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May 29, 2006
Madison: The Quick Version
I'm back from Madison - a little dehydrated and sunburned, but otherwise alive and well.It was not a good day for a marathon - sunny, humid, and temperatures that got over 90 degrees. I wasn't handling the heat well at all, and was on pace for a finish time somewhere around 6 hours.
Unfortunately, I'll never know how long it would have taken me to finish the race. When I got to mile 21, I was told the medical director was shutting the course down. I could wait at the mile marker for my ride, or I could keep going to the next aid station, about a half-mile away. I decided to wait at the aid station, since I could at least have some water and Gatorade there while I waited.
My very first DNF.
I'll have a full report later, once I organize my thoughts a bit more. For now, I'm just disappointed and glad to be home.
Posted by Dawn at May 29, 2006 12:13 PM
Comments
I was hoping you made it to the finish before they shut things down. It really sucks you didn't get a chance to make it to the end.
Posted by: Jay T at May 29, 2006 01:21 PM
ack! well...nothing you could to against conditions like that, dawn. both the weather and the decision to shut the course down were out of your control.
i wouldn't look at it as a dnf, though, since you didn't stop until they shut down the race. the course organizers dnf'ed, not you.
Posted by: jeff at May 29, 2006 01:33 PM
I had my first DNF last October and understand some of what you must feel now. You made it farther than I did before concluding it was time to stop. 20 miles is nothing to sniff about. And you likely did the right thing by dropping out instead of pressing forth and doing some serious damage under those grueling conditions.
Posted by: Anne at May 29, 2006 02:57 PM
It was an incredibly difficult day out there and you gave an incredible effort to continue as far as you did. As Jeff pointed out you didn't DNF. The race was canceled before completion. There is a difference. I know that given the chance you would have completed the race. As for the sunburn. Wear it as a badge of honor. You earned it. Now keep drinking fluids and rehydrate yourself.
Posted by: marathonmike at May 29, 2006 03:46 PM
I just checked in here to see how you did - I thought of you all this weekend when the weather got so crazy. That sucks, really, but damn, it was hot. I'm impressed you were able to get as far as you did before the shutdown. Seriously, seriously impressed. Way to go!
Posted by: SpaceCase at May 29, 2006 05:32 PM
That's too bad about the marathon -- but I'm glad that you exited the race intact. :)
Posted by: Erin at May 30, 2006 11:14 AM
Wow, I'm so sorry to hear about how this turned out Dawn - I can imagine how frustrating it must be! But, like previously mentioned, it was out of your control. Great effort and I hope you can get rested up soon!
Posted by: Heath at May 30, 2006 12:04 PM
I thought of you on race day--and hoped that the Midwest was a little cooler than the East coast. The weather was brutal. It is an accomplishment that you persevered and went that far.
Posted by: ShoreTurtle at May 30, 2006 01:48 PM
So sorry about the awful conditions, Dawnie! You did the best you could and that is what you should focus on. You still continue to inspire!
Posted by: Simba's Mom at May 30, 2006 05:30 PM