Omaha Marathon, 9/28/08

I was attracted to this event from the website. It just seems charming somehow. The slogan “A race for all reasons” spoke to me. The encouraging words are inviting.

http://www.omahamarathon.com/

I drove through Omaha on I-80 around dawn last July on my way back east after a 10-week marathon road trip. I had to be in Virginia to visit my friend Simm the next day so kept going but even at dawn from the interstate I could see some of the city sights and I made a mental note to perhaps return one day when time permitted. I’m glad I did. The attraction to Omaha was increased a bit when several weeks ago I met a couple of guys from Omaha (both named David) when we were all outside St Louis MO for the Flanders 6-hour ultramarathon.

On this trip I arrive in Omaha the day before the race. It’s a beautiful day. Picking up the rental car is easy and efficient. Omaha looks much as I remember it. The Motel 6 on the west side of town where I’m staying is having problems. Road crews have closed most entrances for highway construction and the hotel is undergoing major renovation. There’s dust and noise everywhere. Fortunately I don’t watch TV and I have my own phone since the room has neither a TV controller nor a phone.

The packet pick-up, and starting/finish lines are all in an area that the city has beautifully reclaimed from an old industrial district that now houses several convention centers, a sports stadium, and some riverfront parks.

The expo is modest in size and efficiently managed. A free bus ride tour of the course is offered and although I don’t much care about the course it does seem like fun to have someone else drive me around the area and maybe get a chance to meet a few other runners while sightseeing. I boarded the crowded bus for a 3pm departure. The race director gets on board briefly to made a few welcoming announcements. She’s an energetic and sunny woman and obviously a runner herself. She introduces us to the president of the Omaha Runners Club who will be the tour guide on the bus trip. On the ride I met Rainey (sp?) - a youngish mother of three who will be running her first marathon tomorrow.

The tour is worthwhile. The city is very nice in places. More on that below. For now I notice we’ll be running a couple of hills early on and we will pass through a variety of neighborhoods and settings.

The pasta dinner is included in the registration fee. Food is plentiful but not great. The two spaghetti sauces are labeled as “meat” and “meatless” but they looked and tasted identical to me. Lemon aid runs out early but ice tea is still available. There are a couple kinds of rolls served and I stow away a couple for breakfast in the morning. There is vanilla ice cream to finish.

At dinner I see several familiar faces from the 50 States and DC Marathon Group, the 50 States Marathon Club, and Marathon Maniacs. Many of them are together but the tables in that area are full so we smile and wave but don’t hang out together this evening.

The guest speaker is Jerry Dunn who is, among other things, the race director for the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon in South Dakota. I met Jerry there when several of us from Central Florida went to Deadwood for that event in the summer of 2006. Two of my friends, Dutch and Maratha, got married on the course after the marathon.

Race morning is less hectic than many I have experienced. Parking is plentiful and free. The short walk from the car to the start passes some upscale townhouses then a pen containing livestock from the rodeo being held this weekend at the convention center.

From the top of a school bus at the starting line a 14-year old electric guitarist played a barely restrained version of the national anthem in the manner of Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock interpretation. Severed members of the Nebraska national guide served honor guard/flag carriers.

The gun goes off around sunrise. Weather is good with about 52 degrees at the start. It didn’t get hot until the last hour or so.

There were several musical acts along the course. My favorites included a teenage boy with an elaborate drum and percussion set. He apparently did a 5 hour drum solo. I passed him twice about 90 minutes apart and he was drumming vigorously and quite alone both times.

ConAgra has a large facility in downtown Omaha. The campus is quite large with many buildings and well-groomed grounds that serve as a sort of city park. The course passes through there twice.

There were a couple long hills but nothing too bad. All hills were in the first 10 miles.

We ran through the zoo. I didn’t see much but did pass one display of large apparently flightless birds resembling pelicans. They were confined only by fence but no cage.

I finish officially with a chip tie of 4:07:51 (gun time = 4:08:44) and placed 195 out of 441 finishers

For males 55-59 I was 7/29

Among males I finished 148/289

That’s the fastest one I’ve had since Davy Crockett Bear Chase Marathon in Texas last April. As I recall the weather there then was similar to Omaha this weekend.

All esults are available at

http://www.onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=8859

Race pictures are available at

http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=32500&BIB=120&S=230&PWD=

I use a coupon from the bib number to get a free entree for lunch at a local Mexican eatery There I’m delighted to run into several friends from the 50 State Marathon Club including Steve and Paula Boone, and Dave Bell.

In all this was a nice trip. I recommend this marathon.