South Dakota: 50 & D.C.

	Marathon registrants received a navy long-sleeve shirt. I can rarely wear those comfortably in Miami, so I asked to switch to the green (sea foam?) short sleeve shirt designated for participants in the half marathon

	On my flight to Chicago, I found myself sitting next to Dr. David Satcher. Yep—former Surgeon General David Satcher. Very friendly, very willing to share some ideas on primary care. I knew of no celebrities on my connecting flight to Sioux Falls.
		I arrive in Brookings anxious over a recently emerged nagging ache in my foot and ankle. I worry that it may relate to bone loss as a possible side effect of the hormone therapy for my prostate cancer. Today this anxiety will stalk me on almost literally every step I take. With an average stride of 3 feet, that comes to 46,112 steps. Whole lotta stalkin’ goin’ on.

	I set out at 5:45 a.m. with temps in the mid-30’s, cooler than expected. The first couple of miles take me through downtown (above), an historic residential neighborhood, Sexauer Park, South Dakota State University, and McCrory Gardens. As I make my return on this section along 8th Street I see in the distance the full crowd (marathon, marathon relay, and half marathon) from the 7:00 official start, headed west into m2.
	Mile 5: Obviously the work of subversive radical anarchists

After downtown I turn east again on 5th Street. I pass through Hillcrest Park and continue along Dakota, State (where the lead runner passes me), and Minnesota Streets toward Sunshine Ridge Road. I’ve felt OK so far; I decide to jog. I go not more than a couple of hundred feet before I feel a sudden and distinct twinge of pain in my ankle.

Orange Alert. Initiate Full Worry Mode. Somewhere along the course now, will I suddenly hear a SNAP and then fall to the street with a fracture?

Gonna be a loooong day...

Mile 7: a sculpture of a runner who took a low-carb diet too far. The sign against the pole (too dim to read in this exposure) says "Good luck runners"

This pain may in fact represent a relatively innocuous annoyance, but under the circumstances I prefer to exercise caution, maybe even a bit too much. To optimize my prospects, I decide I’ll simply walk. Period. Not racewalk, not even a particularly vigorous walk. I’ll make as light a footfall as possible, which also calls for a slightly shorter stride (and a correspondingly later finish time). Self-talk and psychobabble can’t prevent a fracture, but I start spouting it off to stabilize my attitude, or at least prevent it from spiraling downward: I’ll make it, I’ll sustain no injury, I’ll cross the finish line and even get home to update my website.

I hope.

		The bike path through Larson Park brings a brief but legitimately respectable hill, arguably a challenge for flatlanders, and steep enough to stand out visibly on this course. Other than this topographical anomaly, the course has several slight grades, most of them hardly noticeable, most of them in the first half.
	Mile 9: I descend from Mount Doom, one of the most treacherous climbs in the east end of South Dakota

Mile 10: Ain't it great? Ya gotta love it. And it does help, at least for
those of us moving slowly enough to see it.
Thanks, kids

Mile 12, north of the 3M plant

Mile 13, heading south, to the east of the 3M plant. I-29 to the left

The bike path goes back west to Medary and begins a series of turns and straight stretches through residential areas. Approaching 20th Street from the southeast, I see other marathoners across the way at the northwest corner of the intersection, turning west during their m21. But I have to turn right. Grrrr. During m17 I notice this patch of dandelions. I’ve seen quite a few of these today. They remind me of Opus and his friends in Bloom County, visiting the meadow to refresh their spirits from the burdens of everyday life. Hajime Nishi (below) catches up to me and we chat for a couple of miles up 17th Avenue and around a counterclockwise quadrangle. He jogs ahead when I stop just before m19 to adjust prosthetic socks again, trying to alleviate my stump pain.

Twelfth Street takes me west over a very lonely and distressed mile. I expend mental energy fending off frustration as I pass m20. I struggle along the bike path, Half Moon Road, and onto the bike path again. It twists and turns for about a mile until I come out on Western. A few more right angles and straight stretches. Another sock change during m24 before I cross Main to Fifth Street.

M25. Just over a mile to go. Before I learned about my cancer and the attendant issues, I’d expected at this point in my 50th state to feel newly invigorated, verging on rabid exuberance.

Instead I'm emotionally burned out.

Back under the railroad trestle. Left on Third. Through downtown, up First Avenue, into the park. As I approach the finish line I give someone my camera to photo me crossing the finish line (when I see the picture, my first impression: Godzilla stomping Tokyo).

Godzilla stomps Tokyo.
HRRAAAAANNKH

I record one of my worst clock times ever on a good paved course. I’d hoped to do better on my final state, but believe me, I'm thankful to have finished without requiring the services of an X-ray technician. 50 & DC—done.

Whew—

man, am I beat.

Time to rest. That sounds good. Yeah.

Rest.

RD Andy Stockholm and all the Prairie Striders working with him have done Brookings proud with this new course. It shows off an attractive hometown. Few communities of this size could come up with anything nearly as nice. All things considered, I give this course four shoes on a five-shoe scale.

The mid-May date: warmer than March and April, not likely as sweltering as June (plus, June now has the Deadwood). Can't guarantee the weather but the date represents the best compromise.

I expect to see the Brookings Marathon growing substantially.

Some 50 & DC aficionados also go for all the Canadian provinces. Others begin a second or third round for the U.S. Me? I don’t think so, for both medical and financial reasons. I hope to continue with three or four a year. I still plan to return to South Dakota for the Deadwood Mickelson Trail on June 6, but I may switch to the half. It all depends. Too many unknowns.

Having reached my goal, I say this now in case I don’t get another chance:

To all the paid and underpaid and unpaid race directors, assistants, and planning committees; civic officials, law enforcement, and security personnel; sponsors and expo vendors; supportive spectators; and certainly countless volunteers who’ve filled cups with water and various replenishment drinks (except Ultima—yechh), processed registrations and mailed results, handled packet pick-up, processed the finish line, removed timing chips from sweaty shoes, maintained websites, and given out fruit or pretzels or bagels or even junky quick-fuel carbs (even Krispy Kremes), and to all those in various settings who’ve shared their encouragement, challenges, suggestions, and kind words—

THANK YOU ALL for helping me make my way across the line.

Enjoy the run.

Please sign my Dreambook 50&DC Guestbook. And read others' comments.

50 & DC Starting Line | Events Completed | Biography | Finish Line

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