The Race Attempts to Be All Things to All People, While Its Race Director Makes It All Look Too Easy.

\ \ ] HEN MOST of the world * : speaks of America’s igy.3, EXIT SUS Great Northwest, the 6″ PORTIANID MARATHON : as x Pewertize image of Seattle leaps to mind—in a damp, gray sort of way, the spaceneedledominat- ff ing the skyline. Seattle § is reputedly where things are happening, where the action is (in spite of tens of thousands of Boeing employees being laid off =” before Christmas 1998), where life is hoppin’ (as long as you like hoppin’ from lily pad to lily pad), where job and lifestyle opportunities abound, where grunge originated (are people still listening to that stuff?), and where cutting-edge companies like REI, Microsoft, Amazon.com, and Starbucks further sharpen their edges. The Pacific Ocean is off to the left (out there past the Olympic Peninsula), the Olympic mountains to the right, and there is a coffee shop or two or three every block. The traffic? Well, that’s one of those infrastructure problems every boomtown wrestles with. For a city that’s supposedly “laid back,” the Seattle rush hour drivers are anything but—must be the coffee. To us, all of Seattle’s splash has eclipsed a thriving city in Oregon’s northwest comer: Portland, the Rose City, home to Powell’s Books (probably the

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PHONE: 503/226-1111 FAX: 503/645-9526 E-MAIL; info@portlandmarathon.org WEBSITE: www.portlandmarathon.org RACE DIRECTOR: Les Smith YEAR RACE ESTABLISHED: 19/2 SANCTION: USATF CERTIFIED: USATF, AIMS START TIME: 7:00 am COURSE RECORD HOLDERS Open men: Uli Steidl, Oregon, 2:17:21 (1997) Open women: — Hiromi Yokayama, JAPAN, 2:36:39 (1991) Masters men: Larry Almberg, Washington, 2:26:03 (1987) Masters women: Nancy Hinkel, Oregon, 2:49:30 (1995) PRIZE MONEY: None TIE-IN EVENTS: 26.2 Marathon Walk, 10K Mayor’s Walk, Five-Miler, Marafun Kids’ Two-Mile Run, Megan’s Run 24-Hour Track Race NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS: 3,500 MARATHON FINISHERS IN 1998: 4,196 PROPORTION MALE/FEMALE FINISHERS: 58.5% male; 41.5% female COURSE MARKINGS: Every mile NUMBER OF AID STATIONS: 19 FUTURE RACE DATES: 030CT99, 010CTOO, 30SEPTO1, 29SEPTO2

ENTRY COSTFOR1999: $55 until O9SEP99 postmark, $95 on010CT99 or 0O20CT99

AREAHOTELS: (within a half-mile of the start/finish area): The Portland Hilton (race headquarters), 921 SW Sixth Ave., Portland, OR 97204, 800-HILTONS; The Heathman Hotel, 1001 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205, 800/551-0011; The Benson Hotel, 309 SW Broadway, Portland,

OR 97205, 503/228-2000; The Governor Hotel, SW Tenth at Alder, Portland, OR 97205, 800/554-3456; Hotel Vintage Plaza, 422 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205, 800/243-0555; The Marriott Hotel, 1401 SW Front Ave., Portland, OR 97201, 800/228-9290; The Red Lion Hotel Downtown, 310 SW Lincoln St., Portland, OR 97201, 503/221-0450; The Imperial Hotel, 400 SW Broadway Ave., Portland, OR 97205, 800/452-2323; Days Inn City Center, 1414 SW Sixth Ave., Portland, OR 97201, 800/899-0248.

PORTLAND INFORMATION: |f you’re on-line, the easiest way to get information on Portland is to access the Portland Marathon website, then click on Portland on the left side of the page. Otherwise, contact the Portland Oregon Visitors Association at Three World Trade Center, 26 SW. Salmon St., Portland, OR 97204, 503/275-9750, 800/962-3700, Fax 503/ 275-9774 and ask for a copy of the Official Visitors’ Guide. We also recommend Portland’s Best Places, published by Sasquatch Books, 206/4674300, www sasquatchbooks.com. The current edition (ISBN 1-57061-1238) costs $16.95.

