Marine Marathon: Twizzlers and Pilgrims
I still remember watching the marathon in the 1972 Olympics. Frank Shorter won the race, the last American male to win it. (An American woman, Joan Benoit, won the first women's olympic marathon 12 years later). ABC Sports portrayed it as an epic race. I, like millions of people, became fascinated by the mere idea of a marathon. Running in junior high and senior high, I always imagined running a marathon. A few decades later, in 2003, I actually ran one. The Marine Marathon is known as the People's Marathon because of the number of first timers running the race and the lack of prize money (it is not a marathon for socialists). I still recall feeling great for most of the race, as it's truly exhilarating to be part of the mass of runners, to be cheered by anonymous crowds, to be achieving a childhood dream. I also recall starting to feel exhausted all of a sudden during the race and looking up and seeing the sign for mile 20. I found out stories of hitting the w