The Capital City Marathon is one of my favorite marathons, and I never get tired of running it. If for no other reason, it's because the course goes downhill in the first half mile and in the last mile to the finish line. The course is scenic--passing the state capitol, lakes, forest, and rural and suburban settings, The event is well organized, and the aid stations appear at every other mile or so, On May 17, 1998, the weather cooperated with temperatures in the 50's, overcast skies and moderate winds.

There were many running friends on hand, It seemed like the majority of megamarathoners who befriend Lenore and me were there. Mike Dutton, our "adopted grandson" from Wenatchee, WA, and I ran together in the first half, We were joined by Paul Hinen, 56, of Soap Lake, WA, who was running a training marathon. Eventually, he took off and finished in 3:32:22. I lagged behind Mike for awhile but caught up to him again at Mile 17. He said that his goal was to finish under four hours, and he made it with a 3:59:03!

I ran near Wiley Hurst, 61, of Yakima, WA, in the first 10K before losing contact. Wiley continues to improve as a marathoner, and his time of 3:43:22 earned him the first place award for 60-64 males, Mel Preedy, 65, fresh from a division first at Bloomsday was the other 60+ runner to place first. Mel ran a 3:24:35, the fastest time in the 65-69M group.

Mike Berube, 40, of Selah, WA, had the misfortune to trip and fall in the third mile. An ankle sprain and scraped knee prevented him from running further, but he showed courage and fortitude by walking forward for ten miles to follow the half-marathoners to the finish line!! His wife, Juliet, hadn't had the opportunity to train but was able to run a 4:38:05 marathon.

During the last several years I have compared running notes with Mae Palm of Squamish, B.C. Mae had recently run the Boston Marathon, her 77th marathon. In the Capital City Marathon this year I caught up with her briefly in the seventh mile. She passed me within a mile, and then I had the rest of the race to admire her running ability when she was in view. She usually wins her age division, and her time of 3:47:13 gave her first place for the 55-59F group.

Herb Allen, 55, from Bainbridge Island, passed me in the eighth miles Since I was in front of him in the Christmas Marathon last December, he was delighted that he beat me with a time of 3:46:03.

Getting through the last IOK is a struggle for most marathoners. I usually concentrate on overtaking slower runners to pass the time and distance as I count down the remaining miles. Two friends I caughtz4p with were Jim Kunz, 49, (3:49:41), who has a foot injury and Jon Nevitt, 59, (3:48:44), Jon and I trade off, and it was my turn to cross the finish line first!

I was glad to see Larry Webster earn a 4th place age class award for the 60-64M group. About a week before the marathon he had been hospitalized with an irregular heart beat, This was corrected non- surgically, and he ran conservatively in a commendable time of 4:02:27.

Because there is no "out and back" section, we didn't see the front runners. At the finish line we learned that Stan Holman, 33,of Washougal, WA, repeated his winning way with a 2:27:09. The first woman to finish was Laura Nelson, 32, of Bend, OR, in a time of 2:58:19.

There were a number of fellow 50 States & DC Club members on hand. One whom I had met at last year's Coeur d' Alene Marathon was Tom Dixon from Geneva, IL. Tom had a great race and finished in 3:08:14 for a second place in the 50-54M Division. He needs only two more states for the 50 state goal,

My run went well--falling within the range of my previous two marathons. I held the hamstring cramps to a minimum and ran a 3:46:11 (8:38), 177th of 455 to finish, and third of five in the 65-69M division.

Thanks Bob Dolphin for sharing your report with us !

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