GETTING THERE: Getting to Portland is very easy, as the Portland Airport is serviced by most major carriers, and it’s a short hop from the airport to downtown. If you enjoy driving, I-5 runs through the heart of Portland— just don‘t gawk too much as you cross one of the many bridges or you’ll miss a turn and have quite a challenge finding your way back onto the interstate. Avoid |-5 at rush hour.

best bookstore in the United States); Henry Weinhard (the beer by whose bottling number printed on the neck many late 1970s andearly 1980s west coast arrivals set their calendar); Nike’s suburban Beaverton headquarters, situated precariously near the rugged Oregon coast; the historic mouth of the Columbia River; and the spectacular Mount Hood, which is near enough to glimpse from the top of a Portland bridge and then to be on 75 minutes later.

Portland is the apple through which the arrow of the famed Hoodto-the-Coast Relay is shot each August. It’s also the home of the PortMay/June 1999

land Marathon, one of the best-run, most ambitious, most multifaceted urban marathon extravaganzas in the world.

Now, we do have to acknowledge that the first group of white long-distance guys who pushed into the northwest Oregon region didn’t much care for it. In 1805-6 the Lewis and Clark expedition wintered along the coast west of Astoria at what they called Fort Clapsop near the mouth of the Columbia and became severely depressed by all the rain and storms— and likely by the forced inactivity in the wake of having just struggled mightily to cross a portion of the

PORTLAND MARATHON’) ® 109

country that made East Coast explorations look like .. . well… a tea party.

There’s little doubt that a local brewpub, a coffeehouse, and a selection of books from Powell’s Travel Store would have lifted the spirits of the Lewis and Clark gang—as would havea daily jog through the surrounding forests.

SOME PORTLAND FACTS AND FIGURES

The greater metro Portland area covers 130 square miles and is home to about 503,000 people (fewer than San Francisco). The Willamette River flows through town, requiring a slew of bridges, each with its own personality. The city isa mere 173 feet above sea level, the sea being 78 miles to the west, while Mt. Hood is 65 miles off to the east. The city is 30 miles north of the 45th parallel north (that line halfway between the equator and the North Pole).

Although America’s northwest is noted for precipitation, Portland is more typically “misted” than rained on. With 37 inches of annual precipitation, it gets less rain than Seattle and way less than Sonoma County, California, where during the winter of 1998 some towns received more than 110 inches.

Arunner’s delight, Portland boasts 37,000 acres of park land (including the 5,000-acre Forest Park—in comparison, San Francisco’s famed Golden Gate Park is just over 1,000

acres, while Manhattan’s Central Park is just under 1,000) and an extremely active running community. The Oregon Road Runners Club is one of the most famous and most high-energy groups in the country.

THE MARATHON WEEKEND

If you try to keep up with everything that’s going on, the Portland Marathon weekend can be one of the most frenzied and exhausting weekends of your life. In fact, some may say the weekend is just too much of a good thing. Although he’s first to credit his staff and volunteers, Les Smith is the maestro of the weekend. A Portland lawyer and one-time president of the ORRC, Les has been race director of the Portland Marathon since 1984 and can be credited with taking a struggling, anemic race (first run in 1972 but down to fewer than 500 entries in 1981) and turning it into a template of the urban road race extravaganza.

