Virginia Watson's Staging Area

5 Lessons Learned from the Hatfield McCoy Marathon (#8)

5. #5. This marathon is listed as number five on the most extreme Marathon list. Due to the elevation and the extreme weather. We went from heavy rains to mist, 78° to 91°, 100% plus humidity, overcast to full sun, slick roads, flash flood warnings, muddy trails, and everything in between. And MOUNTAINS.

4. Volunteers at Water stops make a difference. The people. The encouragement. The water, Gatorade, orange slices, watermelon, shots of Coke, cookies, pixie sticks, sunscreen. Especially after conquering an extreme obstacle such as an elevation up, elevation down, muddy paths, rickety wooden suspension bridge, to name a few. These volunteers at the water stops made a difference.

3. MOUNTAINS are not hills. Hill running, even the Jack and Jill downhill, is flat compared to this race. One of my friends looked at the mountain on the elevation chart and thought I had jumped off a cliff! Nothing prepared me for the uncontrolled run down the steep side. Visions of Tour de France bike riders ran through my head as I ran down it. Bubba, that is what his shirt said his name was, told me to “tuck and roll, you won’t break nothin” as I ran past him. Tuck and roll.

2. I like double half’s. With my sole sisters. The first half I ran for me. My time and my ability. The second half I ran with them. There is nothing like crossing the finish line, too tired to hold hands, and cross together with the folks who I trained with, strategized with, spent hours solving world problems with (lots of talking on long runs). That feeling? Indescribable.

1. The number one thing I learned is: I am a tourist with running shoes. I stopped for selfie’s with mini horses. I got disappointed when it was too muddy to participate in the stolen pig rally ( I mean don’t pigs equal mud?) I stopped to breathe in fresh air among the forest at the top of a mountain. I waved to folks sitting on their porch, watching the parade running by. One day I may run a marathon for time but today is not that day.

Well I run this race again? Absolutely NO. Not a half, not a full, not again. I am glad that I conquered this race. It became more about the mental than physical and in my book, I won. I would go back to Sherpa and sit at a water stop to give back to this incredible community. A community that appreciates the runner.