Olympic Challenge: City 21 done: St. Louis

I landed in Las Vegas for a week long work conference in December 2011 to find out that the following day was the Rock n Roll Las Vegas half marathon. I was gutted because had I known it was taking place I definitely would have entered. In hindsight it was a good thing I was not running the next day as that evening turned into a rather impromptu evening of shots, dancing and general death by mini bar which is no way to prepare for a race.

However; the following year I returned to Las Vegas for the weekend primarily to run the race. The night before was still a late one (as they always are in Vegas) but was much more civilized in the form of seeing a Cirque du Soleil show followed by a late dinner and ice cream. The Rock n Roll Vegas run is actually a night time run and goes up and down the strip. It’s a fantastic route allowing you to take in the bright lights of the strip as well as the downtown area. Many bands line the route hence the rock n roll title the event affords. It was a great race to be in and I finished it in 1 hour 31 minutes 35 seconds which is not bad given I had flown there all the way from London for only 2 nights to take part! I would love to return to this event as they now have an option for you to do a “run thru wedding” where you can marry a fellow competitor along the way. Sounds great to me. Any takers? No? Ok, let’s move on.

After this I then began to see Rock n Roll runs pop up all over the place and I then ran one the inaugural ones in Edinburgh (in 1 hour 27 minutes) and Liverpool (1 hour 21 minutes 1 second) which were also great events (although no wedding option included) and the medals are some of the best race bling you will ever get.

So I wanted to compete in a Rock n Roll race as part of my Olympic challenge. Enter St. Louis.

After the road trip which took in Atlanta from the chapter before I then made my way to St. Louis for a couple of days for the half marathon. I didn’t really know much about the city apart from the fact it had an impressive monumental arch (630 feet tall for those interested) and featured in the Judy Garland musical movie Meet Me in St. Louis. I landed and headed straight for race registration. It was a simple process and got me excited for the race. I checked into my hotel and then made my way down to the Mississippi river to see both the arch and go on an old fashioned boat (called Tom Sawyer no less.)

The city was much more urban than I thought it would be. By that I mean that the factories and old buildings that lined the streets and the river gave it a very raw feel. I liked it. It made for some excellent pictures particularly in black and white.

The night before the event was actually a bit of a strange one for me. As a very seasoned traveler I rarely have experienced homesickness but all I can think of is that this is what I had. I guess going from two weeks on the road with the boyfriend to then being on your own (also in the lead up to the first anniversary of the passing of your Mum) is possibly conducive to suddenly feeling a little deflated. I had a quick word with myself and ordered room service to carb up and enjoyed a couple of classic movies from bed in what was a lovely hotel room.

I awoke at 5am feeling refreshed and ready to race. The night before I had bought a single bowl of porridge which you add water to for my breakfast and some bananas. This did not turn out to be the breakfast of champions that I had envisaged. Sadly the pot ended up being a rather water logged wheat bowl mess but I did still eat it. Needs must on a race day. I left my hotel room to discover a clearly intoxicated woman asleep against the ice machine in the hallway. I asked her if she was ok and she said yes. Did she not realize she probably would be more comfortable in her actual room? Before leaving the hotel I let the receptionist know that there was a woman asleep in the corridor of floor 8. Before I finished my sentence he said he knew about the lady on floor 10. Oh dear. I wonder was it the same woman who had moved or were there two of them? I’ll have to live never knowing the truth. I am sure that is pretty doable.

I then made my way through the chilly dark morning (or should that be night) to the start line. I had paid for entrance into the VIP area which had promised our own bag drop, immediate access to the start pens, sustenance before the race, sustenance post-race, massage and our own set of toilets. I was easily sold on this and only wish it were a service offered by all races. I would sign up every time. It was freezing but I could stand in one of our tents to shelter slightly. I then realized that they were actually serving really nice porridge (or oatmeal as it is known stateside.)

#devastated.

