Sounds like a good way to enjoy the day GG, just might turn out to be a PF... personal favorite. Best of luck to your wife.

Have fun, Darrell! I was looking at heading to Ohio for the half mary, but couldn't make it work.

Btw, can we change the title of your post to MY slowest marathon ever? Remember, on behalf of us slow people, the fact that you're pacing 5:15, means that people (like your wife) are counting on you to help them finish their fastest marathon ever. Try not to make them too discouraged by letting them know this is a total walk in the park for you!

Tamara,
Yes, I agree, the title should have been "My Slowest Marathon Ever", but you know what?

I had a blast, I spent lots of time talking with other racers, water stop folks, and overall had a good time! We may do this every year, run a race for her, and then later in the year, let me run amok!

Here is the race report....

I ran as a pacer yesterday for the Flying Pig Marathon, with my wife Peggy. Her goal, in her Heart-of-Hearts was to run a 5:15, I had a feeling she could do it, if she was willing to suffer some, but I knew a 5:30 was in the bag.

Temps at the start, around 50, and the High was supposed to be 72, winds out of the East and 10-15. Now winds out of the east are rare for Cincinnati, but it did keep the wind out of your face for the last 6 miles.

Peggy started out strong, and by mile 4, had made up the difference between clock and chip time. I felt she was going out too fast, but she was running smoothly, and I kept asking her how she felt, and she was feeling fine....

At the 15 mile mark, she was on pace for a 5:09 finish, but was starting to feel a little fatigued. At mile 21, the wheels came off a little, she was really struggling, and I had to spend time talking with her, and letting her know that I was hurting too, even though I was running at a slower pace than normal.

She made a Porta-Potty stop at 22, and after that started to feel a little better, and her pace picked up for the last two miles. Overall finish, clock time 5:27:00, Chip time 5:23:03!!!!

Even though she didn't make the 5:15 she was shooting for, it was still a 27 minute PR, and she can be proud of the job she did. She told me afterwards that she felt that she had let me down, by not holding it together and gutting it out, and I let her know that she showed lots of guts to put up with me urging her on, and sucking it up in the last 2 miles!

Peggy was using the Galloway method of 3 min run/45 sec walk, and was doing well with it. After 20, we went to 1 min walk, and a couple of times back to 45 sec, as she felt better.

She probably passed 100 people in the last two miles, which is pretty cool.

Anyway, the legs don't feel bad this morning, as I'm sitting in the airport waiting to leave on another business trip, I do plan on running 3 or 4 days this week.

Peggy is already plotting her next Marathon, and over dinner at the Montgomery Inn Boat House ( Swanky Rib Place ), she admitted that she is GOING to run a 5:00, maybe not this year, but she is going to!!