Giving credit where credit is due, the photographers at TriDuo.com did a fantastic job with photographing the OBX Marathon. I liked my pictures enough that I actually ordered a CD-ROM with high-res images, but in the meantime, here’s some amusement for everyone. (Sadly nothing quite hits the, “Help me I am lost and have amnesia” photo’s level of hilarity from the Firenze Marathon last year, but still, good stuff.)
| This is my absolute favorite picture from the marathon; we’re exiting Nags Head Preserve Woods and I just love how you can see the varied terrain of the marathon here as well as the big grin on my face. Don’t get me wrong, the last mile of the woods was true trail-running, straight up and down, and it was hard as hell and I was thrilled to escape it, but at the same time? I really enjoyed it. |  |
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The secret to getting your picture taken? When you see the photographer, do something to pay up to the camera. This year my strategy was “pump the fist in the air.” A nice sort of victory stance. And it worked well. |
| Really well. Perhaps too well. Here I actually wish I hadn’t been pumping the fist, but either way I do love having the Wright Brothers Monument in the background behind me. Oh, those two guys behind me? This is when I finally left them, but… |  |
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…I’d named them “my distraction”—especially #370 there. All muscle and leg. I more or less ran with them from mile 2 through 8.5. I was usually just behind #370 (he’s from Aberdeen Proving Grounds up in Maryland and this was his first marathon) and concentrating on watching his legs move was a nice way to spend that part of the race. (His friend, #787, beat me by a couple of minutes. I, however, beat #370 by a couple of minutes. Heh.) |
| You know, I honestly don’t even remember running by this massive sand dune. It’s at times like this where the photography is great to help reconstruct the day. |  |
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Lost in the high street, where the dogs run Roaming suburban boys Mother’s got a hairdo to be done She says they’re too old for toys Stood by the bus stop with a felt pen In this suburban hell And in the distance a police car To break the suburban spell Let’s take a ride, and run with the dogs tonight In suburbia You can’t hide, run with the dogs tonight In suburbia |
| And now we are at mile 23.5 or so, aka the end of the bridge to Roanoke Island and Manteo. Can you see that curve just on the left? It doesn’t look that big, but trust me, it ramps up fast. (Most of the bridge is very close to the water, so it jumps up big time for boats to be able to pass underneath.) I was in a lot of pain at this point, my calf was killing me and my knees were sore. Must… put… on… brave… face… |  |
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On the other hand, that look of excitement and glee? I’d gone around the corner and saw the finish line. |
| Sprinting on in! Almost there! |  |
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And, a mere seconds after passing over the timing mat? The brave face is off. Oh god, it’s over, it’s all done, I can go collapse. |
Team Empowered & Fit!
Victorious!
Awesome photos!! Thank you for posting these. I love the mania at the end, then the collapse. I could almost feel the burning lungs…
Compared to other marathons, how do you rate the OBX marathon?
I would say that it’s a very well-managed marathon, and has some good and enthusiastic crowd support. I’m not crazy about the dull scenery of the second half (highway, highway, suburb, highway) but the first half is gorgeous. All in all, I would absolutely recommend it.
Thats great news I’m the I am the coordinator for a program at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York called the Team Cure Challenge. Roswell Park’s Team Cure Challenge program trains people to compete in national athletic events across the country on behalf of cancer patients. Our program allows Roswell Park supporters to fundraise in a unique way and get in the best shape of their lives. It began in January 2004 and has raised Over $600,000 to date. One out of three Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Cancer is also the leading cause of death from disease in children ages 1 to 14. Money raised by the Team Cure Challenge will help researchers and physicians better understand the causes of cancer and discover new methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Last year alone, Roswell Park Cancer Institute treated more than 31,000 patients. With that said, we added OBX as one of our destinations with hopes that it will be a popular one. Check out our website http://www.teamcure.com