Races: Eugene’s Inaguarl Marathon

This weekend, Eugene Oregon steps to the plate to host its first major marathon. For those that don’t live in the Northwest, the unusual thing about that is that Eugene is a town with a serious running history. Eugene is home to the University of Oregon, home of one of the greatest distance running programs in the world. It was home to Steve Prefontaine and Coach Bill Bowerman. It was the birthplace of the waffle-soled running shoe, which became the starting point for Nike. And it’s the home of the Prefontaine Classic - one of the greatest track and field events in the United States.

But despite the running history, it’s a fairly small town. So it took awhile for a marathon to come to town. This weekend, we’ll see if Eugene has a legend on its hands or just another race.

With inaguarl races, there are really only three things that the race must provide. Everything else is gravy. If these three things don’t happen, then it’s going to be a real tough haul to get established (although there have been some exceptions to that).

First, you have to clearly mark the course and protect the runners. I’ve been in several races where I went off course, because I couldn’t tell which way to go. This is so basic that it seems like it would be matter-of-fact, but race directors strike out on this one every-so-often. I read a story in the past year, for example, where the LEADERS of the marathon went off course. There was a big debate about what to do with them, since they accidentally cut about 400M from the course. But the real issue was that the course needed to be clearly marked, so the runners didn’t get lost in the first place.

Second, there have to be good aid stations. It’s the most basic thing for marathon runners. They have to drink: water at a minimum and hydration drink as a plus. Small races struggle with this, because the logistics are not easy. How many cups do I need? How many tables? How many volunteers? If you don’t have enough people filling cups, for instance, then there isn’t water on the table and it causes log-jams. If you don’t have enough cups, people can’t drink the fluid. If you don’t have enough fluid. . . well, then you’re in Atlanta this Spring when most of the runners reported having little or nothing to drink after about mile two at the new ING Atlanta Marathon. That’s just inexcusable.

Third, you need to provide a minimum level of timing support. Even if it’s just an air-horn at the start and a digital clock at the end. Usually race directors get this right, but I’ve actually been at races where they mess this up. For example, they will have two races (say a marathon and half-marathon), they start the clock, and then there is only one finish clock at the finish-line. So you’re crossing the line thinking, “hugh? Is that time right?” This isn’t that big a deal, but when you pay $30, $40, $50 or more to race, it is something that you should expect.

Everything else on top of that is gravy for first time race. Keep the runners on course. Give them fluid. Let them know their times.

The elaborate nature of some of the big races makes us feel that there should be more, but it is really as simple as that. I admire the fact that the Ironman organization, for example, trucks in freezers and tons of ice to their aid station. That’s awesome. But a newby race shouldn’t get caught trying to do too much either.

I wish everyone running the Eugene Marathon good luck out there, especially my friends from Portland who will be heading down for the event. As I always advise (get ready for it): take it easy at the start. Work into it. The pace of the first 15 miles should feel easy. And don’t forget to drink and eat!

The Eugene Marathon’s event web-site is located here.

Running Wild is located at: http://coachjoeenglish.wordpress.com. Check back for a race wrap up from the Eugene Marathon. My next training articles: dealing with the mid-season blues and running in the heat will be published very soon.

Coach Joe