Paavo Nurmi Marathon Recap

Gysel Parajon(MM8995, DA3751, HF18751)- Paavo Nurmi Marathon Race Recap in Hurley, WI!!

What a difference a week makes. The weekend before last I was unable to finish my trail marathon and this past Saturday I not only finished my 31st state marathon, I ran the fastest I have run in a couple years!!! I’m not even completely sure how I did that but I believe it was a mixture of good sleep, consistent training for a change, nutrition, (before and during the race), meditation, exhilaration, optimism, mind over body, running mantras, my running shoes, perhaps having a certain number on my bib, and a pre-race warmup! I also wrapped my ankle in moleskin so I did not in fact feel the sprain I incurred a few days prior. Yes, injuries seem to follow me…
The Paavo Nurmi Marathon in Hurley, WI began in pouring rain, which fortunately killed the heat and humidity a good deal and made the day great! It ran on mostly asphalt but there were some sections that were on dirt roads and that made me giddy of course. I had read the course would be hilly but it didn’t quite feel that way to me until the last 10 miles. I just felt good all day and went with it. I ran with the 5:30 pacers from miles 10-13 but ultimately I had to hang back as my run/walk method is based more on feel than time. But, I ended up being not too far behind!
I ran by myself most of the day enjoying being out in the Northwoods of the Midwest again, invigorated by listening to AFI’s catalogue thanks to my partner who loves music the way I do and more, but it was nice to see other runners on the course as well, especially the out and back section in the last 10 miles. And I noticed there were patches of my favorite wildflower, fireweed, which made me very happy. It was overall a wonderful day even as the rain and thunder returned with a vengeance. The real downpour came after I crossed the finish line with runners still on course. I stayed to see them all finish including another Maniac, Sharon Berger!! Pleasure to meet you!
Thank you @paavomarathon, the Chamber of Commerce, the RD, you did great, the volunteers, the spectators who kept traveling along the course to cheer runners on, my fellow amazing runners, my family, especially my son, my friends, and my partner @latomas for the support. This was a special day. 😌❤️