Wellstone's Dallas White Rock Marathon 2006

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THE ROCK!

Well I went out to cover the race in a PJ style for the day and I have started to load up my album on Pbase.

RangeFinder Rick joined me out there form around 7:15 till past noon when we became seperated. We tried to keep up with the Rabbits/Elite runners but it was a HUGE challenge since they were running at around a 5 minute 5 second mile pace for most of the race. The winner completing it in 2:12:02 that is 26 miles and 230 some odd yards.

The day was brisk around 45 when the starting pistol went off with a lite breeze from the south which brought rain at around 12:30 to the course.

So we tried to cover this as best the two of us could in one car.

Ask Rick how I was doing my best trying to keep up with the Elites as we left the lake and realized they were a full mile farther along the course than we expected!!!!!

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http://www.pbase.com/demdeepellummus..._marathon_2006

[Gordon]

The best way I've found for keeping up with the leaders is getting into the pace car and shooting from there. Does limit your other options for covering the race but much easier than trying to keep in front.



Hummer as a race sponsor. Interesting.

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Originally Posted by Gordon

The best way I've found for keeping up with the leaders is getting into the pace car and shooting from there. Does limit your other options for covering the race but much easier than trying to keep in front.



Hummer as a race sponsor. Interesting.

Easier said than done, there was a Photographers Pace truck with the winners.

What also was screwy is that the 1/2 marathon met up with the Full Marathon out on the course and the ELITE 1/2 BIBS DID NOT NOTE THAT THEY WERE NOT FULL MARATHONERS, so It turns out some of the leader shots that we were taking towards the end were the HALF MARATHONERS! Along Swiss Avenue. I knew that the runners were not that fast!

So we actually should have stayed put a bit longer on the course for the Full guys to catch up

Used to be that there was not a Seperate Half Group and Everybody ran the course and if you wanted to give up at the halfway point you did by going to the side at that point to a photographer with an official clock, a race official and a rest/aid station. WHICH TO ME IS BETTER SINCE many of the crowd would be at the half way point to cheer on EVERYBODY! Then they just ran buses of people back to City Hall from the lake so everybody got to some part of the Lake in the Race now the 1/2 people never see the lake. Yeah you have to get the people back but a lot have supporters picking them up in their cars anyway.

[Rick Waldroup]

Yeah, there is nothing like being in a car with Paul going about 75 miles an hour down the middle of downtown Dallas trying to keep up with the runners.

It sure was a lot of fun. I am still working on the photos.

At least the way Paul and I shot it, we got the beginning, then Paul drove like a maniac to the lake so we could catch some of the runners going around the lake, and then it was Nascar Paul and I back to downtown to try and catch the runners at the finish.

It was really cool, because of the way we moved around, I know we got some shots that other photographers would not have gotten by staying put downtown. This was the very first time I had ever shot any type of marathon. It is amazing how fast the lead runners are moving.

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I never went more than 20 mph over the speed limit and there were only 2 red lights that I just missed running.

Also when you start chasing the 1/2 marathon rabbits who are 9 minutes ahead on the course and you don't realize you picked up on them on their way into downtown doesn't help either. But it did get us downtown and in position to shoot the WINNING MAN AND WOMAN WITH either DownTown or the West End Behind them!

Heck I even told the WINNER where to turn at one point as a Race Director was standing to the side with his head up his butt-Moses even said Thank You! (He set a new record by just 4 seconds!) Actually as a point a block away he was almost misdirected by a COP which threw the guys stride off while my pointing and saying turn here at the turn onto market kept him in stride, of course I missed the super close shot of him since I had my camera down from my face.

[Rick Waldroup]

Sure, Okay- I didn't know Jeep Cherokee's could go that fast! I'm only giving you a hard time.

Actually, the way you drove is what got us where we needed to be in time. I wasn't worried, I figured you knew what you were doing and I was right.

What was funny was when we got to the lake and I had people making fun of me trudging up that hill with all that camera equipment. I must have looked like I was about ready to drop. All the volunteers handing out water along the route thought that was hailarious.

My legs are on fire, my back is killing me- but I would do another one of these in a hearbeat, it was so much fun to shoot.

Paul was very kind to let me tag along with him and we used his car to get around. He knows downtown Dallas, old East Dallas, and White Rock Lake like the back of his hand, so we were able to get around and get some good shots. Thanks Paul.

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Yeah us old codgers can be tricky!