State Number 6
– Missoula Marathon, Missoula, MT
14 July 2013
Ten weeks after the Tacoma Marathon, the
west-central Montana city of Missoula was the destination of my seventeenth
marathon and the second marathon of 2013.
This was my first official visit to the
Big Sky State, so I wanted to make this trip somewhat of an outdoor adventure.
On 6 July 2013, an unfortunate event
transpired at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). While attempting to land, Asiana Flight 214 arriving
from Seoul, South Korea crashed short of SFO’s Runway 28L killing two and
injuring 168.
Instead of flying out of LAX, my wife
and I made a 3.5 hour drive on Friday, 12 July to SFO for a non-stop United
Airlines flight to Missoula International Airport Johnson-Bell Field (MSO), since
SFO was the only airport that offered non-stop flights to MSO from
California. I am never a fan of
connecting flights, unless absolutely necessary, as delays can affect
connections to destination airports. So,
if there is an economical non-stop option, I’m taking it.
The flight from SFO was pretty much
on-time. As we departed Runway 1L,
passengers on the right side of the plane were able to see the activity of the
Asiana casualty. It was obvious that
Runway 28L was closed, but 28R was open to inbound aircraft. From the flight information boards in the
airport terminal, I noticed that flights from other airports were, to some
extent, delayed as a consequence of only one active runway. Immediately, I wondered if our return flight
from MSO was going to be delayed.
The 2h 10m flight took us over Lake
Tahoe; Boise, ID; Salmon, ID; up the Bitterroot Valley with an arrival over
Missoula and a left-turn final approach to Runway 29.
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| Grizzly bear at MSO |
MSO is a medium sized airport serving
five commercial airlines with six gates.
The terminal building is decorated in an outdoor theme with professionally
mounted displays of various animals. The
display of an 8-9-foot tall grizzly bear standing on its hind quarters over a large
trout immediately caught my eye. That’s
something I wouldn’t want to encounter in the wild.
It was about 1330 hours when we took
custody of our rental car for the weekend.
It was a quick trip out of the airport property and onto West Broadway
Street en route to our hotel.
We were hungry as we entered the city,
so we first stopped at a nearby Wendy’s for lunch. The pretzel bacon cheeseburger was a new item
on the menu at the time, so we each tried one.
Frankly, the picture looked better than the burger we received. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t think I would
order it again.
Our weekend domicile was Ruby’s Inn
Missoula on North Reserve Street. Coincidentally,
the National Smokejumpers Association was having its annual convention at the
hotel that weekend. Needless to say,
there were a lot of current and retired smokejumpers and their families from
around the country roaming around the complex.
Smokejumpers are most often deployed to
fires that are extremely remote. They have
the capability of reaching wildfires shortly after ignition when it is still relatively
small and extinguishing the blaze before it becomes a problem to forest lands
and the public. When there is no
significant fire activity, smokejumpers can also be used for outside fire
suppression in work assignments such as forestry, disaster relief and emergency
management. Missoula is home to the U.S.
Forest Service’s smokejumper headquarters and base just west of the airport.
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| Watch for drunks! |
After establishing ourselves in our
room, we donned our running clothes for the annual pre-marathon beer run. This years’ beer run began at the Iron Horse
Brew Pub at the corner of Higgins and Spruce in downtown.
Dozens of runners from around the
country and Canada participated in the informal annual fun run. Participants could choose to run either the 5K
or 5-miler. Since we didn’t want to
overdo ourselves, we chose to run an easy 5K just enough to loosen the muscles
and warm up for the marathon.
A few minutes prior to the start, a
typical summer-time thunderstorm approached Missoula from the south. Lightning bolts streaked across the sky as reverberations
of thunder echoed throughout the city streets supplemented with a heavy
downpour lasting for a few minutes. I
would wager an intensity of approximately two inches per hour fell in those few
minutes. Once the storm passed and the
skies turned blue again infused with the aromatic smell of fresh clean air characteristic
of thunderstorms, the beer run commenced.
Olympian Jeff Galloway was the featured
runner who, every year, is active in making the Missoula Marathon an
extraordinary event. With Jeff leading
the way, runners headed easterly down Spruce Street, thence up Greenough Drive
towards Greenough Park traversing the paved trail through the forested area of
the park alongside Rattlesnake Creek to the northeasterly extent of the park’s
boundary. From there we crossed the
creek over a timber bridge and made the return trip back down Monroe Street
with the park on the right side and homes to the left.
As runners exited the park and crossed under
the I-90 freeway, we continued to Madison Street, thence right through the
stately neighborhood of East Pine Street under the shade of the silver and
Norway maples, (Acer saccharinum) and
(Acer platanoides); respectively, thence
back to Higgins Avenue finishing in the Iron Horse parking lot as the Big Sky
Brewing Company served various assortments of ice cold beer.
