IF ONLY OCTOBER HAD SIX SUNDAYS!!!
Nov. 9, 2000
by Lenore Dolphin
email this page to a friend !
This year there were 5 Sundays in October, so my husband, Bob Dolphin,
found 5 marathons to run. As the non-running half of the Dolphin Marathon
Team, my challenge was to coordinate the trips to Portland, OR, Victoria, BC,
Spokane, WA, Washington, DC, and Falmouth, MA. I wondered how we could fit
them all in along with my old responsibilities as bookkeeper for my son's
business (October is tax month) and our newly assumed duties as co-directors
of the Inaugural YAKIMA RIVER CANYON MARATHON (March 31, 2001.)
We managed to get an early start on October by attending the Portland
Marathon Race Directors Workshop on September 29 and 30. What an experience!
What an event for anyone involved in directing and assisting in races!! Races
come in all sizes....small, medium, large, and even "extra
large"....and representatives from all sizes of races were there to learn
from the panels of experts, to exchange ideas and to share in the hospitality
provided by Les Smith, Race Director for the Portland Marathon, and his
all-volunteer staff.
We met race directors from Anchorage to Ottawa, from Big Sur to Austin,
from Vancouver, BC, to New York City, and from Washington, DC, to Charleston,
SC. We met representatives who were there to help us promote our races on the
internet or to help us with chips, running apparel, photography etc.
Our entry fee to this workshop included meals, a reception, a dinner at the
Pittock Mansion, a trip to the NIKE employees' store, handouts, shirts, and a
pass for the VIP tent at the finish area of the Portland Marathon on October
1.
The unusual downpour at the start of the 29th Portland Marathon didn't
dampen the spirits of the spectators or of the runners. Bob finished his 16th
consecutive Portland Marathon in a time of 3:56:45, first of 8 runners in his
age division....completing his first year in the 70+ age group with a perfect
record of first place in all of his races!
We celebrated Bob's 71st birthday three days early at the awards ceremony
with the traditional carrot cake.
Then it was time to move on to the Inauguration of the new president of my
alma mater, Central Washington University, in Ellensburg and to the October
meeting of the Yakima Hard Core Runners Club, sponsor of the YAKIMA RIVER
CANYON MARATHON.
Quickly, back to Renton and on to the Royal Victoria Marathon, Bob's
all-time favorite. His application had been mailed in April but was misplaced
until just a few days before the race when Sandra Hunt was a good
"Sherlock Holmes" for us. Sandra's husband Richard is the famous
artist who designs the logo each year for the Royal Victoria Marathon and
spends hours autographing the shirts for the participants at the Expo. Their
daughter Emily completes the "Hunt Family Team."
The weather on race day was made-to-order for Bob....overcast skies with
moderate temperatures....and he ran his second October marathon in a time of
3:48:17, another Boston qualifier!
Back to Renton, then on to our Yakima home to host our YAKIMA RIVER CANYON
MARATHON committee meeting before traveling to Spokane and October marathon
#3. This time we stayed with a high school classmate of mine, and I worked as
a volunteer at the day of race number pickup for their three events (half
marathon, marathon, and 5 miler.)
Doomsday Hill on the course and the elevation of 2,000' present a challenge
to a marathoner who most often runs at sea level. Again, the weather was
"Bob"s kind," and he ran his third sub-four hour marathon in
October in a time of 3:58:13.
........Back to Yakima, then to Renton to prepare for our red-eye flight to
Washington, DC. Are we going in circles yet.....or maybe "figure
eights"....???
We arrived at Reagan National Airport at 10:15 a.m. on October 20, rented a
car and drove directly to the Marine Corps Marathon Race Headquarters to pick
up Bob's race number (249) and his competitor's T-shirt. It was in the T-shirt
line that we saw our good friend, Todd Byers (former vice president of the
Seattle Marathon),,,,and then walked the Expo with him.
When Bob had tried to get an entry form for the Marine Corps Marathon on
February 15th and 16th, the phone lines were busy. So, he wrote a letter to
Rick Nealis, the race director, telling him that he had been a Marine for six
and a half years, that he belonged to the 50 States and DC Club, and that he
had hoped to run this marathon as a 70 year old. After the letter was mailed,
Bob tried the "800" number once more with disappointing results. The
Marine Corps Marathon had processed 25,000 registrations in three days and was
closed!!
