About
the Race
The 6th Annual 26.2 with Donna
National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer is the only national marathon were 100% race proceeds and
donations raised by participants are put towards the breast cancer community….
70% to the Mayo Clinic which has a branch here in Jacksonville and 30% to the
Donna Foundation which helps breast cancer patients in critical financial need.
I am so completely Proud to live in the city that
hosts this event! So much so, I spend the majority of the year trying to raise
funds for the organization and working in their office. This is the ONLY
marathon I have done, and will probably do, because if you haven’t heard me say
it before, I really do not ‘like’ to run. The marathon is an emotional and
physical roller coaster and is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done in
my life. Knowing this race is
benefiting something I am so passionate about is the ONLY thing that gets me
through those second 13 miles!
Donna Deegan, a 3 time breast cancer survivor,
and recently retired local news anchor, created this race 6 years ago. The race is a weekend event with a 5k and
1Mile Fun Run on Saturday, and on Sunday a half marathon, marathon, and 5
person team marathon relay. Every state and every country is represented each
year along with some elite Olympian runners such as Joan Benoit Samuelson, as
well as the infamous Jeff Galloway. All events are extremely walker/beginner
friendly and have run/walk pacers for all times. But don’t fret elite runners!
This is also known as one of the flattest and fastest races! (although there is
a bridge at the last mile).
This year they created the Weaver Challenge in
which any team that raised $10,000, the Weaver organization would Match it! I
did not become aware of this challenge until December and tried to persuade
some friends to create a team with me to reach the goal and get the ‘free’
extra $10,000….i mean how could one pass up such a wonderful opportunity. Well,
it was more of a struggle than I first thought. After some last minute consideration
(as in a few weeks before the race) my friends decided it was a good idea and
jumped on board! Thank God! It made this weekend the most rememberable race
weekend I have yet to be part of!
Days
Leading up…
Of course, I had done early registration for the
marathon as this is my ‘grande finale’ of the Pink Ribbon Tutu on a Mission (a
half marathon a month across the country). I was so excited when my friends Jillian
(from TN) and Shelly (from SC), signed up just a couple months out for the half
marathon!
They drove
into town Friday night to stay at the Hampton Inn Oceanfront in Jacksonville
Beach. If anyone is looking for an
excellent hotel, the Hampton Inn is the best in the area! It has the newest
renovation in town with very modern, hip decor and is not your typical ‘Hampton
Inn’! Its free parking, free (good and hot) breakfast, hot pool with waterfall,
hot tub, ocean view, and friendly service! …and there’s also microwave and
fridge in the rooms!
Saturday
we had an easy morning in the hotel room, putting finishing touches on our race outfits. The girls made pink
ribbons bearing peoples names who they were runner in honor or memory of.
The days leading up to the race
we had been getting closer and closer to meeting the Weaver Challenge. We were
constantly checking our status on Friday and Saturday, only hundreds of dollars away! So
Saturday we made another plea to help us reach our goal before the race. The
Challenge was running through March, but we really wanted to reach that goal
before we toed the starting line! I mean, what better way to have motivation to
start AND finish a marathon!
Donations started coming in one by one and each
time we would get an alert and jump up and down with excitement and
anticipation that that would be the one to put us over the top! By 11am we had
done it! We ran onto our oceanfront balcony and yelled out to the world “we
raised $10,000!!!”….”no, we raised $20,000!!” We were laughing and crying all
at the same time! We celebrated with a bottle of pink champagne (which was
actually for after the race but we couldn’t help ourselves!) and toasted to an
amazing accomplishment! There was so much excitement already and the race was
still hours away!!
Expo
After
all the excitement of reaching our goal, we quickly realized the day was
escaping us so fast! We headed to the Expo for packet pick up and do some
shopping. Jacksonville is a very large city. With the race now technically
starting in Ponte Vedra, the Expo is a good 30 minutes away for those of us
staying at the beach, so it took a huge portion of our day.
