The 2004 Eisenhower Marathon, Abilene, KS There was thunder and lightning. A strong wind was driving rain against the window. It was 4:30AM, two and one-half hours before the start of the Eisenhower marathon in Abilene, Kansas. I proceeded with my ritual prerace preparation of eating, stretching, Vaseline application, and putting on RaceReady shorts and Florida Track Club singlet. I didn’t take my usual jog to loosen up. It was still blowing and raining during the drive from my B & B (a 1900 Victorian mansion on the Historic Registry) to the assembly area at a church hall across from the Eisenhower Center. As we lined up for the marathon start the rain let up leaving a threatening sky, but the wind was preparing to shred the flags and topple signs. On driving into town the day before, I was greeted by a number of yard signs promoting the marathon and welcoming the runners. Other yards displayed signs reading "Stop Abortion", reflecting the conservative climate of the area. For a town of 6,500, Abilene has made notable history. It was the original cowtown; the "wickedest and wildest town in the west". Cowboys drove their cattle along the Abilene trail to its trailhead, the railroad/stockyard at Abilene. Wild Bill Hickok attempted to maintain law and order on Abilene’s notorious Texas Street. There were other happenings to spread the fame of Abilene. The carousel maker C.W. Parker made his carousels in Abilene. An independent telephone company originating in Abilene developed into the present day Sprint. And Dwight David Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, grew up there. The Eisenhower Center in Abilene contains his boyhood home, a Visitor’s Center, a Museum, and the Eisenhower Library. In addition there is the Greyhound Hall of Fame; the area has many greyhound breeding kennels, the legacy of immigrants from England and Ireland who introduced these hunting dogs to rid their fields of jackrabbits. While driving around in Abilene I felt transported back to the 1950s and the small town of my childhood. The commercial buildings, the Post Office and the converted railway depot, had that look and feel. There was a simple street grid with the residential areas containing mostly modest houses punctuated with the occasional Victorian mansion. One such mansion was the Victorian Reflections B & B where I stayed, whose downstairs rooms were furnished with period ornate overstuffed couches. Another was the Kirby house, now converted to a restaurant, with high-ceilinged rooms in the Victorian style. The Lebold mansion, built in 1880 and once "the finest house west of Topeka", is "a magical time capsule of Victorian life". And the 100-year old Seeley mansion had been outfitted by its pharmacist (i.e., snake oil salesman) owner with the latest items available at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Forsythias were in bloom and it seemed like Spring in another century. We started out running South along a paved highway, formerly the Abilene Trail. On marathon morning it was covered with worms fleeing from their waterlogged burrows in surrounding wheat fields. We passed several greyhound kennels with their long runs. Volunteers on horseback patrolled the grassy areas along the road. At each mile there was a water station with more volunteers, many clad in rain jackets. The marathon course was out-and-back with two short side diversions, one of which was through a park. We welcomed the run through the park, where trees shielded us from the wind. The course began to have a noticeable uphill grade and I was breathing hard to maintain 9:30 miles. I heard a consistent flapping noise from behind and turned to find it was made by a runner’s race number and that 4 other runners had tucked in behind me. We ran for several miles together, alternating leading the pace line. Even when you were following someone closely you didn’t feel much shielding from the wind , but when you were suddenly exposed at the front of the line, you immediately noticed the difference. I carried my FTC cap in my hand to avoid losing it. At the top of the rise was a small but spirited brass and percussion group; the Abilene High School pep band. They were hunkered down with their backs to the wind but gamely belted out tunes as the runners passed by. They received a trophy, based on votes of the runners, as the best waterstop on the course. Threatening clouds seemed to be forming something in the distance; either the start of a rainbow or the start of a funnel cloud. The wind continued to blow tumbleweeds, along with an essence that reminded us that we were definitely in an agricultural area. I came to the 13.1 mile turnaround point at 1:58 feeling lucky that it was under 2 hours. As we started the return, somewhat downhill part of the course, the wind gusts were now from the back. We were suddenly shifted from a situation of being nearly stopped in our tracks to one of almost needing to put on the brakes at times. My return trip became sub 8-minute miles with a finishing time of 3:43; a 13-minute negative split! At about 2 1/2 hours into the marathon, it began to rain; first lightly and then heavily. People coming into the hall for post-race refreshments were drenched. Luckily the temperature was rather mild. Awards were distributed at the Eisenhower Visitor Center. There was a greeting by the mayor and recognition of volunteers. The number of volunteers for the race – 457 – outnumbered the 283 runners. The Viola family – descendents of an original settler of the area – seemed to be everywhere; visible in their red shirts. They included the race director, many volunteers and some runners. Everyone associated with the race was pleasant and helpful and seemed genuinely glad that so many runners had come so far – from 26 states – to run their marathon. The race has a goal to raise money for the Dickinson County Red Cross, which functions as a social service agency for needy people in the county. This little town has a surprising amount to offer a visitor/runner, and the townspeople are behind the effort 100%.
Chuck's 50 & DC Marathons Starting Line UCSC/ACSC | YIA | AHS Class of 1974 Camp Wiregrass | Coral Gables Congregational Church Concerts | Is There Anybody Out There? | Presidential Election 2004 all images and text © chuck bryant
|
