On December 9, 2000, as Lenore and I drove north on I-5 in the pre-dawn, our
car was pummeled by a squall of heavy rain and sleet south of Bellingham. Was
this what we had to look forward to in a few hours at the Birch Bay
Marathon???
Thankfully, the rain subsided as we entered Birch Bay State Park. There we
passed Ray Kent, 54, of Mt. Vernon who had taken an early start. Later, at the
start/finish area there was a small group of a dozen marathoners, mostly
friends and acquaintances, who responded enthusiastically to Dave Dutton, Race
Director, as he started the marathon at 8:00 a.m.
I ran and visited with Jim Boyd, Karl Jensen, and Stan Nakashima for a few
miles. Then I chased the runners up ahead of me but lost ground. I started to
admire the scenery and the wildlife.....the gulls, mallards, scaup and scoters
on Birch Bay and a small "v" of trumpeter swans overhead. At 10K I
saw White Rock, BC, in the distance across Boundary Bay. There was a flock of
several hundred sandpipers feeding on the beach at low tide, and a bald eagle
sat at the top of a Douglas Fir nearby. I had the best of everything.....a
great day to run a beautifully scenic marathon and a time to enjoy the
abundance of a variety of birds along the way!
Ed Hill, 38, of Renton led for 13 miles, but then dropped out, wisely, due
to an injury. Pete Hansen, 44, of Blaine and Ean Jackson, 43, of North
Vancouver, BC, finished together in a time of 3:18.50. They couldn't celebrate
their win for awhile, though, because the 1999 winner, Leland Wakelin, 41, of
White Rock, BC, had started thirty minutes late and was still on the course.
At 3:48:51, the winners could celebrate. Leland finished in 3rd place with a
3:34:00.
Next were the Duttons.....Mike, 30, of Everett finished with a 3:35:06 just
ahead of his uncle, Dave, 44, of Mt. Vernon (3:36:30.) Ron Adams, 52, of North
Vancouver, BC, finished in 6th place with a 3:51:52.
My race went reasonably well as I enjoyed the 40 degree temperature,
overcast skies, and absence of wind except for a few miles by Birch Bay. At
the halfway mark, I caught up with Mel Preedy, 67, of Ravensdale and with
FIRST TIME MARATHONER, Dave Passeck, 39, of Blaine (4:17:54.) I ran close
behind Mel for seven miles but then hit the wall big time. Jim Boyd, 58, of
Seattle passed me then and took over my spot behind Mel. Mel held him off and
finished in 7th place with a 3:54:02, while Jim had a 3:55:44.
My shuffle/walk brought me to the finish next with a 4:04:50 time. Next was
Karl Jensen, 51, of Richmond, BC, the master of the 100 mile trail race. He
completed six of these in 1999 to become the first Canadian to complete the
"Last Great Race." He has completed four of these grueling events
this year. He now has a total of 23 marathons/ultras for 2000. Quite an
accomplishment!!
Next to finish was Stan Nakashima, 49, of Mt. Vernon (4:11:05.) He has a
marvelous career record of 217 marathons/ultras. Ray Kent, 54, of Mt. Vernon
finished in 5:12:20 to wrap up this successful and satisfying marathon. We had
beaten the storm that was forecast for the weekend as well!!
Thanks to Dave Dutton, Jeannette Dutton, and Lenore Dolphin for their
direction and volunteering.
written by Bob Dolphin
BIRCH BAY MARATHON........RACE RESULTS........December 9, 2000
1. 3:18:50 Pete Hansen, 44, Blaine, WA (Total # of Marathons/Ultras...45)
1. 3:18:50 Ean Jackson, 43, North Vancouver, BC (125)
3. 3:34:00 Leland Wakelin, 41, White Rock, BC (17)
4. 3:35:06 Mike Dutton, 30, Everett, WA (51)
5. 3:36:30 Dave Dutton, 44, Mt. Vernon, WA (160)
6. 3:51:52 Ron Adams, 52, North Vancouver, BC (39)
7. 3:54:02 Mel Preedy, 67, Ravensdale, WA (208)
8. 3:55:44 Jim Boyd, 58, Seattle, WA (167)
9. 4:04:50 Bob Dolphin, 71, Renton, WA (266)
10. 4:08:34 Karl Jensen, 51, Richmond, BC (148)
11. 4:11:05 Stan Nakashima, 49, Mt. Vernon, WA (217)
12. 4:17:54 David Passeck, 39, Blaine, WA (ONE)
13. 5:12:20 Ray Kent, 54, Mt. Vernon, WA
14. DNF (16 miles) Ed Hill, 38, Renton, WA
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