I had scoped the place out the day before, so
that helped with the navigation of the vendors. We LOVED the free green screen
finish line photo where we each received a free print out! Thank You! We picked
up our GU, I got some more compression socks and a tank. We then signed the
memory mile boards which would be placed on the beach portion of the race
course.
There
weren’t as many ‘freebies’ as previous years, but there was a good variety of
vendors with a huge portion being First Place Sports. I would have loved to
have gotten some Donna gear on sale, but my sizes were gone by the time I got
there, even on Friday. I did get some pretty kickin pink ribbon Oakleys for
being among the top fundraisers!
Night before
Getting
back to the beach, it was already going on 3p. We had lunch at Salt Life and then
headed back to the room for naps.
Dinner
was supposed to be the race Lots of Love pasta party at the starting area, but it was in a
tent outside and it was cold. Real cold. The long line for food was a turn off, and we
were exhausted from the morning’s activities, so we left, but at least we got a
‘feel’ for what the starting area would be like in the morning. We ate at Café
Andiamo instead which was more relaxing and intimate for us girls to enjoy each
others company.
It was
an early night as 4am would quick. I was in bed by 9:30 or so but didn’t sleep
too well…waking up 3 times within the 2oclock hour. I had been a nervous wreck
all week, trying to just not think about it, but I could no longer ignore it. All
I kept thinking about is how ‘hurt’ I was last year….an unexplained swollen
ankle that put me on crutches. I still don’t know what I did wrong.
Race Morning
The
race was set for 730a this year (it always varies, timing it with the low tide
so we can run on the beach). It was a new start at TPC Sawgrass where everyone
except for the two host hotels (Omni downtown and One Ocean in Neptune Beach)
and UNF had to drive in. I knew it was going to be bad traffic with so many
people driving.
Norma,
my neighbor, and I walked out into the freezing cold (wind chills putting temps
at 28…was supposed to warm up to about 50) and jumped into my iced over
car!....yes! In Florida! We picked up the girls at the hotel and we were on our
way for the 15 minute drive 2 hours ahead of starting time. We quickly hit
single lane traffic a couple miles out from the start. Turns out, there was a
whole other entrance that no one knew about and everyone was trying to use the
same one.
As we
sat in traffic, I didn’t panic too much, because we planned on just sitting in
the car until last minute anyways because it was so cold. So I just ate my oatmeal
and banana as we waited. However, the emergency bathroom break made the wait a
little uncomfortable!
Once we
got parked, we all darted for the porta potties. I definitely had stomach
issues. Not sure if it was the nerves because I had not eaten anything
different than usual. But it was definitely unexpected.
We
still had time to check the place out before lining up. This year they had a
‘Warm Up’ Tent (basically the tent from the pasta party the night before) that
everyone literally crammed into, as well as gas heaters at each UPS truck (gear
check), which we took advantage of each opportunity! They tried to make it fun
with a dj, beach balls, dunkin donuts, as well as the regular race
essentials…however all that was on all of our minds was trying to stay warm!
We
finally got into our corrals about 30 min before start. I held myself back with
the girls who planned on doing a lot of walking of the half marathon. Shortly
later, we heard they were delaying the start 15 minutes due to the traffic.
UGH. No one wanted to move to go back to the warm up tent, so we just stood
there, with our fingers and toes starting to go numb. The sun was starting to
come up, but not warming quickly enough.
They then delayed another 15 minutes. At that point, I thought it might have been a blessing, because I had to pee again already and did not want to stop during the race. I dashed out of line and sprinted to the porta potties. It was a nice warm up, which I believe helped me. I couldn’t believe how many people were still parking! I also couldn’t believe the long lines for the bathroom, and that they were OUT of toilet paper!
When I
came running back, I decided that I needed to leave the girls and move ahead to
the 5hr pace group if I wanted to stick with my plan. There was no way I would be
able to navigate and catch up to the 5hr group from where we were. I stopped
and gave hugs to the girls and maneuvered my way through the crowd and got as
close as possible to the 5hr group.
