Mad Marathon Mastery: Grabbing State 40 the Hard Way

Rick Albanese(MM11181) – Marathon or Ultra State 40 finished in grand style!! The Mad Marathon in Vermont has been on my radar for many years. The strong endorsement of Chuck Engle, the Marathon Junkie, sealed the deal that this would be my Vermont marathon! I enjoyed the greatest next level pre race salad and pasta dinner I’ve ever seen and some even more amazing fellowship and conversation with Chuck the night before the race at the historic Red Barn in Waitsfield. The stage was set!
Years ago as a marathon neophyte I questioned if I could even finish this race! A rugged, hilly combo of dirt and road! The 2700 feet of gain packed a punch with very steep ascents and descents throughout the entire course. At a faster road pace this race runs harder than most comparable trail 50ks. After my last 100 miler in March I was slow to recover mentally and physically. Between work, life, family and my golf passion I relied on an abbreviated training cycle for this race of maybe 6-8 weeks with no run over 13 miles and not nearly enough uphill or downhill work! At this stage of my running career a lot comes down to experience and the mental bank of memories, overcoming cancer and finishing hard things, that mental bank pays big dividends. My first goal as always was to finish but my sub 5 hour goal vanished 10-13 miles in. The sun, which could have been even hotter, really threw a curve in the second half on exposed stretches. My left hamstring and calf began seizing up around mile 18. I took some more electrolyte buffered salt tabs and got it mostly under control. I finished strong the last two miles really just wanting it to be over sooner, lol!! I’m real grateful and proud for this finish!🙏🏻🇺🇸🏃🏼‍♂️🏅

Photo and Post Credit Rick Albanese(MM11181)