A short piece I contributed to a weekly newsletter in my office.
Right after the marathon, with my best supporters.
On April the 27th, Sunday, I ran the 29th Big Sur International Marathon. The Marathon, a 26.2 mile stretch along the edge of the Pacific Ocean from Big Sur to Carmel, California, is also known as “the most beautiful marathon in North America,” due to the spectacular ocean view with undulating hills backed by a variety of hills and rocks.
A pianist cheered runners by playing classical scores at a cliff.
The marathon started at the Big Sur Station, a state park office, at 6:45 a.m. I was at a “Wave 1” corral comprising runners with a marathon record of 3:45 or less, followed by Waves 2 and 3. About 4,000 runners of all ages participated in the marathon, which was full of fun and excitement, with a full variety of cheer leaders, including bystanders, local residents, school bands, drummers, rock bands, and a classical pianist who was playing his grand piano right at the edge of a cliff.
Runners are crossing the Bixby Bridge, one of iconic points of the Big Sur Marathon.
My goal was to run the marathon in less than 3:30 but had to wait for another opportunity. The biggest obstacle was hills - too many hills to my taste or wish, including the infamous 2-mile hill to the Hurricane Point, and I was overcome by them. At around 21 or 22 mile stretch, I ran completely out of gas (or “hitting the wall”), barely managed to finish the running with a time of 3 hours and 38 minutes but was still happy and content.
I have run 6 marathons so far, and this was by far the hardest, as well as the most beautiful and memorable. Coming up next: yet another running-by-the-sea “Victoria Marathon” on October 12. Big Sur Marathon 2014 Photo Gallery.