The Plan
Go Au
Natural!...No Technology…that means no Garmin, no IPOD, no cell phone. I almost
did no fuel belt as well, but there was no where to put my 4 GUs, and it was a
risk to trust enough would be on the course (there was). But then I also packed
a half pb bagel, pickle, and salt, so a fuel belt was a must.
My plan
was to stay with the 5hr Galloway group until at least M13…which does a
run2:walk1 pace….and then once I needed to drop back, do a ‘feel run’ (run what
my body would allow before walking) and just make sure that the 5:30 pace group
would not pass me. If they did catch me, it would still put me at a 7minute PR,
but the mission was to get under 5:30.
The Start
The
start was very awkward this year. The National Anthem was sung as I was running
back from the porta potty and lets just say (not to be mean) but it sounded
like it was a replacement singer and then there were back up singers too? So
confused.
They
did corral starts this year, which was good, because the size of the road in Ponte
Vedra is much smaller than our usual JTB route. They threw pink confetti into
the air the entire time which was pretty cool and they had the usual jumbo tron
screen as the race was being televised. However, this year they were missing
MUSIC! What happened?! No music to get us pumped up as we start? Usually the
start is so full of excitement! It definitely fell short this year.
The Course
We
started down A1A for a few blocks and then into the Ponte Vedra neighborhoods one
block from the beach. Although you are so close to the water, you do not see
the ocean until you get onto the beach itself.
Going through the neighborhoods
gives you TONS of support. As most of these neighborhoods are filled with rich
people, they go above and beyond with their decorations!...some even crossing
over the entire street! They also set up their own tables of food/drink (and
beer)…especially in the longer miles. New this year was a few neighborhoods
with ‘Welcome” signs…that felt good.
Bad this year, was less bands. The race
promoted lots of bands as always, but I guess there were enough complaints in
the neighborhoods, that they were minimal this year and only in commercial
areas. Everyone comes out onto their driveways, sits on their porch, or even
waves from inside their warm homes! (yes, I saw you!). A lot of them brought bonfires out to keep
them warm. Great for them….NOT so great for runners to breathe in when
breathing heavy!
About M6 we go onto the beach through Jacksonville Beach, and
then exit a couple miles later in Neptune Beach. (The half marathon turns
around after just a mile on the sand). Through Atlantic Beach we go and then it’s a turn
around and back towards the way we came, although all on different streets.
Right before getting back into Ponte Vedra, the course instead goes up a
highway ramp (JTB) for the last few miles where we are met with a bridge at the
last mile before finishing at the Mayo Clinic….where a huge portion of the
funds go.
M1-6
As soon as we got onto A1A we were hit by how
strong the winds were. I guess we were being sheltered a bit at the starting
area. It was almost a bit shocking as it made it colder than expected. We had
head on winds for about 11 miles of the race.
It was nice to be in a different neighborhood this year,
but the streets are so narrow in Ponte Vedra, if you get trapped in a pace with
the Galloway groups, it is very hard to get around them. They tend to take up
the whole road instead of moving to the side during their walk breaks. There
was a lot of running in the grass to pass the slower people.
Although my plan was to pace with the 5hr group,
I found myself going faster than them for the first 6 miles. I felt good and I
have a hard time holding back. The 2:30 half marathon group was right with me,
so I guess the 5hr marathon group was just being conservative. The miles flew
by and I barely remember much except it seemed every time I looked up another
mile had passed!
At one point there was a golf cart that was going
the same pace. I realized they were doing a live shot of us on the news and the
news anchor was actually trying to interview the runners…holding the microphone
out and asking who they were running for! Wow…talk about timing! LOL.
I then looked up and saw Donna Deegan and Edith Perez and realized that was probably why they were filming. They really are
local celebrities around town and with this race. I quietly held in my
excitement and let it be my motivation.
