May 6th 2007 medium loop (half marathon): 35m/57km and 5085 vertical ft/1550hm. Inclines:12 (5 of them very steep). Technical Sections: 7.
It's my first marathon of the year - and I was even almost on time ;-)
The weather ws great and my fellow team member Bernd Geiser from Rottenburg and I were on our way (or should I say "on the trails").

The crowd was big: the organizers had to up their attendance limit on short notice. Of course, the starter blocks were packed. We were able to establish ourselves in the first quarter of our block.

Immediately after the starting shot, we were up and away, trying to get into a better position, which was necessary because the first traffic jams would be coming up...! Bernd pulled out all the stops from the get go and sometimes it was hard for me to keep up. However, it all worked out: soon we were able to leave the horde and the jam behind us. Although Bernd was still suffering from pain in his knee, this didn't seem to hamper him in the heat of the battle - Full speed ahead...! At this Saar-Loop-Marathon, the track also held its own. It was a very nice marathon with a lot of finesse and surprises and I'm sure the last incline before the finish line cost not only the two of us the last of our strength - just as it should be! Food and drink worked out well - although I did notice some cramps starting to rear their heads during the last quarter of the race. So, I let myself fall back a little, which was absolutely all right with me, since Bernd "the Unstoppable" Geiser was keeping up his tempo…

….and crossed the finish line after 2:51:29 (62th pace out of 385). 6 minutes later, I was done too (2:57:37 - 90th place) and we happily shared a lot of fresh water and fruit.
"We'll clean the bikes later - they didn't get very dirty, thanks to the grade A racing weather".
All in all, it was a successful day and I'm already looking forward to next year - hopefully the weather will be this good again and maybe Bernd will sail over to the Saarland again.
amilcar