A bird's eye view of the first Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon

25,000 people from all over the country jammed into the
Qwest Field finish line area after Saturday's inaugural
Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon. Photo by Randy Choco.

Sunday's Seattle Times reports that the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon was the city's largest race with 25,000 participants, including 10,000 from out of state, 1,000s of cheerleaders, and 45 bands on 27 stages along the route from Tukwila to Qwest Field.

But if you want to know what it really felt like to be there among the thousands of rockin' and rollin' runners, you need to walk a mile (or 13) in Nicole's shoes.

Interview with first-time half marathoner Nicole Decarie Ji:

I used to say, "Oh, I can't run." And if you asked me to run a 1/2 marathon I would have told you I couldn't do that, either. We train by working our muscles so we can participate in athletic events, but the thing that needs the most training is our brain. That's the most powerful muscle we have. My first 5K ever was in December 2006. That's when I started to train my brain that I CAN do it."

How did you train for the Seattle Rock 'n'Roll Marathon?

I had been hit with injuries during my training, forcing me to run today's race a bit under trained. My CrossFit trainer and chiropractor told me that, although I didn't run as much leading up to the event, I was strong enough endurance-wise and mentally to do this. After I ran passed the 10K mile marker I knew they were right. This gave me the added strength I needed to get me all the way to the finish line. My injured hip and knee were feeling pretty good, but I noticed some new areas that were hurting. I think this is the life of a runner?"

Did you like the route?

The first few miles were not the most picturesque, but then we hit the Cloverdale area and I could see snippets of the lake. Once we passed Seward Park it was just breathtaking. As I was coming down Lake Washington Boulevard, I could see a commotion where people were going from a run to a walk. All I could think was that someone was hurt. As I got closer, I noticed people with their cameras and phones taking pictures of a beautiful bald eagle. I don't usually want to add any minutes to my time, but how often would I be running a 1/2 marathon and be blessed with the presence of an eagle watching over me? I stopped and took this picture."

The course itself is really nice and mostly flat with some gradual inclines here and there. The bands were a nice distraction that helped make the miles go by a little quicker. Having music and cheer squads adds to the infectious energy that carries you throughout the race course. I saw lots of "Team in Training" folks from all parts of the country: Inland Empire, Cleveland, Santa Clara, Florida. There are lots of people that walk the race, too. I saw a lady with one leg jogging (she had a prosthesis on her other leg). It was so inspiring to see. I spoke to a lady that did her first full marathon on her 50th birthday, and at the finish line told herself she'd do it again at 55. When I came off the viaduct and started seeing the chute to the finish line, I was getting a bit choked up."

How did you feel when you crossed the finish line?

You are euphoric and giddy and anxious to find your friends to talk about all your aches and pains, ups and downs of the race. Most of us really "felt it" at about mile 10. After that mile marker you have a 5K left, and you know you are in the home stretch. I want to give a shout out to Leigh-Ann Gutmann, who during the last part of the race stopped running to aid a women that fell and was bleeding profusely. Leigh-Ann is a nurse, so she tried to stop the bleeding and make sure the women was okay until the medical team showed up. Stopping to help added time to Leigh-Ann's race and also made it tougher to start up running again. They should have given her 2 medals." 

Left to right: Nicole Decarie Ji, Leigh-Ann Gutmann and Denise Pennington Boldman.

 What did you do after the race?

We had to make our way back to downtown and this is the only time in the race that I questioned the organizers: 'I just ran 13 miles, my legs and knees feel like they are going to fall off, and you are not providing transportation back to downtown where I was picked up and taken to the starting line?' We limped and hobbled from Qwest Field to the Sheraton on 6th & Union. Then we stopped at Red Robin on the way back to Duvall, and I had my favorite post-run meal: cheeseburger, fries, and a Corona!"

Will you run the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon again?

It was a great Seattle day. The clouds parted and the sun shined. The music played and the people ran. I can't wait until next year!"

A limited number of tickets for next summer's Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon have already been sold. For results from this year's marathon and information on 2010 ticket sales, go to RNRSeattle.