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| Running under the covered bridge in 2019 |
I signed up for this marathon on a whim and a facebook ad. I have a desire to run one race in 50 states and this one qualifies for either Vermont or New Hampshire per the 50 States Marathon Club rules. I will most likely not every qualify for Boston, nor do I have the desire to, so, why not enjoy the race experience and get Massachusetts out of the way?
I was able to encourage some of my friends from the Mohegan Striders (AKA "the family") to make a trip from Southeastern Connecticut up to Greenfield, Massachusetts. The desire to run this marathon was strong, so I continued to check the marathon website to see when registration opened. Registration closes fast due to the small size of the marathon. I probably will not runt his marathon again until 2022 or 2023 (thank you, CORONA VIRUS).
I found a sweet AirBnB for the family to rent for the trip (bonus: late check-out!) and confirmed all arrangements with the family. Yeah!!! Don't expect to find an elaborate listing of hotels to stay in the area. The race is small and you will find something that meets your needs.
The marathon took place on Labor Day weekend in 2019. Prepare to wake up early to take a bus from the finish line to the starting line at Marlboro College in Vermont. The ride takes about 45 minutes to get to the start. Be prepared to have a chilly start and a tepid finish. The race is small enough to bring layers to shed and have stashed with the bag drop-off crew at Marlboro college. There are also plenty of port-a-potties at the start line. There are a few scattered throughout the race, with the one after the covered bridge being the most popular one (jmho) because I had to wait to relieve myself.
A few things happened on this trip: the family adopted matching sunglasses. We made an impromptu trip to Sound Runner in Glastonbury because I needed compression sleeves since I outgrew my bright blue pair. Guess what said "buy me?" A pair of Goodr OGs in color Nessy's Midnight Orgy.
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| The Family: TeamNoTraining and Gigi on race morning |
Race day started early (not unusual for a marathon) and a bus ride up to Marlboro College in Vermont. As I mentioned earlier, it is a chilly start. The race directors kept the registration around 500. I think it was capped at 450 in 2019 - but there were not this many finishers. One of the family members on the trip decided not to run due to an injury (but she biked over 50 miles). The course is serene and it was well-controlled with the race cap and marathon-only crowd. Yep, no half runners allowed based on the course design. There are no out and backs - just a one-way trip from Vermont to Massachusetts.
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| Covered bridge selfie :) |
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| Not the best selfie... But covered bridge!!! |
One of the other bonuses was the packed gravel. Normally, my legs are beat up with running on pavement. Not so much with this race. I expected to have pain with the downhill since most of my marathon training involves up and down hills. You get a lot of that with the packed dirt/gravel. It is awesome.
I'm usually social on a race course - take it for what you want, saying hello to a fellow runner is not a bad thing. Make some small talk and move on. Gigi and I met a runner who was completing her first marathon after injury. She did well and has an amazing life story.
This is also the race where Gigi recommended I see my physician about Exercise-induced bronchospasm. She and I were in the last couple of miles- where I should be able to handle a faster pace, especially after a comfortable run-walk. But, I could not handle going beyond an 11-minute mile. The heart rate would go up and breathing tanked. This was something I was used to and thought it was normal. Apparently, this is not normal. More on that in another blog post.
The marathon was finished in 5 hours, 1 minute, 6.8 seconds. Gigi was an amazing running partner. She partied in the back, got puppy cuddles, and encouraged a PR. The post race party was pretty chill. Good food, interesting maple-flavored drinks, and beer.
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| We finished! Gigi was awesome!! |
Curious about the gear, pros and cons? Here is a readers digest synopsis of my experience with this race:
Shoes: Altra Torin 4
Compression: CEP compression sleeves
Awesome race shirt: Raw Threads flowy tank from the Toy Story 4 collection. Stretch wanted to let his behind catch up.
Shades: Goodr OGs in Nessy's Midnight Orgy.
Pros: Downhill, no leg or muscle pain (thanks to the packed gravel/dirt), chill post-race party, running on dirt
Cons: Not enough puppy cuddles earlier in the race.
Race injuries: Toe blisters
Rating: Five out of five running shoes. The family is planning to make this an annual trip!
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