Flying into Sioux Falls, SD, there was a never-ending expanse of plowed rectangular fields. Dotted at intervals were green areas containing farm buildings. There was one farm after another after another. On closer inspection, the fields were a deep black; a rich fertile soil that grew wheat, corn, soybeans, oats, rye, alfalfa and sunflowers. The drive from Sioux Falls to Brookings reinforced the notion that this part of the state was very flat and very agricultural. Billboards promoted soy biodiesel and ethanol.Brookings has only 18,000 residents, and a small town atmosphere in spite of hosting South Dakota State University. There are neighborhoods of well-kept houses on tree-lined streets. The streets of the older neighborhoods were completely covered by a canopy of leaves and it was here that you saw the occasional Victorian mansion dating from the 1890's. Everything in Brookings seemed remarkably easy to get to - the hotels, packet pickup, the race start. There was little traffic to speak of. I spent an afternoon at two museums on the SDSU campus. The State Agricultural Heritage Museum provided a fascinating look back in time to the Homestead Act of 1862 that opened the area to settlement. Settlers came from as far away as Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia and Czechoslovakia. There was a settler's claim cabin on display that gave you a sense of the Spartan lifestyle of these early farmers. Typical farm implements were displayed, including a dog- or sheep-powered treadmill used to generate power to churn butter or separate cream. It was interesting to learn that today's Briggs & Stratton engines had their origin in Brookings. The precursor 2-stroke engine was developed by Stephen Briggs while a student at SDSU in 1906. And the Brictson Mfg. Co of Brookings made a leather/cloth and steel-studded tire cover to protect the puncture-prone rubber pneumatic tires of early automobiles. Next, on to the newly-renovated South Dakota Art Museum that housed an impressive collection of modern South Dakota artists in brightly-lit galleries. There were many examples of the works of Harvey Dunn who portrayed scenes of prairie life in addition to his coverage of World War I themes. Works of contemporary artists - woodcuts, paintings, photography and ceramics - were even available for purchase. Finally, I drove to the nearby town of De Smet to see the surveyor's house in which Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family spent a long snowy winter. Adjacent was a reconstructed tiny one-room school, typical of that in which Laura taught at age 15.
Packet pickup, the pasta party and the after-dinner talk by running icon Dick Beardsley were all conveniently located at the Performing Arts Center on the SDSU campus. It was a convenient arrangement to facilitate meeting local runners as well as the seasoned travelers you had met at previous marathons around the country. Hajime Nishi from Tokyo, who travels the world running marathons, was there. He maintains a web site on which he rates the hundreds of marathons that he has run based on their environmental friendliness. Dick Beardsley (whose duel with Alberto Salazar pushed Salazar to a new world marathon record in Boston in 1982) was the evening speaker. The next day Beardsley wore race number 1 and ran the Brookings Marathon. Dick has links to Brookings. He attended SDSU for one semester in the late 70's, and ran for the SDSU track team - The Jackrabbits. He met his wife there, and after the one semester he left the university to marry and work. But he ended up training for the Olympics, running Boston, and the rest is history. He told us about many of these experiences in an animated and emotional hour talk.
I learned about the development of the Brookings Marathon from the current race director, Andy Stockholm, and from Dr. Scotty Roberts who had been race director for 22 years. The race began as the Longest Day Marathon and was fittingly held on June 21st. The June date proved to be too hot so the race was moved to November, whose weather proved to be too unpredictable. It was then moved to April, which also proved to be too unpredictable. In 2000 there was a severe ice storm that forced cancellation of the race. But on the urging from members of the 50 States Marathon Club who had flown in from all over the country, the race was held on the indoor 1/8 mile SDSU track, requiring runners to complete 209.6 laps. This year's race, the 35th running, took place on May 15th and was renamed the Brookings Marathon. Andy Stockholm designed a new, compact, and imaginative course. One constraint was to avoid crossing the railroad tracks that run through the town. He came up with a course that takes you on a tour of the town through many residential areas including the historic district, several parks and sports fields, the business district, through the university, on a dirt road paralleling the railroad tracks, around ponds, on a dirt road through the 20-acre McCrory Gardens and Arboretum, on a bike path (very enjoyable) on many stretches of concrete sidewalk (which I would have preferred less of) and on short stretches of grass as we traversed from one course segment to another. There was a railroad underpass, a couple of small pedestrian bridges, and several pedestrian road underpasses. If you didn't like the direction of the wind or the race surface on one section, no problem. You'd be running in a different direction or running on a different surface or in different surroundings in a few minutes. This dynamic course kept you on your toes and interested. It made the miles roll by quickly.
Marathon morning dawned to 34 degrees and overcast and would rise to 45 degrees four hours later. There were buses to take you to the start at Pioneer Park, but there was plenty of parking for cars. The marathon, marathon relay and half-marathon all started together at 7:00, but the moderate numbers made for a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. The course was exceedingly well marked with white arrows on the pavement, red traffic cones, and volunteers in red vests or fluorescent yellow volunteer shirts at each turn waving red flags. The number of turns and intersections required 300 volunteers, outnumbering the runners. There were plenty of water stops and port-o-potties or real rest rooms (in the parks). Mile markers and signs were easily read and nicely designed. There was little wind this year, but after about 2 1/2 hours, we were greeted with a gentle rain. Approaching the finish you could hear rousing music from a live band in the bandshell, encouraging runners to pick up the pace.
Runners were greeted with bananas, apples, oranges, and plenty of muffins and drinks. Awards were expeditiously handed out at the adjacent bandshell. The male winner was Benjamin Bocher, 23, of Pine Ridge, SD, in 2:35:15. Female winner was Cathie Burroughs, 44, of Kansas City, KS, in 3:27:54. Dick Beardsley, at age 48 (and following a devastating leg injury) was 4th overall in 2:48:53. I managed to come in 24th out of 104 runners at 3:37:35. I was pleased to find that I was 1/11 in my age group, but surprised that it was a 10-year age group (60-69). The first three male and female finishers in overall and masters divisions received cash awards, but there was no recognition for age group winners. In addition to the 104 marathoners were 10 marathon relay teams and 119 half-marathoners. Race director Andy Stockholm is planning to cap the number of marathon/marathon relay runners at 300, and half marathoners at 300, so you'd better sign on for the Brookings Marathon early next year in order to beat the cut-off. The website (www.brookingsmarathon.com) says "small town running at its finest" and I would have to agree.