroit, working on 50 states. He’s pretty hardcore, training for a 100 miler over the summer. We agreed to meet up at 6:30 – so we could have 30 minutes to chat and get a picture with some other Maniacs.
At 6:30 on the nose, I met up with six other Maniacs (Dana Wentzel, Ryan Miller, Morgan Cummings, Rick Marzullo, Colleen Gendron Seise, and Jack Heely) – I only know this because Ryan posted a photo and tagged us all. In my circle of running friends, I’m the nut-job who runs way too much – among this group, I was the newbie. Morgan spent the night in her car after running a marathon in South Dakota on Saturday, then flying into Baltimore. After a whole two hours of sleep, she got her packet from a friend and got ready for the race. Every single person in the group had run more and more frequently than my measly marathon a month for more than ½ a year. In a way, I was humbled and in a way, I sort of felt like I finally fit in. Here were a bunch of people who made me want to push harder. Morgan casually said – “You’ve never run a double? – you have to try it, it’s a blast.”
They run three races – a marathon, a half marathon, and a relay. The marathon starts 10 minutes before the half. Each race is started with a cannon shot – it’s startling when you’re in the corral, but also surprising when you are just 10 minutes into the run and they start the half marathon.
The marathon course is two loops. It winds through downtown Wilmington, including the some recently redeveloped areas and some industrial areas before heading up to Brandywine Park through a few residential parts. I started the run with Dana and Jack. I ran near them for the first half. Jack was pacing Dana for a planned 3:50 finish. I was pushing my pace to stay with them, but it was nice company and the weather was cooperative. What started as a nice cool morning turned into a sunny and warmer mid-day. As I was finishing up the first lap, there was a guy playing drums by himself – a full drum kit, right on the course. When we crossed the mat for the second half of the race, I knew I was losing my energy. We made the loop through the industrial area and started heading back uphill. At this point, I knew I needed to drop my pace to be able to finish. When I got back up past Brandywine Park, I saw Michael Wardian with at least a 5 minute lead on the field. He was flying along with less than 3 miles to go while I still had closer to 11 left. As I ran this portion for the second time, I started chatting with a few of the 50 State Club members – all very friendly with great stories about their marathon travels. I appreciated their experience and perspective. This wasn’t my best day ever, but I was doing alright. It was nice to just talk with people. The sun was pretty hot, so I focused on staying well hydrated and getting to the finish.
As I was coming leaving the neighborhoods and about to head back past the drummer, I noticed a large collection of Police motorcycles and eventually, I saw a gathering of Police Officers too. Wilmington had some Police around, but usually just one or two near some of the intersections – this was something different. I looked closer and saw that there was a guy in handcuffs and then I noticed that he had a race bib on. Since I had plenty of time on my hands, I wondered what could have gotten him arrested. I came up with two ideas: (1) he did something so heinous that they would arrest him for it – a purse snatching, flasher, or what; or (2) he had an outstanding warrant and they noticed that he was registered for the race – they waited until the second loop to bust him when he’d be more tired. I checked the local news websites after the race but saw no stories about it.
When I cruised into the finish line at 4:10:55 this was one of my best times. I enjoyed the race. It is a small field, so I didn’t feel lost or trampled. People in the neighborhoods were very supportive. I hung around the finish line looking for some of the Maniacs that I met earlier. I saw someone who had passed out get loaded onto a stretcher just shy of the finish line – they worked on him in an ambulance. The news reported that two people had heart attacks and were treated at local hospitals, both recovered. They also reported that more people were treated for heat issues on that day.
I headed back to my hotel, got a quick shower then visited with Aunt Bobbie & Uncle Larry – who live about 45 minutes from Wilmington before heading back to Virginia.
Marathon #12 in the books.
Time: 4:10:55
Course: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/33569322
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