At 0815 hours, with
Prospect Mt. in the background, runners began to warm up at the start line.

A Final Note (for now) About Running the Grand Canyon

It should be understood that office Boys knew that running the Canyon was a tad more challenging then Prospect Mt. Preliminary research indicated the route to be about 45 miles long. It would begin on the South Rim at the Kaibab Trail, traverse the canyon's bottom through Bright Angel Canyon, up to the North Rim, back down, across and then up to the South Rim... in 20 hours?

And, there were other's who expressed interest in the jogging Canyon follies. "g's" brother, RB One Kenobi (Jedi Knight), and his business partner (Satellite Don) expressed some amusing vibes over a few wings and beer in Phoenix. So... the seed was planted. Only time would tell if an early frost would kill this idea.

Running Prospect Mt.

It was truly a wonderful morning to run. A little wind, mostly sunny and 50 degrees. Do It Dave, Long Shots, "a" and "g" were warming-up for their respective ascents. The Office Boys were feeling pretty good. Do It Dave was thrilled to offer an idea to run the Pike's Peak Ascent next spring, and Long Shots tested the waters of possibilities by proposing another (his) return to Catalina this winter to run its marathon. But for the moment, "g" was preoccupied with the ascent before him. His entire strategy for running this race was based on a spreadsheet that accompanied his on-line registration form. Based on "g's" time of 50:02 at his last (and only) 10K, he should run this race in 1:01:00. However, "g's" goal was to beat an hour!

With 256 runners at the start line, the race began with a smart pace. The first 1.5 miles was a mild but a steady grade up. The next mile was rather steep and grueling, and was followed by 3/10th of a mile of welcomed (relatively) flat road. Then the grade continued to increase with the last 1/2 mile being... perhaps... vertical?

Being MP3 equipped made the run for "g" super fine. The vistas off to the east of Lake George and it's village were spectacular. He was in the zone. Cruising at "g-speed." Steady. In control.

Somewhere in the first few minutes of the race, Do It Dave dissapeared into the pack in the lead. Unfortunately for "g," he was stuck with the view of Long Butts as Bill kept a steady and widening, 2 minute pace in front of him the entire race.

Pacing himself well, "g's" first mile was about 8:30; his second about 11:30. He hit the 2-mile marker at 20 minutes. At 28:00 minutes he reached the race's midpoint. Unfortunately, with no idea about the remaining grade on the course, he couldn't guarantee a 56:00 minute finish. At 3-miles, "g" had clocked about 31:00; he had 29 minutes to run about 2.3-miles. There was confidence in his stride. If he maintained 10 minute miles, he could finish sooner then expected.

At the 4-mile marker his time was nearly 42:00 minutes. His margin of safety to run under an hour began to slip. At 5-miles he had run another 10-minute mile with 8 minutes to complete 0.56 miles! It should be enough, but it was tricky. Over and over he calculated how his current pace might complete the race in 6 minutes - with a 2-minute safety margin. But, the steepest grade was just moments away. This was going to be close!

The last quarter mile was steep and on a long and never-ending curve that prevented all runners from seeing the finish line. With the finish line clock not in view, it would be impossible to predict how much further and how much longer one needed for a final push to the end! "g" struggled to quicken his pace; gravity pulled him back. He reminded himself, "Quicker and shorter steps... feet close to the ground! That's how you run a hill!"

When his fretting was at its greatest, he noticed... sitting on an embankment on the side of the toll road... "a"! "Hi dad! You're doing great! You're almost there!"

Then she leaped to her feet, jogged over to her father, and acted as his pace car for the remaining 1/4 mile leg of the race. They exchanged smiles and "g" felt his daughter's love and encouragement. But, he knew his safety margin for coming in under an hour was eroding.

Next, he saw Do It Dave on the curb who offered cheers of inspiration! And with 100 yds to go, Long Shots and his wife Anne were near the finish line. "You've got seconds to go! Don't give up now! You can do it!" they cheered.

Then the clock was in view! 59:25... 59:32... "Faster!" shouted "g" to himself, "This is what you've been training for! It's all about the last 20 yards!"

As "g" crossed the finish Line... the clock read: 59:38. "Unbelievable," "g" thought, "under an hour."

Epilog:

What a day. "g" broke the hour barrier (152/256 runners). Long Shots came in at about 57:00 and Do It Dave clocked in at a burning 50:00 minutes! "a" hiked/jogged the toll road (without her inhaler) in under 1-hr/30-min! What success stories.

From Prospect Mt., Do It Dave and Long Shots continued with their training to run Mt. Washington. "g" kept up his running and prepared for 3 days of backpacking in the Adirondacks in the weeks to follow. "a" wrote in her diary, "Don't forget. Prospect Mt Race - 2005!" And the concept of a Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim run in 2005 was still on the books...

Post Race:
Bill, Abigail, Gary & Dave