The Hardest Race of My Life - The Oklahoma City Marathon 2014

The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon was started to honor those 168 souls that were lost in the bombing on April 19th 1995. Over 600 others were wounded on that fateful day as well. I had trained and trained for this particular race and with this being my 3rd marathon my goal was to run 3 hours and 20 minutes and if I felt particularly good I would try to qualify for the Boston Marathon. At my age at that time I would have needed a time of 3 hours and 5 minutes. None of this was to be. Before the race even began the problems started and before it was all over it would take every ounce of effort and will power I could summon just to simply finish the race.

We woke up that morning in Oklahoma City around 4:30AM with the race starting at 6:30AM it was wise not to eat a big breakfast. Plus with all the nerves involved it was difficult enough to finish the banana and protein bar that was to be among the only solid nutrients I ingested for 10 hours. My wife, who was pregnant with our first child at the time, was checking to make sure I had every thing I would need for the race and helping me with last minute checks. I got dressed, the last thing I put on were my shoes that I had written some motivation on the night before. I wrote “Lenora Sansbury” on my left shoe and I wrote “Solomon Sansbury” on my right shoe. I applied vaseline to absolutely everywhere that could or would chaff but as with the nutrients I undershot BY A LONG WAY.

We met my dad and brother in the hallway and headed downstairs to catch a bus to the start line. Lenora drove there in the rental car to see us off at the start. Things were progressing well, we got there and got sorted out and were all ready to go. It was 6:20 at this point and the anxiety in my stomach was reaching the peak of the crescendo when the problems hit us. All of the 20,000 runners were informed that the race was going to be postponed 30 minutes because of impending thunderstorms. Great! More waiting…As far as running a marathon goes 30 minutes of a delay is just enough time to do absolutely nothing. Then finally 6:50 rolls around, time to get ready again. And then it happened again. Another 30 minute delay. Just enough time to do NOTHING with. So with nothing else to do we waited. Stomach growling at this point, worried that we didn’t eat enough to carry us through the 26.2 miles that lay ahead. After waiting an hour at this point 7:20 rolls around and all this waiting without even a drop of rain we get the most horrid announcement yet. The race is postponed indefinitely….What does that even mean???

The race association assured us the race would be run that morning after the weather cleared. As of yet we hadn’t seen any weather. We didn’t know what to do. We didn’t bring anything with us besides our IDs, we had no resources, a pregnant wife who needs to eat, and 3 runners who need to find some sort of sustenance or we are going to be in real trouble. We all sat down under a parking garage nearby and didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t take it anymore. I went looking, for what I didn’t know but I went looking all the same. After a few blocks I saw a line of runners standing outside a church waiting to go in. With no other options I got in line. Once inside I realized I had stumbled upon just about the only bright spot of the whole day. A volunteer church group making pancakes and sausage links for the runners of the race! I graciously accepted a plate and told them every thank you in the book, knowing I was going to return to our group a hero! Now between 4 people a plate of 7 little pancakes and 4 sausage links doesn’t go very far but in the situation we now found ourselves in it was pretty good. As it happens I think my dad, brother and me ate 2 of the pancakes each and my wife ate the rest, she was eating for 2 after all.

In the time I had been gone we had gotten some solid intel that come Hell or High Water the race would begin at 8:20. One hour and fifty minutes after the original start time. At 8 O’clock guess what finally arrived? The weather. It poured and poured and poured! The bottom just fell out for 10 minutes. Feeling somewhat vindicated that the delay wasn’t for nothing we now had a fresh problem. The rain stopped at 8:10 and the race was set to start 10 minutes later. We started the race in a SAUNA. After last second good lucks and I love you’s between me and Lenora she could tell in my eyes it was going to be a tough race. She knew if she didn’t see me by 3 hours and 30 minutes that she should start worrying.

At 8:20 on the nose we set out on a race that would leave us all changed forever. I ran with my brother for about a mile through the sweat inducing steam coming off the road until I saw what I was looking for. Most big marathons have runners they hire to be “pacers” these are folks who are there to run very specific times and if you want to run one of those times you just stick with the group. When running a marathon you find strength in the group, going solo is just about the last thing you want. About the time we were running in front of the Oklahoma City Thunder Stadium I found the group I wanted to run with. I also noticed at this time 2 helicopters hovering over the leaders of the race, I distinctly remember thinking to myself “man this race is a Big deal!”

Other than the sweating for the first few miles things were progressing well, the problem with the sweating early is that you start depleting your body’s resources at a faster rate. We had about 15-20 people in our group (the 3 hours and 20 minutes group). The most interesting thing that happened those first 10 miles was that I noticed a guy in our group had a sign on his back that said “In remembrance of John Smith” (I don’t actually remember the name). I decided to ask…Who is John Smith? He then explained to me that the name on his back was the name of his father and that his father was murdered in the Bombing. I couldn’t believe someone in our group was a son of one of the lost souls. I gave him my condolences and told him his father would be proud of him. He said thanks and we kept on running. He didn’t seem interested in a conversation about his lost father with a stranger so I didn’t press the matter. The race took on a different meaning at that point for me because I was about to be a father myself. And we will just leave it at that. I was proud to run beside that gentleman for the small amount of time we had.

