State Number 1 - Humboldt Bay Marathon

State Number 1 – Humboldt Bay Marathon, Eureka, CA

9 August 2015

I’ve run ten different marathons throughout the State of California with the first one being the Silicon Valley Marathon in San Jose held 29 October 2000.  Since I am one of those unfortunate souls living in this left coast state, picking a marathon to represent California in my 50-states quest leaves me at an impasse.  Each one of those ten marathons have their plusses and minuses, but I settled on the Humboldt Bay Marathon in Eureka, even though this race was run fifteen years after my first California marathon.  I know this marathon is inconsistent with the chronological order of my other states; but nonetheless, I'm beginning here.

 

The chief reason for my decision is that I was born and raised in Eureka and have lived in various communities in Humboldt County.  After graduating from Humboldt State University, I relocated out of the county to begin my engineering career.  My parents still live in the Eureka area, so running this marathon is a good reason for a visit.

Besides usual 5 or 10K races and the popular Clam Beach Run, there are two other marathons held in Humboldt County each year, May’s Avenue of the Giants, affectionately known as “The Ave,” and October’s Humboldt Redwoods Marathon north of the community of Weott along the Eel River.  The courses are identical and are approximately one hour south of Eureka.  Access to these races can be problematic to a certain degree.  Don’t get me wrong, this course is set in a beautiful part of southern Humboldt where the coast redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens) dwarf the runners and provide much needed shade since temperatures can be warm or serve as make-shift umbrellas as rainy weather can, and does, happen.  Although hilly in some areas, the scenery is spectacular and well worth the trip to run amongst the redwoods.  As a finisher of “The Ave,” it comes highly recommended.

Avenue of the Giants

The Humboldt Bay Marathon was held on 9 August 2015 in the city of Eureka, located in Humboldt County on California’s north coast lying about two hours south of the Oregon border.  This was the inaugural running organized by local running enthusiasts to honor the memory of a fallen athlete killed in a hit and run incident on a local roadway and to fill in the gap between the other two marathons.

My wife and I drove several hours to Eureka on 7 August and arrived at my parents’ house later that afternoon.  The packet pick-up was held Saturday in the parking lot of Wildberries Marketplace (the title sponsor of the event).  We each volunteered to be pace leaders with my wife at 4:10 and me at 4:55.  We picked up our bibs, bright orange pacer shirts and pace signs that we held throughout the race.  There was nothing worth noting about the “expo”, as it was a very small affair with local artisans and vendors peddling their products and merchandise.

Toeing the start line

As a Eureka native, I’m quite familiar with the summertime weather.  As a coastal city of 26,000, the weather is generally cool with coastal low clouds, so I thought this race would be cool and comfortable for me since I do not perform well in full sun and heat.

Dressed in our running attire with our orange pacing shirts, we made a bathroom stop at McDonald’s on our way to the event's parking area.  While walking back to the car, a person in the parking lot stated to us, “I can’t see you!” making reference to our fluorescent orange shirts.  We got a kick out of that comment, as we were rather bright. 

After walking eight blocks from the finish line parking lot at the foot of C Street along the waterfront area, we arrived at the marathon start area around 0715 hours near the iconic Eureka Inn on Seventh and F Streets, downtown Eureka.  There, our pacing group gathered round for some pictures by race officials and various photographers.

A small group of marathoners, around 80 or so, were gathered as the half marathon runners were transported to a different start area.  But with this being an inaugural event, the turnout wasn’t too bad, but not what I had expected.  I overheard one of the race directors say that the porta potty company failed to deliver porta potties to the start area.  So, the good folks at the Eureka Inn were kind enough to let us use the restrooms in the hotel lobby.

The weather at the start was overcast and cool (about 52 degrees), making for near ideal running weather.  Where else can one find a summer marathon that has ideal running weather?  After the National Anthem, runners gathered at the line for an eight o’clock start.  It never ceases to amaze me that a large number of runners do not remove their caps during the playing of our National Anthem.  I wish people would show a little respect and remove their caps.  Enough said!
 

The horn sounded and we were off and running the inaugural Humboldt Bay Marathon without a lot of fanfare.  The course started up F Street to Henderson Center, out to Myrtle Avenue and up to Sunny Brae on Old Arcata Road, past the Arcata Plaza where the half marathon began, through the Arcata Bottoms to Manila, over the Samoa Bridge and then along the Eureka waterfront to the C street plaza finish line along the waterfront overlooking the Woodley Island Marina.

Most spectators lined the course within the city.  But, once runners started out Myrtle Avenue the running platoon thinned out leaving everyone pretty much on their own.  I didn’t have anyone in my 4:55 pace group, but I still kept up the 11:15 pace.  I had hoped someone would join after a few miles or so.

As I left the Eureka city limits pushing towards Freshwater Corners, around the 10K mark of the course, the overcast started breaking up allowing sunlight to permeate through.  I knew this would be a bad sign, as the temperatures would soon rise and the sun would be a problem, I worried about keeping my pace, especially once we were on the peninsula, as there are no shady areas.

