Dave Paolino

Austin Motorola Marathon

February 16, 2003

The Motorola Marathon started out fun- an easy run, relaxed, no pressure to go fast. I passed the 13-mile mark and saw a bunch of friends from my dorm, then my father, then a really cute girl waving at me. I was on fire. I was great. I was, to be more specific, half-way done.

Then, something happened around mile 20. The sky became dark, and I wanted to vomit up everything I’d eaten since the age of 7. I dragged myself through east Austin, stumbled across the bridge, and deliriously searched for the fabled “Beer Stop at Mile 24.” Where the hell was the beer? I’m 18, granted, but this is a marathon, baby! I would have taken a rum and coke, even. I’m not that picky.

But no, I was alcohol-deprived as I hauled up not one, but two hills, and when I finally saw the dome of the Palmer Events Center I think I peed in my pants. I trucked the last mile and finished in 3:18, my first marathon completed. And let me tell you, all you others who will read this story as you prepare for your marathons: Even without liquor, finishing your first marathon is one hell of a high.

-Dave Paolino