Philadelphia Marathon

On Sunday November 24, I spent 7 hours and 22 minutes in walking conversation with a 72 year old grandma I had never met before. To be accurate, our conversation was longer than that, as it began while we were in line for the porta-potties provided by Prevention magazine for their Walk It! Team attending the Philadelphia Marathon.

I had the pleasure of getting to know Grandma Ann because I am the Marathon Walking coach for Team Prevention. I was at the Philadelphia Marathon with the magazine to answer questions and be part of its support team. Ann was there with her daughter, her niece, and some friends - all of whom were walking in memory of Ann's sister who had succumbed to breast cancer a few years ago.

As part of the Prevention support team I was registered to walk the full marathon and help out where possible. As it turned out walking with Ann seemed to be the right place to be. We were keeping up the pace required by the race organizers to be just ahead of road openings - a 16 minute mile pace. And she was a game marathon player, more than willing to make a mad dash into the bush baring all for a pee party!

We arrived at the half way point of the race (which also happens to be the finish for the half marathon) just as organizers were picking up pylons and moving road barricades. We were told that we were the last two to "make it through".

Within 200 metres we were already confused as to where to go to stay on the marathon route. On the opposite side of the road thousands of runners crammed the race course on its last 100 meters making their way the finish line at the base of “Rocky’s stairs” up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. No one was paying attention to two lonely walkers still heading out to complete the last half of the 26 mile route. I had to pull out my map and ask two police officers sitting in their cruiser if we should turn left or right. After that, I was reaching for my map at regular intervals to ensure we were still on course.

By mile 20, we were in the charming Pennsylvania town of Manyunk and being asked, or should I say instructed, to walk on the sidewalks. This is when our 16-minute/mile pace took a real nose-dive and we had to admit that we were not going to finish in the 7-hour time limit. We knew Prevention staff would still be there to welcome us at the finish but we weren’t guaranteed a medal, a finishers’ certificate, and an official time.

We were feeling good though. The course was following a stunningly beautiful route along the Schuylkill River and the temperature had warmed up from a very chilly start hovering at zero. It was a beautiful day for a walk! At mile 25 there was a crew of 2 (!!) Prevention staff cheering us on. As we rounded that last uphill curve to the base of the Rocky stairs, and what had been the finish line of the Philadelphia Marathon, there were more enthusiastic Prevention staff to greet us. And, thank you, thank you, there were still some medals.

I know Ann was walking the distance that day to complete, not compete, and to do that with an angel on her shoulder, but I wanted her to get that medal – to have that shiny, physical memento of a challenge undertaken and accomplished. Most of all, I wanted her to be wearing it for her grandchildren at the family Thanksgiving dinner a few days later.