Casper Marathon

Thumbs up to Dawn and the rest of the race committee. Pre-race expo was a breeze - in and out. Low profile and a relaxed atmosphere. I did the marathon and for the most part loved the course along the river. We could have used more water stations, due to the direct sun along the entire course.

The marathon started at 5270 feet and went up a bit from there. The temperature at the start was 48, but it rose to 88 at my finish, with intense sun. There were definitely times when my mouth was calling for water but the next aid station was a mile away.

The marathon course follows a lovely paved trail along the North Platte River. Today, that river is well over its banks and flowing rapidly toward the Missouri, then the Mississippi, and finally New Orleans. The water was high enough to cover some of the paved trails, so the race directors had to redirect us on dirt trails in a few places. No problem here - I love dirt trails, have been quite happy with marathons that are ALL trails. They improvised well.

My Splits: mile 1= 11:30, mile 2=12.01, mile 3=12:41, mile 4=12:08, mile 5=11:46
mile 7=13:09, mile 8=12:21, mile 9=12:34, mile 10=12:34, mile 11=13:16, mile 12=13:12
mile 13=13:13, mile 14=13:55, mile 15=14:56, mile 16=16:52, mile 17=15:29
mile 18=14:45, mile 19= 15:35, mile 20= 15:24, mile 21=16:13, mile 22=16:18
mile 23=15:48, mile 24=15:26, mile 25=16:44 mile 26=15:12

I battled a flooded race course and near-record heat temperature, and upset stomach, I crossed the finished line in 6:06 at an average pace of 13:59, not my best but not my worst either. This is my reward for completing this race.