November Stateside Triple

Have you heard of 'Seinfeld'. He was apparently the best paid person in TV. Well in his comedy series, when something went wrong, something would go right straight away after, just like this trip, or certainly part of it. Still if you had said to me I was going to all-run all 3 and average under 4 hours, I might not have believed!

Saturday, 22nd November 2003
It was 4:15am when I left the house with my son Steven. We picked up Peter Graham on the North Circular, and were down at Heathrow well in time for our 8am United Airlines flight to Dulles Airport (Washington DC).

By 12am US time we had picked up our car and were heading North on the 160 mile journey to Philadephia. I'd booked an intermediate car, but I really could not have asked for anything better. Anyway we arrived at the Best Western, and immediately headed off to get to the Expo and Registration about one hour before it closed.

Sunday, 23rd November 2003
The website had said that the hotel was 0.4 miles from the start/finish, and it really was. It seemed a good day for running, but it was rather humid, something that I realised in Portland earlier in the year, could find you out.

The first half was quite rolling and I guess quite interesting as you first ran near the big Delaware River, then later the Schyulkill River. I had picked up with Richard, a guy from Phili at about 1 mile. I only lost him when he made a pit stop around 16 miles.

After a nice park section you came back along the West side of the Schyulkill, before turning past the finish line just before 14 miles. It was now a straight out and back, with a turn round at 20 miles. It was fairly flat being on the East bank of the Schyulkill, and it did give me the chance to pass words with Peter as he went in the opposite direction. At this point there was just under 3 miles between us. I'd gone through halfway in 1:56:43, but had slowed to go through 20 miles in 3:00:58, but I still thought I could make sub-4. Alas no, for as hard as I tried over those last few miles, I was just outside finishing in 4:01:26. Peter also suffered a bit over those last few miles to finish in 4:47:47.

After making that short trip back to the hotel, we rested before taking the car into downtown to see the famous 'Liberty Bell'. It was then a welcome drink in the hotel bar and a game of pool, which Peter won 2-1.

Monday, 24th September 2003
After an early visit to the Library (free Internet Connection) we whiled away the day in the suburbs before finally crossing the bridge into New Jersey on our way back towards Dulles Airport.

This was the only night where I had not booked the hotel, and is the start of the 'Seinfeld' trilogy. After driving for around an hour we stopped for coffee. When we got going it started to rain. It was of course dark, with busy roads. In fact it was pretty awful driving conditions.

I'd intended to get with 1 to 2 hours of Dulles before stopping, but a missed turning, then a navigation error, meant we ended up going all the way to Dulles. At this point I envisaged us sleeping overnight in the car, however we drove back out of the airport when Peter chose a direction from a choice of 3, and lo and behold up popped this Hampton Inn Motel. Would you believe it was good; cheap; we got breakfast and a free internet session.

Tuesday, 25th November 2003
Within 5 minutes of leaving the Motel, ok, maybe 10, we had parked the car and were making our way to the terminal for our 12:30 flight to Atlanta. We took off on time, arrived early, then made our way to the MARTA. (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transport Authority) Peter had it sussed and soon we were alighting at the 'Arts Centre' before dragging our bags a short way to the Sheraton in Midtown Atlanta. Enter 'Seinfeld' again!

At the desk we were told that the hotel and no power and we were being switched to the Westin in downtown. I really didn't want this bother, but they did take us down there and it was a nice hotel. As it happened this made us venture out into Downtown, otherwise we might have missed the lights of Olympic Park. The other advantage was the indoor pool in the Westin.

Wednesday, 26th November 2003
We got up fairly early, checked with the Sheraton, and by 8:50am were installed in the Sheraton. Another Library visit followed which took us through to the Expo opening at 11am. Of course this had bitten into the day, but we decided that we still had time to take the Train and Bus out to 'Stone Mountain', to see the famous carving of the 3 Confederates Jefferson Davis, Robert E Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

There was no problem getting there, and it was a nice sunny day, but no one told us that it was still a 2 mile walk from where the bus stop. Not ideal the day before a marathon, but we were here now. After a few hours at Stone Mountain we walked back to catch the bus. Pity we hadn't got the previous bus. The driver was a nice lady, but decided to scrape half the side of the bus as she turned into a Health Center.

