PORT ANGELES — Through the pain there are always lots of smiles at the finish line of the Sequim-to-Port Angeles North Olympic Discovery Marathon and Half-Marathon races.
It was no different at Sunday’s ninth annual event despite a little extra pain for many runners because of the 70-degree heat — hot for the Peninsula — a blazing sun and nary a cool breeze.
“I feel bad because people think I brought the weather with me,” San Diego’s Christina Luby said right after she finished the half-marathon.
“This is beautiful weather, though, and a beautiful area. We don’t get these kind of mountains [in San Diego].
“It’s gorgeous here.”
Race director Larry Little, who once performed in an Ironman competition in 98-degree heat, understood the plight of the runners.
“This is beautiful weather to lie around in, but you’re not going to find many marathoners say they like the weather,” he said.
Always the one to look on the bright side of things, Little added, “I bet this is the coolest place in the country to run in a marathon [on Sunday].”
Denver’s Cherie Schunk used the water stations along the half-marathon route for more than drinking the stuff.
“I poured water over my head,” she said. “It’s a nice little trick [to keep from overheating].”
Schunk, who also was visiting family in the area on marathon weekend, said the heat slowed her down.
“This wasn’t my best time.”
It took Salt Lake City’s Tim Hurst a long time to recover.
“I’m not going to kid you, this is really hard,” he said about running the marathon.
Hurst, who ran the course with one leg being a prosthetic, will not forget competing in this event any time soon, despite already competing in seven marathons.
“It was really hard running [the race], but the last 50 yards, with people on both sides of the trail clapping for you, that was great,” he said.
Most runners will go home a little sore, a little hurt, but with big smiles on their faces.