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FLRC Newsletter - Nov 2003 |
| Quads City Marathon Moline, Illinois State 40 and DC Completed | |
On Thursday, September 25 my husband Larry and I flew to Moline, Illinois so I could run in the sixth annual Quad Cities Marathon. Larry had requested to accompany me on this marathon. The reason for this request was to see the John Deere Museum located in Moline.
Our sight seeing included a trip to Grand Detour where John Deere settled and developed the steel plow before moving to Moline. When we returned to Moline our first stop was at the Deere and Company Administrative Center where they had past and present Deere products plus a collage depicting American agriculture. From there we made our way to the John Deere Collector Center where we met Mary our guide for the center. She was also a volunteer for the marathon and filled me in on several details of the marathon.
Larry spent hours in the John Deere Pavilion in Moline. The Pavilion is a huge glass enclosed building which showcases vintage and modern day John Deere equipment. Fortunately this building was located directly across from our hotel and it was also the start finish line for the marathon. So he was able to spend the whole time waiting for me during the marathon in the Pavilion.
The town revolves around John Deere. When we went to the continental breakfast the shelves were lined with John Deere equipment models. There was also the John Deere Restaurant, John Deere Medical Center and John Deere Credit Union to name just a few other places in Moline.
Saturday was our day to look over the marathon course. Due to road construction we could not get onto a bridge but on marathon day the ramp was opened plus the walkway across the bridge. When we approached Arsenal Island in Rock Island we were turned away due to tight security. The area would only be opened to marathoners on marathon day.
The marathon start and finished in Illinois but we would run in 2 states and through 4 cities. The packet pickup and Expo was held in Iowa at the Isle of Capri, a big gambling area. At the Expo the 50 State and DC Club had a booth and we met the director of the club and his wife. Saturday afternoon in Illinois the marathoners were treated to a free ride on a Riverboat on the Mississippi River if you showed your bib number. The ride was very scenic as the Captain pointed out highlights of the area. Immediately after the Riverboat Ride we headed to Iowa again for the prerace pasta dinner. Todd Williams, 2-time Olympian was the keynote speaker for the evening giving a very motivational speech for all the runners.
Marathon day came with excellent temperatures for running starting in the 40's and warming to the 50's for the finish. The only downfall for the day would be the 25 mph winds.
The race course took us across the Great Mississippi four times on four different bridges. Many of the miles would be along side the picturesque Mississippi River on bike and running trails. With the winds many of the local residents were out on the river with their sailboats adding to the view. It was very interesting to run on Arsenal Island and see the living quarters built for the military officers during the Civil War and are still in use for present day officers. Bands played, choirs sang and cheerleaders cheered for the marathons all along the course. I was given the bib number 100 and told spectators along the way that my number matched my age. They would then look, laugh and tell me I looked great for my age and would probably win my age group.
The last five miles were the most difficult with the 25 mph headwind. It was a struggle to get to the finish line but a happy ending with a time of 4:17:11. This placed me third in my age group.
To celebrate another marathon in another state we were invited out by the 50 State and DC director to dinner along with other 50 State Runners at the marathon. It was a great evening discussing all of our marathon adventures.
My marathon schedule calls for a marathon a month now through January. Next month we will be traveling to Indianapolis, Indiana.
Happy Running,
Ruthie
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