Finish Line Comes With A Real High: 8,000 Feet
By Marc Lacey
For the first time this past Sunday, Tucson Arizona held an up-mountain 26.2 mile marathon up Mount Lemmon. For marathon runners who were getting tired of the Boston Marathon or thought the New York Marathon was a walk in the park, this high altitude, high incline, and thinner air gave runners a run for their money. Or for some ultra-marathon runners like Pam Reed, 49, this was just a Sunday stroll. Reed won the 135-mile Badwater ultra marathon through death valley, and for fun won the Boston marathon backwards then forwards with everyone else. The winner, James Miles, 25, said, "To be honest, I just two days ago to do this." The Mount Lemmon marathon was only his third marathon and his first win, with a finishing time of 3 hours, 13 minutes, and 42 seconds. Miles attributed his time which was a half hour longer than his personal best to the high altitude, incline, and thin air. Not only was this marathon crazy, but runners also had to deal with temperature changes from high 80's to freezing in some areas.
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