Two weeks later Rick Nealis sent Bob a registration form! After receiving
Bob's entry, he assigned him a "seeded" number. Little did the three
of us know this would be the start of a beautiful relationship.
Rick had been a guest speaker at the Portland Marathon Race Directors Workshop
and during this time, we became well acquainted. He invited us to
attend his Marine Corps Marathon Race Directors Workshop on October 20 and 21,
and later mailed me a VIP pass. This pass allowed me to see the start of the
marathon at the special spectators' stand and watch the finish at the VIP tent
located at the finish line.
The Marine Corps Marathon is know as the "People's
Race".......focus is on the people, to give them a quality race. They
don't use prize money, and they don't give anybody a free package to a faraway
race. This is good news for our YAKIMA RIVER CANYON MARATHON which is a
"race for marathoners"....where we hope to provide for all
participants a great experience on an awesome course.
We felt so at home at the Marine Corps Marathon Race Directors Workshop
where we again met the directors from Big Sur, Ottawa, and Charleston and were
royally welcomed by the Marine Corps Marathon Race Director, Rick Nealis.
The attendance at this workshop was smaller than in Portland, and the
presentation style was more casual. We had a better opportunity to particiate
and to meet most of the speakers.
On the morning of Bob's 4th October marathon, we parked our rental car in
the Pentagon's North Parking Lot, walked a mile north in the dark to the
start/finish area and then had breakfast together in the VIP tent before
walking to the starting line.
Throughout the weekend, the Marine Corps Band provided music. Of the 3,000
volunteers 2,200 were Marines who were brought from Quantico, VA, for various
assignments.
Arlington National Cemetery was directly across the road from the
spectators' stand where I stood at the start of the marathon. It was
off-limits for race day, but my thoughts could go there as I remembered my
uncle and aunt who are buried there.
It was awesome to hear a Marine Corps officer sing the national anthem, to
see the colors presented, to hear the greetings from Rick Nealis and
Virginia's Senator Robb, to watch so closely as the 10 wheelchair participants
left, and then to watch Bob as the Marines led the elite and seeded runners to
the line for the 8:30 a.m. start.
A record number of almost 19,000 runners had picked up their bibs to run in
the 25th Marine Corps Marathon. The race course brought the runners back to
the east side of the spectators' stand at 6+ miles, so I was able to see Bob
again as he passed by 55 minutes into the race. Later, at the VIP tent I was
able to check his progress on a computer. When the race was over, it showed
Bob's time as 4:05:27, 2,584th male, 3,258th overall and FIRST in his age
group!! It was a hot day, and Bob was pleased to run his 4th October marathon
in such a good time.
We had been guests of another Snohomish High School classmate during our
stay in the Washington, DC, area. It pays to stay in touch!
Bob chose to run the Cape Cod Marathon in Falmouth, MA, on October 29. That
gave us time to visit his 89 year old mother in Worcester, MA, and his brother
and sister-in-law in Lincoln, RI.
The 23rd running of this marathon had reached its cap of 1,200 in
September. The mild and sunny fall weather in the days preceding the race gave
way to cold temperatures of 38-42 degrees. During the marathon, winds added to
the chill factor for the marathoners and the relay teams that participated. A
few snowflakes appeared at the end of the race!! Luckily, Bob had brought
along some "winter" running gear and comfortably ran his 5th October
marathon in 3:58:05, his fourth sub-four hour marathon in five consecutive
weekends.....giving him an overall average of 3:57:21 and another first in his
age division.
If only October had SIX Sundays, I'm sure Bob would have found another
marathon to run!!
Will we do this again next year? Probably.....For sure, we'll be in
Portland on September 30th and in Victoria on October 7th. Les Wright, Race
Director for the Lake Tahoe Marathon, has invited us to his October 14, 2001,
race. If Spokane has their marathon on October 21, then we're in business.
Next year's Marine Corps Marathon will be on October 28, a date that's already
on our schedule.........and I think Bob knows how to get an entry form for
that one!!!
Written by Lenore Dolphin
###
?
)