At mile 10 another development happened that took the race from tough to VERY tough. One of the big reasons they start marathons early is to get done before it gets too warm. But when you delay the start by 2 hours the stage is set for a hot day. So at mile 10 the storm clouds parted and the sun came out! The sun brought with it a promise of sunburn and much higher temperatures. Which in turn means more sweating which inevitably means a depletion of your body’s reserves. Think of your body during a marathon like a car and it’s resources the gas. The harder the strain the more fuel consumption. When the sun came out the temperature rapidly rose to the mid 80’s that day with no clouds in sight. I still held onto a hope I could continue with the group and run a good time. What a child’s dream that turned out to be…

After the sun came out it was only 3 miles later until the straw that broke the camel’s back was placed on our group. At the fabled half way point 13.1 miles we made a very sharp turn to the left around this man made lake, that had a lighthouse for some reason. Then as soon as we turned we all got punched in the face with a 20+ Mile per hour wind. And that wind would continue to be in our faces the entire rest of the way. Imagine running 13 miles on no food, 80-85 degree heat and 20 mph wind right in your face with 13 more miles to go. The only thing holding us together was the group and our group leader. Well So much for that!!! About a mile later the guy hired by the race association to pace our group QUIT! He just said guys I can’t do it and stopped running right where he was. We were all stunned. There was maybe 12 of us left at this point and we fell apart like wet tissue paper after that.

Shortly afterwards around mile 16 I realized I had to slow down or I wouldn’t be able to finish. I said goodbye to the time of 3:20. All throughout the race there were water/gatorade stops every 2 miles. It is VITAL to marathoners to drink up during these stops. Well just to add insult to injury they did not have Gatorade until the mile 16 rest stop. Which was a very welcome change from water but I soon realized that the damage was done. I had already used up too much gas in my tank. At mile 21 after ceding more and more time from my overall race time the culmination of all these problems hit. I had to stop dead in my tracks with a hamstring cramp. I no more had started stretching it then my quadricep started cramping at the same time. The back and front of my right leg was now tighter than a snare drum. These are the same cramps that take football players out of the game. The biggest problem is you have to stretch a cramp to get it to go away but with both sides cramping it was impossible. I did the only thing I could do and just started hobbling down the road trying not to think about the 5 miles I had left to go.

The cramps graciously went away but the fatigue was worse than ever so at mile 23 I had to stop and walk but the second I broke stride the cramps came back! This time with a VENGEANCE! It hurt so bad, and there was nothing I could do about it. I tried to hobble but it was just everything I could do not to fall down. I was at the end of my hope. It was blazing hot, the wind was unreal, the leader we had depended on had long since quit, my body was spent, my gas tank empty, my leg so tight that tears of pain were now streaming down my face, and all this with 3 miles left to go. I had long since said goodbye to any kind of good race time. I knew at this point it would take a miracle just to finish. It seemed like an eternity but I just stood there in agony for probably about a minute or so until I remembered my shoes…The names on the side of my shoes! I just said out loud “Lenora” “Solomon” “Lenora” “Solomon” and then I gritted my teeth and started hobbling again.

After a little while the cramps finally went away, the pain and fatigue remained but the cramps mercifully were gone. I knew after what just happened that IF I was going to finish I could not walk another step or the cramps would return and I didn’t think I could take a 3rd round when the 2nd round brought me to tears. And that’s how it went. Mile 23…”Lenora” “Solomon” “Lenora” “Solomon” Mile 24…”Lenora” “Solomon” During this time yet another problem developed. My legs were too weak to move me fast enough to get above a walk so I now had to vigorously pump my arms. Not flaying like an idiot but it definitely was an intense effort. Which in turn brought about the worst chaffing I have ever experienced in my life. Under both arms about an inch and a half wide and nine inches long I had rubbed RAW!

I didn’t care anymore. I would do anything to finish. I just kept moving…”Lenora” “Solomon” and then finally it happened the course made a right turn and you could see the finish line! Oh, what a glorious sight! Unfortunately it was still about 1/2 a mile away but by God you could see it! I kept on and kept on through all the pain and when I had about 100 yards left to go I heard my name! I looked over and there was my brother, he had run the 1/2 marathon and finished before me. I kept on and then about 20 feet later the sweetest sight my sore eyes could have asked for. The very person I had been chanting out loud for the past 3 miles. There she was cheering me on! Looking very relieved! Because at this time I was 23 minutes past my goal time but it didn’t matter anymore. The pain was coming to an end. I raised my hands skyward as I crossed the finish line!

Although I didn’t reach any of my time goals I knew after that race that was going to go down as the toughest thing I have ever done or will ever do. Sometimes just finishing is all the accomplishment you need. Because finishing that race took everything I had and more! I had to dig deeper than deep to finish that race. Thank God it was over. I was given a shirt and a medal for finishing and a nice big warm hug from Lenora. After that I found a shade tree and collapsed under it for a while. The rest as they say is history.