If I had realized that I wouldn’t have filled up on gruel before arriving. Oh well, time to get on with the rest of my usual race prep. About ten minutes before heading to the start line I thought I would take my usual pre-race pee break. I made my way to our VIP toilets. No queue. Completely clean. This made a lovely change. It was still dark though and with no lighting in the cubicles it would make for an interesting aim. Feeling resourceful I turned to the torch on my phone. Marvelous. Although as I aimed the torch in the necessary direction to ensure a good shot at the urinal I realized that if the walls were transparent it would look like I was taking a dick pic. As the urine left my body I could see the steam rising in the light of the torch. It was definitely cold then and not the ideal temperature to take a flattering dick pic. Of course not that I was considering it you understand?

We then lined up in our corrals. We faced towards the arch just as the sun was beginning to break over the top. It looked stunning. I always forget that each race in the US starts with the National Anthem. As it was sung by a local singer all the athletes around me stood with their hand on their hearts (not in the Kylie Minogue fashion sadly.) I realized it sort of looked like I was joining in as I had my hands under my armpits to keep warm. Perhaps I just looked like I had gotten it slightly wrong like when George Bush Junior once stood with his hand on his stomach (Google image it.)

Almost time for the off then. Just one last moment for the official videographer to ask four of us to look at him and shout “Here we go. St. Louis rocks!” We did it and for some reason I adopted an American accent. Why? I have no idea. Perhaps because shouting that something “rocks” in an English accent just doesn’t quite sound right?

Across the line we went. I seemed to be in third position. This can’t be right I thought? That’s because it wasn’t. Soon enough there were people passing me. I wasn’t put out by this as I was intent on enjoying the race and seeing the city. Above all I wanted to warm up.

As I mentioned the city has a real urban feel and I really liked this. There are not the high sky scrapers that you get in other US cities (because nothing can be higher than the arch) and it really reminded me of how I viewed the US when I was really young based off 80s movies. We passed some fantastic old fashioned theatres and then into an area called The Grove. It boasted fantastic street art, rainbow pedestrian crossings and some unique looking shops. I made a note to myself of the street names in order to come back and have a wander the next day as it looked really quirky.

I was slightly warmer at this point but my thumbs were still pretty chilly despite running with them tucked into my clenched fists. As we rounded another corner I was hit with the sun. It felt gorgeous on my skin and had me thinking that this was going to be the point I would cease resembling Olaf from Frozen. The long stretch ahead was uphill and into the direct sunlight but I didn’t care that I couldn’t see where I was going. I felt warm. Plus; maybe it was a blessing not knowing how much longer the hill would go on for? A mile or so later I summited the hill and was back into more shady (in terms of temperature) areas. We passed through a beautiful park, amazing houses and soon were on the home stretch back to the CBD. Not before we passed a big sign which said “WTF…where’s the finish line?” It made me smile.

We were running along huge empty boulevards and being close to the front of the pack it almost felt like I had the city to myself. Around one last corner and I could see the magnificent arch again. I crossed the line in 1 hour 24 minutes 2 seconds. By no means a personal best but I was happy to have completed my 21^st Olympic city run and it turned out I still placed 25^th overall which was great.

I was still chilly (and sweat free which shows how cold it was) so made my way back to the VIP tent for a massage, lovely food, a pee in a clean portaloo (this time without the use of a torch) but I did sneak a quick dick pic in. I’m kidding.

As I put on my tracksuit (words I never like to say) one spectator said “I am cold just looking at you, would you like to borrow some of my body fat?” A kind offer I thought but still politely declined.

Back at the hotel I had a lovely warm shower and returned to a healthy pink colour. That evening I made my way to happy hour at the hotel bar and enjoyed drinks and a pizza with other guests. I retired to bed fairly early once the hotel had given me a cookie and warm milk post dinner. I had been up at 5am after all.

So there you have it. City number 21 completed. Judy Garland’s ghost didn’t come to meet me but I still had a great time in the city and I still love Rock n Roll races. Bring on the next one. Maybe Lisbon?

Getting ready the night before: