On September 21, I ran the Air Force Marathon. This race is held at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which is near Dayton, OH. This was my fifth marathon or ultra in Ohio, but I had never done this race before.
I flew to Cincinnati
Friday morning and drove from there.
Along the way, I stopped to have some Cincinnati-style chili for lunch.
I stayed at a hotel in that
was just a couple miles from the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. That’s where the race started and
finished. After checking in at my hotel,
I drove to the expo, which was held in the Nutter Center at Wright State
University. In addition to my race bib
and T-shirt, the race packet included this patch:
I had some time before
dinner, so I did a workout at the hotel.
Then I spent the rest of the afternoon talking to some runners I met in
the hotel lobby.
This race puts on a
gourmet pasta dinner, but I chose to have dinner on my own. I found a restaurant about a mile from my
hotel that has pizza and brews their own beer.
There were two ways to
get to the start area. We could park at
the Nutter Center and take a bus from there, or we could drive to the race and
park in grass fields that were about a mile from the starting line. Either way, we had to get up early.
The marathon didn’t start
until 7:30, but they had a 10K race that started at 6:30. The last bus from the Nutter Center was
scheduled to leave at 5:00. I assume
they wanted to get everyone to the start area before the 10K race started.
For people driving, they
recommended getting to the start area two hours before the race. They also advised us that traffic would be
heavy and to expect long lines. Also, if
we drove and parked, we should expect the grass to be wet.
I waited until the
morning of the race to make a decision.
If it was cold or rainy, I would’ve wanted to drive and then wait in my
car. It was a warm morning, so I took
the bus.
I got to the start area
before 5:00, so I had a long time to wait before the race. There was a large canopy with tables and
chairs, so I didn’t have to be on my feet.
The race provided a gear check, but I didn’t bother to bring any warm clothes. It was warm enough at 5 AM that I was
comfortable in my running clothes.
I met a group of younger
runners who all knew each other. I was
hanging out with them until it was time to line up for the race.
They had an adequate
number of port-o-potties. For most of
the time we were waiting, the lines were short.
I made my final bathroom stop about 30 minutes before the race. By then, the lines were long, but I needed to
go, so I waited. While I was in line,
there was a flyover of two F-35s.
As I was making my way to
the start area, I saw people stopping to take pictures. There were about a dozen paratroopers landing
in the start area.
I got to my start corral
just in time for the National Anthem.
Then there was a flyover of two F-35s, but I couldn’t get my phone out
fast enough to take a picture.
My biggest worry was the
weather. It was going to be a hot
day. The temperature at the start was 72
degrees, and it would warm into the 80s before I finished. The forecast high was 94.
I’ve run lots of races in
hot weather. I generally hold up OK. My concern was that they might cancel the
race if it got too hot.
This race uses the Event
Alert System. They display different
colored flags at the start and at the aid stations to indicate the severity of
the conditions. Green means low risk;
yellow means moderate risk; red means high risk; and black means extreme
risk. If we reached black flag
conditions, they would cancel the race.
I looked up the criteria
for black flag conditions. It’s based on
Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), which takes into account the temperature,
humidity, sunlight, and wind. Black flag
conditions correspond to a WBGT of 90 degrees or higher.
Most weather apps will
give you both the air temperature and some type of “feels like” temperature,
which I assume is similar to the WBGT index.
The last hourly forecast I saw showed the “feels like” temperature reaching
88 degrees by 11:00 and 92 degrees by noon.
I pessimistically assumed that the race could get cancelled anytime
after 11:30. That would be four fours
after the start.
In cooler conditions, I
would be pacing myself to finish in 3:50.
On a day like this, I’m more inclined to take it easy. I couldn’t take it too easy, however. I couldn’t be sure exactly when they might
pull the plug on the race, so I had to be mindful not to take too long to
finish.
