2004 Dallas White Rock Marathon Report
The Dallas White Rock Marathon has to be one of my favorite
marathons. Must be why this was my 4th time to Run the Rock. It is
well-organized, scenic, with lots of crowd support. For me, it is a great way to
end the marathon season! The added excitement began for me on Saturday 12/4 when
the Dallas Morning News contacted me to do an article on my proposed barefoot
marathon the following Sunday. The article ran on Friday 12/10 and, in my
opinion, was a positive piece of work by Debbie Fetterman regarding the benefits
of barefoot running. Thanks Debbie!
(See
ARTICLE.)
Saturday 12/11, I was contacted by Lisa Ann McCall. She is the barefoot physical
therapist quoted in the article. She said that the NBC affiliate wanted to
interview us before the race. I agreed to meet her the next morning at 7:30 a.m.
Pre-race, I did a short interview with Channel 5 and then lined up for the
start. It was going to heat up rather quickly to 74 degrees later in the day,
but the start was about 47. The F-18 flyover was fantastic during the
Star-spangled banner.
The first 10 miles of the course was well-supported with throngs of
well-wishers. It was fun greeting them as I kept about a 9 minute pace. Lot's of
the usual comments like "Where's your shoes? Doesn't that hurt? etc. I got to
talk to several folks along the way about barefoot running, which is always
nice.
The only really "barefoot unfriendly" portion of the course was a mile stretch
about mile 13. It was broken asphalt which was gravel-laden in various parts.
At about mile 21, Lisa McCall joined me, running barefoot of course! She ran
with me to very near the finish line and then bailed out. (It's always good to
have more than one barefooter in a field of 10,000 to add legitimacy to what
you're doing!) It was great seeing my mom and brother cheering me on at the
finish line!
Not a barefoot PR, but it was my second fastest barefoot marathon:
(SEE STATS)
Chip Time - 4:01:46.2
Gun Time - 4:03:15.9
I was in my pickup at 12:30, starting my 8 hour drive back to Kansas City.
Arrived home about 8:30 and hit the sack shortly after. It was a long, but
fulfilling day!