Ogden Marathon Debacle

Short version: I took the wrong course. I'm just as upset at myself as I am at the very unhelpful UHP officers. I missed making mile 17.3 by 5 mins. Had I stayed on course I would've been fine and finished.

Here's the long winded version: Yes, a friend of mine did somewhat the same thing last year. Being the person I am I wanted to drive the course weeks before. So I started looking at the course. I never could find exact roads/directions so I decided to study the map they did provide. I knew the generals; like a right in between miles 7 & 8, road curves left at mile 9, etc etc. So I knew after mile 13 we made a left. What the map doesn't tell you is that 2 streets being somewhat close to each other which one is the correct one. So I approached the first street after mile 13 and Utah Highway Patrol was there with the road barricaded. It was a t intersection. My thought was that they were stopping traffic so as I passed in front of the UHP officers(2) I looked at them and said "thanks" and kept right on running straight. The road curved left a few hundred feet beyond that intersection and continued on I did. I passed a yard sale, boys baling hay, two walkers and several cars parked on the street. Then a biker came up to me asking if I was part of marathon. I said "yes" and he informed me I was on the wrong road. I wanted to quit right there. He gave me directions for two ways to get back on course and I choose to double back the way I came.

So along I went passing all the same things I had passed before and as I curved with the road to the right I paused once more. I thought surely the biker wasn't talking about the building next to the UHP officers. A vehicle stopped and asked if I was with the race and they told me I needed to go to the UHP controlled intersection. My heart sank as I quickly did some pacing math and realized in all likely hood I wouldn't make it. If I continued to think that thought I knew I was going slow down or give myself a side ache. All I could do was try. I took some extra pain pills and ate some more tortillas.

Here, as I'm sure you're all dying to know, are my splits.

Mile 2 - 27:30
3 - 13:00
4 - 16:13
5 - 14:30
6 - 13:59
7 - 14:19
8 - 15:44
9 - 14:59
10 - 14:09
11 - 15:08
12 - 14:34
13 - 15:09
14 - 29:05(approx 1 mile off course)
15 - 16:21
16 - 15:18
17 - 16:38

I hate that I didn't finish for 2 years in a row. Gah! So upset. Even days later, I am. I'm not sure I want to run the Ogden Marathon again. I feel like it's become the Moby Dick to my Captain Ahab. Maybe running Utah Valley will shake that feeling.
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