There were a few different Alabama races I was considering, but I had pretty much decided on doing Rocket City at some point due to it being a race I had heard good things about and it being both relatively close and inexpensive. However, an opportunity came along that made me go with another option: I got the chance to pace and got a friend to go with me that could drive if needed and share some of the travel expenses. It was a VERY last minute addition to my schedule with just over a week until race day. First Light marathon is in Mobile, AL, all the way down on the gulf coast. I had mostly heard about this race in connection with the Mississippi Blues marathon in Jackson, MS that had been a very popular double weekend with Maniacs and 50 Staters. Mississippi Blues had to cancel in 2017 because of an ice storm and lost their primary sponsor. When they got new sponsorship in place, they were not able to come back on the same weekend. With MS Blues being the more popular of the two races, First Light really took a hit. In 2016 and 2017 FLM had over 300 finishers for the full marathon, but only 178 in 2018. Half marathoners still had a good double option in nearby Pensacola, FL.
When race weekend arrived, the first challenge was travel. We had snow in KY and northern TN, making driving treacherous until we got south of Nashville. Also, this was one of the longest distances I had travelled to a race. We travelled the entire length of AL on I-65, 365 miles! On either side of the TN/AL state line there were interesting roadside attractions like a giant chicken at a gas station and a huge rocket at a rest area.
There wasn't much daylight left upon our arrival in Mobile, so we decided to go get a look at the beach before it got dark. The expo was open later and was quite close to the hotel. Even though it was pretty, and nice to see the gulf (my first time) it was much colder than I had hoped for in southern AL.
After a quick trip to the expo (that at this point felt a lot more like just a packet pickup than a proper expo) we found a local pizza place for the pre-race carb loading that was very close to where the finish line would be the next day. Even though it wasn't that far away, it was a super cold walk.
Race morning was still cold and quite windy. We took cover in a hotel lobby close to the starting line for as long as we could get away with before lining up for the race. With a 4:25 finish time, I was the only full marathon pacer. I met another 50 stater from AZ, and then I had a guy ask about bathroom availability on the second half of the course. I didn't know so I went to ask the pacing coordinator who didn't know either, since she had only run the half. On my way to find her, I had seen Larry Macon and Henry Rueden in the crowd (between the two of them they've run literally a few thousand marathons) so I went back and asked them! 😂
When we got lined up and ready to start, I met Kelly, who would end up running with me until about mile 20. Early on there was a loop around a large cemetery. During this time we somehow ended up in a very long conversation about what I had studied in graduate school. Around mile 10 we added Craig to our group. He had a lot of experience and told us stories of his younger days when he was chasing a sub 3 hour marathon. After the half marathon course split off the amount of lane space they gave us was pretty small. Since we were mostly in the gutter, the surface we were running on was slanted to the side. This would give me issues later on! This was also were we began to get some hills. I led us through the hills with some nice walk breaks to help conserve energy. We were still ahead on every mile as I checked my pace band. The biggest hill of the course was at mile 17. By this point the slanted surfaces were getting to me and my whole left side was getting sore and tight. The top of the last hill was at mile 20 as we wound through the Springhill College campus. Kelly saw someone she knew and took a break, while Craig and I took off on the big downhill section.
At mile 23 there was suddenly a correction in the mile markers and any time cushion I had up to that point was gone. I pushed on as best I could as Craig began to drop back. From that point on I was dealing with leg and back pain from the uneven surfaces and I had to take frequent walk breaks due to the pain even though my energy level was actually ok. There were several aid stations in the final miles, (I think there were even two in the last mile) and I took every opportunity for a walk break. As I struggled along, I was joined by Cruz who encouraged me. He was using the race as a training run for a 100 mile ultra! I saw my time was getting away from me, but I just couldn't push through the pain. I even ended up needing a walk break right before the finish, but I just couldn't help it! My official time was 4:25:52. Missed my target, but by less than a minute.
The post race food, red beans and rice, was good but I didn't have a lot of time to enjoy it before I had to get back to the room. I kind of limped back, knowing I didn't have much time before checkout. Getting a nice warm shower helped me feel better before getting in the car for the LONG drive home.
Overall this was a good race, but I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by it. I expected warmer weather and a bigger race with more crowd support. I have to admit though, that my perception was probably affected by being in pain and missing my target time. However, there were tons of aid stations, the people were friendly, and I guess they couldn't really control the weather.
One last thing:
The race charity is L'Arche Mobile. L'Arche is an "international federation of communities in which people with an intellectual disability and those who help them can live, work, and share their lives together". The finisher medal is made by members of the community. People tend to either love it or hate it. It certainly has an "arts & crafts" feel to it, but I like it! It is a unique addition to my collection.
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