On September 8, I ran the Sundance to Spearfish Marathon. This was the first time I did this race. It’s a point-to-point race that starts near Sundance, WY and finishes in Spearfish, SD.
I flew to Rapid City, SD
on Saturday and drove from there to my hotel in Spearfish. The drive time was about an hour. After checking in at my hotel, I went to the
nearby Holiday Inn to pick up my race packet.
Then I drove into town to see where I could park in the morning. Later, I had dinner at one of the restaurants
near my hotel.
I had a rough night. I was able to get to sleep early enough, but
I woke up two hours later with a sour stomach.
It took three hours to get back to sleep. Then I woke up again, and I was awake until
it was time to get up.
This is one of those
races where you have to get up really early to take a bus to the start. I didn’t feel like I had the energy to run a
fast time, but I didn’t have time to dwell on those thoughts. I just went through the motions of getting
ready for the race.
The pickup point for the
buses was next to where the race finishes.
We were asked to be there by 4:30.
I got there earlier to make sure I could find a parking space. Parking near the finish line was somewhat
limited.
The bus to the start left
at 5:00. We were driving backwards along
the marathon route, so I had a chance to see what the course was like. The second half of the race is on paved
roads, and it’s a gradual downhill trend.
The first half of the race is on gravel roads. Our bus driver told us that the road would be
rough in the first few miles of the race.
He wasn’t kidding. He had to
drive slowly, and in a few spots, he slowed almost to a stop. At one point, I actually wondered if we would
need to get out and push.
I was expecting the ride
to take an hour, but it took an hour and a half. We were dropped off at Cement Ridge just 10
minutes before the race was scheduled to start.
As soon as I got off the bus, I raced toward the port-o-potties to make
sure I would have time to do my business, change out of my warm-up clothes, and
check my drop bag. While I was in the
port-o-potty, I heard the race director telling everyone he was going to delay
the start enough to give everyone enough time to use the bathrooms.
When we left Spearfish,
it was 62 degrees there and 61 degrees in Sundance. I didn’t think we would see colder
temperatures than that. What I didn’t
consider is that we were starting on top of a ridge, where there’s a lookout
tower. Up on Cement Ridge, it felt
colder, and we were exposed to the wind.
I was glad I brought warm-up layers.
From the ridge, we could
see for miles in every direction. We
also saw the sunrise. Many of the other
runners were taking pictures. I chose
not to bring my phone, so I couldn’t take any pictures. I didn’t want to carry any extra weight
during the race. I also didn’t want to
be tempted to take pictures along the more scenic parts of the course. My priority was running a fast race. This picture and all the race pictures were
taken by another runner and her husband.
We were scheduled to
start at 6:45, but we didn’t actually start until 7:00. I waited until 10 minutes before the start
before removing my extra layers and putting my gear bag in the truck.
This was my first race
since the beginning of the qualifying period for the 2026 Boston Marathon. The course is mostly downhill, so I was
reasonably confident I could qualify on this course. Although qualifying has started, the B.A.A.
hasn’t posted the qualifying standards for 2026. In the past, the qualifying standard for my
age group was 3:50, but it’s possible they could tighten the standards if they
get as many applicants for 2025 as they did for 2024. Registration for 2025 will take place this
week, so we’ll know soon. In the
meantime, I was inclined to assume that I might need to run as fast as 3:45. That works out to an average pace of 8:35 per
mile.
The first 12 miles were
on a gravel roads, so I wore an older pair of shoes. I also wore gaiters to keep dirt from getting
into my shoes and causing blisters.
The first two miles had
uneven surfaces, and there were lots of large rocks. Nobody was running in a straight line. We all tried to pick the line that seemed
least treacherous.
The first mile had a
gradual downhill trend, but there were two spots where the road briefly turned
uphill. On the downhill sections, I had
to hold back, so I could pay close attention to my footing. On the uphill sections, I had to be careful
not to tire myself out. The elevation at
the start was 6,600 feet, and running uphill at that elevation could quickly
tire me out if I tried to go too fast.
I ran the first mile in
8:34. That was a pleasant surprise. Despite feeling like I was holding myself
back, I was right on pace for my goal.
The second mile wasn’t as
treacherous as the first one. There were
still lots of rocks, but there were also sections where it was easier to find a
safe line. That’s good, because this
mile was sharply downhill. The average
grade of more than seven percent.
During this mile, I was
sometimes forced to slow myself down, so I could control where I placed my
feet. Normally, I don’t try to control
my pace going downhill. If you’re putting
on the brakes, you’re not only wasting energy, but also beating up your quads.
I ran the second mile in
8:04. That was 30 seconds faster than my
first mile, but I was disappointed that it wasn’t faster. This mile descended almost 400 feet. On paper, it was the fastest mile of the
race, but the rough terrain forced me to control my pace.
