Held on the same date as the Portland Marathon.
Run from Malvern to Benton (about 45 miles from Little Rock)
130 runners entered
Ron was 19^th overall and 1^st in the 55-59 age group
Charlotte was the 5^th woman overall and got the 1^st master woman trophy
The course as advertised was very hilly
The course is run on a mostly rural rout

What we learned in Arkansas:

     If you want to run a spring marathon in Hawaii you should run next year in Maui. In 2002 the date is being changed to September. It has been during spring break where they don’t need special events to draw people to the island.

     We hope some day to return to this marathon. You won't find a more attractive place to run. While the start time is 5:30 am, which is good for the temperature, it does cause one to get up early.

    With a half-hour to go I saw what appeared to be a place that was giving out food. There was some rice that I asked about. The woman there said it was sushi. I asked what was in the middle. She said ahi. I asked it that was fish. The reply was yes. I asked if it was cooked. The reply was no. I asked if it would make me run fast. The answer was a smile. I had one sushi, two donut holes and a cup of coffee and pronounced myself ready to run. Charlotte thought I had lost my mind.

     The start of the race is spectacular with bright lights and Hawaiian men blowing ancient horns.

     The first 11 miles are run through pineapple and sugar cane fields. You reach the beach and after a few rolling hills run right next to the beach in what must be some of the most beautiful miles in the world.

     All would have been well except unexpected high winds were there for the race. There was a helpful tailwind to start but once we reached the beach the winds increased. For most of the time they were at our side. When I finished the right side of my legs was dark with dust while the left side was reasonably clean. The National Weather Service reported the winds were steady 25 to 30 mph with gusts up to 55. Charlotte said my weight finally helped as she had problems staying on the road when a gust came. The last two miles were brutal as you ran directly into the wind. The gusts would stop you dead.

     There are some nice features after the race. Pictures are available an hour after the race. Also about 15 minutes after you finish you can pick up a card that shows your official time and how you placed overall and within your age group. The awards ceremony is hold at the beach on the grounds of the Marriott. They provide beer and pizza and have great awards.

PITTSBURGH MARATHON

   Whoever selected Pittsburgh for the trials should be fired. Even on a good weather day it would not be a fast course, as there are several hills.

  We got to stand at the starting line for the Olympic trials so were pumped when we started our race on the same course. At the five-mile mark I was to the second at the pace I wanted. Then the heat and humidity got to me. I set a slower goal. I repeated this a couple of more times and finally decided what I really wanted to do was to finish. I did and so did Charlotte. She ran a personal worst. Surprisingly she won her age group. I think most people ran considerably slower. Over 300 people were treated for heat related problems and 24 were taken to the hospital.

    Needless to say it wasn’t one of our favorite marathons. We did meet a number of very nice people. One group was from the mountain area north of Pittsburgh. They told us they liked people from Oregon better than people from Philadelphia. The group had one member who they said was their coach. He had run one marathon so now was coaching them.

   Next up this year are Arkansas and South Carolina marathons. Keep running.