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Dick Harris, from Albuquerque, NM
(3/13/2002)
"A chance to help honor the vets with your effort." (about: 2001)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The reveille ceremony honoring the 'Battling Bastards', especially those who have passed away the past year, and the presence of survivors at aid stations and finish area, make this well worth the extra effort and slow time of a course with a several-mile stretch of steady uphill and two miles of deep sand. Lots of military teams and walkers' divisions, so it doesn't feel as slow as it is. Don't miss this chance to help honor the veterans while there are still significant numbers alive. | |
A Runner from New Jersey
(3/5/2002)
"Amazing race. Diffferent from any other Marathon." (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 In order to get to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, I flew to El Paso, TX. From there I drove for one and one-half hours through the desert to White Sands. I got there just in time to pick up my race packet and since there were no motels nearby, I 'camped out' in the gym at White Sands. Although there must have been at least 300 people sleeping there, I was one of the few civilians. On Sunday I was up by 4:00 a.m. to have breakfast, get myself ready and get to the start by 5:45. To avoid the blisters that I had been warned about, I made sure to apply plenty of Vaseline to my feet. The military personnel who were running the race were all wearing their 'marching' uniforms (long pants, long shirts and boots) and several carried 35 lb. packs. The race started at 6:30. Since I was concerned about the difficulty of the course as well as the altitude (between 4100 and 5300 feet) and the heat (it would be in the 80's) I decided that I would walk the entire race. Most everyone else started out much faster than me, but by the sixth mile, many of them had slowed down. My plan was to maintain a constant speed for the entire race, and for the last 20 miles, I passed hundreds of other runners and walkers and very few of them were able to pass me. So as not to get dehydrated, I drank two cups each of water and Gatorade at each of the 15 aid stations. The UV Index was 9, so I applied sunscreen several times in order to avoid a serious sunburn. It turned out that the course was actually very nice, with a good mix of soft dirt roads and asphalt. Even the 'sand pit' section was no more difficult than running at the beach. The altitude and heat did not affect me, the hills were really not that bad and the scenery was amazing. I still walked the whole way, but managed to finish in under six hours (around 5:49:43), with no ill effects, whatsoever. It was lucky that I was done by 12:30 p.m. and able to avoid the worst heat of the day. I heard later that many of those still out on the course after me were having difficulty with the heat and ended up being treated for dehydration. | |
Eliot W. Collins from New Jersey
(2/14/2002)
"Amazing race. Diffferent from any other Marathon." (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 In order to get to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, I flew to El Paso, TX. From there I drove for one and one-half hours through the desert to White Sands. I got there just in time to pick up my race packet and since there were no motels nearby, I 'camped out' in the gym at White Sands. Although there must have been at least 300 people sleeping there, I was one of the few civilians. On Sunday I was up by 4:00 a.m. to have breakfast, get myself ready and get to the start by 5:45. To avoid the blisters that I had been warned about, I made sure to apply plenty of Vaseline to my feet. The military personnel were all wearing their 'marching' uniforms (long pants, long shirts and boots) and several carried 35 lb. packs. The race started at 6:30. Since I was concerned about the difficulty of the course as well as the altitude (between 4100 and 5300 feet) and the heat (it would be in the 80's) I decided that I would walk the entire race. Most everyone else started out much faster than me, but by the sixth mile, many of them had slowed down. My plan was to maintain a constant speed for the entire race, and for the last 20 miles, I passed hundreds of other runners and walkers and very few of them were able to pass me. So as not to get dehydrated, I drank two cups each of water and Gatorade at each of the 15 aid stations. The UV Index was 9, so I applied sunscreen several times in order to avoid a serious sunburn. It turned out that the course was actually very nice, with a good mix of soft dirt roads and asphalt. Even the 'sand pit' section was no more difficult than running at the beach. The altitude and heat did not affect me, the hills were really not that bad and the scenery was amazing. I still walked the whole way, but managed to finish in under six hours (around 5:49:43), with no ill effects, whatsoever. It was lucky that I was done by 12:30 p.m. and able to avoid the worst heat of the day. I heard later that many of those still out on the course after me were having difficulty with the heat and ended up being treated for dehydration. |
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