Saturday, February 8, 2014

Mississippi River Marathon

Well, I was a little too warm last weekend in New Orleans, but that was sure not the case for this one.  Yikes, it was colder than Alaska in the morning when I made my way to the start line.  First I had to beat about 1/2 inch of solid ice off of my rental car so I could drive to the finish line area to catch the shuttle to the start line.

This is an interesting race because the first half of it is in Arkansas and the second half is in Mississippi.  It was very cold at the start and fortunately the race officials had started several bonfires for the runners to huddle around to stay warm.  There was snow on the ground and the road was also ice covered.  It looked pretty grim at the beginning.

There were quite a few Marathon Maniacs and we all got together for a group picture.  I am wearing several layers topped with a clear plastic rain poncho.
Marathon Maniacs
It was pretty cold the whole way but at least the ice on the road melted.  The first half was along the most beautiful lake.  I would love to see it in the summer. Crossing the bridge over the Mississippi River was the only uphill section, but it seemed to take forever.  The bridge is several miles long. I was poking along in my usual way wishing somehow I could pick up the pace.  But I did reach the finish line and even got an award for 3rd in my age group.

The medal for this race was really beautiful too.

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