Last year I ran Erie in a time of 3:17:24 which, given the Boston Qualifying (BQ) standards for 2025, was a BQ-7:36 for me. It was enough to get me in this year, given the cut-off wound up being 6:51 under your respective age group's BQ time. But they also wound up tightening standards by 5 minutes for all of the age groups under 60 years old for the 2026 marathon. So, this turned my time, useable for 2026, into a BQ-2:36. Ever since they started having an unpredictable buffer below your BQ necessary, common wisdom has been that you should not feel "safe" with anything less than 5 minutes under your BQ. (Granted, I think the only two times that it has been more than 5 minutes have been the last two years.)
So, given my lack of confidence that BQ-2:36 would suffice, I decided I would run Erie again for time this year. Not only was the goal finish time the same as last year (3:15 or better), but this time there was actually a pacer for that time (since 3:15 is now a BQ time again, whereas it wasn't last year). And the weather was IDEAL for the race: crisp in the low 50s to start, possibly hitting 60 by the finish time; mostly cloudy, no rain (but a wet/slightly puddly course from rain in the wee hours), and a light breeze (though there were some bouts of pretty stiff, sustained gusts). Could it come together any better than this?
I arrived at the parking lot about 6am (I guess it was about 15 minutes later than I did last year), and it was a VERY slow slog to get in to the lot. But once I was, finding a spot was pretty painless, and relatively close in, surprisingly enough.
The last time I ran the Chicago Marathon, I wound up picking up a couple of extra pace band tattoos, to include a 3:15 one. They've been sitting around for a couple of years just waiting to be used. Well, now was the chance to put 3:15 to good use. Sure, I was running with the pacer, but I still wanted to be able to see for myself if *my* splits were on (since we weren't crossing the start line at the same time, and most pacers won't say something alerting to indicate being off pace).
My most notable observations for my running of the race surround how they handle the water stops. While it's fantastic that they have one every mile on this two-loop course (so, in effect, having 26 water stops), and I generally don't use them unless it's very hot (since I carry my own water to drink), I did take notice of three really problematic things:
1) They don't have two different styles/colors of cups for the water and the Gatorade. Having a visual indicator (e.g., white for water and green for Gatorade) is the easiest and best way for people to instantly know who is holding what, and what they want to grab.
2) They didn't have a uniform order for the fluids. While some of them had Gatorade first followed by water (which is pretty standard), there were several that alternated water, Gatorade, water. This is HIGHLY confusing.
3) The lengths of tables from which the fluids are handed out are very short. (Was it two 6-foot tables only?) This makes it very difficult to grab on the run if you're trying to avoid other runners doing the same, and very difficult to know which fluid you're getting, given the preceding two issues.
My biggest lesson of the day (I suppose foreshadowing the ending) is to fully discuss the pacer's strategy (preferably in advance, but doable during the run). While even effort and even pace are the same thing on as flat a course as Erie is, there are other factors at play. This pace group company (like many others) aims for the "pin", set at 30 seconds under the goal time, and gives 30 seconds leeway on either side. So, true goal should have been 3:14:30, allowing for 3:14:00 - 3:15:00. I didn't verify in advance whether he would be shooting for the pin from the get-go (so, ~1 second faster per mile than his pace band would indicate), if he was planning to gain those extra seconds during the second half, or if he was "merely" shooting for as close to 3:15 as possible. That lack of a conversation was a bad move on my part.
Ever so gradually, it appeared to my eye like each time he called out our average pace, it was ever so slightly sooner than the actual mile marker -- seemingly indicating to me that we were off pace. When we crossed at the half, I was at exactly 1:37:30, as indicated on my pace band. But I was shooting for better than 3:15, and wasn't sure when the extra time was going to be made up. I didn't ask the pacer -- again, bad on my part. I simply panicked a bit and decided to pull out in front of him at the half (where my original plan called for doing so at Mile 22 or 24). I figured if I simply run 2-5 seconds faster than the pacer (not so bad), I'd be able to keep him in earshot but also get closer to my true goal of 3:14 or better. with little additional effort.
