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 "During those two marathons, Toronto and Boston, I never felt more connected to another runner than to Jennifer. Not only were we partners in life, we also demonstrated a level of commitment to each other that I had not realized was possible." |
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Norman Marcotte Boston Marathon April 1997
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MARATHON SUPPORT © Copyright Norman Marcotte Although running is an individual sport, our personal achievements are intimately linked to other individuals. In my case, this close link is with my wife Jennifer and there were no clearer examples of this running bond than my last two marathons which were in 1996 and 1997. I met Jennifer on the “racing” circuit as we were both avid competitors. We started going out in 1994 and I moved in with her in 1995. In planning for the races we wanted to complete in 1996, we decided that we would not join the crowds who would compete in the 100th edition of the Boston Marathon. Instead, we figured that we would aim for the 1997 Boston Marathon and try to qualify or set a Personal Best in a Fall marathon in Toronto. Jennifer had qualified for Boston in her first two marathons, while I had not been very close in my 9 attempts, being at least 15 minutes away from the Holy Grail of running. Over the summer and early Fall, our training was intense with quite a few 20 milers. We even spent one weekend traveling to Toronto to run half of the marathon course. By the time the Toronto Marathon rolled around in October, I knew my fitness level was at its best ever as I completed a Personal Best in a half marathon in Toronto three weeks before our attempt to qualify for Boston. Jennifer was also in great shape and she would be attempting to break the three-hour barrier in the marathon. Jennifer started the marathon strong as usual and I lost track of her after a couple of kilometers. By the half-way mark which I passed in about 1:28, I learned from Jennifer’s sister who was cheering us on that Jen was ahead by a couple of minutes. I pursued on at a reasonable pace, focusing on runners ahead of me. By the 35th km, I saw a runner in the distance that I thought was Jennifer. A couple of kilometers more and it was obvious that I would catch her before the end of the race. I kept steady and by the 40th kilometer, going up a gradual hill to the finish, I joined the love of my life. As I approached her, I realized she was hurting. At that point in the race, I was the stronger of the two, and I decided to stay with my wife and pull her along the rest of the way. I figured that there would be no better finish than to complete a marathon with Jennifer, especially as I knew that at this pace, I was sure to qualify for Boston. I ran slightly ahead of her, acting as a pacer to keep her focused. The end of the marathon course consisted of a hairpin loop with less than 200m to the finish. When we rounded the corner, I could see the clock and I said to Jennifer: “We are under 3 hours, we have lots of time.” In her focused state, she heard: “We are close to 3 hours, we don’t have enough time.” and she started to sprint furiously towards the finish. This caught me totally by surprise as she left me in her dust. Jennifer clocked a 2:59:35, a Personal Best, while I finished in 2:59:42. We were both ecstatic with our performances even though we did not finish hand in hand. We had both qualified and were heading for Boston. After the race, Jennifer ended up in the medical tent for a short period as her blood glucose level dropped and she required an IV. She recovered quickly enough to attend the award ceremony for her top Masters placing. After a few weeks of well deserved rest, we started training in earnest for the 1997 April Boston Marathon. As our training was in the Fall and Winter in the dreary cold conditions of Ottawa, we were frequently training on the treadmill we had purchased the previous year. We even had an elevation map of the course and regularly practiced different sections of the marathon by changing the elevation on the treadmill. We had to put books at the back to simulate the downhills. An indication of my level of fitness was a 23 miler completed entirely on the treadmill about three months before the race. Unfortunately, this was the start of a slow decline in my health. I continued training, but I started feeling more tired than in the past. I brushed this off to over-training and looked forward to Boston. When the Boston Marathon rolled around, Jennifer and I felt fine. As this was going to be a special weekend with Jennifer considered as one of the top Master’s runners, we invited two of her sisters to join us. We had great fun over the weekend, touring Boston, going to the runner’s expo and getting set for the race. The morning of the race, Jennifer and I boarded the same bus and reached Hopkinton about 3 hours before the start time. Even though Jennifer had privileges that would allow her to enter the air-conditioned room where the elites gathered, she decided to stick with her honey-bunny. As the race was about to start, we joined our respective corral. Jennifer was in the 2nd corral, while I was in the 5th one. When the cannon fired, we started moving, but I could not see Jennifer at all. I ran my own pace, aiming for a half in about 1:30. I ended up being bang on, crossing the half-way mark in a few seconds over 1:30. The amazing thing is that it was the exact point where I hooked up with Jennifer. As I caught her so early in the race, I figured she was not performing at her best. I decided to run with her again. My intentions changed though in the next couple of kilometers. My legs started feeling progressively more and more tired as if they were running out of glycogen prematurely. By the 25km mark, I knew I was in trouble and spurred Jennifer to continue running at her pace and let me get to the finish by myself later on. She refused. She would not let me run by myself. She had an opportunity to place well in Boston, yet she decided to stay with me as I struggled along. As the race progressed, my level of exhaustion increased and I continued slowing down. As Jennifer was with me, I never stopped running, but I was barely jogging by the end. With a first half in 1:30, the second half was dramatically different in 1:55. This time, Jennifer and I finished together. The funny thing about our finish is that Jennifer’s sisters were worried believing that Jennifer was having some difficulties because of her visit to the medical tent at the end of her last marathon. When they saw us pass, they realized that I was the one struggling. However, after the race, as Jennifer was invited to go to an elite tent to freshen up, she started to feel weak. Her blood sugar level plummeted again and she started feeling cold. I knew she was in trouble and whisked her to the medical tent in a wheelchair. She stayed there for close to an hour as she got replenished with an IV. I on the other hand was feeling quite fine by then. How ironic! That Boston Marathon was my last marathon as what happened to me here kept recurring until I realized I was having nutrient imbalances due to poor digestion of food. It took many years to get back to normal. Jennifer ran quite a few more marathons such as Marine Corps, Vermont, Hartford and Chicago, having quite a bit of success. During those two marathons, Toronto and Boston, I never felt more connected to another runner than to Jennifer. Not only were we partners in life, we also demonstrated a level of commitment to each other that I had not realized was possible. We accomplished what we did only through the support of each other. Norman Marcotte, Ottawa, Ontario, July 2005 |
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