I arrived in St. Louis, Missouri with the entire Gateway City in a celebratory mood. The Cardinals had just been crowned baseball's National League Champions and were leading the Texas Rangers 1-0 in the World Series. The city was hosting, for the first time, a Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. Everybody was upbeat!
In the heart of Midwestern America, along the western banks of the river Mississippi, one third of all Americans live within 500 miles of St. Louis and 90% of the North American population are within 1,500 miles. The city has a reputation of being sports-crazy, with 3 professional sports teams.
But the most famous of all symbols and structures in St. Louis remains to be the Gateway Arch, inaugurated in 1965 as a monument to the westward expansion of America. At 630 feet or 192 meters, The Arch is the tallest man-made monument in the US and the tallest stainless steel monument in the world.
I arrived at the expo site- the America Center- right before the opening of the Solutia Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis Marathon & 1/2 Health and Fitness Expo. Runners were just lining up to claim their registration packet, timing tag, swag bag with race booklet, and a Brooks technical race shirt.
Being a Rock 'n' Roll marathon, everyone wanted to feel like a rock star. The free photo booths made sure of that and it was difficult not to oblige. A souvenir store sold official race merchandise while exhibitors displayed various goods- from running apparel, footwear, and health and fitness products.
I indulge myself in some official Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series all-Brooks paraphernalia- a Cardinal red running jacket, a long-sleeve technical shirt, and a pair of Sherpa running shorts. It was to be the virgin marathon for a new pair of red Glycerin 9s. The rest of the gear were battle tested.
The pasta party at the Lombardo's Trattoria was organized by Seattle-based Marathon Maniac Michel Hsu. The over-sized meat-filled toasted ravioli served with marinara sauce and Romano cheese together with the mushroom-layered lasagna in marinara sauce with Provolone and Ricotta cheeses were irresistible.
More than four dozen Marathon Maniacs club members from Missouri and faraway states rocked St. Louis that weekend. A 6:20 AM photo op warsarranged at the steps of the Soldiers' Memorial building, very close to the marathon starting area. Half Fanatics posed with the Maniacs for posterity.
Runners congregated at the start line village on Market Street in downtown St. Louis. Start village booths were serving light refreshments so runners could fuel up. As a loyal Brooks customer, I gained exclusive access to the Brooks air conditioned toilet where I peed and prepped like a rock star!
Runners started in waves beginning at 7:30 AM. Start corrals grouped the runners according to their expected finish times. The elite runners went first. I was assigned to corral 9. With 21,250 full and half marathon runners starting at the same time, corrals were jam-packed. Still, I just couldn't resist posing by The Arch.
The race morning weather was untypically warm for October but otherwise just about perfect for running. With temperatures in the mid 50s to low 60s and partly cloudy skies for most of a windless morning, runners from all 50 states and 25 countries rocked the scenic race course of St. Louis.
The looping race course took the runners to many of the Gateway City's neighborhoods, historic areas, famous landmarks, and scenic parks, the latter made even more beautiful by the vibrant colors of late autumn. There were lots of rolling hills that challenged runners right up to the very last turn.
More than a dozen water stations were located along the course offering water and Cytomax electrolyte drinks. A Gu gel station near mile 20 handed out energy gels while medical stations were located every few miles and at the start and finish area. All were staffed by kind and cheerful volunteers.
Being an inaugural Rock 'n' Roll event, city residents came to rock as well. Cheer teams, spirit squads, and ordinary folks lined the course, enlivening and pushing all participants to the finish. Family members waited patiently for relatives with signs encouraging them to dig deep to find the proverbial second wind.
Hometown to rock legends Chuck Berry, Michael McDonald, and Nelly, St. Louis is a city steeped in Rock 'n' Roll history. More than 40 bands in makeshift stages played along the course, keeping runners' spirits ever-high and tired legs ever-moving. With music blaring at most turns, I saw very little need to use my Ipod.
The celebration continued even after I crossed the finish line- there was more than enough food, drinks, and ice for recovery. A beer garden even served Miller draft for free. And extraordinary achievements were celebrated with friends and family at the post race concert featuring Sugar Ray.
My 4:24:27 marathon finish time was the second fastest ever, placing me in the top 46% of all 3356 finishers that morning. Moreover, I would complete a '3 marathons in 3 different US states in 15 days' journey putting my totals to '18 marathons in 12 months in 13 different US states or countries'.
The above statistic qualified me for a five-star or Ruthenium rank in the Marathon Maniacs, a goal that I had been targeting for some time but somehow just couldn't be reached. The medal would be my 22nd for marathons and ultras ran in 16 different US states or countries. Mission accomplished, it was time for some rock 'n' roll in STL!
P.S. Five days after I left the city, the Cardinals, one day after a one-for-the-books Game 6, won the seventh game of the World Series.
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