MONUMENT 5K (Coleman - 2020 - 5K)
138 Mile Drive
I didn’t automatically connect the Sanford Monument 5K with the horrible dam break in Edenville back in May. My mind thinks of the city of Midland first and not of the small towns that were destroyed along the water’s raging path. When I read the event info before I signed up I was really moved by my registration going towards the rebuilding fund for the Veteran’s Memorial that got destroyed. I noticed they had a 100 person limit and only seven people had signed up so I emailed them to make sure the run would still be held. Jason was concerned that low numbers may cause them to cancel as some runs have done. I got the nicest email back from Leslie saying the run was still on. We emailed back and forth a few times. I told her about my running goal. She amazed me with her ultra-running adventure of 54 miles from Ludington to Evart last weekend. Leslie has incredible mental strength and endurance. I was really excited to meet her in person.
We didn’t camp overnight even though the drive to Coleman was on the longer side. It was doable without waking up too early. Earlier than a 6:30am wake up we camp, if not, we ride (usually). It’s been a long time since I’ve run near Saginaw. We’ve been getting a lot of western cities lately. Going over the Zilwaukee Bridge is getting easier for me. Right after the bridge we stopped at Cops and Doughnuts for breakfast in Bay City. I still have my large donut plush from the last time we were there a year ago.
The start of the race appeared out of nowhere at the North Bradley Trail Head of the Pere Marquette Rail Trail off West Saginaw Road. It was a small run with a wonderful group of staff members. We almost had an equal amount of staff and runners. I liked the cozy small group feel. When I got to the packet pick-up tent there were four bibs left on the table. They knew me by name and told me that they had made bib number 82 for me because Coleman was my 82nd city. I’ve never had a run do something so special. I am touched beyond words. I went to Michaels and got a frame for the bib. I wish I could get a matching city number bib at every event. It would really help my memory as city numbers continue to grow.
The members of The Veteran’s Memorial 150 were great people to be in the presence of. The speech given before the run was incredibly moving. We learned that Wednesday the committee is giving the final green light to rebuilding the beautiful memorial that was washed away by the Tittabawassee River on the night of May 19, 2020. I’m really excited for the town and the families involved. The woman that spoke to us lost her son in Iraq. There were veterans running in the event. Jason said the first place male finisher was one. I told him he was outstanding on the course as he ran past me after the 1.55 turn around. He really was awesome.
In the days leading up to the Sanford Monument 5K I kept telling myself I had to do really well. I had to push harder than ever because I felt really inspired. The course mirrored the Auto Show Run in Eastern Market. It was a straight shot down the trail to a turn-around point and back the same way. There was enough shade to stay comfortable if you hugged the right and left of the trail. The course was very scenic. We went over one bridge with water views. I passed a few runners early on and then I noticed there were only two people ahead of me, the awesome first place man and a very young runner. When I pass a fellow runner I don’t sprint by them and make a scene of it. I get closer and closer with my normal pace and then slightly increase my speed so I am not right next to them for an extended period of time. I eventually got close to the young runner. When I went to pass her and she sped up real fast, which left me further behind. I stayed behind and kept running my pace. A few minutes later I caught up with her and tried to pass again but she kicked it into high gear and sped up. This happened a third time in the last mile and the fourth time I passed her. I thought for sure she was going to go Flash mode and fly by me. I got nervous. Her breathing got more and more distant until I was completely alone for the last half mile of the course. I thought she would be on my tail the whole time. I was a lot less stressed being alone. I hope I didn’t upset her. I don’t think I am better than other runners. Runners have good days and bad days. We pass and get passed. This young runner was an all-star. She rocked. I got the sense she didn’t like being passed, but I meant no offense. I had a personal goal to push hard. My only competitor was myself in Coleman.
That last half mile of the race was really hard. I kept telling myself, “Only two laps around a track left.” I went by a runner going the opposite direction that wasn’t part of the run. She was just out exercising. I said good morning to her. She was really nice. When I got my first glimpse of the finish I saw Jason waving his hands frantically. He only does that when something really cool is about to happen. He was giving me two thumbs up and signaling to me “Come on, you have this!” The finish line squad was one of the best. A small group of really excited people can be louder than a large group of moderately excited people. Leslie had a cow bell and the claps and yells were amazing. Jason immediately came over and told me I was the first female across the finish line. I couldn’t believe it. It doesn’t matter that the run was small. Someone can always outrun you. I’ve heard runners say, “I have this in the bag” because they “sized up the participants.” The truth is….
