On the last weekend in April, my family and I traveled to Long Branch, N.J., for the New Jersey Marathon. This was my first time running this race so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Overall, I was surprised at how low-key it was, despite being named the marathon for an entire state. Here’s a short synopsis of my weekend.
Pre-race
We stayed at an Airbnb within a mile of the start line. This was perfect for us. My family could sleep in on race morning while I could do a little shakeout run to get the legs moving before the race. The expo was pretty small compared to the ginormity of Boston or even Pittsburgh. We were pretty much in and out within half an hour.
You might not be able to pump your own gas in New Jersey but it certainly had plenty of Italian food restaurants to carb up before the race. Lots of pasta and bread for suppers on Friday and Saturday, so I was good to go.
The weather was a little chilly and windy on Saturday. The kids were bummed that we didn’t make it to the beach but they seemed to manage OK with Netflix at the Airbnb.
Race Morning
I slept pretty well and was up at 5 a.m. to do my usual bagel and oatmeal pre-marathon breakfast. I left the house at 6:45 a.m. to run about a mile to the starting area, hit the porta potty line, and headed for the starting corrals.
Once at the corrals, I chatted with a pacer who was running the pace I was hoping to maintain to finish in 3:05. He said to another runner that this was his fourth year pacing this race. The last three years he had run a 3:08, 3:07, and 3:03. I didn’t say anything to him, but that’s pretty bad pacing. As a pacer, from the grand total of one time I did it, I learned that a pacer’s goal is to run a consistent pace and finished around 30 seconds under your goal time. When I paced the Harrisburg Marathon last November I was the worst pacer out of our group because I finished one minute and twenty some seconds under my goal time. I kept this pacer’s history in the back of my mind.
The race started at the Monmouth Park Racetrack. They made sure you knew this because, before the starting gun, a bugler played the traditional “First Call” like they do for the Kentucky Derby. After that, like a bunch of thoroughbreds, we were off.
The Race
Sure enough, the 3:05 pacer went out a little fast, cranking out a few flat 7:00 and 6:55 miles. For the most part I hung with the 3:05 group. No one was really talking much though, which was kind of a bummer.
The crowds were pretty good for the most part. Nothing like Boston or Pittsburgh, but they did OK. At one point, someone had an inflatable punching bag dressed up like Donald Trump. I won’t say what I did when I passed it but quite a few runners took their frustrations out on it. Shortly after that I saw my family and got some nice high fives from them, even though it meant I had to take a wide turn to get them.
I hit the halfway point still on my goal pace, but I started to slow a little bit. The crowds were pretty sparse at this point. It was frustrating but I wanted to make sure I had a fairly consistent pace throughout the race since I typically hit the dreaded wall and slow down a bunch.
Even though I was slowing down, other runners were fully on the struggle bus. I passed a runner here or there. While I felt bad for those runners who were struggling, I had to smile when I passed runners wearing the $250 Nike Vaporfly that supposedly makes you 4% faster. I hated to tell them, but Nike’s “It’s Gotta Be the Shoes” campaign back in the 1980s might have had more to do with Michael Jordan being the greatest basketball player of all-time and less about his shoes. While I’ve been tempted to try them, I’ll trust what the guys at Rapid Transit suggest and stick with my New Balance 880s.
At each aid station volunteers were handing out water and Gatorade, but the order of which they were handing them out varied from station to station. Sometimes water was first, other times gatorade was first. By the time I got to the aid station after mile 22, I was ready to be done. But a volunteer at the station made me laugh. I’ve found that New Jerseyans have an accent that sometimes comes out of nowhere. One of my roommates in college started dating a girl from New Jersey when we roomed together. She spoke very well, but every so often, she would throw out a thick accent when she would ask for a “wudah.” Back to the race, a volunteer, clearly from New Jersey, is holding up a cup. The interaction goes something like this:
Volunteer holding the cup: “Wudah!”
Me running toward her in my best fake New Jersey accent: “Wudah?”
Volunteer confirming the contents of the cup: “Wudah.”
Me after getting a drink: “Ah, wudah!”
You gotta have fun while you’re running a marathon. It’s a really long way to go to be serious the whole time.
I get to mile 25 and decide I’m going to drop the hammer and start my final kick toward the finish. This improved my pace by a whopping five seconds. Yep, I had nothing left. I finish out on the boardwalk at Long Branch and cross the finish line at 3:08:21.
Post-Race
After getting my foil blanket, banana, somewhat stale bagel and other goodies, I found my wife and rest of the family. My college roommate and his New Jersey-born wife came to watch me at the finish, so it was good to catch up with them.
We got back to the Airbnb so I could do my post-race ice bath and put on non-sweaty clothes. As I was getting ready to go, I was actually happy with my time. It wasn’t a time to get me to the Boston Marathon next year or even a personal best, but I ran a consistent pace overall.
Even though my legs were trashed, I felt good overall and was at peace with not running Boston next year… and then Hyland’s went ahead and picked me to captain their team to run the Revel Big Cottonwood Marathon in September – the last weekend to try to qualify for Boston 2020! This race has a pretty big elevation drop which I will enjoy running because I plan to let gravity and long legs takeover. Will I qualify for Boston at this race? I hope so, but regardless I’m sure it’ll be another memorable experience.
Race Calendar
6/2 – 9 a.m. – 4th Annual Troop 31 5k Run/Walk – Boalsburg Fire Company
Registration is $20 per person ($25 day of the race) or $15 for Eagle Scouts which includes a t-shirt, food, and a chance to win prizes.
6/9 – 8 a.m. – Tussey Teaser #4: 15th Annual Treaster Kettle Test-Your-Mettle 10.6 mile run – Colyer Lake
This is an out-and-back of Leg #11 of the Tussey Mountainback 50 miler course. The race is free unless you want an authentic “Test Your Mettle” shirt for $8. Door prizes will also be given out.
6/15 – 8 a.m. – 16th Annual Crack O’ Dawn 5k and Pancake Breakfast – Lions Community Hall, 130 S. Academy St. Boalsburg
Running with pancakes afterward? Sign me up. New this year: Each early entry includes a new Crack O’ Dawn 5k ceramic mug along with the post-race pancake breakfast.
6/16 – 8 a.m. – Tussey Teaser #5 – 7th Annual Eager Seeger Half Marathon – Alan Seeger Picnic Area
Another free race to preview a portion of the Tussey Mountainback 50 miler. Post-race includes a Subway party sub along with cool door prizes.
6/23 – 5 p.m. – Nittany Track and Field All-Comer Meet #1 – State High Track
The Nittany Track and Field Youth Club will host two all-comer-style meets this summer. All ages and skill levels are welcome. Events include 100-meter run, long jump and 1600-meter run. On-site registration is available from 4:30-4:55 p.m.
