This post is by Jackie Ayers, a BAMRbassador from Bend, Oregon, who occasionally contributes to our blog. On Sunday, October 6, Jackie ran the Portland Marathon for a second time. Here’s Jackie’s 2023 race report if you want some backstory. 

As I begin climbing a hill around Mile 1.5, I look up to see thousands of runners ahead of me—being in the five-hour marathon pacing group gives me an epic view of my fellow runners making the climb. The emotions start to hit, and I am moved by how many people decided to tackle this journey to 26.2 today. 

This is my second time running the Portland Marathon, and I am much better prepared than my first go-round. This year, I applied a better fueling approach, emphasized strength training more, knew the course areas that would be my nemesis, was mentally prepared, and planned to have more fun throughout! 

Jackie makes an exclamation point on 26.2

Experts say fueling is so individual, yet I never really absorb the truth until this race. In previous races, I would follow the often-recommended schedule of a gel every 30 minutes but would bonk mid-way through. This time, I aim instead to listen to my body, leading me to have a GU Energy Gel about every 20 to 30 minutes, sometimes two in a row even. (Spoiler alert: It means I don’t bonk in this race!)

Another change was my emphasis on strength training throughout the training cycle, but especially in the four weeks prior to the race. October races are hard because my immune system usually decides to surrender to germs as soon as my sons return to school in September. It happened again, yet this time I pivoted to strength and focused on squatting through the sniffles instead of just warming the couch cushions. As I run, and sometimes power walk, through the 26.2 miles, I thank myself for every lunge, every clamshell. 

Heading toward the finish!

Around Mile 18, the marathon course winds through the beautiful Reed College campus and back out again. In 2023, that was the point where I bonked the hardest and lost a lot of my mental focus. This year, I run strong through the bulk of it and only end up walking up the very last bit of campus, which is a crusher of a hill.  During that walk, I enjoy a special treat I had stashed in my hydration vest—a cookie! This is my planned reward for getting this far, and I thoroughly enjoy each bite as my feet crunch on acorns and leaves along the wooded drive. I come out of that mile feeling proud, which helps me nail the rest of the race in a way I hadn’t the previous year. 

The sign that means you’re nearly there

The last bridge crossing at Mile 25 over the Burnside Bridge provides an epic view of the Portland White Stag sign, signaling I’m almost done. My legs hurt, and my quads feel every strike of my feet on the road, yet I smile so big when I see that iconic sign. I dig deep and run the last mile into the finishing chute. I sprint to the finish, as is my race tradition—I’m so elated and exhausted that I blitz right past the volunteers handing out medals! A lovely lady chases me down to give me one, and I immediately plop down onto a road barrier to catch my breath. 

The course was the same as last year, yet I wasn’t: I was stronger, faster, and more in control of my experience. Thanks, Portland. Let’s do it again next year…maybe.