Running alongside a single leg amputee that was
giving it her all, really put things in perspective for this race. This race is not your typical race. This is about life and never giving up no matter what difficulties life brings you.
The entire race I thought
about a lot of people in my life that have suffered from tremendous
difficulties but didn’t let that hold them back in life. I of course thought
about Memaw who has been my whole reason of starting this whole mission 6 years
ago. But I also thought of my mom who despite early onset of dementia, is the
most happiest she has ever been in her life. I thought about the road my Memaw
had to go down through her last days of fighting breast cancer. I thought about
what my mom has yet to face with this incurable disease. I thought about all
the people from Pink Feet that have supported me and all the people’s names
they have given me over the years that I have run for. I thought about how
proud I was that my two friends not only joined this race even during some difficult times in their lives, but also went above
and beyond in making their pink ribbons on their shirts to honor all the people
in their life battling cancer. I thought about how my sweet neighbor Norma, although in pain with her knee, never even considered not participating. I thought
about how lucky I have been so far in my life and how I want to continue to
live life to its fullest and do what I can to help others.
M6-9
M6-9 are on the beach and this is where the 5hr
pace group caught up with me. Living and training on this beach, I know the key
is to get as close to the water as possible for the hardest sand. The tide was
really low and we had lots of space to spread out. I finally no longer felt
claustrophobic.
At one point we were running with the infamous
Jeff Galloway. It’s pretty amazing running with a pace group and then seeing
the man who invented the training method! It is definitely the way that I
started running, and I truly challenge everyone who thinks they could never be
a runner to give this method a try!
The skies were clear blue and it was a gorgeous
day, however the winds were brutal. I thankfully did not get rid of my ear and
hand warmers this year, like the mistake I made last year. In fact, I never got
rid of them the entire race. I don’t even know if I even sweat this year. The
sun felt good, but the winds were constant and cold. The wind was so strong the last mile, that
sand was blowing up and hitting us in the face. It felt as though we were at a
standstill, not moving forward at all. It
definitely took some energy.
M9-11
Mile 9 was the water station with my fellow
employees. It was so good to see them out there volunteering in the cold. The
volunteers really do have a harder job than the runners on days like these!! I
saw Jan, a breast cancer survivor, and gave her a huge hug! After a pose for a
picture, I realized I was losing my 5hr group! I had to waste energy to try to
catch back up with them. As soon as I did, I realized my stomach was on
empty already. With the delay of the start, it was no wonder...it had already
been 4 hours since I last ate!! I had to munch on my peanut butter bagel bite I
had packed in my fuel belt. 
About M11 I was getting too tired to keep up with
the pace. My body just stopped and I started walking and watched them continue
to run. I knew it must be GU time….still earlier than I had planned. Trying to
keep a clear and positive mind, I had let go of a dream of a 5hr finish. I knew
in all reality, there was no way I would have made a 5hr finish with my
previous race and training times. I just want it so bad. And I really wanted to
stay with them til M13.
M11-15
I tried not to let my negative talk take over. I
instead found a couple that had a 1:1 pace going and I could hear their alert,
so I stayed with their pace. However, I quickly realized they were running a
little too conservative for me and I really wanted this race to be more technology
free anyways, so I picked up the pace and did my own thing, crossing the half
marathon mark at 2:30…about average, but 6minutes slower than my PR.
About M 14 I realized I was running with KurtisLoftus, who did a surf marathon for the 26.2 with Donna organization a couple
years ago and who is also the race art designer.
My knee had started hurting early, probably about
M6. It was a faint hurt and a hurt I recognized from previous races as
something that just comes and goes. I blamed it on the cold for coming on so
soon. But it was back and constant from about M15 on.
M15-17
Jeff Galloway caught up with me about M15. I
decided to try to run with his group for a bit 30:30. I quickly learned there
was no way I could do that short of a distance. Sometimes it really is harder
to get running again once you stop.
