45℉ at 6:00 and high of 67
Sunday, October 16, 2016
We took a bike ride in Acadia National Park for an hour and 15 minutes, came back and showered and went just two miles to Southwest Harbor to catch our friends at the finish line of the marathon. Isaac was shooting for 3:20 and we were late, but we did not find him. Martha checked the desk and he crossed the half at 1 hour 45, so he was right on schedule. We were getting worried as we waited, but at 4:03 he came across. He was tired and said it was tough. We walked to pick up his race bag, then went back to look for Diego and Andrea. It was Andrea’s first marathon, though she has done half marathons. She came smiling across the finish at 4:20. She said, “There was no pain!” So happy to have finished and to still be fresh, she was dancing and smiling! Everyone else crossing was cramped up, limping and looking quite tired. Diego came across at 4:54. He said he walked some and enjoyed the scenery, but the hills and wind got him a bit. Although the first half of the marathon was without cars, the last seven miles there was normal traffic, and the running lane was narrow. There are only 1500 runners and most of those are half marathons or 10K, so they can’t stop all the traffic on a very busy island for so long. We wondered why they didn’t run through the park more.
There were a lot of people around the finish line, cheering runners along. It was cool to hear the announcer call our friends names saying they came all the way from Mexico City. After a little rest and some drinks, our guys recovered well. There were a number of bands that played, and I thought they were all good. Walking down the street, we went into “Quietside Cafe” for lunch. Lobster rolls, crab rolls, fish sandwiches, clam chowder and blueberry pies were enjoyed by all. This is a happening place where the owner, Francis, talked to every customer, especially locals she knew well, hugging everyone. The food was excellent and so was the hand dipped ice cream.
I was surprised at these marathoners as we then walked the streets of Southwest Harbor and into the neighborhoods, then the 2 miles back to the truck. They had walked all day yesterday in Bar Harbor, ran a marathon and now we were still walking! But they all gave a big sigh of relief when they sat down in the truck and drove back over to Bar Harbor.