State Number 24
– Eugene Marathon, Eugene, OR
1 May 2016
Everyone knows that the Pacific Northwest is notorious
for rainy weather throughout any given year.
As atmospheric high pressure ridges sit parked over the southwest, the
jet stream forces weather systems and moisture laden clouds over the ridges
like water flowing around large rocks in stream beds, thus creating cloudy
overcast skies with copious amounts of rainfall, with Eugene averaging over 40
inches per annum.
Normal weather patterns of the northwest region are
marked by a great deal of precipitation west of the Cascade Mountains while the
eastern side of the range is considerably more arid due to rain shadows
produced by the orographic lift of the coastal and Cascade mountain ranges.
This year, the organizers of the Eugene Marathon worked
with the planners of the Oregon State Rain Festival to make the marathon a
great success. The festival planners graciously
postponed their weekend festivities by allowing beautiful weather to dominate
the Willamette Valley. It is hoped that
the great working relationship between the two events continues into the
future.
The trek to Eugene turned out to be an extended weekend
drive. We left our home early Friday
morning for a ten and a half hour drive up I-5.
Instead of driving the distance in one day, we decided to spend the
night in Medford, OR in an older downtown motel. The motel was likely a busy place during the
1950s along the historic U.S. Highway 99.
Since then, the rooms have been remodeled with some modern day
amenities, but the room layout, size and façade definitely keeps its older
charm.
We arrived in Medford around 1530 Friday afternoon after
a wearing drive through the Sacramento Valley and over the Siskiyou Mountains. Mt. Shasta was shrouded in clouds and could
not be seen from Interstate 5. Siskiyou
Summit, just north of the state line, reaches an elevation of 4310 feet and claims
to be the highest point along the entire stretch of I-5 from Mexico to Canada. It is believed that the second highest point
is Tejon Pass at an elevation of 4144 feet atop the Grapevine where the freeway
traverses the San Andreas Fault in Los Angeles County.
Gusty winds coming down off the summit and into the Rogue
Valley were a nuisance to vehicles, especially for high profile vehicles. Extra attention was needed to safely
negotiate the sharp highway curves coupled with the wind gusts. From the looks of it, a weather front was advancing
across the region creating cloudy skies and gusty winds. Weather forecasts predicted the front would
move through in time for the marathon.
We were a little hungry after we checked in and settled
into our room. I took out my iPad,
logged on to the wi-fi, and looked for, what else – pizza. Topping the list was Kaleidoscope Pizzeria
and Pub on Crater Lake Highway. It
received good reviews, so we gave it a try.
Kaleidoscope is a locally-owned business established in
2004. Based on the menu, the place
features stone-baked pizza and a variety of other menu items. Artwork from local artisans covered the walls
in the colorful open-atmosphere dining space.
The pizzeria was rather busy, with servers constantly
moving about providing great customer service to their patrons.
I ordered a meat calzone and my wife a three-cheese
pizza. I sampled a piece of the
three-cheese pizza and wasn’t particularly fond of the flavor. I thought the essence of parmesan cheese was
a little overwhelming. The calzone was a
little different from what I’ve had other times. I would say it was basically a pizza folded
in half and the look of the calzone had no bearing on the taste. It was quite delicious, but definitely needed
more cheese and marinara sauce.
My wife says I have no palette when it comes to food and
that everything tastes good or delicious.
It is true that I have no discriminating tastes, but there are foods I
do not like and if something doesn’t taste good, I’ll let anyone know.
We made our way back to the motel after the delicious
Italian dinner. We were tired and
decided to settle down, have a soda and watch The Amazing Race before retiring for the evening.
Waking up early is a conventional occurrence in our house,
whether it’s a work day or weekend day, it doesn’t matter. Our circadian rhythms have been out-of-whack
for some time with the antics of our cat and the regular schedule of the dog’s
incessant whining at the same hour of every day. So, waking up early was especially easy
without an external medium.
We grabbed a quick “breakfast” from the lobby consisting
of some orange juice, banana, and a Svenhard’s pastry before we left for the
three-hour drive to Eugene. Truly a
breakfast of champions. An early start
will afford us an opportunity to do and see things around the Eugene area.
