Mercedes Marathon - North America

It was a long and hilly day, but the sun shone brightly on the Mercedes Marathon. Talk about Southern Hospitality! These people know how to show you a good time.
I ran into Steve and Paula Boone before the race and managed to get a little film of my start. Steve was, of course, running his second marathon of the weekend.

Somewhere between mile 1 and 2, I came upon four girls from Grand Rapids--including Tammy Nagy, Nancy Sullivan, Amy Vanwagoner, and Cyndi Lyons. Quite a surprise to find some folks from back home! We ran together for a bit before I went on ahead. I had started back in the pack quite a ways, so I gradually passed the 4:45 pace group, then finally the 4:30 pace group. Brian had been running with the 4:30 group, so he caught me and ran with me for a few minutes before dropping back.

About the time he dropped back, I passed George Higgs and we ended up running together for about 8 miles, picking up Terri Menghini along the way. George stopped to shed a layer or two, and Terri and I ran together until almost mile 18. As we ran down a residential street, there were signs in a front yard saying "GO KERN GO" and one with a drawing of the seven continents on it. I had to stop and say hello and get my pictures taken with the Larussa kids. They gave me an American flag bandana and said "Take us with you." I tied the bandana around my neck and finished the race with it.

Around 19 miles, the 4:30 pace team caught up with me again--down to the two pacers and maybe 3 or 4 runners. I stayed with them until we headed up a VERY LONG hill that went from about mile 21 to mile 23. Worked my way up that hill with a guy named Larry. Finally we started back downhil and into town. Just a block before the finish, George caught up with me, and finished just ahead of me. The finish line was a welcome site--and my first milestone on my journey to seven continents. Finish time was 4:30:39. One down, six to go.