Another wonderfully tough uphill Hatcher Pass Marathon. So exhausting but so beautiful as usual. Kind of cold, and very windy near the top of the pass, but maybe that was helpful. At least it wasn't hot and the wind did discourage some of the mosquitoes. The last 6 miles were the hardest for me. They are by far the steepest uphill, except for that delightful last mile down to the finish line. But I think I was in survival mode from mile 20 on. I finished last, but that wasn't a surprise. I predicted that as I left the start line. I got only a couple hours of sleep the night before and was exhausted before I even got started. It was a really fun race though. My friend Vicky from Arkansas ran with me for at least the first half. After that I got sort of burned out because she is a bit faster than I am, and I was pushing to stay with her. I finished about 30 minutes after her. I was by far the oldest runner doing the full marathon although I did see that one of the female relay runners was 79! At least she only had to do about half. This was marathon number 158 for me. With luck I'll do number 159 next month at Archangel then 160 in Fairbanks on the Equinox Marathon. In between, lots and lots of amazing Alaska hiking.
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