One of the offerings of race weekend is a two-day (Friday and Saturday) race directors’ conference, which Les coordinates and attends, flabbergasting many attending directors who wonder how Les can wile away the two prime days of race weekend at roundtables and seminars. It’s easy: Les has organized a race committee of 85 that runs like a NASCAR pit crew. More than 3,500 volunteers work together torun the smorgasbord of events. Let’s check out the main menu:

May/June 1999

Must See/Must Avoid

GO SEE IT

Powell’s Books, 1005 W. Burnside St., 503/228-4651. Before there were superstores dealing in books, there was Powell’s, a shop that is both a bibliophile’s dream and nightmare: so many books, so little time. Powell’s features 1,000,000 volumes and is so big (filling a full city block) that you need the maps they provide to get around the place. Powell’s is more funky than fancy and offers books by the ton, both old and new. Of course, their section on the northwest is overflowing, and you’ll even find some long-out-of-print running books in the sports section. The main store also has a delightful coffee shop and a rare books room upstairs. A convenient, free parking lot is located across the street (on the east side of NW 10th). Powell’s also has satellite stores sprinkled around town: Powell’s Travel Store (SW 6th Ave. & Yamhill St., 503/228-1108), Powell’s Technical Book Store (33 NW Park Ave., 503/228-3906), and Powell’s Books for Cooks and Gardeners (3747 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 503/235-3802).

Pittock Mansion, 3229 NW Pittock Dr., 503/823-3624. The marathon’s tie-in race directors’ conference typically has its Saturday evening endof-sessions dinner at the mansion, a 22-room fully-restored 1914 home that sits 1,000 feet above the city and offers magnificent views of

May/June 1999

northeast Portland and Mt. Hood. The 46 acres of the property are open to the public until dark. Tours of the mansion run from noon to 4:00 and cost $4.50 for adults. When you go through the rounded and elaborate Turkish smoking room, note the No Smoking sign above the door. Riverplace/Tom McCall Waterfront Park, on the west side of the Willamette River between the Marquam Bridge and the Steel Bridge. The final mile of the marathon runs along this lovely riverside park, reclaimed from the automobile in the early 1970s. The southern end is upscale, with the RiverPlace, RiverPlace Hotel, RiverPlace Athletic Club, condos, and a marina, but the rest of the stretch is grassy and open and dotted with monuments, including the Battleship Oregon Marine Memorial and the Japanese-American Historical Plaza. Across the street isthe Portland Farmers’ Market, open on Saturdays. Don’t miss Mill Ends Park, the “smallest park in the world.” Washington Park, SW Park Place at Vista Ave., 503/823-5112, is a wonderful place to wander and spend time taking in the various attractions during the days before or after the marathon. Much more developed and civilized than the huge Forest Park, Washington Park is 546 acres devoted primarily to growing things. The Hoyt Arborecontinued

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tum is there (10 miles of trails, 700 species of trees and shrubs), as are the International Rose Test Garden, the Japanese Garden, the Rhododendron Gardens, the Washington Park Zoo, and the World Forestry Center.

Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company, 1133 W. Burnside St., 503/ 222-4351. Best known to West Coast beer drinkers as “Hank’s.” Henry Weinhard is the unofficial large-distribution beer along the coast and one of the better mass brews available in the country. A 45minute tour, with free samples, is offered Tuesday through Friday at noon, 1:30 and 3:00. Portland is a beer-lover’s heaven; if you want to be treated to a no-brainer tour of Portland breweries, a Brew Bus is

Friday is the first day of the race directors’ conference. The sports and fitness expo with packet pickup and late registration is held at the Portland Hilton. A reception for sponsors and race directors takes place that evening at the you-gotta-see-it-tobelieve-it Multnomah Athletic Club.

On Saturday morning at 8:00 the 24-hour track race at Lincoln High School begins. The second day of the race directors’ conference runs from 8:00 to 4:00. The exporuns from 9:00 to 6:00. At 4:30, the pasta party gets going at the Lincoln High School cafeteria, running until about 8:00. On the way in and back out, marathon participants can check in with the 24available on Saturdays for $29.95, which includes the ride, sample beers, snacks, and tours of at least three breweries. Call ahead to book a personal tour for you and your friends: 888/244-2739.

