Craving a natural high? Run the Salt Lake City Marathon in April

By Katie Gaz

A new high has crossed the state of Utah and is quickly catching on among youth and adult alike. No need to lock your teenagers in the garage yet, parents. Symptoms of this new high include mental relaxation and a state of euphoria lasting five to 10 minutes. Forgetfulness and pain cessation are also attributes of this state. Scientists claim that it is equivalent to smoking marijuana.

This new high is not payable to any drug or substance found on earth. It is runner's high, a highly meditative state where for a few minutes the bodies processes take over and a natural rhythm surfaces. Coaches and medical experts argue the legitimacy of a runner's high but any distance runner will attest to the giddy feeling occurring 60 to 90 minutes into an exercise routine.

For a chance to experience this runner's high and challenge personal limitations, run the Salt Lake City Marathon on April 19 in Salt Lake City, hosted by Devine Sports.

The Salt Lake City Marathon offers a 5K, half marathon, full marathon and bike tour that traverse the city. The course for the full marathon begins at the Olympic Bridge in the mouth of Emigration canyon, said Dustin Stark, assistant race director.

Shaelynn Anderson, runner, said, "The race is really intense at the beginning. People are jumping up and down trying to work out their nervousness."

Beginning at 4,800 feet in elevation, the 26.2 mile course tours through Salt Lake City's many parks and scenic areas. The runners' first loop is through Sugar House Park, Stark said; this is also where the half marathon is scheduled to start.

Runners will tour through many of Salt Lake's alluring streets like Keller Lane and the Van Winkle Express way. Stark said that runners are met on these quaint streets with screaming fans in each home and a band playing to motivate runners. The hardest stretch of the course, said Stark, is the bottom of 6200 South through the Van Winkle Expressway, mile 14 to 18, where runners get bored or have the hardest time pushing through.

"When you run a marathon you are ultimately running two races," Stark said. "The first race is the first 20 miles and the last 10K is a completely different battle."

Anderson said she had her family meet her at mile 10 to give her an extra boost of energy to finish the last three miles. The race goes onto finish in the Gateway at the Olympic Legacy Fountain.

Runners have much to anticipate at the finish line this year, Stark said, "Our finish line is an amazing double decker of screaming fans."

Devine Sports, the Salt Lake City Marathon governing body, expects 20,000 spectators at the finishing line this year. Stark said the festivities at the Gateway are going to make this year's event different from previous years. The finish line will feature junk food rather than the standard rice crackers and water, Stark said. Participants should expect to be greeted with pizza and chicken wings as they finish the race.

Amanda Hall, member of Sojourners Running Club, said "The best part of the race was the food at the end. Never ending wings, smoothies, breadsticks, bananas and sports drinks. I couldn't fit all the food I wanted onto one tray so I had to go back for more three times. Other races I have been in have never had this much food."

Anderson said many fans and participants run for other people who can't run and this motivates her. One specific runner, Anderson said, was encouraged to run the Salt Lake City Marathon after divorcing her husband who told her she could never run a marathon because she was too fat.

Another runner, Annie Sharich, student at the University of Utah, spent a week in the hospital in 2005 after brain surgery and eight months later ran the 2006 Salt Lake City Marathon according to an article in the Daily Utah Chronicle.

"A lot of fans and volunteers inspire you to do really well," Anderson said, "It is really hard because it is a mind game the whole way. You have to keep positive the whole race because if you listen to your mind you won't do well."

A race of this size requires a magnitude of volunteer help to assist in traffic control, aid stations, and registration for runners. Stark said 15,000 volunteers are needed this year for all of the marathon events. As a volunteer you get front seat tickets to all of the action of the race, Stark said, but it is also an opportunity to get involved with the community and athletes.

For more information on volunteering for the 2008 Salt Lake City Marathon, contact volunteer coordinator Andrea Silva by phone, 801-584-5882 or email marathon@huntsmanfoundation.org. Or visit the volunteer section of the marathon Web site.

The Salt Lake Marathon began in 2003, said Stark, making this year's marathon the 5th annual. The past five years the marathon has coordinated with the Huntsman Cancer Institute for the Hometown Heroes program. In a statement released on the marathon's Web site, race participants train and collect a pre-determined amount of money; those funds then go to benefit cancer research and the Huntsman Cancer Institute's Mission. Stark said that donations will clear $1 million donated over the life of the marathon this year.

Stark said 2,000 participants are expected to run the full marathon this year, with another 3,500 expected for the half-marathon. The half marathon was added in 2006 to appeal to runners not yet ready to take the leap into full marathon status. Stark said the race also offers a Kids K, a 1K race to the finish line for children, and a 5K run/walk.

Stark said, "Ultimately the Salt Lake City Marathon has something for everyone, from walkers to head over hills active bikers and runners. We have the facilities for excitement and festivities."

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