Oodles of Running: Route 66 Marathon (Tulsa) - 2015: Camping, Maniac Corner, and First Ultramarathon!

Route 66 Marathon

Tulsa, OK

Nov 22, 2015

Split Times:

7.5mph (miles 0-10)
7.1mph (miles 10-13.1)
5.2mph (miles 13.1-20)
4.6mph (miles 20-26.2)

Total Time:	4:27:53 (10:13 pace)
My Rank in Age Division (M45-49):	74 out of 202
My Rank Overall:	782 out of 2592
Unique State:	18
Overall Marathon:	24
Under 4 Hours:	No
Weather:	28°F at the Start Line

Quick Facts:

This was my 18th unique state and my 24th overall marathon.
I camped in a tent that failed in the wind! I had to buy a new tent on this trip.
The steak at the nearby casino was delicious!
I was going to drive, but a snowstorm between my origin & destination made me decide to fly.
I met Keeping Pace. Also, saw Dave Mari with his monkey shirt!
This was my first ultramarathon! ... ok ... it was officially only 0.3 miles longer, but ...
They had an optional extra section (a.k.a, "detour") that you could take after mile 25 that allowed you to pass by the Center of the Universe! This made the marathon the "World's Shortest Ultramarathon!" By speaking or shouting at that spot, you could hear yourself echo, but no-one else could hear your echo. Eerie!

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

This marathon was a fantastic marathon. I loved the Maniac Corner, which was for the 50 States Marathon Club, the Marathon Maniacs, and the Half Fanatics. The organizers of the weekend did a great job putting this part of the race together. In fact, I think their success with the Maniac Corner was so good that I now see that the Garmin Marathon in the Land of Oz (coming up in April, 2016!) will also have some sort of Maniac Corner.

At the beginning of the race, everyone in the Maniac Corner was to get their picture taken. That was exciting to see so many lunatics all in one place. I was excited to see the guy with the monkey on his shirt there, Dave Mari. He's someone who Sue and I have seen & talked with at a couple of Florida races that we've been to in the past. Then, nearby to him, I actually noticed a blogger that Sue reads quite a bit. I couldn't immediately "place her," but I had a feeling that I recognized her face by reading some of her blogs alongside Sue. It was Keeping Pace!

The race started with the thunder of drums. Native Americans were getting me into the rhythm of running by beating their drums. That added to the perfect atmosphere to start the race.

The course was decent. As usual, I ran well at the beginning, and I died out towards the end. What I did notice, though, was that, since I recently started using S!Caps (thanks to a Marathon Maniacs runner who gave me the suggestion back in the Bear Lake (Wyoming) Marathon this past summer!), I could take one tablet ... then wait a mile or so, and my legs would feel strong again ... for awhile. Then a few more miles would go by before I would take another one ... wait a mile or two before it kicked in ... then I felt better in the legs for another few miles. Overall, I started the first tablet at about mile 13, and I took about 3 total throughout the race. The guy at the Bear Lake (WY) Marathon that we ran this past summer thought the S!Caps may be useful to me, because he saw how much salt I was losing in that race by looking at my shirt, face, and ... everywhere. I think, if I can figure out the perfect timing, they may just help?

In the end, I wasn't happy with my overall pace, but there were far more hills that I'm used to in the flat land of the Red River Valley. I enjoyed the race, though. The organizers were awesome. The Maniac Corner was great for socializing and "feeling the excitement."

Superb!

Ahhhhh, then back to my campsite at the KOA. That night I enjoyed a perfect steak at the casino adjacent to the KOA where my new tent was waiting for me. That was delicious (the steak, not the tent)! ... Oh yeah. I forgot about how much fun it was sitting in my tent (20-30 degrees Fahrenheit) trying to help my co-worker with some work-related issues. Phft. That made the race even more memorable! :)

I brought the wrong tent ...

It caved in with the wind & rain the first night! Luckily, this was NOT the night before the marathon, but ... it was, actually, the night when you are supposed to get the best sleep! Hmpht. Oh well.