Despite another bus arriving, the lady driver would not move her bus until the supervisor arrived, which meant the 2nd bus couldn't get out, and finally after about an hour, we ended up on a 3rd bus and finally made it back to the Train Station.

As this was the day before Thanksgiving, by the time we got back, most places were shut, but we did manage to get a big sandwich each, and headed back to the room for an early night.

Thursday, 27th November 2003.
The alarm went off at 5am, and by 6am we were on our way to the start, which meant 2 walks and 2 train journeys, but we were in the start area by 7am. At 7:30 we were off in overcast conditions, a little on the chilly side, but pretty good for marathon running.

I made my usual steady start only to be caught by Peter at 2 miles. This didn't last long and I went off up the road. Have to say this was not the most scenic marathon I have ever done, although we did pass the Georgia State Building early on. The course was generally uphill for 8 miles, then levelled out before an out and back section with the turn round just before 13 miles.

I went through halfway in 1:58:39, but was feeling pretty good. I didn't seem to have gone very far after this, before Peter went by in the opposite direction heading for the turn. I think my extra GU's were having the desired effect as I chased down an American speed walker I had spoken to earlier. I was with him for a while, but I think the downhill section from 17m thru 20+ miles, favoured me as a runner more than him as a walker.

By 20 miles I had turned my 2 minute halfway deficit compared to Phili into more than a 2 minute gain. Relatively, I was flying, and kept this going until 21 miles when the hills started again. Of course my brain was ticking, and now confident that getting the sub-4 medal was a certainty, was looking at another negative split. In the end a storming finish meant I was over the line in 3:54:13, just 26 seconds off my best 2003 time and a negative split by over 3 minutes!

For me this was the plus side of Seinfeld, but alas not for Peter. Despite a rousing first half, he suffered in the last few miles to finish in 4:49:18. However, Peter turned plus, although I of course also benefited, when a nice Atlanta man offered us a lift all the way back to the Hotel!!

After a short rest and clean up, we walked a few yards in the pouring rain to an English pub for a pint or 2 plus something to eat, before retiring to the hotel for an early night.

Friday, 28th November 2003

We didn't have to hurry, as we had plenty of time to make our 13:40 flight back to Dulles. At checkout we got the surprise that the night we spent in the Westin was not going to be charged, but that's a positive before we'd had another negative!

Yet again the flight was on time. We sped through Dulles, our bags arrived as we got there and straight on a bus to collect our 2^nd car of the trip. This time I'd only booked a compact, but of course that's a compact in USA terms. After choosing a green Saturn Ion, we were on our way and looking pretty good to make the 19:00hr deadline to register today.

Too much going right here, so of course we took a wrong turn out of the airport, but Peter managed to get us back on track without too much of a detour. However, by the time we hit the 'I95' to take us around DC, it was raining pretty hard. It wasn't a nice drive, but we found our way to the Hampton Inn Hotel in Hunts Valley, on the Northern outskirts of Baltimore, with just one more slight hiccup.

We booked in, and as it was only just past 18:00, asked the way to the Charm City Run Sports Shop, only to find that it was closed! Of course with 'Thanksgiving' being a Thursday, America closes for the weekend, but we did find something to eat and made our way back to the Hotel for another early night. I did take a few minutes out to ask some fellow runners in the hotel the way to the start, and returned to the room a lot happier.

This was a 9:30 start, but as we had yet to register, I wanted to be on the early side. The alarm went off at 6:30, when I had my obligatory cup of tea and large energy bar. We were in the School hall and registered before 8:15, giving us plenty of time to talk to the natives.

