Penguin Journal

Dateline: Portland, Oregon

October 1, 2000

Wow…

For years I've heard about the Portland Marathon. The word was that it is a well organized, Penguin, and walker friendly race. After having spent the weekend in Portland, running the first 5 miles of the marathon and watching about 2 hours of finishers, I can tell you that this race is EVERYTHING people say it is. And more.

Okay, it did rain on us at the start. But, hey, it's a marathon after all. There's nothing wrong with having something to complain about and something to distract you at the beginning. The crowd of 8,000 was about equally divided between those who ran for cover and those who just stood there and gutted it out. I grabbed a small plastic bag and made a very sharp-looking sleeveless rain jacket.

The day kept getting better and was eventually almost perfect. All the marathoners were well looked after, from the first to the last. The 8 hour plus finish limit made it possible for runners and walkers of every ability to participate and to be confident that they wouldn’t be left behind.

It's a race I especially recommend highly to first timers. It's the right size, the right course, the right time of year, and the right city.

Next weekend is our Penguin Flight School in Dallas-Fort Worth, and then it's off to Washington, DC for the 5^th Running of the Penguin Brigade at the Marine Corps Marathon….and what promises to be the biggest Penguin party ever!

Takin' it to the streets...
John

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