Day 3,660 —Slowest Time but Most Challenging Marathon Yet—

 

          The lot was mostly empty when I got there, and I had plenty of time to use the bathroom and walk leisurely to the start of the race. There was a festive mood, and from the start line, you could see the arch. I was smiling and feeling good, looking forward to the course, when the horn went off. 

The First Half 

        I finished the first half around 1:33, and I felt okay, but already I was feeling a little dehydrated, and I was thinking about how much liquid I should drink at the next aid station. It didn’t seem like there were a lot of aid stations in the first half, and the first couple only had water. My strategy is to drink one cup of Gatorade and one cup of water each opportunity, so I was thinking maybe that was it. I planned on slowing down and starting to drink more fluids in the second half. 

Starting to walk 

I hadn’t needed to walk during a marathon in a long time, but I knew I was dehydrated, and the water wasn’t helping, nor was the Gatorade. It was about mile 16 when I went from okay to bad, and then from mile 18 on, I was struggling. I just didn’t understand how I wasn’t recovering yet, and I felt that the liquid wasn’t absorbing in my stomach. I wasn’t sure if I was drinking too much now, or if was it just too late to catch up on my hydration.

This section was hilly in a way that the first half wasn’t. The wind was too relentless, and I was still optimistic but knew that the 3:15 and 3:30 pacing groups would pass me soon. 

When they did, I tried to be optimistic and cheer them on. I had done this race enough to be okay with struggling during one of the events, so I just kept moving, running downhill, and walking up the hills. 

It was between miles 23-26 that I had to stop and almost sit down because I just kept throwing up all the water that I had been drinking. 

Twice, someone gave me another bottle of water and showed concern. I drank the water and then ended up having to throw it up again. What is wrong with me!? I kept thinking. How is it possible I am this dehydrated?! 

The last person to show concern at mile 25.5 told me to walk it in and not take it hard. I knew she was right. I was still close to being able to finish under 4 hours, but I was going to have to let that goal go too. 

The 4-hour pace group passed me with only about .2 left, and I walked most of it, but I was glad to finally finish. 

After the Race 

I didn’t make it far past the gate when I had to sit down and throw up again. Someone came over and asked if I needed help, and they moved me in a wheelchair to the medical tents. 

I was so uncomfortable. My stomach wouldn’t stop hurting, and I was trying to lay on it, so I wouldn’t feel so bad, but the people there kept wanting me to wear something on my finger and arm so they could monitor my vitals. 

They gave me something for my stomach and a full IV. It was my first time, so I was kind of curious if it would work instantly or not. I felt good enough to call my wife and tell her why I was so late, but I still didn’t feel like getting up. Yet, I still couldn’t keep down water, and I threw up everything that I ate and drank. 

The worker told me that she thought I needed to go to the hospital and take some more IVs. She said if I had someone there, she would let me go but not drive on my own. 

I wasn’t out of it enough to not respond, “Are you going to stop me from leaving?” They were all just being nice, and I appreciated their help, but I wasn’t going to go to the hospital today. No, thank you. 

After that, I got up and started heading to my car. It wasn’t that far. My phone said it would take about 12 minutes to walk there. 

The drive home was stressful. I knew I was going to need to throw up again soon because I was still thirsty, so I kept sipping water. I was hoping this would be the time that it would stay down, or maybe I just didn’t know what else to do, and I was thirsty. I got out of my car and my wife and kids were all there to greet me as I threw up immediately after parking. 

For the next 4–6 hours, I continued to feel bad and lay from my bed to the chair downstairs, but mostly in my bed. I cannot say I am disappointed in myself; I am just kind of shocked. What a crazy day! I imagine the combination of just doing the 104-mile run three weeks ago, feeling sick, the heat, and the fewer aid stations was the main factor in what happened, but still, I could have paced it slower from the start, and I even considered it. Maybe next year I’ll just stick with a pacing group. My wife suggested I make a movie of the race. She got a great video of me arriving home, but I don’t know how much I am going to want to remember this one.