In front of the Capitol Building
Passing the Governor ’ s Mansion
The slightly quiet turn point
At the Expo , I came across a Marines table , promoting the Marine Corps Marathon , which is run in Washington DC each October and is one of the ‘ big deal ’ marathons in the US . At their stall you could do pull-ups to earn yourself a prize , and my 18 earned me a Marines beanie . Also at the expo were various speakers , including coach Bart Yasso , of Yasso 800s fame / ignominy .
In Search of Hills …
The weather on race morning was pleasant , so shorts and a vest were all that was needed for race attire , but my timing was obviously good , even if my geography wasn ’ t , because just the next weekend they had snow in Little Rock . There was a total of 7500 runners on race day . A 5km race kicked things off at 7:50am , with the marathon , half marathon and four-leg marathon relay runners getting going 10 minutes later . ( They also allowed slowpokes to start at 6am , but if you do this and go at a pace faster than for a six-hour finish , you get disqualified .)
Rather appropriately , that the race itself starts in President Clinton avenue , and the route takes one past the Clinton Presidential Center , the Arkansas governor ’ s mansion , Arkansas Capitol building , Central High School ( the first integrated school in the USA , and hence historically relevant as the site of some unsavoury demonstrations at the time ), and long stretches along the Arkansas river . This was in days before really good cell phone cameras , so I ran with one of those little plastic disposable cameras , and I asked fellow runners or spectators to take pics of me along the way , including with all the notable landmarks .
I would call the course flat to moderate , and the branded race clothing even uses the slogan “ What Hills !?” However , some of the Americans I spoke to afterwards complained of tired legs from the “ tough hills ,” and I passed a marine walking up one of these “ tough hills ” about 2km from the finish . ( I assumed he was a marine , because he was wearing a Marines T-shirt .) Strangely , he did not look very impressed when I jokingly told him that I thought marines were
Applying to join a new running club
supposed to be tough , and that if he wanted to wear a Marines shirt , he really shouldn ’ t be walking …
My charge for the finish line was temporarily halted whilst I submitted my application to join the “ Hot Legs ” running club . There was a really good crowd at the finish line and the announcer gave me a very warm welcome , along the lines of “ Here comes Stuart Mann all the way from South Africa , home to many of the best marathons in the world , including the most famous of them all , the Comrades Marathon .” ( Most American marathoners know about the Comrades , and many know about the Two Oceans as well .)
Impressive Race Swag
This is the first race where I received two shirts – you get a ‘ normal ’ one at registration , and then a finisher ’ s performance shirt after crossing the line . Unfortunately , I was not able to attend the “ Big N Bodacious ” post-race party at the Whole Hog Cafe ( complimentary with one ’ s marathon entry ), because I had a flight to freezing Michigan later that afternoon . Also , the race pack boasts that they have the “ world ’ s biggest finisher ’ s medal ,” and it truly is a monster . It actually caused me to get some ‘ special attention ’ from the US airport security at Dulles Airport , because I was carrying so much metal in my hand luggage !
Keeping with the theme of things big , the Little Rock organisers have a rather interesting prize for fatties : The top three Clydesdale ( which is a breed of draft horse known for pulling heavy loads ) and Athena ( chunky Roman warrior goddess ) competitors get a special award . The qualification for this prestigious category is weighing over 200 pounds ( 91kg ) for males and over 160 pounds ( 73kg ) for women . I am not sure how they determine who qualifies , as I did not see any weighbridges along the route , but anyway , I think that this is something that my running club in Joburg , Fourways , should consider for the next awards dinner , i . e . figuring out , pound for pound , who the fastest runner in the club really is . My money would be on some of our past and present Chairmen …
The Big Little Rock medal !
Quick pic with Twister the Mascot
Another international marathon done
About the Author
The Running Mann has run over 240 marathons and ultras , and his current mission is to run every marathon in South Africa . He recently fulfilled a lifetime goal of securing a shoe sponsorship from The Sweatshop Broadacres and Asics South Africa ( and a running kit sponsorship from Runderwear ), thus allowing him to run more races and share their stories . You can follow his adventures on Twitter , Facebook or Instagram , and on his popular blog .
17