My stomach had been on and off queasy all
morning. The GU and pb bagel weren’t cutting it. I started to wonder if I was over
hydrating because I wasn’t really sweating in the cold. I decided to give a porta
potty a try. No luck. Just a wasted 2 minutes.
M17-20
The 5:15 pace group finally caught up with me
about M17. I tried to run with them, but
I still could not find the energy.
M18 I was running back through my fellow employee
water station. I got a lot of high fives which gave me a little bit of
inspiration.
My lungs were really starting to bother me at
this point. I had to keep coughing and breathe through my gloves to try to warm
up my lungs. My lungs were tight and my chest constantly hurt, which made it
hard to do a long run. My nose was constantly running, which probably also had
something to do with the queasy stomach. The good thing was we were finally
turned away from the wind and in direct sunlight for the rest of the
course….well, until we hit wind again on the bridge in the last mile.
I could feel my right quad start to twitch (which
was weird because it is usually my left hamstring), telling me it was on brink
of cramping up. Flashbacks of last years paralyzing cramp at the last half mile
played in my head. I pulled out the pickle I had in my pack hoping that would
help.
M20-23
This was the first year I had trained further
than 20 miles and actually more than once. I was amazed at how hard the
marathon still was!! I was expecting to be able to ‘bust through’ the brick wall this
year, but I once again was burnt out. I really think the extra early morning
and late start time really took toll. Next time I will need to make sure I eat
something AT the start.
My left knee was really starting to bothering me,
but I was still pushing through. I was basically on a run a block, walk a block
pace now.
A mile 21, which passes right by my house, a man
yelled out to me as I slowed down “youre almost home!”….I yelled back
“literally!...thats my house behind you!” LOL. I thought how easy it would be to just stop.
Yea right, I wouldn’t let all my hard work of training go down the drain!
Regardless of finish time!
I walked with a girl for a minute who said she
was running her first marathon and just ran 20 miles without stopping, but was
now having knee issues. I gave her praises and she gave me motivation to push
through as she raced ahead.
My thigh muscles were still talking to me,
teasing me they could at any time cramp up. I pulled out my salt packet hoping
that would get me through the last few miles.
There was a group of people with a beer stand on
the corner. They cheered me on and yelled my name. Out of bagel, out of pickle,
out of salt, all I could think is beer is carbs and I guzzled the small cup!
M23-26
These are the miles that take the ramp onto a
highway called JTB. The incline really gets to people, even me. With my knee hurting, it
felt better to walk, so I put my head down (which I know you are not supposed
to do, but I don’t like to see how much further I have to the top) and did a
power walk. The speed in my walk put me passing people, even some jogging. I
ran the down and flat parts and walked the inclines not wanting to Charlie
horse my thighs.
I suddenly heard screaming, like drill sergeant yelling.
I looked behind and realized the 5:30 pace group had arrived! I got a sinking
feeling in the pit of my stomach. “No!!!” I was starting to stress out and all
I wanted to do was cry as I was letting my goal slip away. I was so scared
I would cramp up. I fought back the tears and tried to turn the sadness into
anger instead to pump me up full of energy. The group was so spread out that
the pacer would run ahead, then stop, turn around, and yell back to the runners
in the back to get them motivated. I knew I had to get ahead of them.
I made it up the bridge without a problem. At the
top of the bridge were the most inspirational volunteers. It was SO windy and
brutally cold at the top. And they had been out there for hours cheering us on!
You could see some of them sitting on the ground next to the median barricade
to try to escape the winds. The police officer at the top was even in a
complete face mask! I definitely give them props, as they had the most
difficult position on the course!
Remembering it was the downhill that hurt me last
year, I made sure to run extra slow at this point. The last .2 to go and the
5:30 pacer was still yelling and pointing us the finish line. I love that
pacer! I didn’t sprint this year, and just made steady continuous progress. I
heard my name called over the speaker as I was approaching the line. It is one of the best
feelings in the world to hear your name at this point! I crossed the finish line with the clock at
5:38. I had a moment of panic as I realized I did not have a Garmin on, so I did
not know my ‘true’ chip time.
