6 down, 46 to go

The innagural Wichta SuperBowl Marathon.

I headed for the start line just minutes before the 6 am start time (the race director apparently thought an early start might make for a better SuperBowl Sunday). I normally like to be their a little earlier, but with this event starting and ending so close to my home, I decided to catch a late (relatively speaking) breakfast, and stay warm for as long as possible (it was hovering around the 30 degree mark). The race director gave us the cue, and off we went.

With an early start, the first 8 miles or so were pretty dark. I wore my ultra-headlamp to give me a little extra confidence. Managed to eat and drink on schedule - I brought most of my supplies with me so I would only have to stop briefly at a few aid stations. Both allowed me to hold a steady pace. Through the first 10 miles I was thrilled with my race strategy. Not stopping at the aid stations and having light to see my way, I was out to an early lead. While this was not something that I had experienced before, somehow I new that today was my day.

My lead continued, but that felt lonely. But with a small entry-field, I was thrilled that my wife decided to be a "bandit" and hop on the course for the last 15 miles (I don't know why she didn't just enter and run the entire race). Knowing she would run with me those miles, I tried to run a bit faster for that first 11.2 miles. Nothing exceptionally fast, but I did hold an 8:45 pace through those miles. When Jennifer joined me, we held a consistent 10 min/mile pace for the remainder of the race. Somehow this pace allowed me to hold a lead.

At the last aid stop at mile 21, I had to refill my water bottles, which took a bit of time. Knowing that no particpants were ahead of me, within minutes I'm back on the course, trying to hold my lead for those last miles, and my first ever victory.

The last 2 miles felt great. I asked Jennifer if we could "pick it up" for a mile or so, just to stretch out the legs (and the lead), and she obliged. She did an awesome job of pulling in an 8:30 mile there near the end.

As I rounded the last corner, I knew the victory was mine. The last .2 miles were pure celebration. I had won! Do I really need to tell you that there were no other entrants?

First (and only) Place Overall - Scottie 4:10:25
Finisher's prize - I made myself a chocolate milk.