Thrilled Beyond Belief

What a difference a year makes.

Last year at 20 mile mark of the Colfax Marathon, as I ticked off another 6:25 mile on the downhill section of the course, my self-talk went something like this:  “You are running better than you ever have.  Finish strong!”  That, and the fear of being passed by the first female, Nicole Chyr, propelled me to a 2:56:45 PR and 1^st Masters finisher. 

This year at that same point I told myself  “Just hang on.”  And somehow I did.  I was very fortunate to defend my Masters’ title with a time of 3:06:37, out-sprinting my dear friend David Rothenburger by eight seconds. 

But this is not a story about personal performances.  This is a story about being connected and how lucky we are to be able to share an experience like the Colfax Marathon.

It was a beautiful day; sunny and cool until about 8:30, barely a cloud in the sky and the faintest of breezes.  Urban marathons are so special because they take you on a tour of the city.  Creigh Kelley and his team at BKB Limited put on a great race.  The logistics were flawless. 

Scott Dailey, my good friend and training partner, was standing next to me at the start.  I was wearing my red Runners Roost Race Team singlet and lost count of how many people gave me a “Go Runners Roost” cheer.  And there was Bret Stevens who ran beside me at the highest point on the course (in The Glens) and again somewhere along Colfax.  My old friend, Pat "Average Joe" Sullivan, was the overall winner in 2:40. 

The Rocky Mountain Road Runners and the Runners Roost Lakewood (aka Belmar Running Club) set up tents in the run club village.  I enjoyed the camaraderie of Jeff Wong, Ken Shimada, Deb Cunningham, and many others. 

The highlight of the race came at the lowest point for me.  At mile 23 Mike Quispe jogged beside David and me, giving us encouragement.  Melody Drummond White posted a sweet note on Facebook “There are some days that just aren't your day and you just want to quit...thanks to my teammate Josephine for not allowing me to get my first DNF!!! I cannot thank this wonderful lady enough!!!! She is my inspiration!!”  I was so close to stopping, but Mike helped me to keep running. 

There was some drama in the waning miles.  I developed a side-stitch (I never get stitches) and ran the last two miles hunched over pinching my stomach.  It must have been a ludicrous site; wish I had a photo. 

I am so lucky to have so many friends in the running community.