The most interesting guy was Bill. He is supposed to be sending an email, so when he does, I'll know where he comes from. Having run a 50 miler the day before we did Phili, he turned up at Phili, but couldn't get a number. I'd said hello at Atlanta on the Thursday, not realising that he was also doing this run.

The Northern Central Trail Marathon started on time from outside the school. For 1.8 miles we were on undulating roads, before turning left onto the Trail. From here you ran 12.2 up a slight gradient to the turnaround point at 14 miles, then of course slightly downhill all the way back to the finish.

It was a bitterly cold day, so I'd gone for 3 layers on top, but stuck to my 'Race Ready' shorts, so that I could easily carry my race supply of 'GU'. Fortunately, it was a lovely sunny day, and the Trail offered quite a lot of shelter from the cold wind. Shortly after joining the Trail, I spent a couple of miles with Bill, before chatting to Eric, a local who was just running to halfway in the 2 man relay.

I finally sent Eric scurrying up the road at the 12 miles marker, although we exchanged a 'high five' as I passed his change over point. I can't say I really noticed the up gradient, well not that is until now. That Marathon just 2 days earlier was now beginning to click in, although I'd managed a very respectful 1:58:02 at halfway. By that 14 mile turnaround, I was beginning to suffer, but come on, it was all downhill from here, as just for a while I envisaged another sub-4, and maybe even another negative split.

As usual I didn't look at the watch again until 20 miles. Not good, 3:02:38, no sub-4 today! It took me another 3 miles to work out that a sub 4:04 would mean an average of under 4 hours for the 3 marathons, It was hard, but I raised myself for one last effort to cross the line in 4:03:33. I crawled to the refreshment tent, got changed as best as I could, and hobbled out to get a few photos. By the time Peter came in (4:57:10), I was getting pretty cold, and very happy to get on the bus for the 1.8 mile journey back to the school.

After a clean-up back at the hotel, it was out along York Road to 'Kinkos' to send back the press report. We then found this rather nice Italian Restaurant for a welcome celebration at the end of another successful trip.

We had a bit of a lie in, before enjoying a nice breakfast at the Hampton Inn. It was then off to spend a couple of hours in the local Mall, before making the 80 mile drive back to Dulles. For once it wasn't raining, and although cold, was a lovely sunny day. Our flight back to Heathrow was scheduled for 18:15, and certainly wasn't much after when we took off.

Welcome back to Britain! After circling London for at least 30 minutes, we finally touched down at around 06:45. After dragging my case halfway across the terminal, getting a ticket back to Stevenage was quite easy. Of course there wasn't many people at Heathrow, but by the time we stopped at Earls Court, the train was pretty crowded. When I mean stopped, I meant stopped. The train in front had broken down, but eventually we were on our way. Peter jumped out at Green Park, and I went on to Kings Cross, where I was lucky for once that the train was slightly late, for no sooner had I jumped on, when I was on my way to Stevenage and the end of the trip.

Roger Biggs - 8^th December 2003 

The Atlanta Marathon is the oldest in the South and among the 10 oldest marathons in the USA. The first Atlanta Marathon took place in March 1963. There were no trophies or medals and runners did not receive any race shirt. It was the following year that a 2 loop course was arranged in North Atlanta, which started and finished on the track at Westminster School. This was not an easy course and made things hard for the organisation. It was run the last Saturday before Christmas. This meant it was hard with heavy traffic and last minute shoppers. The race stayed much the same until the 1980's. As it was described as a hard course, not many people ran the marathon.

In 1981 a new downtown course was devised and changed to Thanksgiving Day, which attracted more runners and meant less traffic on the roads. From 1984 up to 1991 a flatter marathon course had been found and the finish was in Piedmont Park. Running the events on Thanksgiving Day caught on and numbers increased significantly. By 1996, in which year Atlanta hosted the Olympic Games, a new course was needed, so a looped course rather than a point to point course was chosen.

