As the first 5k ticks into the fourth mile, the first true morning tailgaters welcome us to Ashland. I am starting to settle into the race. The early race nerves have worn off, and despite what the splits say is a fast start for me, I actually feel like Iāve eased into it.
Of course, thereās still a long ways to go (if only the race still started in Ashland) but so far so good. I do a quick body scan -- stride is smooth, arms and shoulders relaxed, posture upright, breathing under control -- and things may actually be looking up. In fact, when I do look up I can see the lead pack within striking distance. It only takes a few (perhaps over-exuberant) strides for me to make contact and officially join the leaders.
Now I am finally in the race. Except, by the looks of it, weāre not truly racing yet; weāre simply out for a Monday morning stroll. The spectators on the side of the road have the right attitude: they may be cheering politely, but thereās no need to whip up a frenzy just yet. Still plenty of race left to run. No, might as well fire up the grill, toss a baseball, and crack open a beer. Thereās nothing quite like day drinking on a holiday, especially when the sun is out and it is a warm spring morning. Great for the crowd, not so much for the marathoners.
For a mega-race like this one, whatās amazing is how quiet everything is. The excitement of the start quickly faded, and all thatās left is a small core of competitors -- just like every other road race. Of course, itās also quiet because of how easy everyone else is running. I mean, itās like the leaders arenāt even trying yet. They shouldnāt be; itād be foolish to push this early. And without pacers to string the field along, each individual is faced with a prisonerās dilemma: if you run hard from the gun, you might hit a fast time, but youāll pull everyone else with you and, having done all the work, get passed by many of them. Ryan Hall famously did this in 2011 when he ran an absurd sub-2:05, only to finish fourth. On the other hand, if you bide your time and wait for someone else to make the move, then youāll most likely sacrifice a fast time but keep alive the possibility of a better place. So which one will it be, time or place?
Today, it looks like weāre going with the latter.
Iām actually cruising good enough to take some time to look around at my company. Hey, now that Iām in the lead pack I donāt have to simply stare at the back of jerseys. In an Olympic year like this one, the depth of competition may be a little limited, but there are so many good African runners that you could probably pull ten random guys off the street of Iten and turn at least seven of them into champion marathoners. By the looks of it, those seven have joined us today. It looks like four Kenyans and three Ethiopians, but then what do I know? Iām new to the road scene, so I donāt have any idea who these people are. I know the stars of the sport, and I know theyāre not here. Probably either at London or preparing for the Games. But sometimes -- usually -- itās the anonymous Africans you have to worry about the most. They have the least to lose and the most to gain. Off towards the double-yellow line, a trio of the Kenyans talk curtly between breaths. They just look so damn smooth, like theyāre gliding over the ground instead of running on it. Itās a lot of intimidation packed into 110 pounds.
Riding the side of the road are a pair of Japanese runners. Road racing and marathoning is huge over there -- like, bigger than the Super Bowl huge -- so Japan always has contenders at the major marathons. But while the Kenyans and Ethiopians have raised the bar in terms of competition, the Japanese have remained stagnant. Well, stagnant may not be the right term; consistent, letās say. Itās hard to call a plethora of sub-2:10 performers āstagnant.ā And consistency is a better way to characterize Japanese marathoners, both as a group and individuals. They run with more power and determination than the lithe African athletes, as if theyāve made themselves fast through sheer force of will. Hell, they probably have. Even this early in the race, you can see every ounce of concentration and effort in their expression, which will only deteriorate into sheer agony as the race progresses. Again, because of my inexperience and the isolated nature of the island nation, I donāt know who these guys are, but, like the Africans, I remain struck by their diminutive stature.
Which leaves us with only the Americans left, four including myself. In classic form, weāre probably all a little over-eager at the premier race on home soil. So much so, that a pair runs two abreast to lead the pack, soaking in every bit of good cheer from the steadily growing crowd. We seem to tower over the rest of the leaders, even though at less than six feet tall and 130 pounds, weāre all swallowed up in regular street clothes. There are a lot of very good marathoners in the states, but few truly great ones. This year, the truly great ones have a much more important race to train for. I donāt recognize two of my countrymen, but Iām pretty sure one of the leaders is Rod Kelley, running with sunglasses, a white singlet and white compression socks. Today is sunny and already starting to heat up, so white is definitely a smart decision. He was fifth at last fallās Olympic Trials race, which is only the second-worst spot to finish. The worst is fourth: youāre the alternate, which means the US Olympic Committee will put you through all of the processing for the Games except for one key detail: they donāt book your flight to the host city. Thanks for playing, enjoy watching the race from home! Kelleyās one of those athletes who has always been close to being great, but has never quite knocked it out. But heās whippet thin and looks fit as fuck today. Me? Iām content to hang at the back of the pack and try to cruise as long as possible.
I canāt help but be a little amazed to be in the company of professional runners. Forgive me for thinking that todayās going to be a good day.
And it's no wonder I feel so good right now: we just ran the slowest split of the day, 5:07. 20:11 total elapsed time and Iām in 13th place.
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