Now for the beauty part. The Tetons are probably one of the most beautiful mountain ranges I have ever seen. They are jagged, powerful and rugged and they majestically stand above Jackson Hole, this flat, prairie land bisected by the Snake River. When you take beautiful skies of blue, nimbus clouds, sunsets or sunrises, the mountains and the flats, you get the true essence of America the beautiful.
Even our drive from the small Jackson Hole Airport was suspenseful. There are two ways to get from JAC to Teton Village due to the Snake River having only two crossings. One is through Jackson, which is longer, 22 miles. The other is through Moose and down Teton-Moose Rd which has a section of unpaved, rough, pot-hole-ridden road but more wildlife. Sure enough, just a few mile down the road we spotted a bear down in a marshy, forested area.
On Friday morning during our 6 AM sunrise float down the Snake River, we experienced first-hand, America the beautiful. Although the Snake river parallels the Tetons, it's twists and turns give boaters ample views of the Teton range including the granddaddy of them all, the Grand Teton. It was that kind of day; crisp, cool, blue sky, a few clouds to highlight the yellow rays of the sun, water as clear as glass, and the Tetons calling. Our guide was knowledgeable about the area, having studied all aspects of the area not only the geology and history but also the politics. After all, the 10 mile float trip was entirely in the Teton National Park. After the float trip, finding our way back to Moose, we ate at Dorman's, a family owned conglomeration of services - lodging, gas, restaurant and store - the only thing in Moose except the Visitor Center.
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| Grand Teton rising above the Snake |
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| Coyote on the banks |
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| Sunrise getting closer |
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| Teton Range |
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| Two Bald Eagles |
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| Sunrise upon us |
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| Canada Geese |
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| Bullwinkle standing along the Snake River |
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| Dorman's for breakfast overlooking Grand Teton |
After the sunrise float and breakfast, we headed to Jenny Lake, one of the most popular hiking spots around, just 8 miles north of Moose. Get there early or parking will be an issue. It is family oriented so be prepared for some crowds but the hike to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point is worth it. We hiked around the Lake first to Hidden Falls and then to Inspiration Point. If you find yourself in a crowd of hikers, especially those with kids, take a few side trails to enjoy the beauty and serenity. It will separate you enough to continue in peace. We took the boat ride across Jenny Lake after the hike to Inspiration Point which is a treat in itself although it is $9 per person.
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| The trail around Jenny Lake |
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| Hidden Falls |
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| Hidden Falls |
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| Trail to Inspiration Point |
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| Higher above Jenny Lake |
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| The Teton Range |
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| On the boat ride back looking at Inspiration Point |
Packet Pickup was at the Jackson Chamber of commerce. Jackson, a small quaint western town was the perfect host for the marathon, well almost perfect. The packet pickup was easy, parking plentiful, and in a town boasting of restaurants, shops and attractions. When registration opened, the first person to register from each state received a $20 discount. I was first in NC. Since I registered so early, my bib number was 3. Usually, low bib numbers are reserved for elite runners so I will likely never see a bib number this low again. The shirts were long sleeve technical shirts and ran on the big side. My extra-large swallowed me. One never knows with technical shirts how the sizing works. They did have some other shirts and hats for sale. After pick-up we ate at the Town Tavern but there are a lot of choices in Jackson.
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| One of us is Einstein |
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| The famous Antler (Elk) Arch in Jackson |
There are a variety of options for transportation related to the marathon. Be sure to read the updates for the buses. We stayed at Teton Village where buses took runners to the start. We opted to drive to the start so Cindy could give me a send-off and then return to Teton Village for the finish. This worked out well. If you stay in Jackson, there will be buses at the finish to return to the start area. Jackson offers more choices for more reasonably priced restaurants and arguably better food. Teton Village is a nice mountain resort at the base of the mountain but a bit over-priced. Upon arrival at the start, the visitor center was supposed to be open for real bathrooms. It was not and we could only see a janitor arguing with runners that he could not open the center. It wasn't the janitor's responsibility and I don't blame him. But someone from Jackson or the race organization dropped the ball.
The Marathon
There were 168 runners in the marathon. It started on one of the main streets in Jackson overlooking downtown and a small mountain ski resort.
Pictures from the Start
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| Beauty of a morning |
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| Blowing Smoke and a bird out of my lungs! |
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| In the pack |
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| Notice the barefoot dude! Guess he forgot his shoes! |
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| Off we go! |
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| Cindy seeing the half-marathoners on the way back to Teton |
After a short uphill, the course flattens and goes downhill for about 9-10 miles. After a few miles on the streets of Jackson, we veered off onto a bike path that criss-crossed a rolling stream and went through a few tunnels. I could feel the elevation in the early miles but quickly got my breathing under control. I have only run 2 other marathons at elevation and nothing higher than Jackson Hole. The bike path meandered out near a highway and followed it overlooking the valley with farms and mountain backdrops - the Teton range. I had planned on running 9:30 pace which I was achieving, with some miles faster. After 9-10 miles the course flattened out again (or so it seemed) and I reached the half at 2:05, right on pace for 4:10. But, for some reason, i could feel the wheels coming off. There is nothing worse in a marathon than the wheels coming off half way. The weather was perfect. Low humidity, cool and a bright blue sky. What could possibly be wrong? Was it the hike the day before? Was it my back? Was it the terrible runs I had in between Alaska and Jackson Hole in the awful NC humidity? Was it because it was my 6th marathon of the year? I don't know but it was what it was. I kept trouncing along doing the best I could and slowing with each mile. The course was slightly uphill from mile 12 to the end. It was deceiving because it felt flat. We were either on a highway shoulder or a bike path, still with views of the Tetons. The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (the finish), because of its 10,450 foot elevation can be seen for a long way. It looked close yet seemed so far away. Finally, the miles passed to the finish with Cindy waiting (for a long time) for me to get there. The great thing about small marathons is that she is right there standing on the course at the finish. I was so happy to be done. I feel like I need a little revenge on the course because I should have run better. I would love to get back out to that area again anyway, but Montana and Hawaii are calling.
Pictures from the course
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| Small park in Jackson |
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| A couple of short tunnels |
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| No, we are not running up the mountain |
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| Thinking this is the same small stream as before |
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| Still in Jackson |
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| Now we are getting into some views |
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| Loved these two planes sitting in the field with the fence |
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| Selfie |
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| Now on the bike trail from Wilson to Teton Village - same guy in front of me at mile 23 as mile 3 |
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| Love these horses on the range with the mountain backdrop |
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| Looks like I am enjoying this at mile 24 - I don't think so! |
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| My perfect crew chief Cynthia |
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| Finish line right outside Mangy Moose |
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| Looks like this guy ran as much as he is panting |
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| Finally making my way to the finish - less than a mile |
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| Picture says it all... any marathon finish is a good marathon finish! |
Like Alaska, it is impossible to write about the whole trip but these are some highlights. Despite the bestiality of my marathon adventure, the beauty is well worth a few hours of suffering, suffering in a good way of course!
After the marathon we took an Aerial Tram to Rendezvous Mountain, 10,450 feet to the top. It was 46 degrees, 40 mph winds and a lightning storm set in. They closed down the tram and we watched the storm blow through the top of the mountain for an hour and fifteen minutes. We then did a ski-lift chair ride. The following day, we ventured to Yellowstone to the Geyser basin and old Faithful. Yes, we have pictures galore but I am pictured out on this post. One point that I want to make about the Jackson Hole Marathon as a destination marathon. Take a few days extra because you have two of the greatest National parks within driving distance - Teton and Yellowstone National Park.
Days 240-254: 66 miles: 2014: 1,218 miles
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