Siouxland Lewis and Clark Marathon Official Website

Rich W.
Sioux City, IA

  (10-23-2009)

"The Siouxland Lewis & Clark Marathon begins at the Marinna Inn and Conference Center in South Sioux City, Nebraska, it progresses over the Missouri River into Sioux City, Iowa, veering within the width of the Big Sioux River from South Dakota, heads north of town through Stone State Park, and then winds back into the downtown area where it ends on Sioux City's Historic Fourth Street. The 2009 race took place on Saturday, October 17th, with the main start time at eight for marathoners and relay racers, at seven o'clock for those marathoners expecting to take longer than five hours to complete the course, and at eight-thirty from the halfway point for those competing in the half marathon.

At start time, the temperature was a brisk and merciful forty degrees. There was a ridge of clouds to the west that promised to clear, and only a slight breeze. Perfect conditions for my first marathon. We crowded onto the start area. I had read that there were more than eight hundred runners signed up for the various events. Those finishing included 170 marathoners, 279 half marathoners, and 46 five-person relay teams. After a brief opening ceremony, during which most of us were flexing our knees and rubbing our arms to stay warm, we raced off across the Start Line, where our individual starting times were electronically recorded.

Considering the number of hills that make up most of the Sioux City area, the 26.2 mile course is surprisingly flat. The first five and a half miles were run in Nebraska, through Scenic Park and down along a running trail to the first checkpoint, at about the two-and-a-half mile mark. At the checkpoint we reversed direction. It was as I approached the checkpoint that I could see the leaders coming back toward me. Most of them would maintain that early pace, but there were a few that I would eventually catch up to and pass. On my way back, as the trail skirted behind the soccer fields and edged the river, I looked across the water toward Sioux City's downtown buildings and then up at the wing of white clouds to the west contrasting with the blue sky above and thought how lucky I was to be running there at that moment.

When we ran back, just across the parking lot from the start line, there was a crowd waiting to cheer each runner on. Then it was up and over the Veterans Memorial Bridge, where we crossed the Missouri River into Iowa, and then wound back down onto Sioux City's riverfront trail.

Water stations were plentiful all along the course, never more than a couple of miles apart, each staffed by cheerful and encouraging volunteers, some offering orange slices or bananas or trail mix. Every turn along the course was well marked, and at the trickier ones someone was there to point out the right path. I would guess that at least ten miles of the course were along running trails or through parks. Where we had to run in the street, there were orange cones dividing us from the oncoming cars. At every crossing point, there was a friendly police officer stopping traffic until the runners had cleared. I can only imagine what an effort it must have been to organize all this along a 26.2 mile route. Race director Steve Uhl and all of the volunteers and sponsors should be commended.

The first real hill of the course began at the eleven mile mark and progressed up War Eagle Drive. I didn't mind that climb, because I knew that my co-workers from Great West Casualty were hosting the water station at the top, and I would have run hard toward their cheers regardless of how rough I might have felt. But I had run many miles of hills during my training, so this one was easy. The only climb I really dreaded was the one at Stone State Park. I'd run it once during a long workout. It was a relentless climb with hardly a break for about a mile and a half.

But first came the halfway point at Kirk Hansen Park at the bottom of West 19th Street. I went through that checkpoint and then headed off to Highway 12, which was a very gradual incline heading north along the Big Sioux River. The cones were fairly tight to the muddy road shoulder there, and some of the cars whipped by a little too close for comfort. I gathered my strength then, because at the end of this stretch was the park and the hill.

When the race was over, my sister-in-law, who'd followed me around the course giving me encouragement, along with my wife and oldest son, my daughter-in-law, and my grandson, asked what I thought about during that long run. My brain wasn't functioning well enough to answer her then. Now, looking back, I thought a lot about my pace, hoping I hadn't started too fast or too slow. I thought, for a mile or two, about the toenail on my right foot that was digging into the toe beside it. I thought about the killer hill at Stone Park. I thought about how I didn't want to quit running, regardless, because I didn't want to let my family down. I came up with silly chants that I repeated to myself to help me maintain my pace. The chant that seemed to fit my stride early was "Twenty-Six-Point-Two," which I strode over and over to. Toward the end, when I found I had enough fuel left in my tank to sprint, I chanted "Let's-Go-Hawks."

As I approached Stone Park, I saw a lot of cars stopped along the road just outside the entrance. This must have been an exchange point for the relay teams. There was a big crowd, and I can't tell you how it lifted my spirits when people yelled out my bib number and told me I was looking good.

The route through the park was different than the one I had practiced. It was actually a little easier, I thought. Quite a few runners were walking up the tougher stretches. Since I'd never run this way, I didn't have a good feeling for when the hills would end. So I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, mostly with my head down so as not to see how much farther I had to go. My family was waiting at the top. My son told me later that several runners had inquired whether this was the end or if there were more hills. He assured them, as he did me, that we were in for a nice downhill break.

I exited the park at the seventeen mile mark. I knew the hard part was behind me. I followed Memorial Drive and then Stone Park Blvd. for the next four miles. Then there was a loop through the Country Club area and then back until I reached the Perry Creek Bike Path. The bike path is about two and a half miles long. I was glad I'd run it before, because it wasn't as flat as I thought it would be--the path dips down and then back up for access to crossing roads and bridges. When I reached the twenty-five-mile marker, I knew I was going to make it. That's when I gradually picked up my pace, and I pretty much went all out the last half mile.

It was really cool making the turn onto Historic Fourth Street and seeing the Finish Line banner span over the crowd that was lined up to cheer each runner on to the end. I heard them announce my name and where I was from, and then I saw my son with his video camera recording my last hundred yards.

This is the only marathon race I've ever run, so I can't compare the Siouxland Lewis & Clark Marathon's course to any other venue. All I can say is that I was thoroughly satisfied with the experience, and most thankful to the hundreds of volunteers and sponsors that made it possible."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009