Dazed and confused, and not seeing my friends, I just
stumbled forward, passing up the foil blankets a young girl was passing out. An
older gentleman then walked up to me and put the blanket around me and said
“you are going to want this when you turn that corner up there.” I said “Thank
you” and realized it was difficult to talk, as I was beginning to sob without
thinking! I think I scared the man. I kinda scared myself, as I had never cried
like that at a finish line before. He asked me if I was ‘Ok,’ and I shook my
head ‘yes,’ and then ‘no’ and then bawled some more in his arms. That is when
this complete stranger told me how proud he was of me, that I was amazing, and
that he loved me for what I just did. He walked me to my medal and continued to
tell me how proud he was. That is when my friends came running to me, asking if
I was hurt, as I was still bawling.
I couldn’t say anything except for yes I was
fine, and repeatedly ask “what is 38 minus 9?”….as the clock said 5:38 and I
knew I crossed the start line 9 minutes after the official clock. The girls
were completely unsure what was going on and none of us could do the math, we
just all started crying and hugging. After they, and myself, realized I was OK,
we all started busting out laughing, and figured out I DID beat the 5:30 pace….5:29!!! We then yelled out “We raised $10,000!!” =)
The Finishers Village has such huge potential. I usually just grab my bag and beer and hit the shuttle, as I am usually alone. There is supposed to be a band and pink champagne. I have yet to find that any year.
We did have a cup of Panera soup and a couple
beers (yes, carbs!) and the most Awesome Mayo Clinic koozies which have a hand
strap! I also got my Streaker lanyard (for running every year).
They did have some power ice recovery popsicle
type thing, which probably would have been good if it wasn’t so COLD still! And
probably better if they served it with tequila! They had free massages, but we
were all too tired and sore to want anyone to touch us!
The shuttles were entirely too far for people who
just ran a marathon. All the hotel and UNF shuttles were in front of the
Starting Line shuttles. It was a good mile to walk to the shuttle. It is a long
ride back…at least 20 minutes.
Overall
Race Results Thoughts
Although I did get rid of the stress of constantly looking at my Garmin to see my pace
and overall time and constantly doing recalculations in my head to see what
needed to be done to PR, the Galloway groups still stressed me out. I was always trying to make sure I was ahead of the next group; looking
behind me to make sure they were not in sight. In hindsight, I kinda wish I had
my Garmin only so I could see my times for each mile….especially the first
half. I love that the race provides times for every 5 miles, but I wish I knew
more, so I could compare to previous years.
I liked that I didn’t have my IPOD because I was
expecting a lot of bands. There were not. I still survived. I think it helped
that I did the majority of my training runs without it as well. But I did like that I got to hear every single supporter and volunteer cheer out to me, say my name, or any words of encouragement. I did like that I heard the ocean waves and seagulls on the beach. I did like that I could hear the pacer screaming at us to get our butt to the finish line!
Afterwards
The girls and I took full advantage of the large
hot tub at the Hampton Inn, with mimosas in hand. We met a couple other runners
that not only just ran their first marathon, but one of them also qualified for
the Boston Marathon! What a great accomplishment on a first try! What made
their story even more amazing was their relationship started through running,
even years before they even knew each other! He literally has a picture of him at a
race and she is in the background. Years later, they met, and married! And now
they just did their first marathon together! Such a heartfelt and inspiring
story!
The rest of the day was spent lounging around and
ordering dinner in bed with the next day lounging on the beach!
It was a beautiful weekend with SO much
love…with my friends in town, with all the donations pouring in to help us reach
our goal even from complete strangers, with all the amazing supporters on the sidelines baring the elements,
with all the 10,000 runners who never gave up to ‘finish’ breast cancer! It was
absolutely the most amazing race weekend that I have ever experienced yet!