I lined up with the 3:50
pace group. I didn’t expect to run that
pace for the whole race, but it seemed reasonable to start at that pace. It allowed me to just run and let other
people worry about establishing the right pace.
The course is mostly
flat, but there are a few hills. The
biggest hill is at the beginning of the race.
We had about half a mile to settle into our pace before starting the climb. The leader of the pace group told us the
first mile would be a little slow. When
we reached one mile mark, I was surprised to see we were only a few seconds
slower than our target pace. Then we had
a long downhill in the second mile. That
mile was fast, so we were now about 40 seconds ahead of our target pace. We gradually gave that back over the next
several miles.
For the first several
miles, we had plenty of shade. I didn’t
feel hot yet, but I could tell that I was sweating more than normal.
At the first two aid
stations, I only drank water.
Eventually, I figured out that some volunteers were handing out water in
plastic cups, and others were handing out paper cups with a sports drink called
Hoist. Sometimes the water tables came
first. Other times, the Hoist came
first. I paid attention to what type of
cups they were using. They were
consistent about that.
Our pace leader noticed
that there were extra aid station on the course. Those were probably a last-minute addition
because of the hot conditions. The extra
aid stations just had water.
The Hoist was mixed kind
of strong, so I got into the habit of drinking a cup of Hoist and then
following it with a cup of water. I
started doing that after about seven miles.
Then I did it for the rest of the race.
At the aid stations, they
had signs indicating the alert level.
For the first half of the race, the alert level was green, even though
the temperature was in the 70s. In the
absence of high humidity, it can get fairly hot before you reach the yellow
alert level.
After nine or ten miles,
the sun was high enough in the sky that we couldn’t count on having shade. It didn’t feel hot yet, but it would
gradually take a toll on us.
The first half of the
course was mostly on the air force base.
There weren’t any spectators here, so it was helpful to be running with
a pace group. We could talk to each
other and encourage each other.
By the halfway point, we
had left the base to enter the city of Fairborn. The next several miles were through a section
called the Fairborn Fly Zone. This was
the area where friends and family could watch the race. Here, there were numerous turns, and we
sometimes doubled back into a street that we had previously run in the opposite
direction.
There was an aid station
just before the halfway mark. The alert
level was still green. Beyond the aid
station, there was a large digital clock at the halfway mark. We got there about 30 seconds ahead of
schedule.
Over the next several
miles, I found the pace to be more tiring.
I could still keep up with the group, but it was taking more effort with
each mile.
I was also feeling the
heat more. In addition to drinking at
the aid stations, I started taking a cup of water and pouring it over my
head. It would feel good for a minute or
two, but then I would feel hot again.
Somewhere in the next
mile, there were people handing out ice pop.
I started eating one, but the plastic sleeve was slippery, and I dropped
it. The small amount I ate was refreshing. It would’ve been nice to eat the whole thing.
I never saw the “14”
banner. When I got to 15, I was a
pleasantly surprised to know we had knocked off two more miles.
I saw a sign saying there
was bacon ahead. I looked for the people
handing out strips of bacon, and I took one.
It was a nice treat, but it was probably a bad idea. It was tough to chew it while running. It was also a long time before I had a chance
to drink something. In the meantime, my
mouth felt dry, and I was coughing up bacon bits.
I also never noticed the
“16” banner. When I saw I was getting
close to a mile marker, I thought it would be 16. I was overjoyed to see we were already at 17.
The aid station at 17
miles had a sign showing the alert level was now red. In just four miles, we went from green to
red. It doesn’t have to get that much
hotter to reach the black alert level. I
was concerned now that we might not have time to finish before it got so hot
that they would cancel the race.
To finish within four
hours, I needed to run the last 9.2 miles in about 91 miles. I could slow down to almost 10 minutes per
mile. I knew I would need to slow down
at some point, but I stayed with the pace group for another mile.
