Thursday, May 13, 2010

Sugarloaf Marathon Preview 2010, Part 3

For the remainder of the week I'll be posting a 4-part breakdown of the Sugarloaf Marathon course. The third part covers everything from the half way point to mile 20, cradled in the forests of Carrabassett Valley.


The flat roads return after the half way point and give a lot of relief from the hills that are endured in the previous set of miles.  It's at this point where the lost time on the hills can be made up.  Most of this stretch descends slightly, allowing most people to gain momentum right up through the 20th mile.  Occasionally the tree line recedes and allows for a beautiful view of the countryside (such as seen at mile 17 when passing by the Carrabassett Regional Airport and Diner) before the trees settle back in.  All the turns along the road as you move from east to south are gradual, so there's little to fear about embankment issues. 


There's not a lot to the remainder of this stretch so it's a perfect opportunity to get some really good mile splits on this secion of road.  (In fact, it was on mile 18 in 2009 that I got my personal best mile for the course - 6:45.)  At this point, a 60-90 minute stretch of flat terrain has been conquered.  That finish line doesn't seem so far away after completing 20 miles, but once you get past that mile marker...


...there's still 10 kilometers to go.  As the saying goes, "you're not out of the woods yet."