We partook in some adult beverages,
talked with a few people and listened to some music in the parking lot before
deciding to have a meal at the pub. I
ordered an Iron Horse quarter-pound burger with all the accoutrements. After the energy our meal gave us, we made
our way over to the University of Montana campus for a hike up to the “M” on
Mt. Sentinel.
According to a sign at the trail head,
the “M” on the west face of Mt. Sentinel has been a local landmark since the
early 1900s when the university’s forestry club hauled stones up the slope to
shape the school’s symbol. Concrete soon
replaced the original versions of the “M” in the late 1960s and remains that
way today.
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| Endless switchbacks |
The hike was quite strenuous with
eleven switchbacks for an elevation gain of about 650 feet. I noticed several people running up the trail
as part of their training regimen. I
don’t know if they were running the marathon, but if they were, they were
crazy!
The views from the “M” were
spectacular. We had a great view of the
university, the city and the valley. The
large white colored concrete slab in the shape of a giant “M” was peppered with
graffiti, initials, dates and other unmentionables chiseled into the monolithic
slab.
The trail also affords hikers a great
view of the waterlines etched into the slopes of Mt. Jumbo to the north and
along the slopes of Mt. Sentinel resulting from ancient Glacial Lake Missoula.
The glacial lake was formed as a result
of an ice sheet some 12,000 years ago that dammed the Clark Fork River as it
entered Idaho’s panhandle. The rising
water impoundment behind the glacial dam weakened it until water burst through
in a catastrophic flood that inundated parts of Idaho, Washington, and Oregon as
it funneled toward the Pacific Ocean. The waves and debris of ice eroded soils and
mountainsides creating the scablands of eastern Washington and carved the
Columbia River Gorge east of Portland, OR. It would be a thought-provoking exercise to
run hydraulic software, such as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ HEC-RAS, to model
the dam failure and to predict the reservoir outflow hydrograph and the routing
of that hydrograph through the downstream valleys to determine dam failure
consequences.
After our hike to the “M”, it was time
to head back to the hotel to relax in the hot tub and get some rest.
As Saturday morning dawned, we drove
over to Caras Park for our race packet and expo. The park overlooks the Clark Fork River and
Brennan’s Wave, a man-made wave in the river that gives local kayak aficionados
a spectacular whitewater feature for their enjoyment and practice.
On that Saturday morning, Jeff invited
anyone interested to join him for a group hike up to the “M”. Although that would have been fun, we just
didn’t have the time.
Instead, we had reservations with
10,000 Waves Raft & Kayak Adventures for some whitewater rafting of our own
on the Clark Fork River outside of Alberton, about a half hour west of
Missoula. It is said that the river
boasts the best-sustained whitewater in western Montana. We were about to find out.
We met the company river guides at the
raft put-in area at the popular Cyr fishing access site on Sawmill Gulch Road
at Exit 70 on I-90. After signing our
lives away on the release forms and following a brief safety demonstration, we
slid the rafts down the slide and into the river.
Each raft held six occupants with the
river guide at the stern who controlled the raft. The trip took rafters down the river through
the Alberton Gorge created by Glacial Lake Missoula. The gorge contains some magnificent rock
formations and dramatic cliffs rising vertically on both sides of the
river. Our guide was knowledgeable in
the geological features; however, I did manage to provide some insight into river
hydraulics and some geological features.
He seemed surprised and asked me what I do for a living. I did get a kick out of that. The six of us were able to see lots of birds,
including osprey, mergansers, bald eagles, kingfishers and hawks.
We were joined by a good-humored family from North Dakota who
provided some great entertainment for the duration of the trip. We all had a great time with some big-volume
whitewater and fantastic scenery. The
weather was perfect with temperatures hovering around 80°F and, as usual, I
ended up with a sun burn from the direct sun exposure. I was worried about how the energy
expenditure and the sun burn would affect my marathon running. I found out that neither affected me – at least
I think.
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| Fantastic whitewater |
The rapids before the Triple Bridges area were just a warm-up of
things to come. The whitewater became
more fearsome as we approached Split Rock, Tumbleweed, and finally Fang. For added thrills and excitement, we were
allowed to sit on the boat’s bow traversing some of the milder rapids.
In areas of tranquil water, we managed to find ourselves in some entertaining
water battles with other rafters. Everyone
was using their paddles to splash water on others, while other rafters exploited
large squirt guns they had in their arsenal.
After a few miles of various classes of whitewater, the river
guide directed us to paddle towards a sandy shore at the mouth of Fish Creek
for a brief lunch snack, swimming and relaxation. This was a great little beach area and we
took notice of its whereabouts in hopes we could come back after the rafting
trip. At the end of the day, we were
unable to find this spot as we drove some of the back roads of Lolo National Forest.
