NEW MEXICO MARATHON One “plus” of being a 50 States Marathoner is the knowledge that we acquire about all of the States in the Union. As Lenore and I pursue my goal to become a 50 States Finisher, we often team up with 50 States FINISHER Roger Biggs of Stevenage, United Kingdom. Roger has run over 500 marathons and ultramarathons and is the chairman and webmaster of the 100 Marathon Club United Kingdom. He also has the distinction of being the first person from the UK to complete a marathon in all of the States and DC. Every year we meet several times to run a marathon together. Lenore, Roger and I agreed to meet at Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the New Mexico Marathon on Sunday, September 6, 2009, and to attend the Reunion Meeting of the 50 States Marathon Club the previous day at a Best Western hotel. Unfortunately, Lenore had a “health challenge” and couldn’t travel to New Mexico, so I did a “solo” trip. The Club meeting was a success due to the efforts of vice president Charles Sayles (Glendale, CA), and other club officers…Steve & Paula Boone (Humble, TX), Dave Bell (Highland Ranch, CO), and Lois Berkowitz (Riverview, MI). A special treat at the meeting was a presentation by guest speaker Jeff Galloway (Atlanta, GA) about his running and coaching career. It was a pleasure to see Claude Hicks (Fort Worth, TX) at the reunion. He and his wife Debie Johnson are valuable volunteers at the Yakima River Canyon Marathon every year. Race day was preceded by a short night as I awakened at 2:00 a.m. to make sure that I would be on the 4:00 a.m. bus to the race start! I was fortunate to ride with Larry Macon (San Antonio, TX), a 50 States FINISHER who has run 500+ marathons. He’s a Guinness World Record holder for completing 105 marathons in 2008!!! To reach this number he ran weekend doubles most of the year and even ran two races on one day…..in Georgia and Vermont! During the race Larry ran with Paula Boone and Jim Simpson (Huntington Beach, CA). Jim is an EIGHT TIMES STATES & DC FINISHER and has completed 500+ marathons, more than anyone else on the Pacific Coast of the United States. After preliminary announcements and the singing of the national anthem, the race started at 5:30 a.m. near a strip mall. The temperature was in the 50’s, and the sky was overcast. It was calm and dark, but the visibility was good due to street lights and police car lights at major intersections. There was a continuous upgrade for eight miles which I negotiated by using a run/walk pattern with traffic cones for markers. To our right was scenic Sandia Peak. At 5,000 feet elevation the air was a bit thin, but tolerable. We then ran downhill for seven miles, and I gained the time I had lost in the early hill-climbing miles and passed a few participants. I moved up in the field as I enjoyed the desert scenery and watched a dozen hot air balloons over the Rio Grande Valley. Later the Albuquerque suburbs and a paved trail were of interest. As time passed, I visited with Paula, Lois, Betsy Wong (Missouri City, TX), Larry, Jim and many others on the course. I enjoyed talking briefly with Henry Rueden (DePere, WI). In the 100 Marathon Club North America Newsletter #19 it was reported that he has (1) Completed an inaugural marathon in all 50 States & DC; (2) Run a marathon on all 7 continents TWICE; (3) Run a marathon in all 50 States & DC SEVEN TIMES; (4) Completed Marathon #600 at Green Bay, Wisconsin, on May 17, 2009. By Mile 20 the sky was sunny and the temperature rose to the low 80’s, so I had to resort to a lot of walking at a 15 mile pace to finish the last 10K. Some 50 Stater friends greeted me as I approached the finish line to complete this marathon with a 6:00:19 time. I placed 362 out of 378 finishers and fourth in the 70+ male division. I had hoped to run better, but at least it was my second fastest time of the 11 marathons that I’ve run in 2009. Congratulations to Roger and Gina Little (London, England) for winning their age divisions! They were waiting for me at the finish line and then walked with me back to my motel. The race was won by Antonio Lopez, 29 of Santa Fe, NM, in a time of 2:55:03. He was a former high school star in Albuquerque who also ran for track teams at the University of Notre Dame and San Diego University. He has a total of eight marathons, including Boston, and he plans to run the New York City Marathon in November. He ran his marathon PR of 2:32:00 in San Diego. In second and third places were Kip Litton, 48, of Davison, MI, with a 2:57:53 and Benjamin Gherardi, 32, of Scottsdale, AZ, with a 3:03:33. The women’s division was won by Debbie Cropper, 48, of Anchorage, AK. She is a 50 Stater who has run marathons in 31 states. Her finishing time was 3:18:42. The second and third women finishers were both from Albuquerque. Marie Ladd, 47, had a time of 3:20:33, and Christin Elder, 29, had a time of 3:27:28. On the course there were 17 aid stations that were manned by friendly volunteers, and many policemen and sheriff deputies did a good job directing traffic. For the most part the race was well-organized, and I’m glad I chose to run this one to add NEW MEXICO to my 50 States List. That’s 36 done….and 14 to go! ………………………………………….Written by Bob Dolphin
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PARTIAL RESULTS – New Mexico Marathon, September 6, 2009 2:55:03 Antonio Lopez, 29, Santa Fe, NM, OVERALL MALE WINNER, First in Age Division 3:46:44 Roger Biggs, 61, Stevenage, UK, 1st |