You never know what can come out of anyone.
As runners, we must keep the competition with ourselves. I knew I was running faster than normal and I wanted a personal record after 14 months of struggling to get one. Coming in overall female was an amazing bonus.
We stayed around the trail head taking pictures and chatting with people until every runner had left. The race staff gave our kids their extra Tim Horton’s donuts. The kids loved the sprinkles. We headed towards downtown Coleman to get the city sign picture. They had a beautiful city sign! It was huge, made of brick with an awesome train. We stopped at the Coleman Veteran’s Memorial. I’ve never seen a memorial quite like it. The five life-size soldiers and army dog were so captivating. If you are ever driving by Coleman it is well worth it to stop to see their Veteran’s Memorial. Seeing the Coleman memorial was very symbolic as the run helped rebuild the lost memorial in Sanford.
The Pere Marquette Trail runs 30 miles from Clare to Midland. It’s truly an amazing trail that was formed when an old railway was discontinued. It’s wide enough for cyclists and runners to use simultaneously and has amazing views along its flat asphalt surface. The section we were on in Coleman had a fun solar system map. You could run from planet to planet and see scaled versions of them. We got to see Pluto and the Sun. I took an awesome picture of Jason holding the sun.
We left Coleman and headed to Sanford in search of the Veteran’s Memorial that had been destroyed. We also wanted to see the damage from the dam breach. The little town of Sanford, MI was not where the original dam breach occurred. The Edenville dam is roughly 9.47 miles from the Sanford dam up the Tittabawassee River. When the raging waters reached Sanford Lake the damn breached, their lake was drained into a crater, their city park went underwater and extreme damage was done to city roads, homes and businesses. The damage traveled as far as Midland and flooded areas of Saginaw before it stopped. For me walking around Coleman was worse than driving around Portland after the six-minute touch-down of the EF-1 tornado in June of 2015. I’ve never seen a road ripped apart with giant pieces of asphalt scattered in every direction. I’ve never walked in a barren crater of what used to be a lake. Townspeople were still outside sweeping and putting debris in dumpsters as we walked downtown. It’s been two months. That tells you how massive of a tragedy the dam breach in Edenville was. I took a lot of pictures and we did a lot of walking. You have to walk into town as all roads in are closed for rebuilding. My only regret is that we never found the memorial. We drove around, walked a good distance and even asked locals, but did not have luck finding it. We gave it our best efforts.
Things I take from The Sandford Monument 5K are:
1. How personable and friendly the staff were. I felt like they were my friends by the end of the run. Leslie is a really cool person who loves trail running (something we share in common) and has amazing mileage. She’s inspiring. Kim lost her son in Iraq. She was another very inspiring person that had contagious optimism.
2. Coming in overall female for the second time since I started running. I got to take a picture with one of the 150 veterans, their awesome flag and the overall male runner. It was an awesome moment that I will always remember. Setting a new personal best by 20 seconds was unreal. Being in military presence was humbling.
3. The awesome high quality dog tag medal and comfy race shirts. I like the uniqueness of the medal. The symbolism of a dog tag was perfect.
4. The amazing photo I got of the little girl clapping as finishers came in!
5. The devastating trail of destruction left by the Edenville dam break. I saw a whole shed, a propane tank and so many belongings tossed into a wooded area along the Pere Marquette Trail. Sanford Lake looks like a dessert. It is growing grass already. You can see it from the expressway overpass.
6. The Pere Marquette Trail! I think it’s so cool that it used to be a railway. What a fantastic idea! Railways were built to hold tremendous amounts of weight which may be one of the reasons the trail was only minimally affected by the dam break. It’s a very strong trail. I’m sure the town of Sanford is grateful it didn’t get washed away. It’s something they can still go out and enjoy while they rebuild their homes and town. You have to hang on to any small positives in the face of tragedy.
Comments
Post a Comment