Pura Vida: Wanganui Three Bridges Marathon and 10k

(Patrick) The local race (the Wanganui 3 Bridges Marathon - and 10K) that Molly and I had been training for finally arrived with a bang yesterday. We awoke at 4:30 AM to crazy winds and typhoon-like rain and said to each other, looks like the race should be fun. Molly had trained with the assistance of an online schedule and listening to the This American Life podcast, and I was fortunate to have met a wonderful group training for the marathon. It is a lot easier to do a long run with others than trudge along by yourself for hours.

Despite the start to the day, it was not raining when I started the marathon at 7:30 AM. Being as tough as they are only one or two kiwis had jackets with them but I decided it was worth it to take one tied around my waist. The marathon consisted of 4 laps of 10.5k around three bridges in Wanganui which is oriented around the Whanganui River. The first lap went according to plan and I spent most of the time trying to keep myself from going out to hard. During the middle of the second lap while crossing the City Bridge it began to rain, and not lightly. It was a squal with sideways rain and wind that nearly knocked the wind out of you. I stuggled to put on my jacket while keeping up the pace, but the kiwis continued running unphased. The downpour lasted from around mile 9 to mile 13 until everyone was thoroughly soaked. Now I faced the prospect of running in soggy socks and shoes the remaining half marathon and I honestly considered squeezing the water out of my socks. I pondered this thought for a good 50 minutes as I zoned in an out of complex mathematical calculations about my pace, all of which made time go faster. I ended up not stopping and didn't end up with blisters.

Patrick at the finish line...

(Molly)...Meanwhile, I spent the 24 hours before thinking about how I'd never run that far in my life. Waking up at 4:30 in the morning to crashing rain was not very cool. I dropped Patrick off at 7:30 and saw the marathoners off...I was at home in our kitchen (everything in Wanganui is 10 minutes away!) eating a banana when the squall hit. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to run in the monsoon! Lucky for me, it simmered down around 9:15...right before the start of the 10K, and I was sprinkled on for the first couple of KM, but then it quit raining and stayed mercifully cool and cloudy for the rest. I finished in 69 minutes, which for a "real" runner is slow, but I completed my 2 goals: I ran the entire time, never walked, and I didn't get last! Yahoo!! I've never been a full time runner until we moved here -- post residency, lots of time, and a beautiful running trail along the river literally out our front door have all made it a much more acheivable past-time.

Molly still smiling (and standing!) post-race.

Molly and Patrick together at the finish line. We rounded the day out with a trip to the farmers market and got some post-race loot (ie homemade lemon-garlic hummus, sweet potato bread, sausages from the Sausage Guy for post-race BBQ, Patrick got an omelette from the Omelette Guy and I got a crepe from the Crepe Ladies! Yum!) You'll notice that after the race, it was really sunny and hot! Go figure! We stayed for the awards, knowing we wouldn't win a place-prize, but I won a travel cooler (or as the Kiwis say a "Chilly Bin" in the race number drawing! Ice cold diet cokes and sandwiches for road trips, score!) Patrick's running club had a great BBQ that evening and we all enjoyed lots of yummy food.