Chadron, NE marathon

Well, I did it!  I finished four marathons in five days.  I did this crazy thing to raise money for our adoption.  See the story here:  http://anython.com/running-for-sissy-simon.

The last marathon (for me) for the week was in Chadron, NE, population 5,787, which makes it the biggest city yet.  It actually even has a Wal-mart!  That's "movin' on up" for this part of the country.

The marathon was held in Chadron State Park.  We went there yesterday to check it out.  The park was nice, and there was a pretty lake, that made me think that the course would be very scenic.

Unfortunately, the course didn't even pass the lake.  It was the most brutal course I have ever run.  The course ran down a paved road, turned onto a gravel road, and then went onto a grass path through the woods, down a muddy hill, over a rickety bridge, through more grass, back onto a paved road past the campsites, and turned around and came back the same way...16 times.  

The weather was cool and rainy, which made the course muddy with lots of puddles.  Here are some pictures on the muddy, narrow path we ran through, along with some great runners who have now become friends.

The course was probably like heaven to trail runners, but a nightmare to road runners like me.  I have always avoided trails like the plague.  My ankles are weak, and at least three times along the course, I stepped into holes and felt pain surge up my foot and leg.  I was so busy concentrating on where my feet were stepping, that I barely looked up to cheer on runners as they passed me or take in any scenery.  The rickety, narrow, slippery bridge apparently went over this beautiful creek, which I didn't see even one time, as I passed by 38 times because I was so focused on not falling off the bridge.

Since this was my last race and I hated the trail course, I ran as hard as I could, just to get it over with as fast as possible.  I managed to pull off a 4:12 finish.

One of the best parts of these races were the people I met along the way - people who I hope to remain friends with for a long time after the races are over.  Spending a week with the same people, eating dinner with them, and running with them really helps form bonds that cannot be broken.

After cooling down and stretching, I was so cold, I just wanted to get someplace warm.  We left the scene of the race for the last time this series and headed to the hotel to shower and pack.  We grabbed some lunch and ice cream at a local fast food place called Donald's Burgers before hitting the road to start the next phase of our journey:  sightseeing.  Over the next three days, while I recover from my races, we will be seeing the sights in western South Dakota before heading home to Atlanta.

Here are some pictures taken as we traveled to Keystone, SD.

Thank you for following these posts of the journey to run to raise money for our adoption of Sissy Simon.  See more about our adoption at http://anython.com/running-for-sissy-simon.  We would love for you to join us on our next journey of adoption, and encourage you to share our story with your friends.