The little respite lasted about thirty minutes and it was back to
the river. For the next four miles or so,
we encountered more exhilarating whitewater chutes. I found a way to anchor myself pretty well,
so I wasn’t afraid of falling out.
As we approached the take-out area at Tarkio, buses and other
vehicles were waiting on the shore to transport rafters back to Cyr.
I am by no means an experienced rafter, kayaker, or canoeist, but
I did enjoy the experience immensely. I
was a little nervous with some high classes of whitewater, but after
experiencing the thrill, I am a little more comfortable for the next time. We had a great river guide who was quite
knowledgeable of the area and what to expect as we approached each rapid. I would recommend anyone interested in
whitewater rafting to consider this day trip expedition.
We arrived back at the hotel at around
1800 hours to clean up from the day’s river expedition. We decided to have pizza for dinner at
MacKenzie River Pizza Co. on W. Front Street, a stone’s throw from Caras
Park. The restaurant serves creative
pizza pies, but we stuck with the usual cheese pizza and a beer. I know, a great meal before a marathon, but,
for me, it works. It was a great way to
end an adventurous day.
Early Sunday morning, our alarm wakened
us at 0430 giving us time to ready ourselves and to drive into downtown to
board shuttle buses to the start line.
The bus loading area was at Higgins Avenue and Broadway Street not far
from the historic county courthouse. We
boarded the bus around 0500 for the half hour ride to Frenchtown where runners
disembarked at the Clark Fork Valley Bank, a short walk to the start line on
Mullan Road. My wife and I sat down
along the side of a wind sheltered wall of the bank building in an effort to keep
warm.
It was quite cold that Sunday
morning. As soon as I removed my warm-up
clothes, it wasn’t long before I started to shiver. During the playing of the national anthem, I
noticed many runners shivering with chattering teeth and were anxious to get
the race started. The marathon web site
purports that average temperatures at start time are typically in the mid-50s,
but that morning, it was closer to 40°.
The marathon is a point-to-point net
uphill USATF certified BQ course with a significant hill near the half-way
point. It was a relatively scenic course
through the countryside and finishing in downtown Missoula.
The marathon started promptly at 0600
as the rising sun was peaking over the eastern mountains. As I made my way down Mullan Road, I had to
use the bill of my cap to shade the sun from my eyes. I was able to warm up to a comfortable level and
set into a relaxed pace around the one-half mile mark.
It wasn’t long before I caught up to
the 4:20 pace group. I’ve never run with
a pace group, but this time I thought I would try. Approximately fifteen runners were in the
group keeping a steady 9:55 pace as we paraded down Mullan Road, over the
bridge on Kona Ranch Road and up Big Flat Road towards the BIG hill everyone
talked about.
The hill proved to be significant and
long, but I was able to run the entire length without walking. I was happy this hill came when it did, as I
still had energy to make the steady climb.
The spectators were encouraging (well, at least most) but there were
some who were keeping it real by telling us we’re not even close to the summit.
The half-way point came just before we
crested over the summit for a much deserved downhill run back into the valley
and over the Bitterroot River and the Maclay Bridge.
I was keeping up with my pace group to
about Marathon Mile 18 aid station when fatigue and aching quadriceps forced me
to take a 500 mg dose of acetaminophen.
I had to walk while I retrieved my pill from my pocket and sipped some
water while downing a GU pack in the meantime; however, the pace group
continued on without me. My little break
caused me to lag behind the group, which dwindled somewhat from when I joined
the group, but managed to keep the pace leader in sight.
The city limits of Missoula began where
the Milwaukee Trail crosses under Reserve Street. There, I was able to catch up to the pace
group once again. I noticed the leader
slowing a little, but didn’t know if it was due to fatigue or slowing down to
keep on pace. My time in the group was
short-lived however – maybe a half mile or so.
One word sums it up – HEAT.
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| Finishing |
The city streets were lined with trees
which provided me much needed shade to keep going since the heat was beginning
to take its toll. The spectators were
very supportive and encouraging to me as I kept running as I must have looked
worn out. Running up Gerald Avenue, I
distinctly remember a kid, maybe 12 or so, telling runners as they passed by
that we’ve never been so close to the finish.
Actually, I was getting closer with every stride. He was right though, it was only a matter of
a few blocks to the finish line. At
least he wasn’t saying, “You’re almost there!”
As I made my last turn onto Higgins and
the short ascent up the bridge approach, the finish line was in sight. Unfortunately, I was not able to finish with
the pace group, but I gave it a noble effort.
I finished my seventeenth marathon and sixth state in a time of 4:23:36,
a 10:03 per mile pace – only three and a half minutes behind.
Age graded score: 52.29% Age graded time: 4:02:32
It was one the rare times I finished
before my wife – almost three minutes faster!
I waited for my wife to finish so we
could both walk down to the finish line festivities under the bridge in the
Caras Park Pavilion area. We gathered up
some food and water and had our finisher photos taken with our medals. All photos were immediately available at no
cost to runners.
