deTourist.org every city tells a story……..

MainE Marathon (OK, the half)


The morning of the Maine Marathon was delicious cool (boysenberry ice cream in July): 45C at the start, bright, blue sky with autumn color splashes, dark cobalt sea blinking in and out of view reminding me of my former life in Boston.  I ran my pace like a clock: thanks to the relatively flat course, cool weather and the sword fish dinner my friend made for me the night before, crossing the finish line in less than two hours, ha-ha-ha, making my elusive race goal.  Take that half marathon!  Am I ready for the full?

Exploring the city in the afternoon, the top of the Portland Observatory lured me in with its siren call, a towering head above the low-rise brick foreground.  At 200 years, it is the last surviving maritime signaling tower in the United States.  The eight corners of the octagon plan are supported by original hand hewn pine beams rising sixty five feet to the top of the tower.   Oh la la.  A ballast of counterweight rocks replace the anticipated foundation.  

On the second floor, a historical map of Portland shows the ring of destruction from the Great Fire of 1866, the fourth fire burning Portland to the ground, explaining the city motto,  Resurgum, latin for I will rise again. I felt a kindred spirit to this little city by the bay.    This naturally inspires a running route.  It is 3.5 miles long.  Check it out and let me know how it goes.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/me/portland/162128645907118470

leaf photo by Saul Shapiro, map image by MapMyRun, use link to find it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *