Nobody asked me, but I thought I’d share my post-race analysis of last Sunday’s Dallas White Rock Marathon with you. The race sold out a couple of weeks early at 15,000, but there were more half-marathoners than marathoners which is pretty much the norm these days. More on the half marathoners in a minute.

Forecasts for the race were downright awful as it appeared that it would be a steam bath. Fortunately, a cold front blew through North Texas on Saturday night which dropped the temperature from nearly 80 to the high 40s when the race started under gloomy skies and a light drizzle. Unfortunately, the cold front also brought a steady north wind that blew 10-15 mph most of the race and the temperature dropped another 10 degrees by the time most runners finished.

I'll say this though, the White Rock course is a total winner. A huge loop, it’s scenic, fair and mostly flat with some nice downhill stretches when you need them most—in the final six miles. The 10-mile circuit of White Rock Lake from miles nine to 19 is the flattest section of the course (although sections of the road are highly cambered) and if the north wind hadn’t been quite so persistent, it would have been quite a bit more enjoyable. The few uphills (mostly in the 20th mile) weren’t bad by Austin standards and all of them were more than balanced by an equal amount of downhills.

Aid stations were extremely well-staffed and the course volunteers along the route made certain nobody went off course. There were even enthusiastic crowds sprinkled throughout the course, especially on the seven miles which was either flat or had a couple of long, gentle downhill stretches that nobody could complain about.

But what runners could (and did) complain about were the post-race logistics. First, the clothing drop off was an inexcusable nightmare. Unbelievably, there were only two volunteers to retrieve clothing which meant long lines in the freezing drizzle for shivering, depleted, irrational (and angry)marathoners. Awful. Then, once you got your clothes, there was another long line to go through metal detectors and get searched before entering the American Airlines Center where the food and fluids were. If you had enough patience to wait in line (I didn’t), you were then directed onto the floor of the arena which meant negotiating stairs—just about the last thing exhausted marathoners can handle.

There were other post-race issues with finish medals, lack of water and transportation back to the hotels (our bus driver got lost and we had to hoof it back). But probably the worst snafu was the 24-mile mark where the half marathoners merge onto the marathon course.

Unlike AT&T, the nearly 6000 White Rock half marathoners start an hour after the marathoners. For the faster marathoners, there isn’t an issue with the half marathoners but for the masses the final two miles are so clogged with runners and walkers (sometimes three or four abreast) that it was utter chaos as the slower half marathoners unintentionally impeded the progress of the marathoners who were trying to bull their way to the finish. Simply put, a mess.

Bottom line: The White Rock Marathon, based on the merit of its course, is certainly top-notch. But just about everything else is well below standard. Maybe we’re just spoiled in Austin.

1. Still on White Rock, Tracy Nelson was listed as winning her division but I wrote in my coverage of the race that there must have been some timing error. Well, the error was mine. Tracy ran an almost perfectly even split 4:17 with a strong final five miles to win the Athena category.
2. More White Rock, David Vance was the second Austinite (to Scott McIntyre) to the finish. Vance ran 2:58 in his first marathon. Always dependable Paul Carmona was pacing his sister and Katherine Hill to a four-hour marathon Boston qualifier. Carmona and the women cut it a little close, but still nailed a 3:59:58.
3. BTW, the AT&T Austin Marathon is dispensing with its usual prize money structure for the February 17th race. Instead, race director John Conley is going to use an international team challenge format. Co-ed teams from the US, Canada, Great Britain and Mexico will run for $33,000 in team prize money. The teams of two men and two women will be scored on the basis of the three best finishes by gender, similar to cross-country scoring. (The lowest score wins.) Times won’t be a factor in the scoring. The winning team gets $15,000 to split.
4. Rumors that the Lake Austin RunTex would close as a retail operation are not true. The store will remain open. There was talk of converting it to a training-only facility, but that has been shelved.
5. Also getting into the retail game is known other than The Lance (Armstrong, not Parker). Armstrong is the principal owner of a long-rumored new bike shop opening this spring which will be called Mellow Johnny’s which evidently is a slur on the famed yellow jersey. (Don’t worry, I didn’t get it either.) Anyway, Armstrong is partnering with Trek (his bike sponsor), but the store will carry other brands as well. It’s going to be on the corner of 4th and Nueces and have the obligatory coffee shop attached to it. Craig Stahley, who owns Bettysport, a grocery store and a running store in Northern California and is a partner in the new Rogue Equipment store, will be the general manager of the bike shop. Busy man.
6. More Lance. Word on the street is there will be a Lance Armstrong biopic. Famed producer Frank Marshall (also a good marathoner) said, "The movie’s on the front burner. We still want to do it. I just talked to Lance about it. He’s gung ho. I’m going down to see him next week to keep of regroup and see if we can’t go forward and do something next summer. Matt Damon is certainly one of the front-running candidates {to star as Lance}. If he wants to do it, that would be great." Note: Damon’s probably going to have to quit smoking before he does many scenes on the bike. Damon’s brother is a pretty fair triathlete who might double for him on the bike.
7. Congratulations to pro triathlete Kelly Handel and Derick Williamson who are getting married. Williamson, who coaches Lance Parker and is one of the main men at Source Endurance, is one of the top runners in town.
8. The Keep Austin Weird 5-K is shifting dates and venues again. In ’08, the Weirdness moves back a couple of weeks to June 28th and the start/finish (and parties) shift back to Auditorium Shores where it belongs.
9. Considering a trip to Beijing for the ’08 Olympics? If so, you might want to contact Ludus Tours which is the official tour operator for USA Track & Field. Ludus was founded by former RunTex’ers Adam and Jessica Dailey (who are expecting their first child—a girl--any minute) and they are trying to lure as many Austinites to China as possible by offering a special discount and gifts for anyone who mentions RunTex as the source of their interest. Ludus also ran track tours for the ’04 Olympics and has hosted more than 5000 guests since then on various tours. They are offering a variety of tour packages to China that include everything from track tickets to transfers. For more info, go to http://www.trackandfieldtours.com/www.trackandfieldtours.com or write info@ludustours.com.
10. Don’t know if you’ve heard about the Dick Beardsley Foundation, but this is Beardsley's way of raising money and awareness for people with addictions. Beardsley, who moved to Austin in May, will be raising money at the AT&T Austin Marathon on February 17th by hosting a special VIP section at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel at the finish on Congress. For a $50 contribution, you get the perfect place to meet family and friends after the marathon, a great meal, drink coupon and access to indoor bathrooms. But best of all, you get a post-race massage (not from Beardsley). If you aren’t running, you get a great spot to watch the finish with Beardsley and former marathon world record holder Steve Jones who is an annual guest for the marathon. Interested? Go to www.attaustinmarathon.com and select pasta party/VIP ticket only.

Have any juicy news for me? If you do (it doesn't have to be entirely true), email me: wish@runtex.com