Iheya Island Moonlight Marathon 2009

We can now officially claim that we have run a marathon! We had some major set backs but overall it was awesome and the island was beautiful and we are glad we did it. We’re also glad it’s done! For my journalling sake I’ll start at the beginning and tell you about our first marathon experience. I know this is more detail than you want but here it is:

In order to find a marathon on a Saturday we had to pick one that was on Halloween. Kind of a bummer to miss out on being with the kids but they were good sports about it and we have amazing friends who pitched in to help out with them. So on Satuday, Oct. 31st we woke up at 5:00am, showered, dressed and got the kids ready and dropped them off at various friends houses to spend the day and night. We picked up the other two guys running with us and headed up the island to the northern most port. Fortunately, we found it okay (all the signs are in Japanese when you get real rural) and we got the tickets we needed (it’s always stressful when you can’t read any of the signs and you just have to hope that when the only thing you can read on the ticket are the numbers 9:00 it means you have the tickets for the 9:00 boat...) Luckily we did, we boarded the boat and set off on our journey! It was pretty windy and rainy and before long the boat was rocking like crazy and I was really sea sick. I curled up in my chair with head between my knees and just prayed that I wouldn’t throw up...I didn’t, and 1 1/2 hours later we made it to Iheya Island.


Iheya Island (pronounced Eehaya) has only 1500 people living on it. There were an extra 1700 coming for the race. It is very rural and very pretty. We came into the port there and after some confusion we found someone who spoke english and they directed us to the gym where we planned to sleep and to the race check in station. We paid for our spot on the gym floor and laid out our sleeping bags. It was wall to wall people by the time everyone arrived. We checked in, admired our race shirts and found our names in the booklet. They are the only names written in english!
Then we sat down for the lunch we packed. I was still a touch queasy from the boat and getting nervous so lunch didn’t sit quite right but I figured that was normal and we did our best. We had a few hours to kill so I took short nap on our floor, Tom wandered around checking things out and then we prepped for the race. Packed our bags, debated about whether to wear sunglasses or hats, etc. Then we went out to stretch, feeling excited and happy. Most of the other racers participated in this big group stretching exercise, you can see them behind us in the picture. Tom took some sports beans and offered me some but the marathon bar we had eaten an hour before (like we did on our practice runs) was still sitting in my stomach so I declined not thinking much of it. Then it was finally time!

As we lined up it started to rain and we just laughed because it had been hot and sunny a few minutes before. But the rain didn’t last long and soon the starting gun went off! We raced down the road full of excitement! First we went down a long country road and then turned and went through a mountain with big trees, gorgeous, and opened onto the coast and ran along the beach before heading inland again and up and around another mountain. We felt great and were enjoying ourselves. I was in 2nd place for the women and so excited. One of our friend's wives came and she took pictures for us. She caught us at about the mile 5 water stop.

I was delighted because my knee felt good, I had a band wrapped around it that was working because we were already 10 miles into the run and still felt great! My stomach still hurt but I commented to Tom that at least I could run with a stomach ache, unlike knee pain! We ascended a pretty steep hill and got some water at the top. Shortly after the mile 12 water stop my stomach clamped up and I realized I was going throw up. My stomach had been hurting for so long I kind of welcomed the idea thinking maybe then I would feel better. Fortunately, the runners were all spread out and it was just green forest on all sides of us so I ducked into the trees and threw up. Feeling slightly better I caught up to Tom and we kept going.
We managed to keep our pace for the next few miles and then stopped at another water station. I grabbed water and an orange and within seconds of consuming it I was on the ground again throwing it up. I was discouraged but we’d already come 15 miles and the rest of my body was feeling great. We were running on a mountain side along the coast, it was a beautiful view and the wind was pushing against our backs helping us up the hills. Tom was fantastic and so supportive and just kept telling me I could do it and I tried to remain positive. We were still on pace to finish in under 4 hours so we kept going. I tried taking some Power Gels and water and just threw it all up before I could even get past the place where you were supposed to throw your empty cups. Tom continued to be amazing and would walk with me when I needed to clear my head and then let me set pace as I got grounded enough to run some more. I will spare you the details about the bathroom stops but they were interesting since there we NO bathrooms the entire 26 miles and you know what happens when you are sick to your stomach...thank goodness for rural terrain and no other runners nearby us! It's a good thing I couldn't read this sign because I just discovered it says "Beware of Habu" and was all along the race course...I guess I was lucky I didn't see any when I jumped off the road...
You might think I was crazy at this point, and I was, I was delirious thinking two things: I had worked so hard to get here with the training, babysitters, travel, etc. that I wasn’t going home a failure. And the second thought: There is no way I am walking all the way to the finish line, that would take forever and just prolong the agony, I just wanted to go home and lie down! Running was the fastest way to get there! So on we ran...here is one of the views we saw (we didn't take this picture but had seen it online and were excited when we saw it on the course!)