At the two mile mark, we
turned onto another gravel road. This
one had fewer rocks, making it easier to run it safely. That’s the good news. The bad news is that we immediately start
climbing a hill that was half a mile long.
I knew I would slow down
on this hill, but I tried to limit the damage.
I kept running when I saw other runners starting to take walking
breaks. The first half of the hill had a
fairly gentle grade. Farther ahead, I
knew it would get more tiring, but I saw other runners starting to run
again. That gave me the confidence to
run the whole hill.
When I crested the hill,
I came to an aid station, and I slowed down briefly to drink a cup of
Gatorade. Then I looked at my
watch. I was at 2.5 miles, confirming
that what appeared to be the crest, was in fact, the end of that hill. After that, the rest of that mile was
slightly downhill.
I didn’t know how slow
that mile would be. I would’ve been
happy with anything under 10:30. I ran
it in 9:32. That exceeded my expectations.
The hardest part of the
race was now behind me. I had already
finished the two most technical miles and the only uphill mile. Now, I could look forward to mile after mile
of gentle downhill running, although there were still places in the road where
there were ruts or rocks.
Mile four was
surprisingly fast. I sped up to 7:59 in
that mile. My average pace for the first
four miles was roughly what I needed to break 3:45, and the worst parts of the
course were over. Now, I was confident I
could stay on pace to reach my goal.
As bad as I felt when I
got up a few hours earlier, none of that mattered now. Now I was just running downhill. Running fast in a downhill race depends more
on your downhill running technique than how you feel. My attention was on maintaining a fast
cadence, keeping my effort manageable, and watching my footing on the
occasional section with rocks in the road.
My pace for the next three miles was between 8:10 and 8:15.
There wasn't much traffic on this road, but when the occasional car passed, we all need to move to one side of the road to make room for the car to pass. Then the car would raise a cloud of dust, because the road was so dry.
In downhill races, I
always try to take short rapid steps. If
I put enough effort into “spinning the wheels,” I don’t have to put much effort
into forward progress. Gravity takes
care of that. I typically have a shorter
stride and a faster cadence than the other runners around me, so I was
surprised when I heard footsteps behind me, and I realized the runner behind me
had a faster cadence than I did.
I was reluctant to take
my eyes off the road, but I took a quick glance back to see who was behind
me. It was a woman I had noticed
before. Early in the race, she was right
in front of me. I passed her when she
walked part of the hill in mile three. Since
then, she had been right behind me.
I commented that she had
a nice rapid cadence. That was the
beginning of a conversation that lasted for the rest of the race. She commented that she was following me,
because I was setting a good pace for her.
Then she asked me what my goal pace was.
I said it was 8:35. She said her
goal pace was 8:23. That was faster than
my goal pace, but all my recent miles were actually faster than that.
Her name was
Giuliana. She wanted a Boston Qualifier
for 2026. The qualifying standard for
her age group in 3:55, but she expects the standards to be tightened by five
minutes. She wanted to have a cushion of
at least 10 minutes, so her goal was 3:40.
My goal was 3:45, but I decided to run with Giuliani for as long as I
could.
I was surprised how cold I felt in the early miles. I assumed it would be coldest up on Cement Ridge, but it would get warmer as we descended. I felt an icy cold draft. After seven miles, my hands were getting really cold. We were descending through a canyon, and there was a stream nearby. I’m assuming the water was ice cold, and that’s what made the breeze blowing through the canyon so cold. I knew it would warm up significantly later in the race, but my hands got progressively colder over the next few miles. I felt coldest after about 10 miles, but I didn't worry about it. I knew I would be hot by the end of the race.
We descended by different
amounts in different miles. Because of
that, our pace varied. In mile eight, we
sped up to 7:47. The next four miles
were all between 8:10 and 8:20. At 12
miles, the gravel road became a paved road.
Then, we turned onto a paved highway.
Now we were running through Spearfish Canyon.
The highway through
Spearfish Canyon had much more traffic than the gravel roads. Here, we were required to stay on the left
shoulder. We didn’t have as much room to
run, but I was relieved to have better footing.
I was finally able to look up and see the scenery around us. The canyon walls were beautiful.
At the halfway point, we
were on pace to break 3:36. I expected
the late miles to get tougher.
Eventually it would warm up. It
might get as warm as 80 degrees by the time we finished. It was nice to knew we had room to slow down
later.
I ran faster with
Giuliana than I would’ve run on my own.
I was pretty confident by now that I would reach my goal. I wanted to help her reach hers. In the second half of the race, I didn’t find
the pace to be as easy, but I was willing to work harder as long as I thought I
could sustain the effort.
