Brookings Marathon Race Report (South Dakota)

 



UPDATE! I did it! Rode across the USA on a bicycle! Check out my journal of the adventure here at: Three Spokes and a Mirror

Hi Guys!
Well Kim and I are back from our trip to the wonderful State of South Dakota where we ran in the Brookings Marathon on Saturday May 12, 2007. We had an unbelievable experience there! This report will try to give you all the details from start to finish.

I'm using a photo management program this time around so if you want to skip ahead to the pics use this link:

2007 Brookings South Dakota Marathon

Why Brookings?

Interesting story. Back in January I was doing some research on marathonguide.com trying to find a May run and stumbled across the Brookings Marathon. It got rave reviews from everyone and billed itself as a small and hospitable marathon. That sounded inviting! Anyway, since I had never been to South Dakota I decided to go. Of course, I was able to talk Kim into it also. She had been doing some training runs but worried she wouldn't be ready to go the distance by May. After much talk she was finally persuaded.

We booked our flight from Charlotte to Sioux Falls, SD on Delta and I must say the customer service was superior. Not sure what your experience has been but every contact we had them was a treat. Hey they even did a follow-up call to make sure we knew our flight times! When was the last time that other USAir line did that? Way to go Delta!

 

Waiting in the Airport

First Couple of Days in South Dakota

We flew into Sioux Falls on Thursday and got a free car upgrade from Hertz upon arrival at no extra charge! WOOHOO! The Chrysler 300 drove well and would come in handy later on. A quick 45 minute drive North put us in Brookings (pop. 19000)in time to check into the Holiday Inn Express with plenty of time for us to drive around and get our bearings. We recommend the Holiday Inn Express- the staff there was nice and the rooms sparkly clean. The continental breakfast wasn't too shabby either.

 

Kim Finds a Brookings Landmark

Downtown Brookings was just up the road as well as a Super Wal-Mart. We'd be able to get water, snacks, and other pre-race food there. We located the start/finish line at Pioneer Park and scoped out the parking area. We even drove through the South Dakota State University campus (largest in the State at 10,000 students)and located where the packet pick-up would be on Friday. All that done it was time to find supper. No problem- there's an Applebee's just across the street from our hotel.

Exhausting first day. Time to hit the sack. After a good nights rest Kim and I went into downtown Brookings to check out the sites and do some shopping. The antique shops caught Kim's eye. I enjoyed looking at all the old tools and Kim found some good deals on some linens. Everyone's was happy. On to packet pick-up!

Packet pick-up which was on campus and I must say it was the fastest one I've ever been through. Dr. Matt Bien, the race director, greeted us and got our packets. At the end of the line a magnificent pasta buffet awaited us. They had a good selection- three different pastas, salad, breadsticks, water, pink lemonade, and ice tea. Of course they had three types of cookies! If you decide to run Brookings buy the pasta meal ticket! You won't be disapointed.

The Pasta Dinner Here was Wonderful!

As we were eating we met Loren and Pat from Bismark, North Dakota. Loren is a pilot for a local power company there and also a SDSU alumni. He was running the half and was in town staying with friends. It was fun listening to Loren talk about how things had changed in Brookings over the past 30 years. We had great conversation and found out all there was to know about marathons in North Dakota. Maybe next year?

Well time to head on back. It's race day tomorrow!

Centering the "CHI"

 

Race day traditions never change. For me, well I got up at 0100 hrs. and performed the "CHI" ceremony. While it's mostly a secret I can tell you part of the practice involves drinking at least one cup of coffee and listening to music on an mp3 player. It always works! I feel great! Time to get Kim and head to the start line.

We decided to drive to Pioneer Park even though they did have a shuttle service that picked up from the hotel at 0530 hrs. I recommend driving since the parking is free and plentiful! The start area had four port-a-johns plus other facilities in a brick building at the park. I did not see any liquids provided but we brought our own just in case. Everyone is upbeat and wanting to go. I understand some runners got an early start fearing they would not make the 6 hour cutoff.

The start reminded me of a big Mangum Track Club Shirt run. About 180 runners signed up for the full marathon and over 200 ran the half. This was the largest crowd to date. I can see why! The weather is near perfect- around 52 at the start and expected to warm to the mid 70's. Wind could be a problem at 14 mph. We'll see.

 

The race director told everyone this was an "open course" so we were responsible for looking out for traffic. He also mentioned that at every turn there would be a white arrow on the pavement, a volunteer, and an orange traffic cone- If we didn't see two out those three we should keep going straight ahead! What a hoot!

The start went off like clock work and we worked our way through downtown Brookings and then into a nice little residential area. We snaked our way out and back then divereted to more open road.

 

Follow the Arrows!

 

Good Pace!

The course was very flat and fast. We ran through blooming crabapple orchards, a golf course, on pavement, grass, and gravel. We even ran down nice shaded trails and even under the cities water tank- a first for me!

 

Flat!

As you know we're penguins at heart and our plan was to run a steady 10 minute pace. We did that and found ourselves at 3:33 at the 20 mile mile mark. Not bad for minimal training. Then at around mile 21 Kim looked over at me and said her right knee was starting to give her problems. We backed off the pace and began taking a little more time through the water stations. Kim was a real trooper even though I could tell her knee was progressively getting worse. She told me it was locking up on her and thats when we began to walk run the rest of the way in.

 

MILE 20- The Warm-ups Over Lady!

By this time the shade of the trails was over and the sun began beating down on us. Mile marker 26 was just around the corner and we could hear the band playing in the park at the finish. I sprinted up ahead to get a picture of Kim smiling as she headed for the chip mat. Way to go! I'm very proud of her.

 

Kim's Finish

 

Marc- Happy at the End

As I looked over to my right who did I spot? Loren and Pat there on the sidelines cheering us on! WOW! Incredible! I later found out Loren had an excellent run in the half and came in at 1:45! Congratulations!

(L-R) Kim, Pat, Loren, Marc

Kim and I hung around the park, rested, and chatted with several other runners. It's always fun to get others perspectives on the course and even pick up some tips on other good marathons to run.

The Rest of the Stay

Our post run meal was on recommendation of Jerimiah at the Holiday Inn Express. He suggested we drive South to Flandreau and eat steak at Mad Mary's Saloon. Hey the steaks were wonderful but the wheat beer and summer ale even better! Thanks Jerimiah!

So what else do you do when you go to South Dakota? Drive to the Badlands and Mount Rushmore! We put 1000 miles on the rental car and drove from one end of the State to the other. We were very impressed and know one day soon we'll return to do even more sightseeing.

 

Badlands!

 

South Dakota Marathon Spectators

Kudos

Kim and I want to thank:

** The people of Brookings for their hospitality. You guys made this North Carolina boy and Florida girl feel welcome and we appreciate that.

** The race director- Dr. Matt Bien. You run a class act. It's good to know the crowds are growing but we like it even more that you cap the race at 300. Small is good!

** All the volunteers and police officers. Thanks for keeping us on course, hydrated, and safe. Without you Kim and I would have ended up in Wyoming.

** Our waitress at Applebee's for putting the alfredo sauce on the side. You saved the day and didn't even realize it.

** Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers. For making us look up and marvel.

Conclusion

Without a doubt, the Brookings South Dakota Marathon is highly recommended. You'll cherish the course, the sites, and the phenomenal people.
MTC'ers Capture South Dakota
Now go run!

Marc

NEW! Check out "The Boogie 50 Mile" race report here