At one point we got to a turn around where the people doing the half marathon turned around and headed back but the marathoners had to go across a bridge and run around another little island. This was right at mile 20. I was getting really drained by this point and trying to ignore the voice in my head telling me I had nothing in my stomach and the thought of going around the island was overwhelming. Tom was great and convinced me I could do it and that it was just like part of our training course and would be easy. I believed him and off we went, across the bridge and around the island. By this point it was getting pretty dark. It was a lot of uphill and we were starting to die waiting for the sign to say turn around and go back the other way... I was wondering if it would ever come! Up, up, up, we went and finally we made it to the turn around and headed down. We ran threw another water stop and I got some water and instantly threw it up. We started crossing the bridge again to go back and started to throw up again. At this point I realized that I was so light headed and dizzy I couldn’t keep running. I also knew that if Tom went ahead he could finish the last 4 miles and get under 4:10 (the new goal we had set when I started to get sick.) It took some coaxing because he wanted to finish together, we were a team and had trained together, but I wanted him to go to prove to ourselves that we could do it and that if I hadn’t gotten sick we would have been able to meet our goal. So I said I love you and sent him on his way. Within minutes I was throwing up off the side of the bridge. Here is a map of the island, you can see the narrow bridge leading to the smaller island.
Tom was fantastic and despite the set back of having to walk with me so much, and waiting for me on my many road side stops he was able to muster up the strength to go strong and steady for the last 4 miles. He just pushed ahead and made it back to the finish line in 4:09!!!! I am positive that had he not waited for me he would have finished in under 4 hours! I am soooooo glad he did wait for me though because I wouldn’t have had the strength or encouragement I needed to keep going and I can’t imagine trying to do it all alone when I felt so rotten. I wouldn’t have made it without him. He got me close enough to the end that I knew I could do it from there. He was amazing.

In reality, my last fours miles were miserable but I tried to enjoy myself. I knew I was close enough that I could feasibly walk all the way back if I had to. I was sooooooooooooo thirsty that I couldn’t pass up the water stops, that were now more frequent, even though I knew I couldn’t keep the water down. I made a system of taking two waters at each stop. Getting a few yards away, drinking the first water which I would instantly throw up. I’d stumble a few more feet, throw up again and then begin to walk. I’d sip the other water for a while as I went down the road. Then I’d get to another water stop and do it all over again. This happened about 6 times in the last few miles. I jogged a bit here and there just to try to get done sooner but I was so light headed and dizzy that I couldn’t keep it up long. I didn't want to pass out and hit my head or something crazy, I knew it wasn't worth that. I literally had NOTHING left in my body to rely on for energy stores. Looking back it’s all a bit ridiculous but I just wanted to finish. I figured I would just do what I had to in order to get it done. I figured I could finish miserable or I could just finish so I made a point of trying to enjoy myself. It was really dark by this point but I could see the waves crashing in the moonlight and it was really pretty. They had one long stretch all lit with little blue lights on the side of the road, it was a real magical feel. At this point I had matched up with the half marathon runners, many of whom were actually walking, so I had the camaraderie of it feeling like a race again. It was a slow, long last few miles but wasn’t terrible (ignoring the throwing up part which was now just part of my routine.) It started pouring rain and I just laughed and put on my sun glasses wishing I had worn my hat instead since the glasses didn’t help and it was totally dark outside! Here is a daylight picture of the stretch of the last few miles. You can imagine how it would look under the moonlight.
As I neared the finish line I could see Tom and he got me motivated to run again and was able to run along the sideline as I crossed the finish line. I finished in 4:40, not my goal but all things considered I am pretty proud of it. I love this shot because if you look on the side line you can see Tom in this picture! I am trying not be discouraged that we didn't get to finish together and didn't get the time we wanted. I just keep reminding myself that running a marathon is pretty hard, and running a marathon with something like the stomach flu is pretty amazing. I know we were trained well enough and my mind, body and muscles were able to carry me through it despite the huge set back. I don’t know what caused the stomach ache. I continued to feel sick through out the night and the next day and am still nauseas today. However, I would expect to feel that way after the ordeal I went through. I would say that running the marathon caused the throwing up but my stomach was hurting before we started and I am positive I can run 12 miles without needing to throw up so that’s not it. It could have been from being seasick and then nervous from the race...things got stirred up in my gut, I don’t know. One of my friends and her kids spent the weekend battling the stomach flu so maybe I had it as well. But it’s over, we did it and finished!
After the race I just laid down on the wet grass and Tom took great care of me. He got me a bowl of soba (japanese noodles) and some water. I managed to choke some down and then didn’t move until I was sure it was staying there. It was about 8:00 at night, the race started at 3. We went back into the gym, changed our clothes and I crashed on my sleeping bag. My stomach was still aching but I was starving and spent the rest of the night trying to sleep and eat and deal with the pain. The other runners were enjoying a party with a huge band, dancers, etc. Things didn’t get quiet until about 2am and even then the people “sleeping” next to us weren’t sleeping and stayed up most of the night talking and playing games. Pretty long, miserable night to say the least. Here we are sleeping after the marathon...

We caught the first ferry out the next morning and made it home safe and sound. Shortly there after the kids returned from church, with reports of great trick or treating and tons of fun. Our friends were awesome and it seems the kids did really well and had a great time. What a blessing that was. We had lunch, made everyone take a nap and then spent most of the day laying around on the couch.
So there you have it... our first marathon experience. I wish so much that I hadn’t gotten sick and it could have just been a nice positive experience. But what can you do? At least I have a horribly gross story to tell... thank goodness it was raining to clean up the mess...So, we made the most of it and all around it was still great. Tom is an amazing athlete who truly saved the whole experience and I know I gave it my all and pulled through at the end. In my book, we won! Here are our certificates of completion! We also got a medal!



P.S. If you think we look funny in our big headbands I dare you to try running in this kind of humidity without the sweat running in your eyes! That was the best thing about running in Utah this summer, I would go to wipe the sweat from my forehead and didn't end up soaked!