Posted by Frank Holderfield on November 14, 2006 at 20:24:04:
Just wanted to drop a late note about the Chicago Marathon. As some of you know Monetta Roberts and I won the New Balance contest that was held during the Azalea Trail Run. In order to register for the contest one had to run in the Azalea Trail Run and write a 100 word or less essay about what New Balance means to you.
There was not much fanfare about the contest in either the PCP newsletter or the Press Register. But that is another story about my ongoing gripe about the paucity of any news about running especially anything about high school cross country or track and field events.
As contest winnners Monetta and I received alot of New Balance merchandise along with round trip airfare and hotel accomodations. It included registration to run in the Chicago Marathon with an start in the Elite II corral. Unfortunately for me this meant watching people pass me all day long.
We flew out on October 20 and upon arriving at O'Hare Airport we were greeted by a chauffeur and rode in a limo to the Renaissance Hotel. New Balance representatives were waiting on us and there were more freebies bestowed upon us. We graciously accepted all gifts.
This was my first marathon and I had no idea what was in store for me. On race day the weather was quite cold and breezy. It had rained hard the night before and the streets were a little soggy. It was crowded and I stood among 30 some odd thousand people with barely enough room to extend my elbows. It was like this for the entire race. On both sides were an estimated 2 million spectators that covered the entire 26.2 miles. It was so noisy that I finally turned off my MP3 player and just captured the ambience of the crowd. I ended up running alot slower than I had planned but thoroughly enjoyed the sights and sounds of chicago. The final five miles were the toughest and I saw many runners walking or just standing and staring. I did finish the race without slipping on the finish line. Monetta was also victorious and reported no mishaps crossing the finish line. All in all it was a memorable experience. I am still walking with a slight limp as my tired old legs continue to cry out for rest.