The new course meant it passes many of the Cities finest monuments and away from the traffic and main routes. As the half marathon became popular and the numbers increased, the start was very close to Chamblee MARTA Station, so this eliminated the need for buses. The new course has 7 main hills, compared to the slight climbs on the old route. In 1995 the Atlanta Marathon had 919 finishers in the marathon and 5615 in the half, making it the 3^rd biggest race in the USA. The Atlanta Marathon is the only USA marathon which is run on an Olympic Course, which was used in 1996. A remarkable marathon, which is run on Thanksgiving Day and well worth the trip.

It was a grey overcast day for the marathon. I was thinking, that in the UK, when ever it is a holiday time the weather turns bad. The 2 previous days we had been in Atlanta had been sunny and quite warm, so this was maybe ideal for running, but not a day out.

Staying in the main hotel, you would assume that it was not going to be too bad a journey to get to the start. The MARTA system is very efficient and even runs on Thanksgiving Day. It was about 1 hour to get to the start, which we did with 30 minutes to spare. It was not the Underground journey which was the concern, it was the fact we still had a 20 minute walk as well, which was not good. It would also have been nice to finish in the main stadium (Turner Field - home of the Atlanta Braves), rather than by the road.

With grey overcast conditions, it seemed perfect, not too hot and ideal for running. Problem would be later on if it rained. On the first section as we reached the start of the city, you could see the tall buildings in the distance. It was up and down with more down in the 1st section, so not too tiring after running in Philadelphia on Sunday. I was again going off too fast and decided to slow down when I reached 10 miles as I knew that the 2nd half going past 20 miles would be the most demanding. The road seemed to go on, but eventually at the bottom of the road, we came to the turn around point.

I was pleased to get to halfway in 2 hours 6 minutes without too much trouble, and Roger was a few minutes in front as he had passed halfway in 1:58. The next stage I tried just to keep going without doing myself too much harm. By 20 miles I was through in 3hr 30mins, so still confident I should beat my Philadelphia time by a long way. But in wet conditions plus tiredness taking it's toll, the last 6 miles for me were a disaster. There were plenty of hills, but I just could not keep going. The weather turned a bit wet as well, which meant I did get cold, which also did not help. So again a bit disappointed only finishing in 4hr 49mins. Roger on the other hand had an amazing second half and finish with a negative split time as he finished in 3hr 54mins.

We were lucky in getting a lift back to the hotel from one of the helpers and then later on having a refreshing pint made the day special as it was Thanksgiving Day. Still had the Northern Central Trail marathon on Saturday!

This was a trail marathon, so quite easy going as no main hills or street climbs to negotiate. The day before the run had been very wet, so it might have been a bit slippery underfoot. This was the 3rd run within a week, so I was not going to kill myself either way. On race day it was very cold with a biting wind. It just meant that you needed to wear a lot of clothing.

The start was at Sparks Elementary School, where you could collect your running number. Also you were able to take a bag to the finish line, so if there was bad weather, you could change into different clothing. The first couple of miles were on road until you hit the trail. I found it very cold, so I was pleased to have gloves and a tracksuit to keep out the cold. Once you were on the trail, another 12 miles up and you could turn around and come back.

Having run on Thursday, it was not as easy as it might have been, as this was flat and runners were told it was slightly downhill and with the wind behind, they should speed up on the 2nd half. There were a number of small roads to cross, which meant you had to pay attention as you crossed each road. The aid stations, which provided sports drink and water and many other nice treats, were well manned.

I did my best to try and run at an even pace, but still failed as I was 2hrs 16mins at 13 miles, although I was still hoping that 4:30 might have been possible. The cold conditions were a factor, plus it was my 3rd run, did not help in the end. I finished in 4hr 51mins to see Roger, who was pleased as he had averaged for the 3 marathons under 4 hours. Roger did a very respectable 4:03:33.

A nice run in very nice countryside!