Giuliana’s husband was
shadowing us in a car and taking pictures.
He also occasionally asked if she needed water.
In mile 14, we slowed to
a pace of 8:29. That was still faster
than my goal pace, but it was the first mile that was slower than Giuliana’s
goal pace. On average, we were doing
fine, so we didn’t need to worry about it.
We followed that mile with three faster miles. Then we slowed to 8:32 in mile 18.
Occasionally, I found
myself having to work harder to keep up with Giuliana. Then, in the next mile, the pace would feel
manageable again. I eventually realized
that the pace always felt harder shortly after drinking at an aid station. I often find my breathing feels more labored
right after I take a drink. I also
sometimes fell behind at an aid station and had to work harder to catch up. The more tiring miles sometimes worried me,
but as long as it got easier again, there was no reason to be too concerned.
In mile 19, we saw two
goats on the opposite side of the road.
We slowed down long enough for Giuliana to take a picture. That mile was slower, but we understood why.
Later in the race, we no
longer felt an icy cold draft. It was
getting warmer. Any breeze was helpful,
but the breeze was no longer cold.
Giuliana’s watch was
often giving us a different pace than my watch.
We had been warned that GPS gets a little wonky when you’re running
through Spearfish Canyon. We also couldn’t
completely trust the mile markers. The
course is certified, but the placement of the mile markers is only approximate.
In mile 20, we sped up to
8:00. My watch read 20 miles at about
the same time we reached the mile marker, so we felt like we could trust that
we had sped up in that mile.
We ran mile 21 in 8:20,
but we slowed to 8:43 in mile 22. Now,
we were both struggling to keep up the pace.
I tried to figure out what pace we needed in the remaining miles to break
3:40. I was too tired to do the mental
arithmetic, but I thought our current pace might still be fast enough.
In mile 23, we slowed to
9:06. That pace definitely wasn’t going
to be fast enough to break 3:40. At this
point, Giuliana said she would be happy to finish in whatever time we finished. I still tried to pick up our pace a little if
I could. I paid close attention to make
sure I wasn’t going to pull away from her.
In the late miles, the
road leveled off a little, and it was also getting hot. We had to work much harder now.
With effort, we sped up
to 8:41 in mile 24. Then we slowed to
8:50 in mile 25. At first, I said we
wouldn’t break 3:40. Then I thought about
it some more and said maybe we would. It
was going to be close.
Coming into Spearfish,
the road was mostly level. I knew there
would be a few turns, but I wasn’t familiar with the course. Giuliana has run this race before, so I asked
her if she was familiar with the rest of the course. She couldn’t remember it all, but she knew we
crossed a bridge.
I was running ahead
now. I tried to lead Giuliana to a
faster pace, but I had to be careful not to get too far ahead.
I saw the bridge. It was slightly uphill getting onto the
bridge. I said, “this is the last
hill.” Then it occurred to me that this
had been the only hill since mile three.
With two turns to go, we
reached the 26 mile mark. I was
surprised how much we sped up in that mile.
We both found another gear.
I told Giuliana we were definitely
going to break 3:40 now. She sped up, so
I sped up too. I allowed myself to get
ahead of her as we approached the last turn.
Now we could see the
finish line, and the announcer called out our names as we approached. I finished the race in 3:39:49. Giuliana finished a few seconds behind me.
After a race, I don’t
usually feel the need to drink more water.
This race was an exception. I
happily accepted a water bottle from a volunteer, and I started drinking it
immediately. The air had been dry for
the whole race, and it got quite hot in the late miles.
They had two people
giving post-race massages. Neither
massage table was occupied, so we were each able to get a massage without any
waiting.
By now, I knew that I had
placed second in my age group. The age
group awards had an image of a buffalo burnt into a slice of wood.
I noticed they were
making grilled cheese sandwiches in the finish area, so after bringing my award
to the car, I got into the line for grilled cheese sandwiches. I don’t say this often, but even pizza could
not have tasted better.
When I uploaded the data
from my watch, I couldn’t help but notice that my step count was 42,200. A marathon is 42,195 meters, so apparently my
average stride length was pretty close to a meter. It’s worth noting, however, that there were
lots of places in the early miles where I wasn’t running the tangents. On this course, you have to prioritize
running safely.
Between the grilled
cheese and snacks I had in my room, I didn’t feel any need to go out for
lunch. Instead, I spent most of the
afternoon resting and rehydrating.
Later, I went out for an early dinner.
This race started in Wyoming but finished in South Dakota. By the rules of the 50 States Marathon Club, I could choose whether to count this as a Wyoming race or a South Dakota race. I chose to count it for Wyoming, because I needed a Wyoming race for my fifth circuit of marathons in every state.
