OWL-DRAGON

CHAD Outrun The Sun Half Marathon


Saturday, 26 August 2006

Hanover, NH

I did travel to Maine to run a half marathon but that was part of a longer stay to visit family. This was unusual - to travel almost 400 miles for a race less than a marathon. But how could I resist - especially with your encouragement.

The trip to Vermont was uneventful – we left at 4AM and were on the Garden State Parkway early enough that traffic was still light. Once thru Hartford and on to I91 the traffic became lighter and lighter until finally in Vermont I just set the cruise control to 70 with barely another vehicle in sight.

We were staying in Norwich, Vermont which is about a mile from Hanover, NH where Dartmouth College is located. The Norwich Inn was a little more rustic than I expected and I think in the future I will stick with chain hotels. Still it had a brew pub attached which softened me if not my wife.


On arrival we drove over to New Hampshire and after some wandering determined where the race buses would leave on Saturday. (I suppose it is the stereotype of New Englanders and Vermont in particular but generally speaking I did not find people very friendly or helpful.)

Saturday we investigated the local farmers’ market and some of the local shops and then (much too early) we drove over to Hanover. I parked in the local parking garage and jogged over to the Medical School parking lot where the busses were scheduled to depart.

At first I thought I had gone to the wrong lot since there seemed to be so little activity but then in the distance I spotted a table with water bottles. Turns out I was one of the first runners to show up. I chatted with the volunteer at the table and discovered that he had grown up in the Coopertown Section of Haverford Township. Small world. Then I spoke to a couple of runners, doctors it turned out who had driven up from Massachusetts. Turns out one of them took his some of his medical training at Pennsylvania Hospital and knew Philly well.

Bussed out to start on the first bus and so got to see the crowd gradually swell – the weather which had been cloudy all day broke and we got some sunshine. There was one of those small country cemeteries next to start area and it was interesting to walk thru and reflect on those lives recorded on the eroding stones.

Start was pretty much on schedule. I wanted to be mid pack since I figure that was where I would finish. I knew that most of the course was downhill and one of the docs from Mass had warned me that the finish (last couple miles) was uphill so I thought I would try for 8:30 miles. This first mile was right on the money more thru happenstance then by designed. For once I was patient and did not try to muscle my way through or zig zag to openings but just stayed with the flow. I course was lovely, mostly shaded country road. I found after a few miles that I was passing runners even though my pace felt quite easy. The terrain was rolling with some uphills but then long downs. Some of the roads weren’t completely closed to traffic but traffic was very light and not a problem.

The water stops were well placed and I had no problem getting water – and though not announced some did have Gatorade which seemed well mixed. (On the other hand the water which was bottled had a strange taste – maybe I missed the chlorine.)

At one point I spotted a huge hawk which had settled on the ground and seemed unfazed by the line of runners just a dozen feet away.

Spectators were sparse but those who watched were friendly and enthusiastic.

I missed a mile marker at eight and later at 11 so I am not as certain about my splits. I know I slowed but mostly I was still passing people especially on the uphills. There was a long uphill when the course turned onto highway 120. I did have a little lapse in mile 11 and I think I slowed considerably but when I saw mile 12 I was determined to run the last mile strong. If you are familiar with Dartmouth 11 and 12 are around Occum Pond. There was one last uphill and then a few hundred meters into Dartmouth Green.

My wife was calling out sprint, sprint and (she later told me) a spectator said I think he is (God bless him).

The announcer called out my name, age and hometown. Unfortunately I had signed up using my driver’s license name. It would have been cool if I had signed up as Chad.

Results: 247 (out of 539) 25/42 (50 to 59 age group) 1:50:48 (chip time) 8:28 1:51:03 (gun time)

There was plenty of water at the end but instead of food offerings each runner was given a voucher for food at the block party set up on Main Street. And here is my only criticism of an event that was very well organized, with great volunteers. The list of food vendors was impressive with delicious sounding choices but when I finally got over to the food area many of the vendors had already run out of food. I stood in line for a long time only to realize the vendor was never going to be able to accommodate everyone in line and there was no provision for my wife to get anything. (I had gotten the idea the vendors would be selling for to the non-runners.) But one of the vendors not on the street was Quizzo’s. It was a short walk and while crowded they handled the crush very well. I had never been to a Quizzo but thought it was very good especially for fast food.

Sunday it rained but we had a good time exploring the local countryside (with some shopping for my wife) so much so that we never got to the Hood Museum which looked interesting. Sunday night we went to a concert at a local school. I had seen a small advertisement in the local paper. A young woman had organized the yearly event to remember her sister who had died of leukemia seven years ago. It was quite touching to be there.

Monday morning I ran from Norwich to Hanover and looped the campus. I was tempted to stop someone and see if I could find the server that houses the dead runners and pay homage but I knew it was futile and probably would lead someone to report a crazy person.

Nice ride home with some exploration of the Brattleboro area – went out to Hogshead Mountain for the Hundred Mile View and then “downtown” Brattleboro where I photographed the Hotel Brooks. Lots of Northern Exposure/sixties types, art and craft stores, and three bookstores within a block.

Then on home with only the usual crunch in Hartford (it seems on every return journey from New England I run into some kind of traffic incident there).

So I am back home – when I left it had been the driest August ever – now it has been raining for three days with more on the way. Glad I will be home this weekend and grateful for the weather I had last weekend.