Report From Casino Niagara

I did the Casino Niagara on October 21. Having grown up in Buffalo, I was juiced about running across the Peace Bridge to Canada, a trip I've made countless times by car. Canada Customs and Immigration decided, however, that because of heightened security concerns the race would have to start in Fort Erie, at least for this year. So - bummer - but understandable.

Yes, it cost $9 USD to park in the garage adjacent to the Sheraton Falls where pickup was, but now that I'm familiar with the layout I'd park a few blocks away for free. And the goodie bags weren't great, but the long sleeved tshirts are, the finishers medals are cool and I got a lapel pin to replace the Burlington which I got last year, so I was generally happy.

For me it wasn't a particularly dramatic race, though it was "fun". It began to rain about 15 minutes before the start so we were cold and wet to begin. At about mile 6 or 7 the rain stopped, and I thought "great now we'll just have the tailwind." The rain stopped because a cold front was moving down from the northwest so we had a stiff headwind the rest of the way. I did 4:05 and change. My goal was closer to 3:30 but I enjoyed the weekend and the experience so I'm content.

After it was over I didn't swear "never again" but rather "maybe the Napa Valley in 2003".

-- Michael Kingston

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