![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
Triathlon Training 39: Bataan Memorial Death March
Mar. 30th, 2009 | 10:10 am
Well, I ran a mile on Saturday and my knee didn't hurt any more than it would have from walking a mile so I decided to give Bataan a try.
We showed up at White Sands Missile range at 4:30 and sat around shivering in the dark till the race started at 7:00. I ran up till the split, maintaining a 10 minute per mile pace. And then I hit the sand. At mile ~8 for us 15 milers and mile ~21 for the full marathoners there is a long hill that it covered in deep loose sand. Everyone I know gave up on running it pretty fast. After the sand it took me a little while to get my knee moving quickly again but I maintained a system of running 20 minutes and walking 5 for the remainder of the course. The finish line snuck up on me and I crossed it at 2 hours 59 minutes 17 seconds. This was the farthest I've ever run by a sizable amount.
I was favoring my uninjured knee during the run so now they're both pretty sore. Good thing I have a few weeks to let it rest before nationals...
Bataan is a challenging and rewarding race. It will be helpful for any runners considering this (either for the half or the full) to bear in mind that it's not really a race*. It's a march. There will be thousands of people walking the course in large groups and as a runner, you will probably be frustrated about having to find creative ways to pass people for the first 5 miles or so. There often won't be space on the path to pass people. The prerace might also be frustrating. You will have to get onto base ridiculously early in the morning to avoid long lines at the check point. Then you will have to stand around in the cold for hours till the sun comes up and the race begins. However, this race is organized and supported in a way that only the military could pull off. There are neat lines to get everything you need form people who know what they're doing. There are water tables everywhere along the course (offering water, gatorade and sometimes goodies like fruit and trail mix) complete with latriens and frequently medical personel. There are even people (armed people) zipping along the course on atvs to take care of anything that might occure in between the water tables. The course is difficult (including the 7 mile hill and the sandtrap for the full course) but I can honestly say that shaking the hands of the little old men who survived the real Bataan Death March as you cross the finish line is much more meaningful because of it.
We showed up at White Sands Missile range at 4:30 and sat around shivering in the dark till the race started at 7:00. I ran up till the split, maintaining a 10 minute per mile pace. And then I hit the sand. At mile ~8 for us 15 milers and mile ~21 for the full marathoners there is a long hill that it covered in deep loose sand. Everyone I know gave up on running it pretty fast. After the sand it took me a little while to get my knee moving quickly again but I maintained a system of running 20 minutes and walking 5 for the remainder of the course. The finish line snuck up on me and I crossed it at 2 hours 59 minutes 17 seconds. This was the farthest I've ever run by a sizable amount.
I was favoring my uninjured knee during the run so now they're both pretty sore. Good thing I have a few weeks to let it rest before nationals...
Bataan is a challenging and rewarding race. It will be helpful for any runners considering this (either for the half or the full) to bear in mind that it's not really a race*. It's a march. There will be thousands of people walking the course in large groups and as a runner, you will probably be frustrated about having to find creative ways to pass people for the first 5 miles or so. There often won't be space on the path to pass people. The prerace might also be frustrating. You will have to get onto base ridiculously early in the morning to avoid long lines at the check point. Then you will have to stand around in the cold for hours till the sun comes up and the race begins. However, this race is organized and supported in a way that only the military could pull off. There are neat lines to get everything you need form people who know what they're doing. There are water tables everywhere along the course (offering water, gatorade and sometimes goodies like fruit and trail mix) complete with latriens and frequently medical personel. There are even people (armed people) zipping along the course on atvs to take care of anything that might occure in between the water tables. The course is difficult (including the 7 mile hill and the sandtrap for the full course) but I can honestly say that shaking the hands of the little old men who survived the real Bataan Death March as you cross the finish line is much more meaningful because of it.