We gassed up at a Mobil station in the vicinity of the
Rogue Valley Mall prior to accessing I-5 northbound. As I was about to exit the car to pump some
gas, a station attendant donning a Class III construction vest approaches and
asked what grade of fuel we wanted. The thought
came to mind that I was in Oregon and when in Oregon (as well as New Jersey),
motorists aren’t allowed to pump their own gas.
For whatever the reason, discrimination against the elderly or disabled
or setting yourself on fire, banning self-service is a preposterous rule. Oregon needs to wake up and see the
light. In California, each station has an
ADA call button located somewhere on or near the pump that alerts an employee
for assistance if needed, so discrimination is not really an issue.
Once we passed through the city of Grants Pass, Douglas
fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) stands covering
the hillsides became plentiful.
Passersby can see the many parcels of land that have been recently logged
or in years past. It was evident that new
generations of timber were growing back in the clear cut areas and will once
again be logged for the structural lumber Douglas fir trees provide.
We decided to make a pit stop in Roseburg for a couple of
liters of bottled water needed to hydrate ourselves before the marathon. The most troubling thing about driving I-5
was that Oregon sets the speed limit at 65 and trucks at 55. State troopers parked in their brown units
along the freeway were busy using their radar catching speeders. We were forced to use cruise control since
neither one of us wanted to be lit up with bright blue lights. The troopers were slick, though. They would park on steep downhill grades,
five to six percent, and nab drivers going too fast. It’s hard to control the vehicle’s speed on
such steep grades without heating up the brakes. They must be desperate for a revenue stream. I get tired of hearing, “It’s not about revenue
– it’s about safety.” Yeah, right!
The State of California is one of seven states with
differential speed limits (65/55). The
maximum truck speed is set 55 mph with other vehicles at 65 (70 on some
freeways). I have always contended that
these differential speed limits could create safety issues with car-truck
collisions as opposed to truck-car collisions.
Typically, with only two travel lanes, traffic often gets
congested and snarled when a big rig moving at 55 mph attempts to pass another,
the probability of a collision is much more likely. Based on my observation in other states, such
as Nevada and Arizona, trucks do not have differential speed (uniform) limits
and traffic flows smoothly and unobstructed.
An FHWA study concluded that car-truck collisions
(rear-end) in 65/55 limits were nearly 30 percent higher than states with
uniform speed limits. In my driving
experience, I would be in accord with that conclusion.
When we arrived in Eugene, our first order of business
was a stop at the race expo held at Hayward Field. Parking in and around the University of
Oregon was limited meter or permit parking.
However, race organizers provided free parking at the Civic Stadium
across from South Eugene High School off Amazon Parkway. From there, shuttle buses provided
transportation to and from the expo at regular intervals.
Large white tents were set up on the synthetic turn of
the lacrosse/soccer fields adjacent to Hayward Field. A great touch to the expo was a listing of each
runner’s name and city under their home state, or country, at the tent’s entrance. All fifty states and a few countries were
represented. The tents not only served
as the expo, but also for the finish line services for runners, family and
friends.
The expo was simple and efficient with a decent quantity
vendors and easy packet and t-shirt pick-up.
We tasted some of the free samples, took some pictures of Hayward Field
and the finish line and even opted for a free tattoo – a temporary air brush
type, of course.
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| Agate Street Gate |
A beer garden featuring a variety of craft beers from the
Hop Valley Brewing Company was set up adjacent to the Krusteaz pancakes kitchen.
The finish line festivities from the Run
TT 5K and the Kids Duck Dash was just wrapping up as we arrived at the expo and
some of the runners were eating their pancakes and syrup along with a beer. Yum, what a combination! A meal like that wouldn’t sit too well in my
stomach.
Hayward Field is one of the world's best-known historic track
and field stadiums and is a popular venue for the U.S. track and field Olympic
trials. Nearly a century in age, it has
been the home of the University of Oregon's track and field teams since 1921,
and was the on-campus home of Oregon’s football team from 1919 through 1966.
