Runner Insight

2009 Missoula Marathon:  Expo

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Wow, hats off to another awesome Missoula Marathon event this year!

With 1,000 more people registered to run or walk this year, it put the total at around 2,400 participants. The event was bigger and better than ever!

We stood in line to get my race packet and number, and this year the packet came in a reusable tote bag and we used it for all of our other goodies that we bought at the Expo. So after getting my race number (#930), it was time to shop! I checked out the Runner’s Edge booth hoping to find a last minute running singlet, but couldn’t find what I was looking for. But not to worry, I found plenty of other shirts with the Missoula Marathon Logo on it.

As we were checking out the cool custom bags that a Missoula woman makes with your running bib numbers and other race paraphernalia, another woman approached me and asked if I was the one who had a website. She said she’d been to it once, but couldn’t remember what it was called. Her daughter has RP, the same genetic eye disease that I have.

I actually had heard of this local teenager from several people I knew that knew her. I’d heard that she was only 17, and going blind from RP. It was great to talk to her mom. She said that Janie wanted to connect with other people with RP, so I gave her my phone number in case Janie wanted to talk, she could give me a call.

Then it was off for more shopping! We spied…LOL… these SPI belts we had seen on Donny Deutsch’s “The Big Idea” show last year. (The SPI in SPI belt stands for “small personal items.) I discovered a red one that I liked and decided I would try it out during my half marathon the next day to carry my honey beads. The woman promised that it was designed not to bounce around when you run.

Later we came across a booth with winter running caps and head bands. These lightweight hats and wraps are great for me. Since I have to wear my running hat all the time to help cut the glare, it’s been difficult to find a cap thin enough to wear under my running baseball-style cap. I ended up buying the head band, as it’s mostly my ears that get cold during winter runs.

After browsing through the farmers market that was going on in conjunction with the Marathon Expo, we made our way to my favorite Italian restaurant, Johnny Carino’s. We had the soup and salad lunch special. Later that evening I prepped for my half marathon the next morning by getting some take-out pasta from there as well.

Before bed, I got all my race gear and clothes laid out, ready for the next a.m. I put on my running outfit, so we could pin my race number on, and we placed the timing strap on my running shoe.

Of course, I had to test out the SPI belt I got at the expo. I ran around the house and jumped up and down, and it stayed in place the way it was supposed to…no bouncing. So I was satisfied it would work just fine. It was getting close to midnight before we hit the hay. With a 4:40 a.m. alarm, I knew it would be a short night!

 How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

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Tags: 2009 Missoula Marathon, blind runner, half marathon, marathon, Missoula Marathon, retinitis pigmemtosa, RP, SPI belt, Vision Runner

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 at 4:02 am and is filed under Montana, Running, Vision Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.