Marathon Miles 6 through 16 went by uneventful as my pace times were faster by a few seconds knowing I can bank some time before reaching the dairy and cattle lands of the Arcata Bottoms where my pace would likely slow.  By then, the sun was out in full force and the temperatures were on the rise.  The typical northwesterly winds off the Pacific usually provides the area with a cool breeze while keeping temperatures in check were noticeably absent.  I was now getting hot and worn out with my pace markedly slowing.  The banked time I managed to accrue would surely be depleted in just a couple of miles.
 

By Marathon Mile 16, more runners were on the course as I merged in with some of the half marathon runners, but still no one joining my pace.  The county roads throughout the bottoms area are non-engineered sections consisting of the standard road mix asphalt surfacing over native material.  I was aware of my footing at all times as some road sections are rough with frequent pot holes and abrupt edges, and the possibility of turning an ankle was real. 

After Marathon Mile 18, cramping in my right gastrocnemius and soleus muscles made running difficult.  I wondered if a salt tablet would have solved the problem.  I was preserving my hydration with Gatorade and water while consuming my GU packs for much needed glucose, but to no avail.  Even though the gastrocnemius is a very powerful superficial bipennate muscle, the cramping only got worse as the miles went by forcing me to walk.  After walking for a few minutes, I was able to run again, albeit, slowly until I had to walk again.

Samoa Bridge

As I turned right onto State Highway 255, the pavement transitioned into a smooth ¾-inch Type A hot-mixed asphalt concrete surface with Grade PG64 type asphaltic binder with four-foot wide paved shoulders. 

Sauntering up Highway 255, I accepted the fact I was not going to make my target time of 4:55, so I needed to finish the best I could.  By now, the sun generated a form of radiation burn on my face and neck thus affecting the living tissue resulting from overexposure to ultraviolet radiation, causing additional inconveniences, especially after the race.  After all the marathons I’ve completed, I should have learned by now to apply sunscreen to my neck and face before each run.  When will I learn?

As I approached the water station at Marathon Mile 21, sponsored by the local SPCA, I grabbed a water cup for much need hydration and noticed glazed sugar cookies baked in the shape of dogs and cats.  I couldn’t pass up a good sugar cookie.  It tasted great and gave me a little boost of energy.  The volunteers were very encouraging to me when my energy level was spent.

As I made the turn onto the Samoa Bridge with 2 ½ miles remaining and three hills to overcome, I knew this was going to be a difficult endeavor.  I walked up the inclines and slowly ran down the hills trying not to aggravate the cramp in my gastrocnemius.  The water of Humboldt Bay, glistening in the sun, looked very enticing for a quick dip, but jumping off the bridge 40-50 feet above the water was not an option.  Yes, I dropped a rock, timed the splash and made some quick kinematic calculations to determine the approximate height.

Carson Mansion

Coming off the bridge with one mile remaining, I turned onto Third Street making my way around the county library building and past the Carson Mansion.  From there, I knew it was a short jog through old town Eureka to the boardwalk.  A Eureka PD officer providing traffic control acknowledged me that we had something in common.  My bib number was 95 which matched his badge number.  I thanked him for his service, bade him a good day, and proceeded towards the finish line.
 

As I made the final turn, I was so relieved to hear my name announced over the PA system as I came down the finish line chute all the while holding my 4:55 pace sign down low, as if I was out of service.  My Garmin read 26.38 miles ±15 feet, with a time of 5:07:35 – 11:44 pace.  My parents and aunt were there to cheer me on as I made the final push to the finish line timing mat.  That was the inspiration I needed to finish strong and forget the leg pain.  As I crossed and saw the timing clock, I was somewhat disappointed that I failed to hit my pace target.  My wife had hit her mark and I was happy for that.

The post-race merriments included some various food items, water, and a beer garden serving ice cold beer from the Lost Coast Brewery.  Each runner over 21 was entitled to three beers.  The beer hit the spot as I was hot and worn out.

After we left the race, my wife, parents, aunt and I wandered on over to the Lost Coast Brewery for a well-deserved lunch and sample some of the locally brewed beers.

Although I didn’t hit my mark, it is always gratifying to finish a marathon and I was proud of my accomplishment.  The uncommon weather conditions that day in Eureka posed a significant challenge for me.  If the marathon began an hour earlier, I believe I would have hit my mark.  As I look on the bright side, the nice warm weather made for a pleasant visit.

It can be expected that glitches will happen for an inaugural event, but as time goes on, I expect this marathon to attract more runners as the word spreads across the marathoning community.  I would recommend the race organizers consider starting both races an hour earlier – or before – so runners would have cooler temperatures on their side.  I do wish the organizers well with this event and hope for their continued success and I would not hesitate to run this marathon again. 

On Monday, we loaded up the car and moved to Beverly...oops, I mean for the long drive to Sacramento for some engineering work I need to do Tuesday and Wednesday.    In the for-what-it's-worth department, I was thinking of the Ballad of Jed Clampett.

Fisherman Memorial Woodley Island