I spent most of my weekend like this:

For shame, for shame. I’m not even reading “Runner’s World.” Though, I wasn’t really sitting on the tube, but sort of squatting, so I can totally count this as a lower-body workout, right?  (My God, do I have the ugliest knees on earth, or what?).

So I did not get my long run in, or my short run or…well, any run at all.  Normally, I wouldn’t fret too much about that (folks, seriously….rest days are supremely important), but I just realized the marathon is only 3 weeks away. Oops. How did that sneak up on me so quickly?

Anywhooo…it has not snuck up on the race directors/organizers who’ve been working on this race since, oh…well, since last September.  Here are a few notes about the upcoming Erie Marathon at Presque Isle on Sun., Sept. 16.

Notes on parking, switching races, etc.

Here’s some info the race directors sent out on Aug. 20:

We are one month away from the start of the 39th annual Erie Marathon at Presque Isle.  We currently have about 685 marathon registrations, which are 35 more than the total marathon registrations for last year, and we anticipate another 150 registrants between now and race day – 30% growth.  At this point in time, we have 36 USA states represented along with 80 registrants from our great neighbors to the north: Canada.If you have run with us before, you know we have a beautiful state park to run in, but the biggest drawback is that there is only one two lane road to access the park to get you to your parking area.  You will hear this a few more times from us – come early and don’t get stuck in traffic with the locals whothink it is only going to be a 20 minute commute like a normal day in the park. We anticipate over 2,000 vehicles on race day so you should plan to be at the park entrance, which is approximately 3 miles from the parking lots, no later than 6:00 am for a 7:00 am start.

We have received numerous emails and calls asking about the possibility of switching from the marathon to the half marathon for various reasons.  Most have been due to injuries or just running out of time to properly train, but the best one was a recent conception.  Any and all reasons are good to down-size to the half if that is what it takes to keep you in the race.  So if you find yourself needing/wanting to down-size, you simply need to send us an email ( Eriemara@yahoo.com ) with your name from the email address you listed on your registration and we will get you switched over to the half.   The switch will be done free of charge if done by September 1st.  Changes after September 1st will need to be made at packet pick up where there will be an administrative charge of $10 that will be payable at that time.

Good luck with the last few weeks of training.

Jan and Mike

More volunteers needed

If you don’t plan on going the distance (26.2 or 13.1) on September 16 at the Erie Marathon at Presque Isle, consider volunteering.  Marathon organizers say they still have a need for more people to help with some aspects of the race, especially parking. If you can help out, or to find out what other jobs they need filled, contact Teresa Wigham at teresaw (at) erie-runnersclub.org.

(In case you’re wondering, I don’t type out full email addresses with @ symbols in blog posts because of spammers).

Medals are works of art (this year, the shirt is, too)

Here’s a sneak peek at the finisher’s medal which coordinates perfectly (of course) with the shirt.

Did you know that the Erie Marathon medals are works of art–literally?  The medals are designed by a different artist each year and, often, are done in a different medium each year (glass, ceramic, metal, etc.).

This year’s artwork was done by Girard artist Brian Payne (print work by Creative Imprint Systems).

BTW — if you ever wonder what to do with your Erie Marathon medals, use them as Christmas tree ornaments — that’s what we do at Casa Cass — and the medals look almost as fabulous surrounded by twinkling lights as they do hanging around a sweaty neck.