Steve's Story:
This was marathon number 39 and my 23rd state. (I also have two Can. provinces). Just an “average” marathon for me. I ran 2:44 and placed 10th overall. They put an asterix by my name though for “under USATF age-group guidelines.” I interpreted that to mean I was pretty fast for an old guy. The only other one in the race to have the asterix was the winner, age 41. He ran 2:32.
The weekend before when we ran Barr Trail my knee started hurting again (injury started from 50-mile race three weeks ago), so I took the rest of the week off before running the marathon yesterday. Around mile 12 it started to hurt slightly, but went away in just a few minutes. Then at mile 25 it came back with a vengeance. I kept going since I was almost done anyway. As I write this I am hobbling.
The course was flat as a pancake and below sea-level. (New Orleans is below sea level. They pump the rain water out through an elaborate system of pipes and canals.) Pretty nice race and of course New Orleans is always fun. Recommended for marathoners looking for a fun run in a fun town.
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Mardi Gras Marathon
New Orleans, Louisiana Feb 4th, 2001 |
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10th
Overall/3rd Master's
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Steve
Bremner
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Mile
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time
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split
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1
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6:07
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6:07
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5
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24:43
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30:50
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6
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6:01
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36:51
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7
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6:00
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42:51
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8
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6:02
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48:53
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9
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6:00
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54:53
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10
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5:57
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1:00:51
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12
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12:05
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1:12:56
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13
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6:02
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1:18:58
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14
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6:17
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1:25:15
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15
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6:00
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1:31:15
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16
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6:07
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1:37:24
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17
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5:58
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1:43:22
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18
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6:11
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1:49:33
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19
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6:05
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1:55:38
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20
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6:16
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2:01:54
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21
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6:19
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2:08:15
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22
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6:33
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2:14:48
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23
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6:37
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2:21:25
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24
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6:57
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2:28:22
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25
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7:08
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2:35:30
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26.2
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8:38
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2:44:10
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Laila's Story:
I ran my last race, which was a 50 miler, in Santa Catalina Island on January 13. Steve and I had signed up for another marathon many months ahead to be happening on February 4th, only 3 weeks after the 50 miler! This time, we were going to New Orleans, Louisiana. I had not been to Louisiana before.
If there is a place to be called “Sin City” this was the place. New Orleans is a city that is not shy to show its innermost "sinful" thoughts and put them out in the open for everyone to see & experience.
But with all of this, we also had the opportunity to experience some of the history of Louisiana. I truly enjoyed the people, the history, the museums, the music (jazz & blues), the food, the bands that you find in every corner; also, we were able to experience the excitement of the Mardi Grass Festival that was coming up to full bloom the day after we left. We also went to several book stores, and even the book stores were very fun to visit, books stacked everywhere from corner to corner...
Anyway, my marathon sucked (3:31), I had been feeling injuries coming up since November, which became exacerbated on my 50 miler race. New Orleans Marathon is an easy course, pretty flat, but when my body is injured, it is not a piece of cake. I decided that I was going to run a slow marathon... Maybe this is where my problem resides, giving up too soon before I even start; anyway, by half marathon time, I felt I probably should try to go a little bit faster. By then, I think I had been running too slow to make much of a difference on my final time. I did end up with a negative split (what a surprise!). I passed tons of people on the second half and only one man and one woman passed me at the 26 mile mark (this hurt); but again, I will be making smarter decisions this year on the rest of my races. I will be coming back to running again after being off for 5 weeks (healing) and ready to run with the club with a new set of running goals.