AVOID IT

Portland was founded on industry, and many industrial sections still take up fairly substantial portions of the city. The industrial areas themselves are not particularly dangerous, but some of the neighborhoods near them can be scary after dark. Check with your hotel desk clerk for areas to avoid. Fortunately, because Portland has so many places that are safely linked together, there is no reason to fear that you’ll wander too far afield.

hour ultrarunners on the adjoining track.

Then there’s Sunday, which is Race Day:

6:59—Wheelchair race begins.

7:00—Marathon run and marathon walk begins.

7:44—Wheelchair five-miler begins.

7:45—Five-mile run begins.

8:00—Kids’ Run begins

8:00—Mayor’s Walk begins at 20mile point of marathon course.

8:02—Special Olympics Run begins.

1:00—Postrace party at the Portland Hilton begins.

3:00—Awards presentation begins.

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Along the course, entertainment abounds—48 different music and dance groups at 39 different locations. The wonderful Art Abrams Big Band Swing Machine performs a third of a mile from the finish.

Marathon finishers receive food, abeautiful finisher’s medal, marathon pin, along-sleeved T-shirt, anda seedling of a super Douglas Fir or other selected spruce from the Crown Pacific Tree Farm.

IS THERE A DOWNSIDE?

Okay, you say, this all sounds great— too great. What are the drawbacks? Well, there are some. The expo in the basement of the Hilton is very crowded, made more uncomfortable by occasional pairs of women who insist on pushing their children through the packed expo in Baby Joggers! With the tremendous growth of the field, if you don’t make reservations early in downtown Portland (where the race starts and finishes), your choices will be pitifully limited. Crowd support along most of the course is spotty, except at the finish area, although with 5,891 marathon run and walk finishers in 1998, you’re never really alone.

AND WHAT ABOUT THE COURSE?

As with any urban race, some parts of the Portland course inspire less awe than others. Portions of the course

May/June 1999

cross or cut back on themselves. There are also some notable climbs, especially the one to St. John’s Bridge at the 17-mile point; between 16.5 and 18.5 miles, you climb about 135 feet.

In spite of the section from about 10K to roughly 12 miles that runs through the industrial section of town, much of the course is scenic and varied enough tokeep it from getting dull. In fact, on a clear day there are segments from which runners can glimpse Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens.

The course begins (and ends) ina series of connected downtown parks reminiscent of a turn-of-the-century pedestrian midcity park complex. Remove the crowds and the race finish line structure and you can imagine parasols, bustles, and horse drawn buggies.

The first several miles loop through downtown, and in places the course cuts back upon itself before heading out Front Avenue. From the 1.3-mile point to the 3.3-mile point, you climb 103 feet. Then there’s a 2mile long drop back down to 12 feet above the river. This is the portion of the race that runs through the industrial section of town, and the 7.4- to 9.3-mile points and 9.3- to 11.3-mile points are an out and back on Front Avenue. The course then takes a loop that begins near Forest Park and climbs to the lovely St. John’s Bridge (the 137-foot climb over miles 16 to 18).

The next 6 miles are inspiring, as the course runs along the rise above the east side of the Willamette River.

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The views are spectacular, and the course is downhill from 18 to roughly 25 miles. Then the course comes back to the west side of the river after crossing the Steel Bridge.

One of our favorite little parts of the course comes between miles 25 and 26, where most runners are narrowing their focus. On the left side of the course, at the median strip of SW Naito Parkway at Taylor Street, is Mill Ends Park, which the Guiness Book of World Records calls the world’s smallest

Course Map

Marathon Route =” Turn-around oO

Mile Marker eo

Aid Station A

city park. Only 24 square inches, the park boasts welltended flowers and even hosts an occasional wedding. Founded by Dick Fagen of the Oregon Journal, who wistfully gazed upon the spot from his office window, the park was created from a deserted posthole.

The final one-third mile of the course turns away from the river waterfront and heads downtown before turning 90 degrees onto SW Third Street for a dramatic finish that is slightly uphill but lined with enthusiastic family and race supporters.

