Charles Scott at Rock N Roll----Sub 3 Hour Marathon!!!

My friend Charlie Scott has been in pursuit of a sub-3 hour marathon.  I have gotten to know him from some runs in Nashville, and when we did the Grand Canyon R2R2R.  I am always interested in helping someone solve the puzzle of how to get faster.  So I wasn't particularly surprised when he invited me out to the Phoenix Rock and Roll Marathon to pace him in hopes of that elusive Sub-3. 

We previewed the course and spent a lot of time discussing strategy.  The plan was for me to join him at Mile 14.

Charlie and ST in the hotel room on race morning.

Part of Charlie's plan was to go out a little more aggressively than in his most recent marathon attempts.  We agreed that this would prevent him from having to run a drastic negative split, and he should be able to hold the pace.  We left no stone unturned in discussing, nutrition, pacing, even drafting other runners. 

ST ready to "go to work." 

Charlie's training times were strongly predictive of a sub-3 hour marathon, but his most recent attempts were 3:08 and 3:07.  We tweaked a number of items in his race plan, including the more aggressive first half, additional electrolyte intake, advil, and caffiene gels.  My role was to be there to make sure he didn't break mentally.  In Charlie's words, "you have permission to use profanity, or whatever it takes to make me keep going."

Charlie at Mile 14, on track for the race plan.

I linked up with Charlie's pack and things were smooth sailing from mile 14-18. Around mile 19 I noticed he was slipping off pace just a few seconds per mile.  He seemed a little less responsive to the pace and I worried that the fatigue and doubts might be creeping in.  The first thing I did was instruct him to take a Roctane GU, which has 37 grams of caffiene plus 125 calories.  This provides an almost instanteous energy boost, both mental and physical.

My exact words were, "You are right on track with your plan, but you can't slip off it any more.  Do what you came here to do."  I had been noticing a few seconds per mile were being eaten up from the ~1 minute and 15 seconds ahead of pace that he was.  The runners that Charlie had been pacing with were either accelerating up the road, or were being shelled off the back of the pack. This left Charlie in something of a no-man's land.  I was glad I was there to pace him and egg him on.

Shortly thereafter, around mile 21, a group of about 7 runners came upon us.  This was the 3 hour pace group.  I sternly warned, "This is your salvation.  You MUST stay with this group."  I ran either ahead or beside, and chastized him whenever more than a 5 foot space opened in front of him.  If the rubber band  gets stretched canit  break, then you are on your own again.  We could not allow this to happen happen. 

Charlie locked in tight with the 3 hour pace group at Mile 22.  It was his "salvation."

Things had been dicey since mile 19, and I knew Charlie was badly suffering.  I just reminded him, "this is what you came for."  When you are in a race and executing your race plan, expect distress in the later miles.  At mile 22 I was still pretty nervous but Charlie was intent on staying locked in tight with the pack.  At mile 23 I felt a little better about things.  When we hit mile 24 I became confident that he would make the time. 

Charlie at the finish line. Finishing time: 2:58:39.

I stayed with Charlie all the way in and across the finish line.  I don't think either one of us could believe it...He'd done it!  We were both really glad I was there to force-feed him the caffiene GU, and to verbally prod him to stay in contact with the crucial pack.  I know this is a very special achievement in the life of a runner and I am very grateful to be asked to help Charlie accomplish this.

Footnote: Charlie is no stranger to extreme adventure.  In 2009 he biked the length of Japan in 67 days, riding self-contained and towing his son on a trailer bike.  Read about that adventure here.  In 2011 he is going to circumnavigate Iceland in the same manner.  But in addition to towing his 9 year old son he will also be pulling his 4 year old daughter in a trailer.