The competitors, who numbered in the thousands, pretty much said it
all about the 1998 CVS Cleveland Marathon (formerly known as the
Revco Cleveland Marathon, but corporate buyouts affect more than
balance sheets). At four miles, one runner wearing a Walkman
groaned, "I'm suing TDK; my damn tape jammed." At thirteen miles, on
a tree-lined, neighborhood road, a runner responded to the claps of
two spectators with, "Thanks. Could you go wake up the people and
ask them to cheer, too?" At twenty-four miles, another participant
observed, "What an ugly place," as she passed through a couple of
miles of industrial buildings, highway access roads, and debris.
Finally, and perhaps most insightful, TCLA member Dave Afshartous,
after finishing the mainly flat course, proclaimed simply, "Mother of
God."
Yes, it was one of those days, culminating a fun-filled weekend in
the town overlooking grim Lake Erie. The temperature hovered in the
50's to 60's, the clouds ruled the heavens, and a light fog ruled the
earth. Friday night, the TCLA support team (including Craig Jaquith,
an honorary member residing in nearby Columbus) arrived and deftly
procured tickets to the 265th consecutive sold-out Cleveland Indians
game. The tickets were for seats located four rows from the top of
the Jake, but the TCLA'ers did not travel thousands of miles to watch
what appeared to be white ants scurry across a green lawn.
Accordingly, other arrangements were made, and the TCLA'ers enjoyed
six innings from four rows directly behind the visitor's dugout.
Saturday, the TCLA support team hooked up with their charges, Dave Afshartous
and Dermot Fitzpatrick (currently training in the Boston area). To
inspire the boys (and keep them off their feet), they all attended
the matinee showing of "He Got Game." It was then on to the invited
runners meeting. Yes, thanks to many hours of working the phones and
faxes, we arranged to get Dave and Dermot seeded numbers. The crowd
at the meeting resembled a United Nations delegation (though these
delegates looked somewhat thinner than those you see on CNN), and
they eyed each other warily while listening to the race director
prattle on. That night, a fine pasta dinner at Rascal's (one of
Cleveland finer eating establishments if you seek beer, pizza,
pinball, and tobacco in one place) prepared the boys for the long
road ahead.
The logistics for Sunday seemed ideal. The TCLA crew was staying at
the Comfort Inn located at the very corner of the race start.
Unaccounted for, however, was the 4:00 a.m. testing of the p.a.
system. Accordingly, the day started a few hours earlier than
planned to the tune of Queen?s "We Will Rock You," and the booming
mantra, "Test. One, two, three, four. Steve, can you hear me?"
Once underway, the race proceeded as planned for the first half. In
the second half, Dave learned the hard way that the corollary to the
axiom, "If you wait until you are thirsty to drink, you waited too
long," is "If you wait until you are out of energy to eat, you
waited to long." Passing on PowerGel packets at earlier
checkpoints, Dave hit the proverbial wall at 22 miles, but finished
with a p.r. of 2:44:36. Dermot, who has run a 2:35 marathon,
followed shortly after in 2:49:30. Given the humidity, these
efforts are more than commendable, and if Dave ever forgets about
the pain and misery, he just might try this distance again.
