There are no short cuts to long-distance running (Gettysburg North-South Marathon race report)

There were four main factors that contributed to my slow finish time of 4:20 in the Gettysburg North-South Marathon some five weeks ago. That finish time is some 25 minutes slower than my PR.

1. 16-week training cycle was interrupted by conferences and other work-related schedule conflicts, resulting in lower weekly mileage and fewer weekend long runs.

2. Course was rolling, not like my usual Sunday long run course; thus, my training was not race-specific.

3. No pacers (electrolytes for the soul!)

4. Only 300+ runners; so, after a few miles, it was pretty much running on my own. The following photo was from one of the early miles, when some of us were still running together.

It’d be easy to attribute my slow time to the last three factors. The rolling course made it hard to get into any kind of sustained rhythm. The lack of training experience with rolling terrain and the lack of pacers just added to the problem. And, though I’m mostly a solo runner, I do appreciate and try to take advantage of running with others during races. At Gettysburg, there was essentially no such advantage. All these factors were contributory. But I think the key one was #1.  Running is the great democratizer, both in access and in potential. There are no privileged short cuts to long-distance running. I just was not prepared to run optimally that day. The outcome that day had mostly been determined before I even got to Gettysburg. It’d also be easy to say Gettysburg is not a BQ course. But, that would not be fair, at least not until I run this again with proper training.

As I was standing there at the start line, conveniently located right next to the race hotel where I stayed, I kept reminding myself to go easy in the early miles. Now, I routinely do that for all races. But, that morning, under a beautiful sunny sky and with temperature in the upper 40s, I was talking to myself based on knowledge, knowledge I’d gained the previous afternoon. After I’d checked in at the hotel, I drove the entire course, stopping along the way to mark where to take gels, dates, and water. I took photos of the scenic course, located within and outside of the Gettysburg National Military Park, in south-central Pennsylvania. I especially noted the rolling terrain. So, I knew that if I start off too fast, I’d pay for it later in the race. But, alas, though I was able to discipline myself and did start relatively slowly, I still ran into a wall of sorts at around Miles 16-18, after which I had to do a fair amount of walking.

                               Notes on the course from a pre-race drive-through

                              Pacing for Gettysburg, compared with Pocono (PR)

Gettysburg is a loop course, with ~1,000 feet up and down. So, the net elevation change is zero. But, the net effect, for me, was definitely negative--and not in the negative split sense!

                            Course map and elevation chart from the race Web site

It was a scenic and historical course—definitely not boring! The following photo shows the course at just before Mile 2 (looking ~SSW), which goes through the East Cavalry Battlefield Site of the Park.

This one is from Mile 3, still in the Park.

And, this one around Mile 9, near the intersection of Stone Bridge Road and Storms Store Road.

This being the Gettysburg Marathon, there was a North vs. South competition. During registration, each runner can choose to represent either side. The scoring to determine the winning side is based on the combined times of the top male and female runners for each side. Everyone on the winning side gets a commemorative beer glass with the event logo on one side and a quote on the other from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. This year, the result was historically correct, and here’s my beer glass.

Gettysburg is a relatively new race, this year being the seventh (?). The race organizers (Lowell Ladd, director) did a superb job; every step in the process was nicely implemented, from bib pickup the day before at the Gateway Theater 8 across the parking lot from the Courtyard Gettysburg (race hotel) to the post-race food, drinks, and beer (!). My only “complaint”/suggestion is to include a vegetarian option for the sandwiches. Evidently, the multi-colored bagel was the most popular.

The timing chip on the bib was very thin, certainly the thinnest I’ve ever seen. It’s from the Jaguar RFID timing system. There were no mats. The sensors were on top of the start line framework (I think), shown at right center in the following photo. To the left is the post-race area.

As to be expected, there was not a lot of spectator support along the country roads of the course. But, that was more than made up for by the terrific volunteer support at each of the aid stations and by the course marshals. Aid stations were at every two miles or so (water and Gatorade). A few other stations in the latter miles also had gels. Especially over the last 6-8 miles, as I was increasingly struggling, those aid stations were like oases!

It’s always a luxury to stay at a hotel that’s close to the start line of a race. That was the case with Shamrock in 2014, where the start line was less than two blocks away. At Gettysburg, it was even more luxurious! In the photo above, the hotel is just off to the right. Gear check? My own car in the hotel parking lot! Of all the race hotels I’ve stayed at so far, the Courtyard Gettysburg was the most accommodating regarding late checkout. Typically, the front desk person would either refuse or say yes but come across as if he or she has to bend over backwards. So, I really appreciated the front desk person at the Courtyard who, when I asked about late checkout, just said, sure, what’s your room number. :)

A slow time; a disappointment; a challenge. I definitely will run Gettysburg again. This course has thrown down the gauntlet, and I’ve taken it up!