TITLETOWN USA - Stephen Wisnefski recorded his fastest marathon finishing time at Sunday's 10th running of the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon.Well-rested, injury-free and aided by ideal running conditions, Wisnefski completed the race in 3:34:23, an 8:10 per mile pace. His previous best was a 3:35:11 finish at the Community First Fox Cities Marathon last September in nearby Appleton, Wis., Wisnefski's hometown.
Wisnefski, who completed his fifth marathon in 15 months, was pleasantly surprised with his performance Sunday. Going into the race, he was unsure what to expect given that he hadn't done the kind of training he typically would have for a marathon. He ran less than 20 miles in each of the three weeks prior to the race."I think the relative lack of training turned out to be quite beneficial," Wisnefski told his mom, dad and two sons after the race. "My body was more-rested than usual; my legs were fresh."
Wisnefski started Sunday's race runinng along with the 3:40 pace group, but moved ahead of the group after a few miles. He ran the first five miles at an average 8:02 per mile, putting him on pace to finish closer to the 3:30 finishing time that has long been his goal.
At the 10-mile marker, Wisnefski had an average pace of 7:59 per mile, and he hit the midway point of the race in 1:44:20, or 7:57 per mile.
It was around the halfway point that Wisnefski first caught sight of the 3:30 pace group. He decided he would try to keep them within view and maintain his pace around 8 minutes per mile for the remainder of the race.
Much of the second half of the Green Bay Marathon is run on a paved trail along the Fox River. The scenery provides a welcome change for the runners.
Wisnefski held on to his 7:57 per mile pace through mile 15 and was gaining ground on the 3:30 pace group. By mile 17, he caught up with the group and started running with the pack.
"I didn't set out to catch up with the 3:30 pacer, but was able to do it by holding my pace steady," Wisnefski said. "It was a good group; the miles really ticked off when I was with those guys."
Running with the group, Wisnefski's pace slowed a bit the next few miles. At mile 20, his average pace was 7:59 per mile.
Wisnefski said he felt better at this point of the race than he had in previous marathons. During this race, to avoid the cramping that plagued him in his last two marathons, Wisnefski walked through nearly every aid station and consumed one or two cups of Gatorade.The weather also helped. The temperature at the start was in the low 40s, under sunny skies. The temperature never got above 60, and the wind was light.
Wisnefski stayed with the pace group through mile 22, but fell back from the pack soon after that when he took a longer-than-usual walk break through an aid station. He ran mile 23 in 8:15, but just didn't have the energy to catch up with the pace group again.
"I realized I just didn't have it in me," Wisnefski said. "I started calculating what it would take to get a personal best, and I was confident I could achieve that."
Wisnefski, after all the hydrating he'd done, was also in desperate need of a bathroom. He stopped at a port-o-john in mile 24, and felt considerably better after that.
Runners look forward to running a loop through historic Lambeau Field in the final mile of the race. For Wisnefski, a life-long fan of the Green Bay Packers who hadn't been in the stadium in 30 years, it was a special treat.
"It was one of the main reasons I decided to do this race," he said, referring to the loop through Lambeau. "Seeing Lambeau in the distance (in mile 26) provided a big mental boost, and coming out of the tunnel into the stadium was really inspiring."
The Lambeau inspiration, as well as the sight of his parents and sons, enabled Wisnefski to pick up the pace in mile 26, which he completed in 7:50.
The finish line is visible to runners when they exit the stadium, only about a tenth of a mile away. Wisnefski made a final push when he realized he could have a clock time of less than 3:35. The chip time was about 30 seconds faster than the clock time.Feeling better than he ever had at the end of a marathon, Wisnefski retrieved the truly unique medal and sought out his family. He then enjoyed a brat and Titletown Brewing Company 26.2-Mile Ale.
Wisnefski finished 313th out of the 1585 runners who completed the marathon. He was 57th out of 175 in the 40-44 male bracket. Click here and here for the details.
The Green Bay race capped a busy start to 2009 for Wisnefski, who ran the Catalina Marathon in mid-March and was a member of a team that participated in a 200-mile relay race from Gettysburg, Penn., to Washington DC last month.
Wisnefski isn't sure what comes next on his running schedule, as he's getting set to transfer to the New York area. He says he's looking forward to training and racing with his colleagues there.