It was working for about 5-6 miles, based on my hearing him further back and the amount of time after I passed volunteers before they cheered for the 3:15 pace group. Great! The fact that Garmin's indication of pace was ridiculously off on my watch was rather confusing, but I didn't push overly hard to try to "correct" Garmin -- the pacer being reasonably close behind me was a good enough indicator.
Well, I was slowly swallowed up by the group around Mile 18 or so. OK, fine. Stay with the group, now. Get back to the original plan. Given I wasn't SO far out, hopefully I didn't expend an excessive amount of energy. (No good way of really knowing.)
Around Mile 20, something happened with one of the other runners in the group -- it sounded like someone inadvertently cut him off and I think he went flying. I'm not entirely sure. I hope he was only slightly scraped up and not seriously injured. On we went, though.
Within the next couple of miles, however, the pacer ever so gradually pulled away from me. Ugh! My desired 3:15 or better was slipping through my fingers. My glutes were tightening up -- it was definitely more of a struggle to keep moving. By Mile 22, I was trying to give myself "acceptable" intermediate goals: sub-3:16, then simply improving my BQ time by any amount (and I didn't even know the exact time, just that it was about 2:30 under), and then once that was clearly out of reach, even though no other goal was going to be useful for Boston registration, at least getting a BQ. Well, 1 out of 3.
Slowly and stiffly, I made my way back to the parking lot (chatting with another runner and his parents about the Boston Marathon), and back to the hotel room to shower and change before heading back towards the course to grab lunch at the iconic Sara's eatery. (My first time doing so.)
It's a very cute place, and apparently well-known specifically for its ice cream. Well, as is my wont, I decided to get a bacon cheeseburger, onion rings, and a milkshake (rather than just straight-up ice cream).
While it satisfied the immediate need, and I might even be inclined to return for just an ice cream cone, the burger and onion rings were just average. Still, it was a fun experience.
Hmm... what does it say that I have more photos of the restaurant decor than I do of anything around the race? Ha!
By the time I finished lunch, it was just after 12:30pm, and the race was scheduled to go to 1pm. And Sara's is literally at the turn-around spot on the course that marks the furthest point before heading back to the finish line, just 1/4 mile away. I decided to head to the turn-around spot to cheer on the back-of-the-packers (as did one other finisher).
To say that I was appalled at how the race handled the situation would be an understatement. They had NO race official or volunteer there, and the park was already opened back up to vehicular traffic. Runners this late in the race were on the shoulder for their safety (given the lane of traffic they were otherwise in was opened up), but then they needed to cross two lanes to get to the turn-around point, which they couldn't necessarily even see.
The other runner and I were standing in the middle of the street (right next to a few remaining cones), cheering runners as they approached us, holding up traffic (which obliged), pointing the runners to the correct side of the turnaround cone, and then onto the other shoulder to continue the last 1/4 mile of the course.
With about 10 minutes remaining (still viable for runners who were just walking at that point), the truck that was picking up cones on the course arrived and picked up all of the other cones (save for the one that marked the turn-around point). The race wasn't technically over, and those last two ladies certainly had enough time to make it over the finish line. They should have had support and protection from the traffic for the entire time by the race organizers until the official finish - at which time runners are on notice that it's "on them."
It's not so dissimilar to what happens with the New York City Marathon on Central Park South. After a certain time, the runners are put onto the sidewalk and all of the barricades are removed, but there is no signage around pointing the way, despite the multiple possible entrances into the park. So, while there is a huge cheer section that remains at the finish line, there's no one (save for potential spectators who decide to help, like I did in 2022 and 2023) to help get them there.
Well... wish me luck that I can get in on last year's time. It's the last time that a "double-dip weekend" time can be used, given the restructuring of their qualifying window to be exactly one year starting with the registration window for 2027. While we get to register this week (before 5pm Friday), we don't officially find out if we're in, let alone what the cut-off time is, until late September. Talk about tense!