Not spending much time at the finish
line area, we drove back to the hotel for some soak time in the hot tub. Adjacent to the hotel was a shaded grassy and
picnic area alongside Grant Creek. We
walked over to it and waded in the ice cold water soothing our achy feet. When I started to get numb, it was time for
me to exit the creek and allow circulation to resume.
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| Suomen kansallislippu |
My wife got
back into the hot tub, but I managed to spend about fifteen minutes in the hotel’s
sauna. I splashed some water onto the
rocks so I could enjoy the löyly experience, an essential part of warming the
body and relaxing the mind. In the
Finnish tradition, the sauna is a place where everyone is equal and you “leave
your worries with your shoes.” I only wish
the sauna could be a regular part of my life.
Jos ei viina, terva ja sauna auta, niin tauti on kuolemaksi.
Now, with a clean body and a clean mind,
we drove back into downtown for a meal at the Iron Horse Pub. We joined members of the 50-states Club on
the upstairs balcony. We ordered a
sandwich and were introduced to members of the club as we were going to join as
soon as we completed our ten state requirement.
After our lunch, we decided to take
another hike up to the “M”. The trail
head parking lot at the university provided a limited number of stalls for
those wishing to hike the trail. All of
the stalls were occupied, so we parked in another space that wasn’t reserved
for the trail, specifically permit parking only.
I was quite surprised the hike up the
hill wasn’t as bad as I thought. I had
plenty of energy for the uphill climb.
Maybe it was the fifteen minutes in the sauna.
Parking in an unreserved spot was on my
mind during the hike. Being a Sunday,
maybe parking was not enforced by the university. I was constantly looking down at the parking
lot, but that wouldn’t have done any good if I saw the parking police since I
was too far away to stop the officer.
After enjoying the view, we made the
trek back down the hill only to find a parking ticket on the windshield. Good grief, who would have thought. The citation read that if this is the
driver’s first one, it would be excused if accompanied with an explanation. Since this was our first one, we provided an
explanation and dropped it off in the mail.
That was a relief.
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| Yummy ice cream |
The Big Dipper Ice Cream eatery was
next on our list for a sampling of homemade ice cream. We heard that this was a famous place in
Missoula, so we had to pay a visit. The
lines were quite long as we drove up to the eatery, indicating this was a
popular spot. When it was our turn at
the order window, I was able to peruse the menu board of all the flavors. To my amazement, I noticed cardamom ice cream was
a flavor. Wow, I thought. That’ll be my choice! So I ordered a double scoop. Definitely an unusual flavor one doesn’t see
too often, but just how did it taste?
I grew up eating Finnish braided cardamom
bread (pulla or coffee bread as we called it) baked by my mother and great
grandmother and I truly love the flavoring of the spice. The ice cream tasted just like the coffee
bread I know. It was a wonderful treat
and exceeded my expectations.
For dinner that evening, we decided to
stop at another MacKenzie River Pizza Co.
This time in North Missoula on Grant Creek Road off I-90. The pizza at this restaurant was a little
different and not as creative as the store in downtown. I thought the pizza at this location was a
little better, however.
The day was ending and it was time to
pack up our belongings for our trip home.
After an easy rental car return and quick security screening, we found
out that the flight back to SFO was delayed, but unknown as to the time. It was apparent the delay was a result of SFO’s
runway closure I thought about on Friday.
The small delay gave us an opportunity
to grab a bite to eat. We each had a
Subway sandwich to tie us over for our flight back to SFO. We happened to overhear a conversation between two women sitting at a two-person table next to ours. It wasn’t long before we found out that the
conversation was an interview for a car rental company located in the airport. The interviewer was informing the prospective
employee of work hours, days, duties, compensation, etc., and the importance of
selling their insurance and other extras to customers as a way to maximize commissions.
The United Airlines MD-80 departed
Runway 29 for the 2h 20m flight to SFO. As
it turned out, the delay was just over an hour so it really wasn’t that bad.
During the flight back, a group of
crazy ladies were in front of us cracking jokes, drinking wine (perhaps a
little too much one could say) and having a good time with the flight
attendants. They just completed a
week-long fishing expedition in the Kalispell area. Whether they caught any fish is anyone’s
guess. I would imagine they were having
such a good time, fishing would be the last thing on their mind. Nonetheless, they provided great
entertainment for the flight home.
I had such a great time in Missoula and
wish there was enough time to visit Glacier National Park and Flathead
Lake. But that can wait for a future visit
to Montana.
The marathon was a great experience
with plenty of course support and spectators.
The scenery and the adventure activities in the area make Missoula a great
destination for a marathon and shouldn’t be missed. I recommend this marathon for anyone wishing
to check-off Montana as a state towards their 50-state goal.
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