LEAVENWORTH
OKTOBERFEST MARATHON
October 13, 2007
For years my marathoning during the month of October was predicable. On the first weekend I ran the Portland Marathon in Oregon, and the second weekend it was the Royal Victoria Marathon in Canada. Then in 2005 a dilemma arose when both marathons were scheduled for the same day, October 9th. I had commitments at Victoria, so I had to break a 20 year string at Portland. To fill the first weekend, I ran the inaugural Leavenworth Marathon on October 1, 2005.
Two years later the conflict arose again. I ran the Victoria Marathon on October 7, 2007, instead of Portland when both races were on the same day. Six days later on October 13, 2007, I chose to run the third annual Leavenworth Marathon on the open second weekend.
Since I ran the inaugural race in 2005, a few changes had been made. The host headquarters in the “Bavarian Village” had been relocated from the Bavarian Lodge to the Best Western Icicle Inn Resort in the town center. Packet pickup for the marathon and the half marathon was under a tent on the resort grounds, a good place to socialize with friends and to avoid the crowds that were in town for the Oktoberfest activities.
Proceeding clockwise, the 13.1 mile loop course was run twice by the marathoners and once for the half-marathoners. The scenic course hadn’t been changed, but the start/finish area had been relocated from the Leavenworth City Parks to the Fish Hatchery where there was ample parking and a spacious staging area away from city traffic. This was a move of about five miles out into open farm county.
Another change had been to move the starting time from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. The rationale was to encourage Seattle runners and others to drive from their homes at a more reasonable time and to be able to return on the same day as an option.
On race morning I left the home of our niece and her husband, Andrea and Kirk Hudson of Wenatchee, to drive to the Fish Hatchery at nearby Leavenworth. I walked the grounds there to warm up (somewhat) and found an impressive fish holding enclosure that held 1-2 foot Rainbow Trout.
I enjoyed the camaraderie of a group of Marathon Maniacs. Our friend Valentine John Ridao of Spanaway was in the group and mentioned that he was going to run the marathon in spite of his cold. Then I had a chance to visit with a friend I hadn’t seen for two years. Rebecca Waud of Leavenworth was going to walk the race with two women friends.
When the 9:00 a.m. countdown ended, 464 runners in the half marathon and 84 marathoners, a total of 548, began their respective runs under a low cloud cover with the temperature in the mid 50’s. We ran on Icicle Road on level ground for a mile and then ascended a long upgrade for two miles on a curvy road into mountainous terrain for 200 feet in elevation gain.
At a hill crest there was an aid station and a turn back. I walked/ran to get to there and was surprised to find Marlene Farrell, 32, of Leavenworth handing out drinks to the runners. Marlene had been the overall winner of the Lake Chelan Shore to Shore Marathon on September 15, 2007, with a time of 2:58:14. She was the women’s winner of the 2002 Yakima River Canyon Marathon with a time of 3:10:00 and was the second woman finisher at the Seafair Virginia Mason Marathon on July 8, 2007, with a 2:58:48.
The out-and-back hill climb and descent by the turbulent Icicle River was a good area to see friends on an otherwise loop course. Within the first hours the high fog evaporated and we had clear, sunny skies with temperatures to 65 degrees.
Early in the race I focused on what I like best about the course, the nearby Cascade Mountains which rise precipitously from the valley floor. They were covered with a dense stand of Douglas Fir that had patches of bright yellow that were probably Black Cottonwoods which are common in the valley. Red-purple foliage of Black Hawthorn and Red-stemmed Osier at the other end of the spectrum provided a lot of fall color.
In the yards of homes we passed in the country and in Leavenworth there were red-leafed Burning Bush, orange Sugar Maples and yellow Birches…..plus a lot of fall flowers such as chrysanthemums, dahlias and asters. It was an autumn marathon with Icicle Creek and the Wenatchee River providing views of clear, turbulent water as we made more than six bridge crossings.
In the first loop I had a fair amount of running company. I ran near my long-time friend Courtney Jones, 72, a runner and tri-athlete from Ellensburg, whom I have run with for 20 years. He and the other runners around me were half-marathoners, so after I ran to their finish line in 2:32:51 I was running by myself as I started my “second time around the course.”
As I walked up the first hill, I was passed by Grace Kong, 27, of Seattle who ran up the hill. We passed and re-passed each other for the rest of the race. She finished the marathon one minute ahead of me in 6:01:10.
In the 22nd mile Melissa Yeager, 53, of Woodinville caught up with me. She had run several marathons about 30 years ago and was now running her first one since then. We chatted for awhile and then she ran on to finish in 5:50:54.
I felt good running in the first half, but my second half went from a run/walk to the final miles as a brisk walk. It was good to see the Hudsons at the finish line, and Lenore was there to give me a hug, a finishers medal and my first place commemorative mug. My time was 6:02:07, 83 out of 84 overall and first 70+ Male.
