Brimstone...and Ice: Mount Adams, July 26, 2015: The Madison Street Marathon

The ups and downs of hiking Madison Street five times. Nine times makes a marathon.

What I don't get is how Pheidippides was able to run 26 miles, 385 yards without so much as a sip of Gatorade. So, if thousands run in the marathons all the time and survive, why did the very first marathoner die? Was it exhaustion, or perhaps an imbalance of electrolytes? Or maybe he succumbed to the world's greatest charlie horse ever experienced up to that time--a secondary effect of said electrolyte loss? I've had some of those "yell, fall down, and clutch your legs" charlie horses myself, which has led to heavier use of my Platypus hydration system. I don't think they had Platypi in Ancient Greece.

Whatever the case, Wilson and I are not keen on Pheidippides' outcome. That's why, when we hold the Madison Street Marathon to raise awareness of the One World Futbol, it's going to be a walking marathon. And there won't be big crowds, so we won't have to negotiate with the city and mark off streets and control traffic and pay special fees. It will be more like the original one-man marathon, except it doesn't involve a war. People won't be hacking or spearing each other, and we won't run and die. At least I hope not.

Wilson and I have scoped out the route, which runs from the crest of Seattle's Capitol Hill (right at the radio towers and Trader Joe's) to the point where Madison Street descends to meet Alaskan Way right under Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct. If you trust Google maps, you can count one round trip as 3 miles. Last night we walked it five times , for a minimum of 15 miles. The hike began at 3 p.m. and lasted a little more than five hours, which meant our speed was very close to 3 miles per hour.

Trader Joe's on Capitol Hill is one terminus for the Madison Street Marathon.

Until the invention of the internal combustion engine, three miles an hour was the universal speed limit. Caesar's legions could march about that speed, and so did Napoleon's troops, the story goes. So if you believe that stuff, we were making good time. The MapMyHike software in my Droid telephone claims we actually hiked 16.56 miles. I'm more inclined to believe Google maps, so I'm claiming 15. Total elevation gain yesterday was 2,045 feet, not very impressive. We can do 3,000 feet in the four miles it takes us to get to the top of Mount Si. When we do the complete marathon, we'll be climbing that hill nine times in about 9-10 hours.

Path of the Madison Street Marathon.

So far, we've been getting in shape for the big hike by completing three half-marathons, including last night's.

Now, as we said, this is not going to be one of those great big everybody-show-up-and-run marathons. Although we're putting a team together, Robert may be the only human taking part. That's OK. Pheidippides ran alone. But if anyone wants to join us for all or part of the marathon, just e-mail us at dancingpotter@gmail.com, provide your phone number, and we'll follow up. Or, if you prefer that we do the heavy lifting, you can sit back, click on the link at the top right of this page, go to the Wilson campaign, and donate a futbol. Each purchase gives up to 30 kids in some distressed community an unbreakable toy and the gift of play.

As for the date of the marathon, we're toying with the Ides of March--March 15, a Sunday. Most of you know what date that was--a couple thousand years ago, Julius Caesar got stabbed several times, not only by his political opponents, but also by his most trusted friend, Brutus. Nothing worse than getting stabbed with a great big hunkin' knife by someone who had your back. Marc Anthony called that "the most unkindest cut of all." ("Most unkindest?" What was Shakespeare thinking when he put those two superlatives together? I can just hear the English teachers groaning.)

Well! Most of you readers probably recall what happens when you stab Wilson--nothing! So I guess Marc Anthony nailed it, when he said Caeser "should be made of sterner stuff." Imagine if Wilson had been Caesar's body double and was wearing Caesar's toga at the Roman Senate. What a different world it would be today.

But I digress, I'm writing this last night, and that's all I'm going to say for now, because I'm tired. That half-marathon wore me out. Time to lay down and wait for my charlie horse. I should start yelling around 2 a.m.

Love,

Robert
And Wilson