Our first destination was to see the adorable Blue Whale of Catoosa, a famed attraction on old Route 66. Due to insurance reasons, a sign is posted for "No Swimming." The huge whale sported water slides, ladders, and diving boards, and one can only imagine the summer fun for crowds from years gone by. The whale, originally built in the 1970s as a surprise anniversary gift from Hugh Davis to his wife Zelta, still sports a baseball cap and a grin for visitors like me every day.
When the marathon started at 9 a.m., 55 runners took off in the direction of the rugged trails, and 41 of us went the opposite way towards the riverside pavement. The race was on and it was a lovely day in Tulsa. I was determined to pace myself, and not start like I was out for a quarter mile sprint. My goal for the first half was a 9:09 pace, (on track for a 4 hour marathon) though I didn't plan on keeping it up the whole way. My end goal was for a sub 4 hr. 20 min. time. This strategy worked well initially; I was feeling pretty good about it all, until I was introduced to some memorable hills. With the race starting at Turkey Mountain Park I soon noticed they weren't kidding about that word "mountain." This course boasted some killer hills! Though I kept my planned pace for the first half, I soon started to feel drained and a little less than enthusiastic about facing those hills on the second lap. There were more runners the second time around, from the group who ran the first part on trails. I soon found myself playing leapfrog in a fashion much like the race of the tortoise and the hare. I kept up my slow and steady pace, while a couple of the runners around me would sprint ahead, then start walking for a minute. I would pass them by, only to see them sprint by again shortly. This went on for miles. Before I knew it, I was facing that last gargantuan hill before the finish line! There's nothing quite like the feeling of happiness to see the finish line of a marathon! The time on the clock read 4:14:42.
“Like the marathon, life can sometimes be difficult, challenging and present obstacles, however if you believe in your dreams and never ever give up, things will turn out for the best." -Meb Keflezighi, U.S. Olympic marathoner