KeyBank Vermont City Marathon – The Race Report
The following is my account of the KBVC Marathon that I ran two weeks ago. An edited version of this will appear in a running club newsletter.
This course is one of the best for spectators, providing four opportunities to see friends and family with a short walk between each viewing. Spectators get to enjoy downtown Burlington which has a feeling to it similar to Boston's Quincy Market.
The Race.
The marathon course consists of four loops two to the north and two to the south. I did not like the Mystic Places Marathon course because it had two turns and meanders. This course has more, but I really like the course.
At 8:05 AM, May 28, 2006.
The first miles of the Vermont City Marathon bring you through a downtown neighborhood loop through the shopping district. It was warm and after my first mile I thought I might be in trouble. Settling into what I thought was a slower more sustainable pass I shocked to run a 6:32 mile. I slowed down, but I would speed up and slow down for the next 7 miles before I finally settle into a good pace.
The crowds were enthusiastic all day, but the runners leave them behind during the second loop. Heading north for three miles on Route 127 the course is suddenly on an empty highway. It is good that this part of the course is over early in the run because there is no shade to be seen. A down hill slope helps the runners make there way away from the downtown. At six miles the runners do a 180 turn around on 127 and head back towards downtown Burlington. There I got to see what 3500 runners look like. I searched for familiar SMAC faces and soon heard a call from Tom Davidson. He was running well and I was happy to see him.
Miles 7 through 9 were long upward grades that bring the runners back to the city and nearly constant crowd support. Miles 10 through 12 sent the runners south of the city through the some beautiful areas. Confidence was growing as I approached the 13 mile mark. Last fall I started to dissolve after mile 14 at the Niantic Mystic Places Marathon.. The last 12 miles of that run were some of the worst miles I have endured in any race. I really was not up for a repeat performance today.
Soon after the halfway point I passed a runner who had said earlier that she was trying to run a 7:45 pace. Her skin was now bright red and she was panting. At the time I told her that she was running about 7 minute pace. I never did see her again.
My strategy over these last five miles was to slow my pace back to about a 7:30. I knew that I had gone out too fast, but I was trying to correct my pace before the miles and the increasing heat did. The race picked up intensity from the crowds as the runner re-entered the Downtown and waterfront. The big hill of the marathon is at mile 15 at Battery Park. At this point I felt that I not likely to bonk my way out of a decent pace. The only race goal I was really committed to was qualifying for the 2007 Boston Marathon. That meant a 3:20 run today. We ran through Battery park near the start of the marathon, then out for another loop to the North.
As the miles passed from 18 to 21 I could feel that I was beginning to fade in pace, but I did not feel that I was about lose it. There were even brief periods of optimism about setting a PR, but the heat and the miles only increased. The last miles 4 ½ miles of the course are on the excellent bike path hugging the shore. Here I kept doing the math, and started to see that I would not finish in 3:10, but the I was very likely finish before 3:20. Closer in I realized that I had a chance to finish under 3:15. The final miles through to Waterfront Park were lined with cheering spectators. I heard my name called before I crossed the finish line at 3:14:52 guntime.
The Vermont City Marathon. It is a well organized, well supported event with a beautiful course. For those who think that the Spring is only about Boston I say skip Boston one year and do this marathon.
