Pace bitch duties



This past weekend I helped pace my good friend Beth Yakes through half of The Nike 26.2 in San Francisco. The race, a marathon for women to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, ran through (and up and down) the streets of San Francisco. Starting on the Great Highway--running parallel to the Pacific Ocean--around 7 am, the race winded its way through Richmond along Camino del Mar, north along Baker Beach towards the Golden Gate Bridge, through Presidio Park south towards Golden Gate Park, west through Golden Gate Park, and finally ended along the Great Highway.

Beth and I completed the 13.1 mile course in 2:44 (2 hours ,44 minutes) or about a 12:30 mile pace. Pretty good considering Beth had (a) been sick all of September and (b) not trained at all for the race. Beth really pushed herself to the limits to finish the race, overcoming abdominal, knee, and toe pain. The presence of the pace bitch (also known as the mouth that never stopped talking who wore the bright yellow coat) didn't hurt.

The race was a lot of fun thanks in part to the great weather, amazing views of the bay, and good company. Nike did a wonderful job of organizing and running the race; the course was well laid out, marked, and officiated. Beth also received some neat parting gifts for finishing the race. I'd recommend it to anyone who plans to be in the Bay area in October next year.



Posted: Sun - October 24, 2004 at 09:32 PM        

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