Three figures cut a stark profile against the muted yellowy-brown backdrop of Pike’s Peak. Only the steady crunch of gravel sliding beneath the rubber soles of their well-worn running shoes can be heard.
It’s late afternoon and the sun is beginning to set on the Walla Walla valley, casting a shadow over the town below. After a while, one of the runners stops, puts his hands behind his head and gazes down at the sweeping panorama before him.
“You guys want to run the Seattle marathon?” he asks his two companions who stop nearby. They look at each other a moment.
“Why not?” they answer in unison, without missing a beat.
On Sunday, Nov. 29, sophomores Oliver Wood and Elliot Broze and senior Warren McDermott ran in the Seattle Marathon. McDermott and Broze both completed the marathon in under 3:30, while Wood completed the race with a time of 3:05, making him eligible to run in the Boston Marathon if he chooses.
“It just seemed like a good idea,” said Wood. “The three of us runners were a part of the now-defunct varsity ski program, so we had lots of time and flexibility to train.”
During October, Wood, McDermott and Broze, who are all members of the club Nordic team, trained hard, averaging between 50-70 miles of long-distance running, prepping them for the upcoming Nordic season and getting them ready for the race.
According to Wood, though, training was pretty informal.
“Every once in a while we would be sitting around on a random night, and we would just up and decide to run for two or three hours the next day. I loved the spontaneity of deciding to run for an afternoon and not worry about having a distinct training schedule.”
The three did try to prepare for the notoriously hilly Seattle course, making frequent trips up the forest service roads that skirt Pike’s peak, but the majority of the time, said Broze, the three ran around Bennington Lake or the “farm loop” out Robison Ranch Road.
“I didn’t think that the hills of Seattle would be much of a problem after training in the Blues,” said Broze. “But I was sadly mistaken.”
The race starts in the city center near the Space Needle, goes southeast across Lake Washington, through the old growth forest on the south end of Seattle and ends at Memorial Stadium downtown.
“The Seattle marathon was incredibly beautiful,” said McDermott. “I have run a few other marathons in New York, and Seattle takes the prize. There were so many people and so much focused energy between everyone that it was hard to see straight.”
For Wood, the marathon was a chance to reconnect with some of his family and friends and continue a legacy.
“Part of the course is about half a block from my house,” said Wood. “We ran past my parents, [Broze]’s parents, my neighbors and four of my close friends, all cheering like crazy. This was my favorite part of the run. My parents used to run marathons and it was cool to see how our positions had swapped.”
In October, seniors Megan Bush and Katie Rouse competed in the Portland Marathon. Bush and Rouse trained hard during the summer and ran around Bennington Lake and a few other routes recommended by friends.
Record-setting numbers meant a congested race for the two.
“At the start, there were so many people that it took about two minutes after the gun went off for us to reach the start line and we were in the first ‘wave’,” said Bush. “I don’t know how many waves there were, but there was just a sea of people behind us, I’d say at least three or four waves.”
The marathon was a first for both Bush and Rouse.
“I’d run a couple half marathons and knew I wanted to try one eventually, and this just seemed like the right time to try it out,” said Bush. “I think I’m hooked though: there will be more.”
