After training for 6 months, I ran my first Marathon. The Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon in Deadwood, South Dakota. It was a proud day for me. What made it the best was Dennis. My loving hubby was at every possible aid station cheering me on, and it was really awesome. At times, I was really feeling the race and having mental problems, but knowing he was there really kept my spirits up.
Deadwood, South Dakota is a wonderful little town nestled among the mountains. It has a lot of grit and is an old miner town. The marathon event was planned to a tee and the community really makes racers feel welcome! There were aid stations every few miles with bananas, apples, m&ms, pretzels, and bagels pieces. There was also goo, electrolyte drink, and lots of cool water.
For a carb load up, the night before, I would recommend eating at Roma’s Ristorante. It’s about 20 minutes drive from Deadwood, but it’s worth the drive!
The biggest challenge with this marathon was at mile 9, I had an encounter with a very mean woman from Texas. She accused me of drafting off of her. We were running uphill with very little/no wind at probably a 9.5 min/mile pace. In other words we were both going…slow! How assinine!