We walked down into the track area and snapped some
pictures of the finish line and the famous Agate Street entrance gate. It was truly a wonderful experience being in
a stadium and on a track where great athletes once competed, including the
legendary Steve “Pre” Prefontaine. We walked
around the expo for about an hour and a half and it was time to board the bus
back to the parking lot.
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| Pre's Rock Memorial |
The university was the home of Pre who was killed in an
automobile crash in 1975. On Skyline
Boulevard, not far from the university, lies a memorial known as Pre’s Rock and
is an eternal reminder of the site where the famous runner was killed.
We drove up the knoll just east of the university to
visit the area to pay homage to the great runner. Dispersed alongside Pre’s Rock are various
shoes, finisher’s medals, running singlets, photographs, and bibs. The memorial at the base of Pre’s Rock
features a stone plaque with an etched portrait and an adage that reads:
For your dedication and loyalty
To your principles and beliefs...
For your love, warmth, and friendship
For your family and friends...
You are missed by so many
And you will never be forgotten...
To your principles and beliefs...
For your love, warmth, and friendship
For your family and friends...
You are missed by so many
And you will never be forgotten...
Pre once said, “The best pace is a suicide pace. Today feels like a good day to die.” He was famous for going out hard and fast not relinquishing his lead forcing his competitors to run on pure guts if they wanted to win. He raced that fateful day, I wonder if that thought crossed his mind.
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| Eugene from Hendricks Park |
We were getting hungry, so it was time to drive into Springfield to check in to our hotel, the Super 8 off Beltline Drive, and find a good place to eat. The Holiday Inn Express served as a shuttle bus stop to Hayward Field, and was a short convenient walk from the Super 8. Buses ran from 0530 to 0640 and departed every ten to fifteen minutes, more or less, so by leaving our car at the hotel parking lot, it was a resourceful use of our time not worrying about finding parking around the university.
We inquired about a late check-out, but the clerk would only give us until noon. A one o’clock check-out would have cost an extra ten dollars. What a rip off, so we decided to just check-out in the morning and to change clothes and wash up in a restroom just off the hotel’s lobby before driving home.
Ciao Pizza Trattoria served as our dinner establishment Saturday afternoon. I was faced with a big decision, do I order a calzone or a Stromboli? I settled on the Stromboli complete with smoked Italian sausage, smoked salmon, jalapeños and artichoke hearts. Wow! What a combination of ingredients some might say, but I thought it was quite delicious. Crushed red peppers added an extra touch of flavor.
We turned in early Saturday evening after a long day traveling and the need for rest for the upcoming strenuous day. Because of our whacked circadian rhythms, we had no problem waking up early enough to catch the 0600 shuttle bus.
Sunday morning was tranquil with cool crisp temperatures under a cloudless sky. It was perfect running weather for me, but I was cautiously optimistic is was not going to be hot. The forecast was for sunny skies with temperatures to be in the low 70s.
Ample shade was dispersed throughout the course, but there were a few unshaded areas with only direct sunlight – naturally for the last three miles. I was confident that I trained well enough to get through the sunlit sections before the heat set in.
The race course has changed over the past nine years. It wasn’t until the last couple of years that the finish line was moved to Hayward Field and included the tag line, “Running in the Footsteps of Legends.” I was enthusiastic and looking forward to running through the Agate Street gate and onto the track finishing in the shadows of world class runners.
About twenty minutes before start time, my wife and I both made one final trip to the porta potties. We found an isolated facility with a short line, so we waited there instead of the long lines where the majority of the facilities were located. We all noticed the unit was a little tipsy from the uneven ground it sat upon. Some people seemed fearful the unit would fall over, so someone would stand near to stabilize it. I had to interject by saying I was an engineer and that the resisting moment is significantly higher than the overturning moment associated with the movement of the person inside, thus resulting in a high factor of safety against overturning and that the unit was not going to tip over. In my professional opinion, because of the low center of mass, the unit was stable and no one had to fear the misfortune of a capsized porta potty.
Roughly thirty minutes prior to start time, approximately 4500 to 5000 runners of both the half and full marathon began gathering in their assigned corrals designated on their bibs. As with most races, half marathon runners outnumber the full, so I would place an educated guess of a 60-40 split between the two, respectively.
