Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon
Seattle, Washington
Saturday, June 27, 2009

I race walked the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon on Saturday, June 27, 2009 in Seattle, Washington. The first year event started at 7:00 AM with clear, completely sunny skies, little wind, and a temperature of 58 degrees that rose to 77 degrees by the time I finished the race. The event drew more than 20000 entries in the marathon and half marathon. There was a wave start with 1.5 to 2 minutes between waves. Each wave had about 700 participants and there were 36 waves. I started in wave 26 which meant I started 43 minutes after the gun went off. Water stations were loacated every 1.5 to 2 miles and were manned by plenty of enthusiastic volunteers. The course was completely closed to traffic and mainly used a HOV section of the interstate and an elevated highway that only had a few access places that police could completely close. The course was somewhat challenging as it had many hills, some of which were long and steep. Music as usual in Rock & Roll marathons were spaced along the entire route. Much of the course was scenic with views of Mount Rainier and much of the waters around Seattle. Some of the early part of the course was somewhat crowded with so many participants. It was a well organized first year event that I enjoyed.

Fort Laramie, Wyoming #15

Fort Laramie, Wyoming #14

Fort Laramie, Wyoming #13

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Fort Laramie, Wyoming #2

Fort Laramie, Wyoming #1

Fort Laramie Bridge over the North Platte River in Wyoming #2

Fort Laramie Bridge over the North Platte River in Wyoming #1

Oregon Trail carved in the rock near Fort Laramie, Wyoming #2

Oregon Trail carved in the rock near Fort Laramie, Wyoming #1

Wyoming Pronghorn Antelope #2

Wyoming Pronghorn Antelope #1

Wyoming Deer

Wyoming Rabbit

Wyoming Flower #2

Wyoming Flower #1

Wyoming Scene #4

Wyoming Scene #3

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Wyoming Scene #1

Fort Casper,Wyoming #11

Fort Casper,Wyoming #10

Fort Casper,Wyoming #9

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Fort Casper,Wyoming #1

National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, Casper, Wyoming #3

National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, Casper, Wyoming #2

National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, Casper, Wyoming #1

Casper, Wyoming #6

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Casper, Wyoming #1

Casper Wyoming Marathon
Casper, Wyoming
Sunday, June 7, 2009

I race walked the Casper Wyoming Marathon in Casper, Wyoming on Sunday, June 7, 2009. It was a cold day as the temperature stayed around 45 degrees with overcast skies and some wind. The course was advertised as flat, but that was not the true facts as there were many short steep hills with one mile long uphill and one steep half mile downhill that lost about 170 feet of elevation. The mile high elevation of Casper did not bother me; however, it did affect many of the competitors. My Marathon Maniac friend, Chuck Engle, won the event in 2:49 which is more than 10 minutes slower than he usually runs marathons. About 7 miles of the marathon was on roads devoid of traffic and the rest was on paved bike paths mostly along the North Platte River. In fact, some of the paths followed the historical Oregon Trail. The event was well organized with plenty of enthusiastic volunteers attending to the water/Powerade stations which were located approximately every two miles. The marathon was small and very friendly, having only 101 finishers. There were almost no spectators as is normal for such a small event. I enjoyed the event and exploring the history of the more than a half million travelers along the Oregon, Mormon, and California Trails as well as the Pony Express.