Fargo Marathon Weekend - 2008

University Drive looking south towards the starting line. Thousands of people getting ready for the start.

The weather could have not been better at the start of the 2008 Fargo Marathon! Sunny bluebird day with light wind, temperature in the mid 40's and climbing as the sun rose in the sky. The wind was scheduled to increase throughout the day, but no worries at the start. Al Kraft met me at my house at 7:20am for a quick bike ride to the starting line at the Fargo Dome. Kriston had already left to get her aid station on mile 9 ready to go. Both Matt and Ben were running the 5K. Ben went with a friend, Matt rode his bike with Al and I.

You need a lot of Porta Potties to keep everyone happy before the race. The photo is just a small percent of the total count and there were lines at each one.

The race started at 8am sharp, just enough time to lock our bikes to a fence by the front door of the Dome and head to the starting line. Tom Clow is on the Marathon Committee and was verifying lead bikers for the race. Therefore, we were invited to the front of the line - pole position - sweet. There were about 10 of us that were representing the Dick Beardsley Running Company, we were all present and accounted for and were ready to go. You could tell that the Race Director, Mark Knutson was a happy man. Everything was going like clock work.
Dan Seymour and I were shooting for a 1:30:00 half marathon, 13.1 miles. That is a 6:51/mile pace. I have tons of base miles this spring but not much tempo work so I knew that I was in for a tough day. The rest of the DBRC guys were shooting for 1:30 or better as well. We have trained together all winter/spring and knew where all of our fitness levels are. It is good thing to have such a supportive group of guys to work with. I could try and mention all of the names, but do not want to miss anyone.
All of the formalities complete, we were off. I knew from the first step that I did not have it in me to break any personal records. It was going to be tough. Dan is a stickler for pace, we both had our Garmins on and knew exactly where we needed to be. We had run the course a couple of times which helped greatly. There are not a lot of hills in Fargo, but the hills that we have require attention.

The following is a list of my mile splits.
1 - 6:42
2 - 6:37
3 - 6:51
4 - 6:35
5 - 6:45
6 - 6:53
7 - 6:53
8 - 6:55
9 - 6:58
10 - 6:48
11 - 7:12
12 - 6:50
13.1 - 6:55
My average HR was 159
My max HR was 171

As you can tell, we put a few seconds in the bank for the first couple of miles. Everything you read tells you to be on pace early. If you can speed up at the end, do so. But, we banked the seconds and needed almost everyone of them at the end. I have run a lot of marathons and half marathons and this was one of the hardest. I can attribute some of the issues to the heat. By no means was it hot, but the majority of my long runs this spring I was wearing gloves. No one from Fargo was use to the heat. I had to work for absolutely every mile.
Danno and I made it through mile 11 with less than 15 minutes remaining to meet our goal. No time to relax - as I was running into the Dome, the clock above the finish line was at 1:29:33. I hauled ass to the finish line and ended up 1:29:52! Whew, close call! Dan finished with me which made it even sweeter. We both pulled it off!
I added 3 minutes from last years time but am pleased and am now looking forward to riding more bike and dropping my running miles to 25/week.
The Dome was packed with finishers and families. Pandemonium would be a great word for it. I felt for the marathoners and the people who were out there pounding the wind and the heat. I am sure that it made for a very long day.
The day ended with me loosing two bets. One to Greg Hammes - beer of course. Greg seemed to know that I was coming in under 1:30. I told him it was going to be tough. The second bet was to Kriston. In addition to the aid station, Kriston ran the third leg of the relay with a group of ladies that she had been training with for months. The bet was for Kriston to be quicker with her relay leg than I ran the half, she beat me by a minute - good job Sweet Heart! We had roast beef for dinner tonight and she did not move a finger to help.
The rest of the DBRC group all met their goals without injuries. Al Kraft had a side ache from the start and finished a bit back, but finished strong.
Both Matt and Ben finished strong in the 5K. Matt came in at 24:43, Ben at 31:20. It sounded like they both had fun and are already talking about next time. Matt is considering running the half!
As promised, the wind came up big time! Matt and I jumped on our bikes and toured the last half of the marathon route. We back tracked and saw Kriston run and finish her relay leg. The jury is still out if Kriston had a good time. She won't admit it, but I would say that she did.

Kriston running strong "against" the wind. What a busy day she had!

Overall, the Wenzel's participated to the fullest with all of us running an event and Kriston having an aid station at mile 9. The cities of Fargo/Moorhead did an excellent job of taking care of everyone. What a great day!