At 18 miles, I realized I
couldn’t sustain my effort for the rest of the race. We had been averaging 8:46 per mile. Early in the race, that pace felt manageable. Now, it felt like it would break me. I said goodbye to the 3:50 group and slowed
to a pace that felt like it would be sustainable. I probably should’ve done this sooner. I didn’t realize it yet, but running so hard
for so long in these conditions had already taken a heavy toll on me.
In mile 19, I slowed to
9:05. That wasn’t bad. In mile 20, I slowed to 9:10. That still wasn’t bad. I felt like I slowed down a lot in mile 21,
so I was surprised to see that I only slowed to 9:21.
Miles three through 21
had all been relatively flat, but now I was getting to a section of the course
that had some rolling hills. With five
miles to go, I reached the second biggest hill on the course. All of the runners in front of me were
walking up the hill. Running up the hill
would’ve taken too much out of me, so I walked it too. I knew that I was probably giving up on
breaking four hours, but forcing myself to run up this hill would’ve taken too
much out of me. I had to manage my
effort.
After that hill, there
was a nice downhill section. I caught up
to two runners who were still walking, and I encouraged them to run the
downhill.
After the road leveled
off again, I needed to take another walking break. For the rest of the race, I could never run
for more than a few minutes before taking a walking break. I tried to be disciplined about only walking
for a minute or two at a time. My
average pace slowed down, but not as much as I expected. With a run/walk mix, I was still averaging
about 11 minutes per mile.
As I was getting close to the 24 mile mark, it occurred to me that I had not been passed by any other pace groups yet. I remembered seeing a 3:55 group and a 4:00 group in the start corral, but neither had passed me yet. Right on queue, the 4:00 group caught up to me. I never saw the 3:55 group. Another runner sped up, so he could stay on pace for four hours. I no longer had the energy to do that.
With less than two miles to go, I
reached an aid station. At first, I was
only going to drink water. Then I
decided to also drink a small cup of Hoist.
As soon as I drank that, I felt bloated.
I needed fluids, but my body couldn’t absorb them fast enough. My stomach was full.
With about a mile to go,
I saw some large hangars in the distance.
One of the runners I was talking with the day before had mentioned these
hangars. He said we would run by them in
the last mile of the race.
After making the next
turn, I saw one of the gates for the air base.
As we passed through this gate, I saw an aid station. The alert level was still red. I felt like I was home free now.
I didn’t drink at that
aid station, but I still poured a cup of water over my head. I was struggling with the heat.
I had to take one more
walking break before the final two turns.
On the approach to the finish line, there was a line of several aircraft
of different types.
I finished in
4:02:46. At the time, all I cared about
was finishing. My time didn’t seem that
important. The important thing was that
I was able to finish before it got so hot that they would cancel the race. It wasn’t until much later that I learned I
had placed second in my age group.
The finisher medal had
designs on both sides.
I still felt full, but I
ate a banana and forced myself to drink a bottle of an electrolyte drink. Before long, I was thirsty enough to have a
post-race beer. While I was drinking my
beer, I spotted the runners I met before the race.
The pick-up point to take
a bus back to the Nutter Center was on the opposite side of the start/finish
area from where we were dropped off in the morning. I didn’t see any signage indicating where the
buses would be. I had to ask around.
I didn’t leave until
about half an hour after I finished the race.
Runners were still finishing.
When I was on the bus, I looked up the current temperature. It was 86 degrees.
As far as I know, the
race was never stopped, even though the temperature got into the 90s. Had I known I could take my time, I wouldn’t
have pushed myself so hard.
By the time I got to my
hotel, I was thirsty again. I needed a
couple hours to rehydrate and get cleaned up.
When I was ready to go out again, I drove to Columbus to have dinner
with a friend who lives there. I didn’t
need to fly home until Sunday.
This was my fifth
marathon or ultra in Ohio. That brings
me a step closer to finishing my fifth circuit of marathons or ultras in every
state. Now I just need one more race each
in New Jersey and Oklahoma.
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