A few minutes after I finished, Valentine John Ridao ended the marathon with a 6:05:30. His cold kept him from finishing in mid pack, and he is to be congratulated for overcoming adversity and finishing at all. He ignored the temptation to stop at the hatchery at the half-way mark or later on. In Joe Henderson’s Running Commentary #697, he passes along some of George Sheehan’s wisdom when he said, “Winning is never having to say I quit.” Val completed his first marathon at our Yakima River Canyon Marathon on March 31, 2007, and was a “winner” at his eighth marathon when he persevered to the finish at Leavenworth.
The marathon was won by Alex Swenson, 43, of Vashon with a 2:54:38. He was followed by Kevin Prentiss, 45, of Edmonds, with a 2:56:13. Gregg Walchli, 45, a Marathon Maniac (MM) from Seattle finished in third place with a time of 2:59:38, a sub-three hour squeaker as he beat the clock. Tony Phillippi, 46, a Marathon Maniac founder from Tacoma, ran a 3:05:54 for fourth place overall, and Kevin Farrell, 32, of Leavenworth (the male half of the Farrell running team), ran a 3:17:35 for 7th overall and first in the 30-34M age division.
Annie Thiessen, 37, MM from Tacoma, was the first woman with a 3:19:38. In second place was Nina Church, 33, of Sammamish who ran a 3:23:55. The third place women’s finisher was Sharman McAllister, 36, of Seattle who ran a 3:30:44.
Congratulations to Leslie Miller, 27, MM of Bellevue, for running her 50th marathon in a personal record (PR) time of 4:07:27. The Leavenworth Marathon was her 31st marathon/ultramarathon in 25 consecutive weekends. She is an exemplary Marathon Maniac who went from Leavenworth to Spokane for the Spokane Series Marathon the next day. (She ran a 4:27:22!) This would be her 7th weekend double since the Eugene Marathon on April 29, 2007.
Nineteen of the 84 marathon finishers (23%) were Marathon Maniacs. This is a good endorsement of the race.
Thanks to the Hudsons and their children for hosting Lenore and me at their Wenatchee home. Kirk is fairly new to marathoning himself, and I’ve run in four of his five marathons to date. He’s getting closer to a Boston qualifying time, so perhaps he and I can run a Boston Marathon together some day.
Thanks go to race director Ted Feingold, his committee and the volunteers for their efforts in putting on the Leavenworth Oktoberfest Marathon and Half Marathon. It was another great running event.
……………………………………Written by Bob Dolphin
Edited, Typed and Distributed by Lenore Dolphin
2:54:59 Alex Swenson, 43, Vashon, OVERALL
WINNER, First 40-44M Division
2:56:13 Kevin Prentiss, 45, Edmonds, Second Overall,
1st
2:59:38 Gregg Walchli, 45, Seattle, Marathon Maniac
(MM), Third Overall, 2nd
3:05:54 Tony Phillippi, 46, Tacoma, MM, 3rd
3:17:37 Kevin Farrell, 32, Leavenworth, 1st
3:19:38 Annie Thiessen, 37, Tacoma, MM, First Woman
Overall, 1st
3:23:55 Nina Kemsley Church, 33, Sammamish, Second
Woman Overall, 1st
3:30:26 James Klarich, 45, Wapato, MM
3:30:44 Sharman McAllister, 36, Seattle, Third Woman
Overall, 2nd
3:32:09 Eva Lust-Wright, 37, Yakima, 3rd
3:39:36 Lorelei Sadowski, 44, Port Coquitlam, BC, MM, 2nd
3:41:37 Steve Ellis, 40, Kent, MM, 3rd
3:45:08 Gary Kobold, 53, East Wenatchee, MM, 1st
3:50:54 Michael Shiach, 57, Bainbridge Island, MM, 2nd
3:53:45 Earl Fenstermacher, 58, Seattle, MM, 3rd
3:55:32 David Olsho, 56, Seattle
3:57:45 Merrilee Hurson, 50, Yakima, 1st
4:02:53 Barb Buman, 50, MM, 2nd
4:07:27 Leslie Miller, 27, Bellevue, MM
4:07:24 Thomas Stoltz, 33, Kent, MM
4:09:37 Richard Sadowski, 47, Port Coquitlam, BC, MM
4:20:49 Jeffery Nakasone, 51, Mililani, HI, MM, 3rd
4:23:35 Jill Hudson, 45, Seattle, MM, 2nd
4:33:17 Rick Haase, 60, Shoreline, MM, 2nd
4:52:08 Jeanette Quintana, 30, Edmonds, MM
5:55:54 Melissa Yeager, 53, Woodinville, 3rd
6:01:10 Grace Kong, 27, Seattle
6:02:07 Bob Dolphin, 78, Renton/Yakima, MM, 1st
6:05:30 Valentine John Ridao, 54, Spanaway, MM
1:31:46 Tom Feil, 50 East Wenatchee
1:52:32 Mary Riehl, 40, Yakima
1:54:56 Andrew Dunn, 40, Kirkland
2:02:17 Cheri Pompeo, 55, Woodinville, MM
2:07:17 Jon Neely, 69, Richland
2:14:01 Jimmy Smith, 67, Bremerton
2:31:52 Courtney Jones, 72, Ellensburg