Des Moines Marathon Recap A Runner's Ramblings: Volume 1; 41st Edition 1074.2 miles raced 288.2 miles to race Race: Des Moines Marathon Place: Des Moines, Iowa Miles from home: 1616.9 Course Difficulty: 6 out of 10 Course Enjoyability: 5 out of 10 Weather: Windy in spots; Temps in the 40-50s; Finishers Medal: 7 out of 10 Donations To Date: ~23.4k I found out on Friday before the race that I would be able to run the NYC Marathon. Because of their assistance in helping me do so, I will honor New York00 Fire Departments by wearing a FD NY cap for the marathon. It is finally hitting me how few marathons I have left this year but how much still could go massively awry. Still awaiting one complete full trip weekend of air travel not being bad. Have a feeling it is not going to happen. Slots are rapidly filling for the inaugural Drake Well Marathon in Titusville, Pennsylvania on 12.23.06 (For more info look here: www.fiddy2.org/dwmarathon.html) Flying into Des Moines Friday night (late by the way; Thank you airlines! [I don00 even have the desire to name them anymore as they are all so atrocious]). I at least was able to rest easy knowing I was in the city where I would be running on Sunday. Often, I am asked if I am excited about a week00 marathon and often I have to be a downer and answer something akin to how it is impossible to be excited when there is so much planning to do and so many variables beyond my control. As I near the end of this year, and have made it perfectly clear I will never miss a weekend00 marathon, the desire, nay, necessity to make sure that feat happens increases every seven days. With that, more and more questions come to mind. For example, I have heard what I am doing has been done before and I wonder how that person handled it. Where did that runner do a marathon on Christmas weekend? Did that runner do Leadville (seemingly the only marathon in America the first weekend of July)? Were they working a job? Were they sponsored? I am an inquisitive guy and these unanswered or unproven questions are what help me keep my mind of the fact that, going into the race, while it seems like I am on the tail end of Fiddy2, I STILL had as many marathons left to run as I had run in my ENTIRE LIFE coming into 2006. So, when I was greeted heartily at the airport in Des Moines by a member of the race committee wearing a Fiddy2 shirt (purchased at Finish: Having said something similar to many people and having seen them disappear behind me, I was hoping Seth would be different. He did not let me down. Miles 23 and 24 were 6:51 and 6:50 respectively, almost completely erasing the time deficit. A misplaced marker at 24 elicited a worried look in Seth00 eyes. But I told him to ignore his watch, ignore the markers and soon he would get a chance to run in a marathon where he may very well be disappointed by his time. (Why? Because Boston is tough, people!) Mile 25 came upon us in the distance and almost immediately the wind picked up again. I could hear Seth straining. Wearing headphones, he probably was not aware that I could hear his breath but nevertheless I could tell he was still strong. Good thing this was true as course modifications, due to construction, had runners doing one of those dastardly things where you can see the finish line but have to run away from it before coming back to it, which can be very mentally draining. But, as we rounded the corner and mile 26 passed us, I told Seth to go get it. I do not think he needed to be told as when I backed up a step (because I was tired and also because I wanted him to enjoy the moment he had earned), he took off. I eased in a few seconds behind him in a 3:10:12, my second fastest time of Fiddy2. More importantly Seth now has to get plane tickets to Boston. Dana, found me minutes after the race and thanked me. When I asked why she told me that while she had not sniffed a 3:10 in years, following me in had helped he finish in 3:11:30. It told her that has a PR that begins in 0000whatever, so she can forever be proud. So while I did not get the photo finish of a horde of 3:10ers, I had two victories under my belt for the day in my pacing job. And yes, I held that damn dowel rod the whole way. After the race, I walked half a block to my hotel (taken care of by the wonderfully generous people of the Des Moines Marathon who treated me like a king the entire weekend), showered, came back down to cheer some friends on (00mm, how are you dressed already, Dane?00, made a beeline for the airport and headed home. My 42nd marathon has me criss-crossing countries, as I fly from Buffalo to Niagara Falls Canada in the possible logistical nightmare of the Niagara Falls Marathon. In this race I will be doing my best to show why I am an official spokes person for Ripley00 Believe it or Not as I pass none too far from the Ripley00 showcase in Canada. Please donate at

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