Petra Does Vegas

Wanderers' own Petra Kretchman recently competed in the Las Vegas Marathon. The following is her report:

On the morning of the marathon, runners met at the Luxor Hotel and were bussed to the starting line outside of the city. Competitors waited in the buses until 20 minutes before the start because it was rather cold outside. In the start area, I picked up some stones for Mike as I promised (he needs the stones for his "lucky bowl").

The course itself was not spectacular. The race was held on a closed road near a highway. I could hear the traffic throughout the entire race. I was disappointed by this because I thought the course would lead the runners through the lonely desert. The first few miles were easy (in comparison to the later miles). They featured some rolling hills. After the 8 mile mark, we came to the part everyone was looking forward to, the downhill to Las Vegas. We were all wrong by thinking it would be easier!!!!

When the descent began, a nasty wind was blowing and running became exhausting. I began murmuring, complaining and thinking of quitting the race and never running a race again. Then I remembered that Susan threatened to beat me with a stick when I returned home if I quit the race. Karen added that I should think during the race that she and Susan are running next to me and hitting me with a whip! This is the way the women’s team encourage their members. I was scared to come back with the message that I stopped or quit the race. Susan also told me to think positive which helped me later when I hit "the wall." Moreover, I was positive I would be able to finish since my online-coach gave me running instructions and she has always given me good guidance [the powerful women’s team helped me to get through this!].

Here and there people were on the course cheering and there were some bands playing music. After running straight for miles on the same road, we made our way through smaller streets for a few miles until the finish, which was in a public park. The last 3 miles were great. The wind was coming from behind and it felt easy to run. I was able to run at a good pace in this part of the race, and Susan's invisible stick helped me finish the race. I completed the course in a time of 4:26 and finished in the middle of the field (78 out of 138 women, 1298 out of 2208 overall). I failed to jump at the finish line for a good finisher photo (as Susan instructed me) as I was busy passing a MAN.

Overall, the race was well organized. One highlight of the race was seeing the red-golden rocks when the sun was rising. It looked beautiful.

For two days I had problems with walking, but I am feeling okay again and I am really enjoying having my legs back! I no longer have to wait in the middle of the pedestrian-crossing as I could not cross the entire street in time. I don’t have to use the disabled ramp as I can use the steps now. I also can now get up out of a chair without thinking about how to do it!

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