2007 Big Sur Marathon

2. Big Sur Marathon – Carmel, Calif. – April 29, 2007

I signed up for this race after spending about five minutes on the website in late 2006. The photo tour gave a hint that this was something special. So what that I had not even run my first marathon yet. And surely I could run another marathon a little more than two months after the first.

It was worth it. I had to be on the bus in Monterey at about 4 a.m. Almost an hour later, we had driven the entire course and then some in reverse. I’m not a fan of seeing the course beforehand because I find it intimidating. Doing so in the dark and feeling all the ups and downs was about as bad as it gets.

We were dropped off at the Big Sur campground, where bonfires and port-a-potties awaited. Like most races, everyone was friendly and I started up conversations with a few people as we waited for the race in the dark. They called everyone to the line, and I realized when I got there that my bladder was full. I looked around and decided to duck into the woods to relieve myself, since the port-a-potties would take too long. As I stepped in, I realized I wasn’t the only one. Hundreds of people – both men and women – were surrounding the trees and taking care of business. I had to be careful not to pee on anyone.

The gun went off, and we headed west through the redwoods and past cow pastures for the first few miles. About five miles in, the course hit Pacific Coast Highway, and for the rest of the race we could hear waves crashing into the rocks to our left. My neck would end up sore because I spent so much time looking at the ocean. It was absolutely gorgeous. The course is challenging. As we rounded a bend at mile 10, I heard the thumping of Hawaiian drums, and I knew what was coming. Hurricane Point is a 600-foot climb over the next two miles. It’s daunting, especially because you know you still have more than half the race left. But the drumbeats get the heart pumping and everyone’s pace seems to move in step with those drums.

The weather that day was perfect. Temperatures were in the mid-50s, and it was cloudy with a slight tailwind. About 2/3 of the way up, I felt like I was running into the clouds. My sunglasses started to get drops of precipitation, but it wasn’t raining. It felt great and helped me dial in during my charge to the top. As soon as you get to the top, you start the descent, which is almost as tough as the climb, and I had to consciously pull off the throttle and coast down.

At the bottom of the Hurricane Point, the course traverses Bixby Bridge, one of the most beautiful bridges in the world. Words really can’t describe it, but it’s surreal. And that unreality is multiplied by the man playing a grand piano while wearing a tuxedo with tails. The classical music in that situation is strange, but it somehow felt just right.

The organization of Big Sur is among the best in any race. Every mile marker has two people yelling your pace and expected finish time. I was a little surprised at how much energy I had built up after I crossed Bixby Bridge. There was a French guy, and we passed each other at least 10 times. At one point I tried to start a conversation, but he either didn’t hear me or didn’t care to talk. I decided I was going to beat him, and I increased my speed slightly. There aren’t many fans, but the ones that were there were friendly, including quite a few that smelled like they had been smoking something medicinal. It is California, after all.

Around mile 22 after fairly continuous hills, the course turns mostly downhill, and off in the distance you can see a few holes of the famed Pebble Beach Golf Course. With just a few miles to go, a woman had set up a table with strawberries. Perhaps I was slightly mental due to the fatigue, but these things looked like they were the size of apples and smelled amazing. I knew one bite would make me hurl at that point, so looked at her and pleaded, “Please tell me there are more at the finish.” She smiled and assured me there were. As I finished in 3:39, I was overjoyed. Not only had I beaten my previous time by more than 20 minutes, but also there were indeed strawberries in the finish area. I grabbed some, threw down the blanked they had put around me and collapsed on it, happy to not move other than taking bites of strawberries.

I’m not sure I’ll ever run a race that I love more. At any distance. Big Sur is damn near perfect.