Dickson wrote:
Hi, all. I've just scanned through this thread pretty quick - so, apologize if I overlook any previous comments.
First, Leif definitely ran the full course, and it wasn't short. I see in my own results that the athlink splits have been adjusted - I think, actually, they are still a little fast (I was 4th... and I'm pretty sure I was more like 5 pace, low 6 last 5k... I'm not very good at the 20s, as hard as I try...) but certainly they are closer to reality than they were before. Also, I'm a tangent person and my GPS had 26.5, so course was definitely right on.
To put it simply, the first 16 miles of this course are fast if you have a good temp, which we've had last two years I've run it, but the last 8 are really tough due to punishing oceans winds. On top of that, you get up on the boardwalk, which this year was slick from rain.
As far as I can tell no one has ever won this race in under 2:28. Thus I was surprised when, while prepping this year, a buddy of mine in graduate school at Princeton shared some interesting intel that Leif, a running club teammate of his, was actually going to go for the men’s trials B standard. Leif, I found out, was not a post collegiate sub elite dreamer, but about to graduate college. He was a good high school runner in Idaho who has competed for the college club team and, as others have noted, has some decent results - though nothing trials worthy - and has never run a half let alone a full.
My initial reaction, I’ll admit, was a little dismissive, though I was impressed by his training: he had done a marathon training run in 2:32, a 20 miler averaging 5:23, and numerous similar efforts. His training was specific, at least. Still, it was hard to question how much of a race-day bump he would get— or, for that matter, to ignore the voice in me saying he would inevitably experience the humility of the marathon, as everyone is always talking about. Generally the consensus view is to run your first more conservatively - to learn and experience it, right? I’m sure if he had developed in the traditional college system, he would have been talked out of this somehow. Instead, this kid showed up on a 50 degree overcast drizzly day, shirtless, with a bib attached to the back of long shorts, and just went out and hammered like he had been doing around Princeton in recent months ...
He slowed last 10k (the wind was really whipping) but still debuted, at 22, with a 2:23. I talked to him for a couple minutes after, congratulated him, told him he can definitely hit the standard on a faster course when he’s not running alone. I suggested he go to CIM, to which he responded, "Whats' that?"
I think this kid is just trying to get to graduation in early June at this point.
It just goes to show: what do you really gain from learning how hard the marathon is? Confidence and believing in yourself are so important. He refused to let negative thoughts get into his head and went out to try and build on what he had been doing in training.
[other notes on men's race... kudos to Tyler Lyons for coming back after a 2:35 at Boston to run an even split PR of 2:28:58 for second. He pulled away after halfway with a lot of confidence. And Stu Haynes, a master, came back on me and totally rolled me the last 10k. We had a big chase back for a lot of the race, and it was a really fun day to be out there competing -- for no prize money -- on the jersey shore.]