I have a lot to tell you about Flying Monkey, but I'll give you the basic facts first and if you want to keep reading, feel free.
1. I finished in 5:38:31
2. I finished strong
3. I passed 12 people and 9 of those were in the last 13.1 miles
4. I never felt bad
5. I never hit the wall
6. I had a really, really fun day
Scott and I arrived in Nashville on Saturday afternoon, drove portions of the course, then picked up my race packet. The race packet was loaded with goodies including a "Monkey Wars" t-shirt, a long-sleeved technical shirt that was personalized with my name on it, as well as a race bib with my name on it.
Saturday night we went to the pasta dinner and sat with two guys, Jeff and Will, who are very experienced ultrarunners. Will was wearing his Grindstone 100 t-shirt, and Jeff had just finished Javelina Jundred. I was nervous about the race to begin with ... now I realize I'm running a marathon with two guys who've both run several 100 mile races. I'm definitely in over my head.
Sunday morning we checked out of the Hampton Inn and I chatted up a fellow runner who was dressed and ready for "the monkey." He said to expect hills and said the race would be "really special." Hmmm .... I wasn't sure what that meant, but I started to calm down and just told myself to try to have fun.
Scott took off for his volunteer spot and I stood on the fringe of the crowd, not knowing a soul and trying to relax. I was standing close to the course map when a man named Mike walked up. He was wearing a Badwater cap, so once again I start feeling like I'm in over my head. We talked for a few minutes and he said he expected to finish in 5:30 - 6:00. Me, too, I told him. And right then I made a plan to tuck in behind Mike and follow him as long as I could.
At 8:00 AM, the race was off. It was around 50 degrees, overcast and damp. Rain threatened all day but never really showed up. For runners, it's a perfect day. I passed Scott at the 0.5 mile aid station and knew I wouldn't see him again until mile 11, so I cranked up the iPod and prepared myself for 26.2 miles and 3500 feet of elevation.
Just ahead in the distance I saw two Marathon Maniacs and kept them in my sight for the first 7-8 miles. If you're a Marathon Maniac it ain't your first rodeo, so I knew to run when they ran and walk when they walked. According to my watch I was ticking off the miles at a 12-13 minute per mile pace. This was good. Around mile 9 I caught up with the Marathon Maniacs and passed them, as well as another man who had dropped back a bit. I could see Mike up ahead, and I imagined there was a rope between us. Gradually I began to tighten that rope and decrease the distance between us. Next thing you know, we're at mile 11, and I see Scott at the aid station.
At this point I'd already seen the first place male. He smoked the field and won in 2:38, which is pretty incredible considering the difficulty of this course. Anyway, from here I run through the aid station and back out on a 3 mile loop that takes me back up to the ridge line with some amazing views of Nashville.
Then I head back to the same aid station I'd passed at 11, which is now mile 14. I came through 14 at ~ the 3 hour mark. Still feeling really good, no pain and I'm on point with my gels, salt caps, water and Gatorade.
Between mile 15-16 I caught up with Mike. He was occasionally calling out to me and challenging me to run with him. Finally I was able to join him and meet the man he'd been running with, Larry.
Mike introduces Larry as the current Guinness Book of World Records title holder for most marathons in one year - 105. Yes, folks, 64-year old Larry ran 105 marathons last year. Wow. So I asked Larry, "What was your favorite marathon?" He replied, "The one I'm running today." How awesome is that?
I ran with these two extremely nice, funny men on and off for the next 5 miles. They would occasionally get a little ahead of me, but I always caught back up. We laughed, shared stories about our lives and kept each other entertained through some of the toughest miles in a marathon.
Then around mile 20 I felt a burst of energy. I've never felt a burst of energy at mile 20. Never. My body said it wanted to go, my brain told me I was nuts. I went with my body on this one ... and next thing you know I've left Mike and Larry and now I'm creeping up on two more runners. And I passed them. And then I see another Marathon Maniac ahead ... and I pass him, too. It was crazy. When I came though mile 23 aid station, one of the volunteers said, "You look GOOD. I mean, you really look good." And then she reminded me that I only had a 5K to go. Hot diggity damn ... that means this thing will be over in less than 45 minutes!!!!!! So I dug deep, ran hard, took a left turn at the 26 mile mark, and headed across the field to the finish line in 5:38.
Larry and Mike were not too far behind in 5:43.
Then we caught up for a few photos and an ice cold beer. Larry, also a fellow GUTS member, is running Fat Ass 50K in January. I'm planning to make that my first ultra, so it will be fun to see him again soon. If you want to read more about Larry, check out
this article in Runner's World magazine. In addition to his Guinness World Record, he has completed over 500 marathons. Truly an inspirational man.
Mike is equally inspiring. A 64 year old retired firefighter from Maine, Mike has completed over 260 marathons. He has run a marathon in all 50 states 3 times, as well as numerous ultras. He has an amazing sense of humor and was a ton of fun to run with.
It was a special day. It was a special race. And if you want to run it next year, you better be ready to sign up when registration opens because it sold out in 8 hours this year. And now I know why.
