Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon: A Run To Remember

Ever since I started running half marathons almost four years ago I have wanted to go up to Oklahoma City and check out the OKC Memorial Marathon and Half Marathon.  I saw the medal once at a race expo and was intrigued by its beauty and simplicity.  I was a sophomore in college when the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building occurred and I remember being deeply saddened and moved by the images on my television.  I grew up by the Red River on the Texas/Oklahoma border only a couple of hours from OKC and I remember being shocked that something so terrible could happen so close to my hometown.  Our country had never witnessed such a brutal act of terrorism on our own soil.  I have visited the bombing memorial a couple of times and found it to be such a meaningful tribute to those lost there that day.  The OKC Memorial Marathon benefits the memorial and I was surprised to see that the funds raised make up a significant amount of the memorial's operating budget.


Our calendars finally lined up and we were able to make the journey north to take part in this race.  It was perfect timing too because a great group of running friends (frunners) were also going to be running or cheering at the race.  Erik and I packed up the pups and drove up after work on Friday figuring that we could just make a long weekend of it.  We met up with the rest of our group on Saturday, enjoyed lunch together, and browsed around the race expo for a while.  After a casual afternoon hanging out and talking we made our way to Bricktown for a deliciously carb-filled Italian meal.  The race start was at 6:30 (!) so an early bed time was an important requirement.

                                                Me, Erik, Marci, and Corina at pre-race carb feast

After meeting up with our group at Corina's (aka Mama C) downtown hotel, we made the short walk to the race site for all of our pre-race routines.  Marci and Robert would be running the full marathon while Corina, Erik, and I ran the half.  Drum and TPG would be cheering at various points along the course--always a great feeling to know that a friendly face or two will pop up along the way.  The bombing memorial was glowing and peaceful in the dark morning hours.  I loved the fact that such a positive event had risen out of a terrible act of violence.  I believe that good rises above evil every time and the scene at the start line proved that once again.  The crowd was huge as there were 25,000+ people running the marathon, half marathon, and 5K that morning.  Before the race the announcer led us in 168 seconds of silence--one second for each person who was killed in the bombing.  The hush that fell over the crowd was like nothing I have ever experienced--25,000 people were silent and a sense of calm and peace took over.  Beautiful. 

                                         Pre-race w Marci, Drum, Erik, Robert, Mama C, & TPG

We found our ways to the starting corrals (after I nervously climbed a tall fence...scary!) and the starting gun sounded.  There is a remarkable hum of energy during the start of a huge race and this time was no different--I think that it is what keeps me coming back for more!  Early on we passed a group of firefighters who would be covering 26.2 miles in their full gear.  There faces were somber and seeing them there gave me chills.  My run, although difficult at times, would not be anywhere near as exhausting as theirs.

I had some big goals for myself on this race morning, and as I ran the first few miles I tried to push that voice of doubt out of my head.  I could tell in the first mile that it was going to be really difficult due to the heat and humidity (70 degrees and 70-something % humidity).  I get so tired of using the weather as an excuse, especially the heat, and I tried really hard to fight back.  I settled into a strong pace after the first mile and enjoyed some of the scenery as we ran by the Oklahoma state capitol building (goal to run a race in another state...check).  The miles actually went by fairly quickly at this point, probably because I was concentrating so hard on meeting my goal pace.  It was always a pleasant surprise to look up and see another mile marker.  I saw Drum and TPG somewhere around mile 6--I think that I surprised them when I called out their name to get their attention.  It was sometime after this that I began to feel like I was fighting harder and harder to keep my pace.  I had been running in the 8:30s-8:40s per mile (with mile 4 being an 8:17), but I could feel that I was slowing down and working harder just to maintain that pace.  That suspicion was confirmed at mile 7 when my pace slowed to even 9:00s.  It was clear that I would not be meeting my "A" goal for the day so I decided to try to make the best of it and finish somewhere around 2 hours. 

                                                         We had the best cheerleaders EVER!

At some point around mile 10 I ducked into a porta potty for a quick break and soon after that I heard Erik's voice behind me as he had caught up with me.  We had totally different goals for the race and he had not been running as fast as me in the early miles.  Things were getting difficult now and I was happy to hear his voice and to have some company.  We slogged along for a couple more miles talking about how this race reminded us very much of a super tough 2011 Houston Half Marathon---the humidity and temperatures were so similar and we fought our way through that one too.  Miles 10 and 11 were the slowest and then we picked it up again for miles 12 and 13.  All through the course there were 168 banners lining the streets with the names of the bombing victims on them.  I tried to take a moment here and there and read the names and think about the meaning behind the race.

The finish line was packed with people yelling and cheering--OKC really supports this race and you can tell that they take alot of pride in it and in their city.  Every finish line is special, but this one seemed especially beautiful to me even though the clock did not give me the result I was hoping for.   I was hoping to bring it in just under 2:00 hours, but it looks like the minute or two my little restroom break might have cost me that sub 2:00 finish---2:01:10 (73rd out of 799 in my age group)...not too shabby for what I considered a bit of a "bonk" midrace.  Not the race I wanted, but still nothing to hang my head about.  It reminded me of another recent race when I said "forget the heat I want to go for it" and ended up struggling at the end.  One of these days I will learn my lesson....nope....I'm always going to go for it given the opportunity.

                                                         Team K - Mile 23 Cheer Squad
After our race we found Corina and headed for out on a the longest ever trek across OKC (okay, not really but it felt like it) to cheer for Marci as she passed through mile 23.  There really is something special about hanging out at mile 23 of a marathon--these folks are so tired...and so close to the end....but after 23 miles another 3 miles seems like a LIFETIME.  I saw some strong and brave faces at this point and I loved being there to cheer for them as they passed.  We saw Robert come through looking great and after Marci made her salute to mile 23 (be sure to read her full story HERE...and you don't want to miss it) we headed back to meet her and Drum (pacer extraordinaire) at the finish line. 


                                      
                                                                  Finish Line Celebration!

We celebrated Marci's triumph at the finish line and then headed out for a celebratory lunch together before heading back to Texas.  The back of my race medal very appropriately says "Honor, Celebrate, Reach, Unite--A Run To Remember" and I will remember this one for a long time....for so many reasons.

(A huge thanks to Mama C for bringing the weekend to life with the pictures you see here on your screen!)