Running Oregon: The 40th Portland Marathon

The Marathon

First held in 1972 with only 173 participants, the Portland Marathon has come a long way into being rated as one of the 10 best in North America today. Also known as the ‘People’s Marathon’ because of its longstanding policy of rewarding all runners equally, Portland Marathon organizers led by Les Smith left no stone unturned as the marathon celebrated its 40^th anniversary this year with more than 21,000 runners in five different events.

The City

Portland is the biggest city in Oregon and the 3^rdlargest in the Pacific Northwest, after Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, Canada.  Home to 2.3 million people, the city is considered to be one of the greenest and most environment-friendly in the world, with scenic surroundings, lively music, and numerous microbreweries. With a climate that is perfect for growing flowers, Portland is officially known as ‘The City of Roses’.

Race Expo/Talks

For two days prior to the race, marathon runners were treated to a variety of  merchandise- from running gear to supplies to books at the expo and race packet pickup area- the Portland Hilton. On the eve of the marathon itself, three American long distance running legends- Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, and Jeff Galloway shared marathon training techniques and insights that could only come from years of racing experience.

Pasta Party

With 12,000 runners in the 42K main event, pasta places were fully booked  the night before the race. The official race pasta party was sold out but MM Newsletter editor Steve Walters hosted for one for the Maniacs at Romano’s Macaroni Grill. Among those on my table were Donald Ying of New York whom I've run with in other cities and countries previously and Seattle Quadzilla (4 marathons in 4 days) champion Rebecca Yi of San Francisco.

Race Packet/Extras

With only a shirt, a booklet, a D-tag and the bib inside the race packet, at first I thought this marathon would be just like any other. I would be proven wrong after I crossed the finish line. For waiting for all participants were many more extras– a medal, a rose, a pine tree seedling, a commemorative coin, a race pendant, in addition to a smorgasbord of take away food! And, yes, a (second) finisher shirt!

Weather

Arriving in Portland less than 24 hours before race gun start, my body had to quickly adapt to a 16-hour time difference, not to mention the more than 10 degrees Celsius drop in average temperature. The weather forecast predicted a high of 63 and a low of 53 degrees Fahrenheit. The forecast held, with only an actually-most-welcome light shower or two at mid race trying in vain to dampen the spirits of the runners.

Start
The race started at 7 AM- late compared to those of other marathons I have attended, but early enough to be still pre-dawn and dark in the Pacific Northwest. There were 6 color/letter-coded start waves based on expected finish times. Mine was Red/letter E.  What a coincidence if you know my real name! Pacers within each wave held green-colored gecko placards with the expected finish time indicated.  I planned to run freelance and did not line-up behind one.

Course

A Boston Qualifier and AIMS- as well as USTAF-certified, the marathon started and finished in the Chapman/ Lownsdale/Schrunk Parks in downtown Portland with a cut-off time of 8 hours. The course treated runners to scenic views of the riverfront, the historic Old Town, and various residential neighborhoods, including a run on the St. Johns Bridge, one of the world’s most beautiful suspension bridges.

Hydration/Aid Stations

There were about 19 hydration stations along the race course, less than 2 miles apart. Manned by old and young volunteers, runners could choose between water or the orange-flavored Ultima Replenisher, the latter supposed to supply vital minerals and electrolytes lost while running and perspiring. There were also at least five gummy bar stations to restock carbohydrates reserves and a number of aid stations just in case.

Entertainment

Living up to its reputation as a music-loving city, at least 82 musical groups and entertainers set up temporary posts and performed for hours at 53 locations along the course. They had a varied repertoire- from rock, to emo, to rap, to Andean pipe music, to gospel, to soul. One alternative rock band even called itself Shin Splints, reminding the amused runners that the name would be good only for that day!

People
Oregon is a bastion of running in the US, producing legends such as the University of Oregon’s Steve Roland ‘Pre’ Prefontaine and giving birth to Nike(yes, that giant of a company started by University of Oregon coach Bill Bowerman and track athlete Phil Knight) that has its global headquarters in the Beaverton suburb of Portland. It came as little surprise, therefore, for the city residents to line up the streets and cheer on the runners from dawn till noon.

Maniacs

There were 60 Marathon Maniacs who ran Portland this year, the second highest Maniac participation in races held across the US on that same day, after Chicago (132) and followed by Long Beach (54). Oregon ranks 6^th in the US in terms of MM membership, after Washington, California, Texas, Illinois and Florida. A photo-op for the MM Newsletter was therefore held at the Hilton. ‘Go Maniac’ I would hear Maniacs greet each other while the from the crowd would be heard ‘there goes another Maniac’...

Medal + +

To celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the marathon, Portlandia, the mythical lady in the official seal of Portland, was used with some redesign for the solid brass and heavy medal minted to last two centuries. With the equally impressive commemorative coin and pendant, the medal was a fitting memento to my participation in this my 21st marathon overall, and the 16^st unique marathon/ultra finish in the last 12 months in 11 different countries. 

Two thumbs up to the ‘best organized marathon in North America’!