Route 66 Marathon-Tulsa
November 21, 2021
4:49:53 479/937 Overall 3/12 in 70+
This marathon is the one that I was
supposed to have run 2 years ago, but deferred because I found out I had some
heart blockages and needed surgery. It was great to be able to make it happen
this year. This race was also a reunion one for the 50-state club I belong to so
I got to relax in their tent and stay warm and have eaiser access to porta-potties.
(I was also able to go to their club meeting on Saturday to have the “official”
ceremony where I was presented a replica of the plaque that I had earned in 2009
for doing a marathon in every state.)
The start had 4 waves with each wave
being treated to a unique confetti blast to set the runners off. Although the
heart medicine slows me down, I still got 3d (of 12) in my age group, 70-74. I
basically ran/walked with 5 minute run/30 second walk for the whole race. The
weather was cool and overcast-great for a marathon. It was a bit windy and
chilly and there were a lot of rolling hills, but it was a fun course going
through a lot of neighborhoods (lots of tables with beer and Fireball) and even
through their Woodward Park. We also ran through the campus of Tulsa
University. I was close to 3 minutes faster in the second half than the first
so I had a really good race feeling fine the whole way.
After the race, I was able to relax
in an easy chair in the 50-state area and have a burrito. I also walked over
and stood in their “Center of the Universe” where you can hear your voice echo.
It’s like the one at our Woodward Park’s “Compass” center. After I cleaned up
and had a nap, I got to go one of my fav out-of-state restaurants, Cracker
Barrel and have a steak dinner and great sides. My evening snack was an ice
cream sundae at Braum’s.
Looking for things to do in Tulsa on
Saturday, I was treated to an extra special surprise when I discovered the #outsidershousemuseum
(on Facebook). The original house used for the 1983 movie based on the book
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton is now a museum to
honor the movie and all involved with it. After years of being a residence, it
was remodeled in 2016 to be just like the house used in the movie. It even has
ones working there who were part of the filming and went to the high school
shown in the movie.
Personally, it had a double impact.
First was that I was the librarian at Sanger HS when Jo Ellen Priest Misakian
was the library tech at Lone Star School which was a feeder into SHS. It was Jo
Ellen and her students who wrote to Francis Ford Coppola to suggest he make a
movie of the book they had just read. When I told Mike who is a tour guide
there about my knowing Jo Ellen, he texted her and the next thing I know I got
a call from Jo Ellen and we got to talk about the house and our librarian
history together. She had just been to see the house herself in September and
received the key to the city and met S. E. Hinton for the first time.
Secondly, The Outsiders which came out in 1967 was one of
the first Young Adult novels. We studied it in my Child/YA lit class at San
Jose State in 1975. I also met Susan at a library conference and have a copy of
the book signed by her. The book was popular all the years (36) I was a
librarian and many English classes used it as novel the whole class read and
discussed. Also, Jodi and I got to see the play version of it presented by Buchanan students about 3 years ago.
The picture in front of the house is
with the tour guides, Mike and Dana. Dana told me the incredible story of her
and some girls friends who were in high school in Tulsa at that time. They
managed to get into the hotel where the guys in the movie were staying and get
to know them and spend some time with them. Talk about an amazing memory to
have! Joe, who was an extra in the movie, is also a tour guide and shows off
the many pictures he took at the time.
There were a lof of future stars in
the cast. Here is the opening of the Wikipedia article:
The
Outsiders is a 1983 American coming-of-age drama film directed by
Francis Ford Coppola. The film is an adaptation of the 1967 novel of the same
name by S. E. Hinton and was released on March 25, 1983 in the United States. Jo Ellen Misakian, a librarian at Lone Star Elementary School in Fresno,
California, and her students were responsible for inspiring Coppola to make the
film. The film is noted for its cast of up-and-coming stars, including C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise,
Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, and Diane Lane.
This was Marathon #174; 34 states on 2nd go-round; All 10 Canadian
provinces.
Marathon and trip photos; hold ctrl and click to go to Shutterfly:
