Some More of Samoa: Samoa Independence Day Marathon, 2013

On June 8th at 5:00am I and 6 other people started out on a 26-mile/42-kilometer race from Apia to Saoluafata and back. For the first hour and a half of the run it was pitch black out with the glowing Milky Way overhead to light my way. The brisk morning air off the ocean was a comfort that would soon give way to the heat and humidity of the Samoan day. During the dark of the morning a truck that was driving the course to keep track of the runners drove behind me for about 30 minutes to light my way with its headlights. An added bonus was that the driver used the metal beast to scare off the dogs who were hoping to get a taste of my calf muscle as I ran across their territory. The first half of the race went by quickly. The turn-around point of the out-and-back course arrived at the same time as the sun. The second half would be a challenge. I had held second up to that point and ran about 1/2 a mile back before I ran past the 3rd place runner. the rest were spread out over about the next mile or two. I felt good about where I was except for that 3rd place guy. He eventually caught up to me. We walked together sharing our successes and woes so far. After a quick water break and walk he took off ahead of me leaving me in 3rd. I maintained that place for the rest of the race though I ended up having to walk rather large chucks of the last 10 miles. The humidity made it impossible to cool-down as the sweat was unable to evaporate. Luckily, there were regularly positioned water stations and most had sponges that the volunteers soaked in ice water and squeezed onto our necks and shoulder. This would cool me down enough to get another mile or two of running in before walking the remaining distance to the next water station. I even stopped to get a soda at a store at one point to cool down. I ended up crossing the finish line 5 hours 10 minutes and 28 seconds after I started. This is and hour and a half longer than my best marathon time but the climate was one that I wasn't used to even after months of training in-country. I appreciated the sense of accomplishment afterwards and the support of several fellow PCVs and even my school's principal and her husband at the finish line. Two other volunteers ran the half marathon and both did great. Check out the video my prinicipal's husband took of me crossing the finish line