Another First for the GophersIn the tradition of the Rocky Movies, Ron Moore and Steve Gallow took on the challenge of running 2 marathons in the same year.
Only 6 weeks after completing the Wine Glass Marathon, Ron and Steve traveled to run the Philadelphia Marathon on November 19th.
The weather was perfect for the event that would take the two through the streets of Philly to end at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (The steps that Rocky ran in the first movie). Steve and Ron quickly found that this was no flat course, and was a more difficult route then they had ever run.
Steve's story
After hitting the wall at mile 18 in the Wine Glass Marathon, Steve wanted to run a smart race. He worked hard at properly training, nutrition and rest before the race. On Sunday morning he was ready to start conservativly and come on strong in the end. Although he didn't come on as strong in the end as he hoped, he did not hit the wall. The last few miles took everything he had to complete the course and set a new PR. His total clock time was 4:09:04. He had shaved off almost a minute from his previous best marathon, the Steamtown marathon last year.
In addition to running 2 marathons in the same year, Steve had another first. This year there were 2 stops in the marathon offering beer. Steve decided to try it, and found that this was a welcome addition to the marathon experience. The beer quickly got rid of the terrible after taste from eating the Gu packets.
Ron's story
Ron's stomach was giving him problems before the race. He had many concerns as to what would happen with his stomach. Ron started the race well, and was on track with his outstanding Wine Glass Marathon time, but his stomach began to cramp at mile 9. By mile 22 the cramps were so difficult that he had to walk. Ron had to walk from mile 22 to 25, where he then ran the last quarter mile to finish the run with a 4:25:36.
