Marquette, MI Marathon
September 3, 2022
4:55:49 233/358 Overall 3/4 in 70-79
What a welcome relief to run in 57
degree, overcast weather. (It was 114 that day in Fresno so literally twice as
warm!) I ran 4:55:49 and got 3d in 70-79. The first 2/3 of the race was on
rails-to-trails paths with lots of shade. I had segments where I'd look at my
watch and see sub 10, 9:20 and even a couple 8:50s. The cool was invigorating
and there was a slight downhill and tailwind to help, too. In the last section
we had some headwinds that slowed my overall time, but I stuck to 4min
run/:30-40 walk most of the time. It was really pretty running along Lake
Superior in the last 8 miles.
The next day I drove to Green Bay
and toured Lambeau Stadium and saw the Packer Museum and gift store. I then
drove to West Bend, WI to visit my old Westmont buddy, Ken Anderson and his
wife Pam. They also have a new addition: a cat named Woody. Monday Ken showed
me Holy Hill basilica. It is not suggested to do so right after a marathon, but
I walked up many flights of stairs to get some great views. Also, Ken showed me
Erin Hills GC, site of 2017 US Open; the new Bucks' arena; the town of Pewaukee
(home of J. J. Watt and his 2 NFL brother); and I took the Pabst Beer history
tour.
Tuesday afternoon Pam and I got the
guided tour of the Captain Pabst mansion. Interesting how he was a ship captain
who married into the family and really spread the Pabst beer fame. Wednesday I
did a 4.5 mile hike on the Ice Age Trail going to Pike Lake and back. Then I
drove over to Camp Awana and got a tour from Mark Van Natta who showed me some
great new additions. They included a couple of lodgings that are like motel
rooms; all of the cabins are now air-conditioned! I then drove over to Port
Washington for a walk along the harbor and a seafood dinner.
Thursday Ken picked me up and took
me downtown to see the “Bronze Fonze”, a staute of Fonzie, Henry Winkler, from
“Happy Days”. After eating a late lunch, we headed to American Family Field,
aka Miller Park for a double-header between the Giants and Brewers. The Giants
scored 1 run in the first game and 2 in the second and had 27 strike-outs (out
of 54 outs) in the two games. Needless to say there was not a lot to cheer
about for me. The most interesting thing was seeing a Giant rookie pitcher
pitch 6 strong innings in relief while having his whole family right below us.
They are from Minnesota so made the drive over to see him pitch; they all Hjelle
(their last name) Giant jersys. I also
went to the upper deck to take my picture with Bob Uecker, the Brewer announcer
famous for “I must be in the front row”!
During the trip, I was on a quest to
enjoy frozen custard at multiple spots since we don’t have this fabulous
dessert (so much better than plain ice cream) in California. Also, Ken took me
to some great places to eat. Here are the highlights:
Restaurants: Culver’s, West Bend Pizza, Portillo’s, Cousin’s,
Wayne’s, Lou Malnoti’s Deep Dish Pizza, Jumbo’s, place I got Corn Beef on Rye
before the game.
Frozen Custard: Culver’s (twice), Kopp’s (3 times), Leon’s, Robert’s, Jumbo’s
This was Marathon #177; 36 states on 2nd go-round; All 10 Canadian
provinces.
Next marathon: Marine Corps in Washington, DC Oct 30, 2022
Marathon
and trip photos: https://link.shutterfly.com/Mx02GLOsftb
