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SALT LAKE CITY — Dorothy was right — there’s no place like home.
I haven’t lived in Oregon since I was 12 years old, but a piece of my heart will always reside there. I still long for overcast, rainy days, rocky cliffs along a chilly shoreline, and canopies of evergreen for miles. When I heard the Eugene Marathon was being moved to July, there was no hesitation. We would all, as a family, run in my childhood home.
Until this year, the Eugene Marathon was held in April. While many Oregonians were dismayed at the new summer date, it made for an incredible weekend as it coincided with the IAAF World Junior Championships at historic Hayward Field. Tracktown USA was abuzz with runners from around the globe and the electricity was palpable.
Saturday morning we walked through the University of Oregon campus, where so many in my family have graduated and a campus I played on as a young girl, and made our way to the start of the annual Kids K Duck Dash. My girls have run many kids races over the years, but this one was the best organized.
The Oregon Duck, a Krusteaz pancake mascot (an official sponsor), a Subway sandwich mascot, and an unidentifiable animal we are pretty sure was a hamster led the kids in some pre-race cheers. A quick countdown and we were off. For a little less than a mile, we wound our way through the bike paths of the U. of O. As we entered Hayward Field for the big finish, our girls took off. It was as if the spirit of Prefontaine found its way to their legs and gave them speed none of us knew they had!
They were greeted with cheers, medals and a full pancake breakfast. In my daughter Kaitlynne’s words, “This is the most awesome race ever!”
We spent the rest of our day wandering around campus, finding my old elementary school and home, and driving up to Pre’s Rock. I may have left Eugene 28 years ago, but it’s never left me. Street names and landmarks came back to me as if no time had passed. My heart was happy and my legs were ready to run.
Sunday morning. Race day. The starting line was only a mile from our hotel, back on the U. of O. campus. With no bus to ride up a dark canyon, we were able to sleep until an hour before the race start. My husband signed up to run the half marathon while I ran the full. We both started at the same time, sharing the first 10 miles together until we split. Mary Wittenburg from the ING New York Marathon greeted us and wished us well, fired the starting gun, and the best marathon I’ve run began.
The course is a loop course where you finish at the start, my favorite kind of course. The first 10 miles led us through quiet Eugene neighborhoods and Amazon Park. Because of the out-and-back nature of the last couple miles, we were able to see the half-marathon winners break the course record as they blazed past us. Their race was done in a mere 1 hour and 4 minutes.
At the half/full marathon split, full marathoners headed out on bike paths along the Willamette River. Noticeably more quiet and open, all I could think about was how good life is. Running through a tunnel of trees with the water trickling by and a cool breeze at our back, I felt the happiest I’ve ever felt on a run. These are the moments most runners seek but only occasionally find.
Mile 15 took us by Autzen Stadium where I’d seen many a Duck football game and even a few July Fourth fireworks shows. We continued on through Alton Baker Park, home of Pre’s Trail and some of the most scenic bike paths. Crowd support wasn’t huge, but those who were there were full of enthusiasm and kind words. And if I smiled or waved at them, their response was even bigger. It was as if they felt the same sense of contentment and peace I was experiencing on the run.
Mile 21 we crossed Owosso Bridge, turned around and headed back to Hayward Field. At this point in a marathon, I’m usually counting down the miles. Certainly, my legs wanted to be done. But I’d looked forward to the race for so long and was, for maybe the first time, really in the moment. I didn’t allow myself to mentally disengage, a trick I use when the suffering becomes too real. I didn’t go to my “happy place.” I was already there. The miles ticked by with alarming speed.
Mile 25 is the victory lap. I could think of nothing but my family waiting for me. My Aunt Kay and Grandma Siler had driven down from Salem to watch us finish. I had sat in the grandstands for so many special events. Now they were sitting in the grandstands for us.
Crossing under the Hayward Field sign, through the gate and onto the track, I remembered watching my mom earn her bachelor’s and master’s degree. I remembered going to classes with her and playing in the quad. I thought of the great races and runners our family watched from those stands. Mary Decker Slaney, Edwin Moses, Prefontaine. I thought of my grandma’s close friend, Bill Dellinger, and the stories she told of his U. of O. coaching days — his Olympic success.
Now I have new memories with my family’s own Hayward Field finishes.
Time has a way of distorting our memories — of making our past seem brighter than it was. Returning home is often ripe with disappointment when reality fails to live up to those images. Certainly my life in Eugene wasn’t as idyllic as it may sound. But the feeling of being home was real. I am as much an Oregonian today as I am a Utahn. And how blessed I am to lay claim to two incredible states.
Go Ducks!
Kim Cowart is a wife, mother, 24-Hour Fitness instructor and marathoner and an Oregon Duck at heart.
