St. George Marathon 2008 (by Haley)

In October of 2008 I ran the St. George Marathon. A guy I was interested in at the time talked me into signing up for it. He also said he would run with me since I had never run more than 5 miles before (he didn't). Below you will find the account of my experience running the race. It will forever be one of the hardest things that I have ever done.


October 4, 2008

Dear Family,

I thought I would give a quick rundown of my AMAZING St. George Marathon experience:

I left Provo on Friday, October 3 at about 3:30pm with my roommate Marissa and her married couple friends. It was a fine trip and nice to be with 2 people who were also running the marathon...and had done it before. I was worried about dinner because I didn't think we would stop along the way and I knew I couldn't wait to eat until 7 or 8pm to eat or I would be sick for the marathon. We did end up stopping at about 6:30 and I got some gross chicken fingers and fries from DQ. It actually filled me up. The food was so salty, I thought I would be dehydrated for the marathon.

We finally got to the Marathon Expo (convention) at about 7:30pm. We got our numbers and shoe chips (to track our time) and even marathon shirts and posters. Pretty cool. I ran (haha) into a few friends, including Dustin (a guy from church who convinced me to sign up for the marathon and we never ran together once). I chilled around there for a bit and then called Whitney and Ashley to see where they were.

Whitney and Ashley finally got there at about 8:15pm, which ended up being perfect. We drove to Hurricane (about 15 minutes away) to our hotel room. I took a shower and climbed into bed at about 10:30. I fell asleep fast, but I kept waking up due to texts, or because it was so hot, etc. My alarm went off at 4am and we all got up. I was so nervous. I hoped that I could actually run it.

We left the hotel at 4:30 and headed to the starting line. I was so scared driving there. It seemed so far away and it was dark outside and raining. Ashley dropped Whit and I off and we got some pictures taken. 

I was freezing and of course did not prepare for it, so I insisted on borrowing Whitney's sweatshirt. Then I put a garbage bag over it that said: "I heart running!" My roommate Marissa made it. 

Since it was so cold outside there were fires. I stood by a fire to warm myself. I talked to a few runners that were experienced and they gave me advice. Then I saw Marissa and her brother Kelin. They were going crazy and were so excited. Then Marissa had to go to the bathroom and I never saw her again until after the marathon.

I ran a mile with Kelin and then I was on my own. I was grateful though because I wanted to go at my own pace. I had trained by myself. I was feeling so good. I hit mile 4 and I couldn't believe it. I wasn't listening to my ipod, I was just enjoying the experience, looking around, watching people, etc. The scenery was amazing. Lots of times I would be looking around me and run into people. The canyons, hills, trees, etc. I took Justin's advice and drank gatorade at every moment I could. I also ate these little fruit snack blocks whenever I felt a little hungry and they were perfect.

I knew I would see Whitney at mile 7 and that's when I had planned on giving her the sweatshirt, but I was still kind of cold and it was still raining. I didn't even notice Whitney until I passed her, so I just kept the sweatshirt.

I kept running and got to what they call "Hell's Hill"...the steepest hill of the marathon. It wasn't too bad, but by the time I was done with that hill I was feeling really hot. I had to take the sweatshirt off. I took a quick bathroom break (because of all the gatorade) and took off the sweatshirt. I was sure I would see Whitney again soon, but after about 2 or 3 miles of holding this heavy wet sweatshirt, I threw it to the side of the road. I will have to buy her a new one...

After I got rid of the sweatshirt, it was like I got my second wind. I was at mile 17 and I was feeling great. I turned up my ipod and I was running so fast. Maroon 5 (the music group) got me through some of the hardest parts of the marathon. I was feeling great. After a few miles, my legs started feeling really tired and I slowed down a tiny bit, but then I realized that it hurt more to slow down, so I kept on running.

When I reached mile 20 I couldn't believe it. The furthest I ever ran in my training was 20 miles and I almost died. I was at mile 20 and feeling fine. I about cried. I really was going to finish this marathon. I realized that your prayers helped. I also kept telling myself this phrase that seems silly, but that Marissa told me would help, "relax, power, glide". It actually did help. I was actually enjoying the marathon and had the stamina to do it all!

At mile 22 I ran into Whitney. She pumped me up and when she said that Ashley was waiting for me at mile 24, it just made me run even faster. I finally got to mile 24 and Ashley was no where to be found. I about cried. Your emotions go crazy after you have been running so long. I thought that she must have left or barely missed me. I began to think that if they are at least waiting for me at the finish line, that was good enough.

After about a half mile I saw Ashley. I almost cried. She started running with me. I had told her before to not crack jokes or ask me questions because I would not be feeling very good by that time. She did an awesome job and I wasn't feeling as bad as I thought I would be. She ran with me for a mile and then I told her that I wanted to run the last bit by myself. She ran to the finish line to meet me.

After she left I began to wonder if I should have asked her to run with me a little more. It was tough, but people were cheering on every side. I was so tired. I got to mile 26 and .2 miles seemed so far away. I refused to walk. I know that the Lord lifted my legs to the finish line. I heard people yelling my name, but I was too focused on finishing. Finally I crossed and about collapsed. The lady gave me a medal and a hug. I saw Whitney and Ashley. Whitney was bawling and I was too. Ashley had teary eyes. It was amazing!

I finished the marathon in about 4 hours and 40 minutes. It was amazing. That was faster than I ever trained. I was so proud of myself. When I started my training the most I had ever run was 5 miles. No one thought I could run this, even myself, but I was dedicated. I believe that I did so well because I was so dedicated to my 4 months of training. I never missed a day. The Lord helped me so much too. He answered my prayers. Having Whitney and Ashley there helped me go faster too. The weather even made me run faster.

Today I think it is a miracle that I did that. I really believe that I can do anything now. Wow, you have a goal and work hard for it, you can achieve it. I am grateful that I didn't get injured and that the Lord helped me so much to do this. 

In my room I have my marathon poster and medal hanging on the wall. It isn't to show off but is more for myself. It helps to remind me to never give up and that I can do anything if I work hard.