After the race, parks are reserved for finishers who are guided to their clothing bags and a bountiful array of food and drink to help them recarboload and rehydrate.

ALWAYS A BIG DRAW

Over the years, the Portland Marathon has lured marathoners from every state in the union and more than a dozen countries. Quite simply, it’s one of the world’s best urban marathon

May/June 1999

Runner’s High/Runner’s Low

HIGHS

Exceptional organization

Generally a good course

Myriad additional races for family and friends

No lack of things to do in Portland

Good coffee bars, better microbreweries

Convenient downtown start and finish

Fine entertainment along the course

experiences and well worth the trip out there.

The marathon’s website— www.portlandmarathon.org—is top notch, providing ample and detailed information about the marathon and course and offering links to sites with information on the greater Portland area.

As if there’s not already enough going on over race weekend, for 1999 Les Smith is attempting to put together

Super finisher’s medal

Race organization always formulating improvements

Powell’s Books (and satellite bookstores)

Expo too crowded

Spotty crowds except at start and finish

Two gradual hills on course

a summer biathlon (run, shoot, run, shoot, run) and a speed golf tournament as well as a “golf marathon,” which involves playing at least 100 holes of golf as fast as you can. Jeez, we’re already exhausted. What next? Caffeine orienteering where marathon runners use a map and compass to find every coffee house in town? Nah— we’ll wait for the brewpub Pe

orienteering marathon.

The Bottom Line

We have weighed various aspects of a marathon within a 1,000-point scoring grid. Besides the author of the article, a dozen runners at the race were randomly chosen to score the race for us. (PM = Portland Marathon.) The

results follow:

1. HISTORY/TRADITION

Evaluate the race’s sense of history and tradition.

[Possible points: 30 PM score: 27]

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continued

PORTLAND MARATHON fm 115

2. ENTRY FORM Is the race entry form clear, concise, attractive, complete, and easy to fill out? [Possible points: 20 PM score: 20]

3. ENTRY COST For most races, the entry fee covers between 30 and 50 percent of the cost of putting on the event. Rate the value of your dollar relative to this race.

[Possible points: 30 PM score: 30]

4. LOCALE/SCENICS

Is the race held in an area that is easy to get to and scenic, offers adequate food and housing services, and nonrace activities for family and friends?

[Possible points: 50 PM score: 40]

5. REGISTRATION Is registration well organized and efficient? Does it bog down unnecessarily? [Possible points: 20 PM score: 18]

6. PRERACE ACTIVITIES

Evaluate activities such as pasta feeds, parties, and so on, during the days before the race.

[Possible points: 50 PM score: 48]

7 EXrO

Does the expo offer a fair number and variety of booths relative to the race’s size? Are there quality exhibitors and good guest speakers?

[Possible points: 50 PM score: 35]

8. COURSE

Take into consideration the following: degree of difficulty, certified, sanctioned, quality of road or trail surface, adequate mileage and directional markers, aid stations, medical coverage, race communications, accessibility to course for friends and family, typical weather, and so on.

[Possible points: 400 PM score: 375]

9. RACE AMENITIES

This category includes race T-shirt, finisher’s medal, finisher’s certificate, adequate and efficient finish area, ease of sweatbag retrieval, showers, postrace refreshments, awards ceremony, raffles, results postcard, results book, and so on.

[Possible points: 250 PM score: 250]

10. VOLUNTEERS Are the volunteers experienced and adequate in number? [Possible points: 100 PM score: 100]

TOTAL SCORE FOR PORTLAND MARATHON 943 points (out of 1,000)

MARATHON ¢ HALF MARATHON » SK + KIDS RUN > RELAY

Conducted 2 the Fox Cities YMCA’s

CELLULARONE’

CeCe La

www.runningzone.com/foxcitiesmarathon HOTLINE 920-830-7259