Before the race we had determined that Stephen would try to run a pace of 6:06 per mile. We wrote where he should have been timewise at each mile marker on his hand in permanent marker. When Jacob and I saw Stephen at mile two he was running a pace of 5:48 per mile. I don't know how long he kept that pace up, but Stephen said that right after mile 4 he got dizzy and stumbled and fell onto the grass beside the road. He said he laid there for about 20 seconds before getting back up and running again.When Jacob and I saw Stephen at about the 5 1/2 mile mark he looked spent. He struggled around the corner then up the hill to the finish line. Apparently just after he finished the race he collapsed to the ground and started puking violently. Several people were gathered around him when I got there. He kept throwing up and sweating beads of sweat. Scarey.
The race coordinator called the paramedics and when they arrived they put Stephen into the back of an ambulance and gave him I.V. fluids. They then took him to the E.R. with Aim while Jacob and I stayed behind to collect his medal. Stephen wanted to make sure we got his medal because, as we all know, Stephen runs for medals. Several of the folks Stephen runs with on Tuesday evenings came by and said they were praying for him. Thanks guys!In the end, Stephen was just really dehydrated and he recovered quickly.
You can read more about the overall winners of the race at Herb Wills' blog troubleafoot.blogspot.com.
Check out the pictures:
Good job Stephen. That pace would have killed me.
ReplyDeleteRobby