Just finished up the 2014 Adirondack marathon in upstate NY! It was my 49th state and 73th lifetime marathon/ultra. Race morning was 09/28/2014. First time traveling up to upstate NY, Niagara Falls, Lake Placid, and the entire Adirondack experience. What better way to end this 50 states marathon journey than to experience the Adirondacks than to run 26.2 miles! The Adirondack marathon starts and finishes in Shroon Lake, a small energetic town in the heart of the Adirondacks. A friend and fellow marathoner & 50 states marathon finisher 2x was pacing the full marathon and recommended this race to me for the state of NY. It was either this one or the Wineglass marathon, but thankful that I chose this one to do. While it was a challenging and hilly course, it was a one to remember and a great way to end this 50 states marathon journey from Hawaii.
The Adirondack marathon has been in existence for quite a few years now and it continues to grow and attract runners from across the country. I spoke to the race director, Joel, and as it turned out, I was the first finisher at this event from Hawaii, so it was a big deal to them to draw someone from Hawaii to this race. The race features the full marathon, which circles Shroon Lake in its entirety, the half marathon, and a marathon relay on Sunday. They also had a 5K and a 10K on Saturday, which benefited local charities. Half of the marathon was not even close to the water' sedge at Schroon Lake, but the course was all road and the challenging spots was basically in the 1st half and I wasn't lied to. Miles 4 and 10 were particularly challenging. They were moderately short hills, but sharper inclines to make it challenging when you had a good chunk of the race still to cover. I am glad that other fiends of mine told me that it was a tough course and I took comfort in that it wasn't just me.
The expo and packet pick up was held at the Shroon Lake central school gymnasium. Possibly a high school, but I don't really know. I was surprised that it was as big of an expo as it was. There was a few running clothes vendors, as well as running shoe vendors as well. What I particularly liked was the small town vibe that welcomed me to the area and to the race. I guess my marathoner friend have me some behind the scenes press since they haven't had someone from Hawaii enter the race field yet. The race was challenging and very beautiful at the same time. You don't run into the actual lake side views till mile 10, but only glimpses of it and not a full frontal view. It made me sad a bit that I was running alongside the water, but only trees and private residences obstructed my view. At mile 17-18, we ran through a religious school campus - Word of Life - before returning on US-9 back into the town of Shroon Lake.
Temperatures that day was a cool 50 degrees and foggy at 7am, but quickly reached into the mid 80's at 10:30am, which made things more difficult than previously thought. This small marathon brought out the best in small town marathons and I would consider running this one again, if my schedule were to agree with. Crowd support was minimal, which was okay. It was just an experience just couldn't be categorized or labeled. It has to be embraced and lived. So grateful to be here in the Adirondacks and run this beautiful race. Too bad it had to warm up the way that it did, but a well organized race with a small town flavor. The finish line festival was nice. Right along Shroon Lake, where you can dip your tired feet in the lake! The food spread was pretty good, but I just wanted to get my fill of the area and how wonderful it was just to finish another freaking marathon!
I am almost done! I can taste the final finish line (of the 1st circuit). ;)
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