I have two stories to share with you before I talk about today’s San Francisco Marathon. The first one takes me back 18 years to August 2001 when Yuk-Lam and I came to San Francisco for our honey moon. On one of the days of our stay I still remember vividly running from our hotel down to Pier 39 and along the front to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a lovely place to run. I remember wanting to run across the bridge but knew it would have been too long a run from the hotel and that I didn’t have the time. I always wanted to return to run across. I really enjoyed our stay in San Francisco, found it a beautiful and interesting city and have longed to return.
The second story is only from 2 weeks ago, I spent the afternoon watching the UK Ironman at Bolton and helped out for a while at the water station on Chorley New Road, manned by Astley and Tyldesley Round Runners. I really enjoyed helping and the cycle there and back. Sadly the next day my right hip was a bit sore. I put it down to the biking. I did a couple of runs that week and the hip got progressively worse so elected to rest for San Francisco Marathon.
Now back to the present, we are on holiday and back in San Francisco and yes I have just completed the marathon which took me over the Golden Gate Bridge. You would think it would be a dream come true and I had fulfilled an 18 year dream. Well not all dreams go to plan!
In the day before the run I had some awful preparation, not enough sleep, still jet lagged and a meal ridiculously late in the evening when I had to get up at 3:45am for a 5:30am race start! Oh, not to mention my sore right hip which I hadn’t tested for some 10 days or brought the wrong clothing, as it was very cold here.
I suppose I should be glad I actually woke up in time for the race. The weather was thankfully warmer and I got prepared for the start of the race at the docks on the sea front with my friend John. The race started and things seems good as I set off at a very good pace, on legs that felt fresh with no pain in my hip. The first 2 miles were great, the dawn was just starting and the orange colours in the sky were beautiful as I looked across the bay.
As I got to mile 3 I felt some twinges in my hip, mile 4 they got worse very quickly, mile 5 and they were pretty serious. The dawn was coming up, the sun had poked over the hills in the distance, reflecting gorgeous orange colours across the sea in the bay. Alcatraz was nicely silhouetted in the bay, an amazing sight. I was coming up to the Golden Gate Bridge and was focused on running along it and back, which was the marathon course. I got up onto the bridge, it was very windy up there and I had to hold my cap in my hand. I crossed the bridge and returned, yes I had completed my dream but the hip was still getting worse. I carried on a little way into the Golden Gate Park and by mile 12 was having to walk. I started to think it wasn’t my day and I should drop out of the race. Shortly afterwards John caught me up and I let him know my concerns. I was considering pulling out at half way. I got to half way and discussed things with a medic. It seemed if I dropped out I’d have too wait for the sweeper bus and this would have been a long wait. I decided I might as well press on. The hip got worse and I couldn’t find a way to walk which didn’t hurt. The park seemed to be endless and the sun was getting stronger and hotter all the time. I so longed to drop out and be transported back to my hotel but this wasn’t an option. I had to carry on, it was the only option I had to get back to the start, my baggage and hotel.
Eventually at about 19 miles I finally exited the park, I’ve never been so happy to leave a park. There was then some down hill sections back towards the city centre, the dock area and the start. Normally I would relish this but it made my hip worse, I could hardly go down them. My pace dropped even further to 25 minute miling! Would I ever finish? Some of the helpers along the route had said to me that there was a 6 hour cut off. I already knew I couldn’t make this time and wondered if all this pain and effort would still end in a DNF, my first ever DNF.
Runners and later walkers kept over taking me me in a way I’d never seem before. As I got into the last 3 miles I was thankfully back down on the dock road which was perfectly flat and I was able to get a steady weird walk going at 15 minute miling a “FAST” pace I hadn’t managed for many miles. Finally the finish came into sight, I’ve never been so relieved to see a race finish line. Yuk-Lam, Abbey, Lucas and John were all there to cheer me in, it was so nice to see them. I had actually completed the race in 6 hours 34 minutes according to my watch and collected my wonderful medal with moving cable car. I could hardly walk and had to be helped to a taxis back to the hotel. It was the most painful marathon I’ve ever completed and I certainly can’t say I ran it! Hope I can walk tomorrow and everyone else is having a better day.
Well done to Yuk-Lam for completing the half and John for doing the full marathon.