The tenth running of this marathon began promptly at 0700 at the corner of 15th Avenue and Agate Street in front of Hayward Field. The horn sounded after a great delivery of the National Anthem. My strategy going into the race was to finish the first half around 1:55 and hopefully keep the pace long enough to finish in around 4:20, slightly under a ten minute overall pace. No, I did not tear out of the starting gate with a suicide pace as Pre would have.
The first mile of the race included a slight uphill gradient in advance of a downhill plunge into South Eugene towards Amazon Park and along East Amazon Drive where runners began a modest uphill climb that peaked just past Marathon Mile 4.5. I was keeping a steady 8:50 pace trying not to aggravate my adductor brevis muscle too much, which has been a ubiquitous annoyance for me for the past couple of years.
Runners then crossed over to West Amazon Drive for a refreshing downhill for the next three miles right to another, probably the steepest ascent of the course on E. 19th Avenue towards the university.
By the time I passed through the start line on Agate Street, half marathon runners were already entering the gate onto Hayward Field on their way to the finish line. Those runners were at least four miles ahead of me. The course led everyone through Franklin City Park along the Willamette River and across the Knickerbocker footbridge to Pre’s Trail to the half marathon split in Alton Baker Park. I passed through ten miles in 1:27 (8:42 pace).
I was comfortable with my pace and enjoyed the shaded bike path through the park and onto the city streets of Springfield. I crossed the half marathon split as I turned onto Centennial Blvd with a time of 1:56 (8:53 pace), almost meeting my goal time. Barring any unforeseen circumstances and knowing the second half is ALWAYS slower, I was on target for a 4:20 marathon finish.
Just before the split, I grabbed some water so I could self-administer some acetaminophen and caffeine after crossing the timing mat, knowing the next water stop is another mile and a half away.
Not long after making my way onto Centennial Blvd., I noticed several drops of blood; still wet, spattered on an 8-inch white left-turn pocket channelizing line, Detail 38A in California’s amendment to the MUTCD. My immediate thought was someone suffered a bloody nose, but I didn’t think anything more of it.
Shortly before Marathon Mile 16, the course departed city streets and once again, took runners on Eugene’s scenic bike paths in Alton Baker Park near Autzen Stadium and the baseball park on Leo Harris Parkway. The North Bank Trail led runners for the next five miles along the Willamette River, back behind the Valley River Center mall and through the well-known wildlife haven of the Delta Ponds.
The ponds were created in the 1950s as a result of gravel mining. Since then, the city opened up the mine’s protective berms along the river front in an effort to restore water flow, thus creating more suitable habitats for fish, wildlife and native plants. The North Bank Trail crosses the ponds with a wooden raised causeway complete with informational placards and viewing platforms. The area was very placid and scenic and the wood-surfaced causeway provided a more comfortable running surface than the asphalt-concrete bike path.
I crossed the Marathon Mile 20 timing mat with a split time of 3:08 (9:24 pace). I thought to myself, with 10K left, I needed to finish in 1 hr 12 min. I was set to meet my 4:20 goal time.
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| Owosso Bike Bridge over Willamette River |
Once on the south side of the river, the runners cruised through the forested trail and through Maurie Jacobs Park, Owen Rose Garden, Kiwanis Park, and Skinner Butte Park. After the parks, the trail led runners into the sunny portion of the course with about a mile and a half remaining. Shade was very limited and it was beginning to heat up and my pace noticeably slowed.
Numerous cyclists were sharing the bike path with runners. All but a handful were courteous and yielded to runners, but, of course, there are always the idiots. Some cyclists just charged ahead at high rates of speed and bellowed out to runners to get out of the way. The last thing I needed was to be hit and injured by a bicycle, so I moved to the outside of the trail and yielded to them. The endless sound of bicycle bells reminded me of the poem from Edgar Allan Poe, “The tintinnabulation that so musically wells / From the bells, bells, bells, bells…/ From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.”
What about that blood I saw earlier? Between Marathon Miles 23 and 24, I received a text from my wife informing me that she had fallen on the course and was in the medical tent being tended to. That blood spatter immediately came to mind – it was hers. I thought how bad was she injured? Will she need stiches? Any broken bones? If she could finish, it mustn’t be too bad, I thought. Wash and cleanse the wound, apply a dressing and go about your day. Surely she would have told me if it was serious. I wasn’t worried too much and shifted my focus to finishing as fast as I could.
