Maui Marathon and Half Marathon Coaches report.

Not a race for me, but I did spend all day on the course. Mississippi Team in Training pulls from several areas. There were two of us from the coast, a coach who was running the 1/2 and myself. We had two girls from Hattiesburg running the half, and a dozen from Jackson doing the 1/2. The course was out and back for the 1/2 and point to point for the full. Start was at the same time, and finish was at the same place. The marathon finished on the back portion of the 1/2 course.

I started with the 1/2 marathon runners and stayed with the frontrunnners from our team until about 3 miles. Then I started looping back and picking up and checking on the rest of the Mississippi Team. I would drop each of them at the 3 mile mark until the last one. I went with her to a cheer station at about 4 1/2. I hung out there until my front runners came back and then I repeated the routine back to the ten mile mark. I stayed with the last one until the cheer station at the 11/24 mile mark.

I picked up the first marathoner and ran her in then turned around and went back for the last geel. It was getting late and really hot so I waited in the shade at 24 1/2 for a while. I got tired of waiting and a bit worried and continued back tracking. I found her at 24. She was hot, tired, and upset about her time. I gave her a quick one arm hug, dropped in next to her, and ran in the rest of the way with her.

I peeled off at the finish line so she could have a good finishing picture, and went around to the end of the chute. Her friend was waiting there, whe went in and got her. Helped navigate her through the chip turn in, got her some fluids and sat her down in the shade for a while. We encouraged her and told her that she had finished a tough, hot, marathon, and she did great!

The whole Mississippi Team was checked in. I went back to the hotel for an ice bath.

I was on the course for about 5 1/2 hours, and put in about 14 miles along with a bunch of standing, screaming and clapping..