TRIP REPORT
St Kitts
May 10 – 13/13
Race Results:
Sun, May 12/13
Basseterre, St Kitts
St Kitts Marathon
5:27:39
Marathon # 361
- Country # 116
Where to start? It has been more than 8 months since my
last marathon and race report. When I concluded that report I wasn’t sure if I
would ever run another marathon. The 2-month sabbatical that I planned to take
after the last marathon turned out to be more than 5 months as health issues
worsened. The auto immune disease (Ulcerative Colitis) continued to flare up
and an aggressive treatment of biologic and toxic meds couldn’t force it into
remission. I started suffering fatigue and shortness of breath again in the
fall and to be cautious that the UC wasn’t the sole cause I visited my cardiologist
and was not surprised to learn that my heart was back in A-fib again. After two
cardioversions to jump start the heart back into rhythm failed the
cardiologists decided that I needed an ablation procedure to try to prevent the
heart from going into arrhythmia. I had an ablation on Dec 26 and 2 weeks later
another cardioversion was necessary to get the heart back into rhythm. I became
despondent because I was going backwards in health and conditioning. After the
ablation I couldn’t run 500 ft without collapsing from fatigue and shortness of
breath. Several cardiologists warned me that I COULD NOT and SHOULD NOT run
another marathon. The UC still wasn’t responding to the meds so the GI doc increased
the dosage and added another toxic drug to suppress the immune system to try to
force the UC into remission.
I took another rest or sabbatical in Jan to let the heart
have more time to recover. When I finally started to run again in Feb I could
only run ¼ mile before collapsing from fatigue. I was determined to train
slowly and wisely and in a few weeks I was able to run 1 mile before I would
have to walk. Friends had informed me of
a new/inaugural marathon in St Kitts in May and I wanted to run it but I had to
be able to run at least 16 miles without walking before I would commit to
running the race. By early March I had
built my long run up to 10 miles without walking but that seemed to be my
limit. If I tried to go further I would have to walk after 10 miles and I would
become totally fatigued by the end of the run. When I still couldn’t run beyond
10 miles in early April I was about to give up on the idea/dream of running St
Kitts but I reached a significant breakthrough. I was able to run 12 miles
without walking or collapsing from fatigue. I built my long run up to 18 miles
with a combination of run/walk and had enough confidence to register for the St
Kitts Marathon. A second breakthrough came at the end of April when suddenly I was
able to run 15 miles – and then 18 miles without walking. I felt confident that
I could complete a marathon! By the time I left for St Kitts the UC was close
to being in remission and it was the best I had felt in more than 8 months!
I arrived in Basseterre late Fri night and explored the
island on Sat. I hired a taxi/tour guide for a ½ day tour of the island. We
drove the marathon course during the tour and the half-marathon loop was very
hilly with 5 BAHs ( Bad Ass Hills) which meant running them two times. By 8am
the heat was brutal and by noon it was torturous! Originally the race was
scheduled to start at 6:30 am but thankfully the race director had moved the
start up to 5:30 am. I figured it would take me 5 to 5 ½ hours so that meant I
would be in the HOT sun for at least 3 hours!
The island is not very big and can easily be toured in ½
day. We stopped at the cruise terminal in Basseterre to shop for my mandatory
souvenirs: a souvenir teaspoon, a silver charm for the SM’s charm bracelet and
postcards. I think I set a shopping record by finding everything within 15
minutes – in one shop! We then drove around the island with stops at an old
sugar mill in the rain forest (where it was cooler), a 45-min self-guided audio
tour of The Brimstone Hill Fortress (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Black
Rocks – black volcanic rocks from a lava flow into the Atlantic Ocean, and a
few scenic spots overlooking the beaches and ocean. The only thing left to do
was a hike up MT Liamuiga (3,792 ft) but that will have to wait for another
trip. Unless you are a beach person there is not a lot to see or do on St
Kitts. I was completely bored after two days!
On Sat afternoon I met up with four friends and fellow
members from the Country Club (an informal club of runners who have completed a
marathon in a minimum of 30 countries) at packet pickup. There were only 12
runners registered in the marathon and five of them were CC members. There were
a total of 60 runners in three races. The CC members got together for a pasta
dinner and we met at 5 am in the lobby to walk to the start line. It was
already HOT (78F) and HUMID (84%). Two of the CC members, Yen and Peter from
Houston typically run 5 to 5 ½ hours so I figured we would run most of the race
together and that turned out to be the case. When we reached the first BAH at 2
miles I tried to run it but quickly decided that since there was going to be a
lot of walking in the race I might as well start right then. Peter, Yen & I
stayed close to each other which helped because the course was on narrow roads
with no shoulders and no traffic control.
Water stations were located every 5 Km so I carried a water bottle/belt
with me that I refilled at every station and I also poured a bottle of water on
my body since I was already overheated by the time we reached the first water
station. I walked up each BAH and ran down the descent. We finished the 1st
loop and reached the Half in 2:29:17. The heat and sun were brutal and I
advised Peter & Yen that we would be lucky to finish the 2nd
loop in 3 hrs to break 5:30. The next 10 km was the worst section of the race!
The sun was beating down on our backs and I felt like my back was on fire. I
struggled to run 1 min and walk 1 min before my body would overheat and shut
down. We reached the water station at 20 miles together in 3:51:43. While I was
pouring cold water over my head and body in a futile effort to cool down Yen
took off and I could never catch her during the final 10K. There was a slight
headwind that helped a wee bit and I was able to increase my cycle to run 3 min
and walk 1 min on the section that bypassed the airport. But after I passed the
airport the heat got to me and I struggled to run 1 min and walk 1 min. In the
final mile I had to suck it up and increase the cycle back to run 3 min and
walk 1 min in order to break 5:30. I had expected the race to be ugly and HOT and
it exceeded my expectations!
After I crossed the finish line I could not cool down and
I developed a severe headache due to the heat (heat stroke?) so I walked
straight back to the hotel for a COLD shower. It took a few hours for my body
to cool down and the headache to go away but finally I was able to venture back
outside for some greasy food and a cold beer. I joined Brent & Sue (from
WY) for a lovely celebration dinner.
I was happy to leave early Mon morning and escape that
brutal heat. Although I am disappointed with my time & performance – a PW
(Personal Worst) for a road marathon, I am pleased that I was able to overcome
my health issues and run a marathon again. And I continued my streak of running a marathon for 31 consecutive years and kept my World Record intact for completing a marathon in every country in N America. Now I am pondering the idea of
running a marathon on a flat course with COOL weather to really see what kind
of shape I am in and if I can break 5 hours?
Stay tuned!
