The Sri Chinmoy Marathon was held at 8:00 a.m. in Seattle on Sunday, June 28, 1998. This is a marvelous marathon that I always enjoy running. The course is a one-mile loop in Myrtle Edwards Park on Elliott Bay. The bicycle/foot trails are surfaced in asphalt and parallel one another. They join at the south end and have a few feet of lawn to connect the north end. While fairly flat, there are some gentle rises of a few feet in elevation changes. In the distance are the Seattle skyline, ships and boats on the bay, and the Olympic Mountains. On the trail one passes a rose garden, a well stocked aid station, and a cheering section in the two finish areas.

Scott and Teresa Hanson and their aides do a great job of organizing the race and providing a varied food table for the participants. As many as 28 awards are available to the overall and age class winners, so most of the field of 20+ take home a trophy or a medal.

After a long, cool spring, on race day it was suddenly SUMMER!! Gone were the rain, the drizzle, and the morning fog. It was sunny and cloudless with air temperatures that rose from 60' to 75' during the morning race. The combined fields of 50+ runners who made up the half marathon and marathon groups may have been comfortable in the first hour, but heat soon took a toll. By noon those of us still on the course were moving slowly and trying to remember how many more times we would have to pass the finish line before we could stop there and rest!!

The marathon was won by James Matsusaka in a new course record time of 2:46:12, a great effort! His friend, Glenn Tachiyama, 41, a Marathon Achiever and the former course record holder at 2:50:32, came in second with 3:00:11, Glenn had run in the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon the previous weekend. Melinda Larson, 44, a friend of ours, ran well to finish first overall for the women with a time of 3:57:42.

Running buddies and MA's, Gene Trahern, 35, and Mark Hartinger, 40, ran together and tied for third with a 3:02:47, Dave Dutton, 40, MA, seems to be healed from past injuries and ran a 3:23:59. His fourteen year old daughter, Trina, accompanied him to Seattle and ran her second half marathon. Good job!

Mel Preedy, 65, MA, struggled at times but still ran a 3:50:00 for first place in the 60 and over category. Jim Kunz, 49, 3:55:00, and Herb Allen, 55, 3:55:25, run with me in some marathons, but both lapped me in this one. Herb took home the first place trophy for 50-59 masters men, I had encouraged him to run the Sri Chinmoy Marathon, and he enjoyed the experience. Stan Nakashima, 45, MA, also coming back from injuries and ran a 4:02:34.

Joanne Bonine, 52, of Guam ran a 4:10:52 to be the first woman in the 50-59 masters women division. our friends, Cheri Gillis, 45, MA, 4:16:30, and Ed Hansen, 51, 4:19:37, ran easily and finished in good condition. My race started well enough, and I ran 8:15 miles for the first 10K but then progressively slowed to an eleven minute pace. I finished with a 4:12:33, second in the 60 and over male category. In the six times that I have run this marathon, I have completed 156 laps, and the course has become an old familiar route. Being an optimist, I expect that this great event will have weather to match in 1999, and I'll have a good race.

Thanks Bob Dolphin for sharing your report with us !

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