BEAT THE TRAIN (Marne - 2020 - 5K)
153 Mile Drive
The best competitor to run against is not a human being…it’s a train! I love unique races that stand in their own league. Beat the Train was just that. I had been excited about it when it had its original date of March 21, 2020. When 99% of runs got cancelled in late March I was worried Beat the Train would postpone until 2021. I didn’t want to wait that long to run against a train. I also didn’t want it to go virtual. A virtual run would have been a very bad option for a run against a train. The race director sent lots of emails with surveys about the unique circumstances they were facing and finally decided on postponing the event until November 7th. I knew it would be worth the wait and was glad they didn’t cancel. It was sad that they refunded family tickets. It would have been amazing for Jason and the kids to be in the train as spectators. With the coronavirus still out and about you have to take what you get if you are given the chance to run at a live event. I have run at a live event every weekend since June 13th. My 2020 year of racing was still very exciting and I am beyond grateful for that. I know a lot of runners who have only done one or two runs this entire year.
Beat the Train was originally scheduled for a course in Coopersville. It was moved to the town of Marne due to course adjustments. The finish line was near downtown Marne. I got my bib and shirt from a drive-thru station at the United Methodist Church in Marne. I took a van with six other runners to the train boarding across 96. We got temperature checks and designated seating wrist bands before we boarded. We watched the train come in and brake. Almost every runner had their phone out filming. The train crew gave us a short speech and introduced the conductor before we boarded.
The train was very old and beautiful on the inside. There had been some renovations made to it. Some of the original medal and wood grain ceiling was in a few cabins and other cabins had it painted white. I talked to the conductor about the train and got a short history lesson. I also found out due to coronavirus they have been able to spend time fixing and updating their 14 miles of railway. Here are some great facts from their website:
https://www.coopersvilleandmarne.org/history.php:
“The Coopersville and Marne Railway Company began operations on July 4, 1990, using a leased locomotive, a leased passenger car, and a borrowed caboose. The traffic that summer was enough to warrant obtaining the use of a second coach. In 1991 we leased a third coach, and in 1992 we leased one additional coach. We now have four coaches, with room for 300 passengers.”
Cont.
“Our train is usually pulled by a 1950's era, 125 ton General Motors SW9 switcher locomotive, #7014. This locomotive had been owned by the Grand Trunk Western Railway and served in Battle Creek, Michigan. The 1200 horsepower diesel engine turns a generator, which feeds electricity to the traction motors, which are geared to driving wheels. As much as possible, we stress vintage operation of the equipment, including proper dress for members of the train crew.”
The train seats were very wide and comfortable. They had an awesome bathroom. I loved the scenery out the windows. My friend Kathy Calabretta that I had met at the Stakenas Stampede ended up sitting across from me on the train. In one of our email surveys I had requested to ride the train with Kathy. I remembered she said she had signed up for Beat the Train when we talked in Free Soil.
Our train ride came to a stop at 32nd street and 96. We could see down a dirt road with a few homes on it. There was one port-a-john and a canopy tent with race staff. The street was well marked for social distancing. They had signs with paces for us to stand by. I stood by the 9:30 pace marker. The train’s engine started after we got our horn to take off giving us a little bit of a head start. The train’s maximum speed is 15mph. It would reach a speed of 6.2 miles an hour while racing against us. Last year the train started with the runners which caused problems with timing. The train ended up being a tad too fast.
The course started on a grass trail that had some good obstacles to cross over including two pieces of bouncy plywood over water. It winded through tall grass until we came back onto pavement. We had a short path in a neighborhood before we entered a really cool cemetery by Saint Mary Catholic Church. It was just before the cemetery that we parted with the train. I didn’t see it again, even after I finished. It had run alongside us from the start and been slowly gaining on me. I swear it was just barely ahead of me when it turned west. I was concerned I wasn’t going to be able to beat it. Originally the train was going to have a faster finish time but due to the smaller number of participants they re-calculated the average speed and changed the time to beat to 30 minutes. Under thirty minutes happened to be my personal goal for this race! I’ve been trying to shave seconds off each run as I build back endurance from my toe fracture. I was really glad when the time got boosted up to 30 minutes.
I always had sight of my triathlon friend Kathy on the course. It was good for me to stay behind her to help keep my goal. I liked running under the expressway and alongside it. Traffic on course roads was not bad. We didn’t have sidewalks. The temperature was very hot for Fall and I overheated. I had to stop and walk in the last mile and it concerned me. I knew beating the train was the only way the awesome wood finisher medal was going up on my wall. With 14 seconds to spare I beat the train!!! My family was waiting at the finish line! I was very relieved. I wouldn’t have cared if the victory had only been by a second. I just wanted to beat the train and earn the medal.
We walked back to the registration area by the Methodist church. They had an awesome playground with a big wooden arc and tall spiderweb mountain. I checked my placing online and saw I had come in third in my age group. Before the race I had admired the personalized railway spike age group awards. I immediately thought they were the most amazing awards but sadness set in. I didn’t think I had a chance at taking one home without being able to run at my usual 27ish minute 5K time. With a time of 29:46 I could not believe I was going home with a railway spike. The spikes were such a unique awards! They were even better than Hell awards. That’s something I thought I would never say.
The kids played a lot at the playground before we left to drive around Marne taking pictures. We got pizza from a local pizza shop called Rinaldi’s. Rinaldi’s had gummy bear containers by the register and a huge variety of drinks. The kind of selection you would expect in a liquor store. I went into The 1914 Collective in downtown Marne and was blown away with how cozy and wonderful it was. I spoke with the owner for awhile (almost getting the pizza cold). She co-owns the store with a friend. They live south and north of Marne and decided to open a shop up in the middle. I loved her story. I bought a small Michigan keychain as a trinket to remember The 1914 Collective.
Things I take from Beat the Train are:
1. Running past Berlin Raceway. It was another raceway I didn’t know existed in Michigan. It reminded me of my run at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. I only got to see the entrance sign, but it was still cool.
2. Beat the Train is put on by the race director of The Zombie Dash in downtown Grand Rapids (the run that started it all). I know Raymond and emailed him to tell him that he has two of the most unique races in the Grand Rapids metro area. I love his races. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
3. My first train ride was short, sweet and historic! I want to ride a train again with my entire family. The Coopersville-Marne train does a lot of holiday events as well as train rides throughout the year. I made note of it.
4. Hell’s age group trophies officially got bumped down to second best age group award of all time as Beat the Train’s railway spikes come in first. I love that they tied the theme of the race into the age group awards in such a strong and meaningful way.
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