Illinois was definitely an experience. The race took place within a giant corn maze. Before the race I climbed up the three story observation tower to check out the course and watch the starting runners. Because the rows were no more than two bodies wide, there wasn’t a group start, instead a runner started every 5 seconds. We had to submit our average time before the race so that we could be lined up in order of our relative speed. Consequently I didn’t get started for almost an hour after the first runner started. Hell, I watched the first runners finish and still hadn’t started!The weather couldn’t have been better, a bit on the chilly side but by the time my number was called it was fine to run in shorts and a t-shirt. I confess to being a bit nervous about this run as I’ve heard so many stories about kids getting lost in corn fields and not being found for days. I could just imagine that happening to me so when I started I tired to keep the lady who started right in front on me in my sight. It worked for a while but then she took off to catch up with her kids. Fortunately the course was well marked and I did pass a few other people along the way. But I did realize how easy it would be to get lost in a corn field. I thought that I’d always be able to see the observation tower but the stalks were too high on most of the route. The only way I had any sense of direction was the location of the sun.
The craziest part about this is that I ran a PR – 29:22! Craig of course immediately jumped to the conclusion that the course was short! I have to say it doesn’t make sense to me either as I had not been running very much before the race and with all those turns to slow me down……… But hey, it’s in the record books! My first mile was 8:43!
Check out the Jordanian bagpiper and me in Jarash, Jordan! Who would have thought I'd find a bagpiper in Jordan!!
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