The last letter ended with three late summer ½ marathons. The next race would be Steamtown marathon on Columbus day weekend. After 12 years I could have prewritten this race story, however during the Summer Steamtown officials decided to address problems that never existed. The committee decided to surprise the adaptive class with a harshly worded strict set of rules. Rule one would demand we start at the start line. WHERE ELSE WOULD WE START. The rules got more bizarre and confusing as they went on.
Below is the meat in the middle of the race directors rant.
• Applicants will be subject to proof of qualifications.
• Participants must report what type of equipment they will be using and verify the equipment is in good working order.
• Division participants are required to start at the designated Official start line.
• Participants must adhere to the posted speed limit or 25 MPH, whichever is lower, on specific locations on the course or they will be removed from the event.
• Participants must finish at the finish line by 11: OO AM. Anyone arriving after 11:00 AM, will exit before the finish line.
Because these rules were not posted at the time you registered, we will provide a full refund to anyone who is not able to abide by them.
I the full page list of rules I lost count of the words, “must, will, disqualified, and removed from the course.”
I found this e-mail from Steamtown disturbing or in better words “it pissed me off.” Number one is they didn’t contact me before they added these rules. (that certainly sounds arrogant doesn’t it). For a dozen years, I have been the go-to person when it came to adaptive racing at Steamtown. I know the directors well, and they have used my expertise of the course by referring questions and contact information of first-time racers.
I would eventually learn that the rules were a sloppy cut and paste from the Pittsburgh Marathon website. Pittsburgh is a race that has been trying to eliminate the adaptive class.
I took particular offense to the general wording of the document that portrayed the adaptive class as crazed idiots with no concern for the safety of ourselves the spectators or other runners. I couldn’t believe this is what the race director learned from watching the adaptive class from the lead car for the last dozen years.
My response to the race directors and the rules committee did not show anger but asked them to answer some questions.
I wanted to know who on the Steamtown committee was capable of inspecting Handcycles and doing background checks? I asked the race director if he was also going to put a 3-hour time limit on the runners?
I ended the letter by stating that if they felt I disrespected The Steamtown Marathon in any way that they should return my registration fee and I would stay home.
The answer I received was to blame others on the committee.
Since my registration money wasn’t returned, I drove up to Scranton to pick-up my registration. The race director didn’t apologize but did say they were reviewing the adaptive class rules.
The next morning my 4 am alarm went off on a dead still humid 70-degree morning. In other words, my kind of weather compared to a normal 30-degree starting line temperature. My trip to Scranton included rain but by the time I arrived downtown the sky had cleared on a starlit very warm morning. I locked the raingear in the truck and headed for the transportation area.
I met up with my bicycle escort at van loading area. We have been together for six years, and with my ability to carry on a conversation while racing we know each other well. As a physical therapist, he was also incensed that Steamtown officials would insert such a childish set of rules. He also discussed the new rules with Steamtown race officials.
During the 45 minute trip to the start line, the rain returned with a vengeance. Arriving at Forrest City the rain was still coming down hard. The great thing about the Steamtown race is a School that can hold all the racers inside. The Adaptive class and our handcycles would be escorted to a room to wait for the start.
My first concern is always the race and respect for the concerns of the race committee. That said I do have enough sense and experience to complete this race safely. I have known Bruce, (the other Handcyclist the room)long enough to know that he wouldn’t be quitting the race. I also knew Bruce was thinking of how he could use being washed into the river to his advantage.
As we approached Go Time, the rain slowed up and the other two handcycles also decided to race. The stories of gloom and doom turned out to be just stories.
A handcycle in the rain has it’s little quirks like no brakes and the steady stream of water from the front wheel hitting you in the face. I backed off on the 40 mph downhill, however even the mile of mulch was navigable. By the time we hit the Carbondale city limits the rain had moved on. It was warm wet and a good day to race. Let’s say it was 40 degrees and raining I would have taken advantage of the ride back to my truck.
short video link
Registration for the 2018 Steamtown Marathon is open however I am not going to rush to sign up. After the race, I sent a note to the race director. I asked to be included in any discussion on rules or safety concerns. Still waiting for a response.
The following Saturday I would find another new Airport Runway race at ABE. Another rainny warm day. It looks like in 2018 I will have six opportunities to race on working airport runways.
The Saturday after ABE airport I would race at Lancaster Airport in the morning before heading off to a PVA Handcycle Criterium in Gettysburg that afternoon.
My highlight of the Criterium was winning a premium or a race within the race. Even though I was lap’s behind the leaders. I won a $20.00 premium by passing two other racers in a one-lap sprint. The next morning is the Gettysburg ½ marathon.
My highlight of the Criterium was winning a premium or a race within the race. Even though I was lap’s behind the leaders. I won a $20.00 premium by passing two other racers in a one-lap sprint. The next morning is the Gettysburg ½ marathon.
As the racing season winds down it would be four weeks after Gettysburg until the Philly distance weekend in mid-November.
Philly was a good plan poorly executed.
The forecast was for a similar windstorm as the 2016 Philly Marathon. Having a 40 MPH headwind on the 7-mile leg between the Art Museum and Manayunk would be doable if the same tailwinds would push me back to Rocky’s stature and the finish line. However, that is not what happens along the eastern canyon wall of the Schuylkill River. Maybe the word canyon in southeast Pa is the wrong word. However, any winds out of the northwest accelerate and swirl along the steep river bank. During the 2016 Marathon, the visibility was reduced by leaf and trash tornadoes. With still some fatigue from the Saturday, the decision to skip the Marathon was a good one.
While I like to finish up the season in an early December race in Palm Beach I had too many projects at work that needed my attention.
2017 would be another year when training and racing time was limited by work. However anytime I need to clear my mind I find stress relief out on the road. I am working to scale back business activities and hope to transform a business that won’t slow down into a hobby by the time I turn 65 in 2020.
While I am not a fan of winter road racing, I continue to race and train when weather and road conditions warrant. My April May distance schedule isn’t set as some regular races have switched dates. What I do know that on May 6th I will be among a good sized group of Push-Rim racers, lined up in front of 40,000 runners for the 10 mile Broad Street Run in Philly.
