by Greg Lincoln
Another year is in the books for this journey, the trek up Mount Marathon in Seward that we take each year. Thank you to the good Lord for another year of health to be able to do what we do, quyana. This year would be number 18.
Here’s a little about this year’s event.
The best part: being on top of the mountain and getting a breather and some water while briefly enjoying the view through the mist.
The worst part: realizing that I was already hurting when I was only halfway up. The legs were taking a beating.
The weather: rain, making the course dangerous and slippery, lots of mud.
We were honored by the elders who took part in this race, they are inspiring to us younger folk. For the men it was Fred Moore of Seward and Chad Resari of Anchorage. They were both in the 80-89 age category. And for the ladies it was Nancy Osborne of Bellbrooke, OH. She was in the 70-79 age group. There were about 8 ladies in the 60-69 category and 7 men in the 70-79 group.
I must admit though, there were some thoughts that crossed my mind about continuing on around the halfway point on the uphill. How disappointing that would have been, thank goodness that that wasn’t the case. At ten feet from the top, the thought of going downhill dispelled those thoughts, thankfully.
There was some excitement at the finish line to cap it off – it was a race to the end with me and another runner. We both tripped and fell, skidding across the line at the same time to the shock and awe of the crowd and volunteers. Volunteers helped us up, hosed off our mud, gave us water and oranges, and sent us on our way with loads of congratulations. It’s a race that we love and the friends we made are fun to see each year.
The important thing about this race is that you do your best to finish and having a good attitude while you’re at it. Race organizers worked very hard to put on a successful event, we owe them our gratitude – thank you so much.