When I left the Ruth Bascom Bike Path through the Riverfront Research Park and into the final stretch down Agate Street, I could taste the entrance into Hayward Field. The cheering spectators lifted my spirits and gave me the needed energy to finish strong. I was a little behind my goal time, likely a casualty of the sun and heat a mile back, but I wasn’t complaining. I was about to finally experience what the half marathoners experienced some seventeen miles earlier.
I saw the entrance to the field and the finish line – what a sight! I didn’t push myself too much as I didn’t want to cause my calf muscle to cramp, as what usually happens. The soft spongy feel of the track was amazing. I struck a pose for the cameraman and finished in a time of 4:22:02 (10:00 pace). My Garmin read 26.44 miles.
Age graded score: 53.88%
Age graded time: 3:55:23
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| The coveted finisher's medal |
She said stitches weren’t necessary, but a deep laceration to the bony prominence of the ulna, olecranon, can take a long time to heal because of the constant straightening and bending of the arm. Because it is positioned directly under the skin and lacks protection from muscles and other soft tissues, the bone can easily break if one falls directly on the elbow. She was fortunate the bone did not break.
I was getting hungry, so I made my way over to have some pancakes and maple syrup. It didn’t take long for the sweet nature of the food to upset my stomach. I love a nice cold beer after a great run – even a not-so-great run, but pancakes and beer – not a good combination.
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| Delicious marionberry |
When we arrived back to our car, we grabbed our clothes and used the hotel’s restroom facility to take a quick PTA wash-down, for those in-the-know, and changed into dry clothes.
Around 1330, we departed Springfield for the five and a half hour drive to Redding, where we would spend the night and visit family before the drive home Monday afternoon.
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| My name is listed here! |
Being able to walk out onto Hayward Field and soak in the history of the facility was amazing. Normally, the field is closed during the expo time for personnel to set up portable fencing, banners, finish line equipment, etc., but no one stopped race participants from venturing out and snapping a few photos for posterity.
Abundant porta potties were available at the start line area. As usual, as start time approached, wait times increased exponentially. I just wished the race organizers allowed runners to use the potties set up in the finish line area instead of staff yelling at runners not to use them.
The course includes only two “significant” hills – the first one beginning at Marathon Mile 3 and the second coming at Marathon Mile 7.5. The inclines are only around 3-4 percent per se, but really don’t pose a problem since they come early in the marathon and runners have enough energy and stamina to conquer them. After passing through the university, the course is rather flat with a few ups and downs now and then.
The law enforcement agencies of the cities of Eugene and Springfield did an excellent job with traffic control and provided great support to the runners and participants were not in danger of being run over by vehicles. The course was well marked with plenty of water/aid stations stocked with water, Gatorade, bananas, oranges and other goodies for nourishment. Of course, one unofficial aid station provided adult nourishment in the form of beer after Marathon Mile 22. I’d recommend skipping any doughnuts along the course.
Once runners are cleared of city streets, the scenery along the Willamette River is amazing. Marathon day was cloaked in bright sunshine glistening off the water of the river. The cool shaded areas along the bike trail provided needed refreshment for runners not adapted to running in the heat and sunshine.
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| Wood duck |
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| Great blue heron |
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| Gadwall |
While on the South Bank Trail, participants must be vigilant of the numerous bicycles sharing the trail with runners. Some forge ahead at high speeds dodging around the platoons of runners and seem to be exasperated by the inconvenience. On the whole, most cyclists yield and provide a courtesy warning with their bicycle bells.
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| The familiar "O" |
The finish line area was a great place to meet with family or friends and since it was a bright beautiful sunny day, a perfect opportunity to kick off your shoes and relax after a hard day’s work. Eating pancakes loaded with syrup is probably not the best after marathon recovery meal, but they tasted great – even though I suffered a stomach ache. For those into craft beers, the beer garden is a great place to unwind. Overall, the marathon event was well done and I would recommend it to anyone. Thank you to all!
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| Finished!! |
