40th Annual Portland Marathon on 10-09-11. The event has been called the „best-organized marathon in North America“

Go for Speed in the Inaugural 10K Downhill Dash!

As part of its 40th Anniversary Celebration, the Portland Marathon is proud to announce the new 10K Downhill Dash, a competitive run (not a walk) for those who can go the 10K distance in 60 minutes or less.

Scheduled for October 9th during the morning of the Portland Marathon, the 10K Downhill Dash is limited to a field of just 250 runners.

The Dash will be a chip-timed event that starts at 8:00 am on North Willamette Blvd. at Columbia Park Annex. The start is actually by the 20 mile mark of the Portland Marathon, and is also shared by the 25th Portland Marathon 10K Family Walk.

The Downhill Dash will be a fast course that traces the final six miles of the full Marathon route. Because of the 60 minutes or less time requirement, the last Downhill Dash runner should be across the line well ahead of the first Marathon Finisher.

10K Downhill Dash participants will receive a performance grade finisher shirt, a medal, a commemorative bib, the Marathon commemorative poster, a space blanket, a rose and a tree seedling. After crossing the finish, Dash Runners will proceed through the regular Marathon finish area where they may replenish from the wide array of food and beverages offered.

The entry Fee for the Dash is set at a special rate of $40. Registration will be available exclusively online at www.portlandmarathon.org, and opens at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, August 15th. As soon as the 250 slots are sold, online registration will close for this event – there will be no entry at the Expo. The Marathon's rules for no refunds, no rollovers and no transfers of any kind will also apply.

Learn more about the Downhill Dash: https://www.portlandmarathon.org/events_downhill_dash.php

Greeting from the Event Director

Now in the final preparations for our most spectacular event ever, we have plenty of great things planned, including our new Portland Marathon 10K Downhill Dash with a limited field of 250 runners (that's nearly sold out), and our special 40th Anniversary Celebration at the Post Event Party and Awards Ceremony held at the Portland Hilton featuring running legends Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, and Jeff Galloway.

We're Installing New Running Gear!

We are very excited about this year's Portland Marathon Signature Gear which will be available at the Sports and Fitness Expo Oct. 7-8, and also at the finish. Provided by Greenlayer Sports, a homegrown Pacific Northwest company offering a race-inspired range of over 40 styles made from environmentally responsible performance materials for the endurance athlete, -this cool gear is guaranteed to sell hot! Watch for an email preview and coupon offer coming soon!

The "NOs"

With all the positive build up comes the few "NOs" that we have to throw out as reminders to our participants. For example, the NO TRANSFER policy and the policy of NO SWITCH on event day from one event to another. The reasons for these NOs are set forth in the article that appears later in this newsletter.

We know that in order to make a few more dollars some other events will allow the transfers we do not allow. But as noted, it is about the integrity of our Half and Full; the Charity side of our Half; and, the practicalities involved.

Indeed, last year a number of people tried to do illegal transfers, including a person who managed to really mess up the results in the Half. And several runners treated medically were not who their numbers said they were. As you can imagine, not knowing the true identity of a runner can lead to some very serious problems. Fortunately, our tech/spy and day of event systems help to make it easier to spot such scofflaws. Technology works both ways….for the runner and the event.

The Shadow Portland Marathons and Halfs for our Military

We are pleased to again be able to help produce shadow Marathons and Halfs for our troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. One will be for an Oregon National Guard unit and the other for a MASH type medical unit. This will be the third year of producing these events. In the past nearly 2000 troops have been part of these events which we have provided at no cost to the participants.

The troops help with the on ground set up. We send them special running bibs, volunteer shirts, finisher shirts, medals and all the other swag items that our participants enjoy here. We also commission a special Challenge Coin for the host military unit.

The events usually are run at the same time the Portland Marathon starts on Marathon day. The events send us photos and results that we post on our website. (See the icon on our web page for past photos and stories.) And, we are very proud that many of the troops who have run and walked these events in the past (sometimes with full packs!) have returned and will be with us this year in Portland for our 40th. Also look for the 40+ National Guard members who will run with us this year wearing special patriotic running bibs.

Train well these last weeks. We look forward to seeing you at the starting line on October 9th.

____________________
Les Smith, Event Director

Should you train for the trains?

We get occasional emails about Trains. We are usually asked, "What about the Trains in Portland? We hear they might stop the event in certain places."

Well, it is true. Trains are a challenge for us. But, trains are also fun for us. We feel Portland is a wonderful city. It is an easy place to get around. It has become that way thanks to local transit agencies that have installed light rail, street cars and revived an extensive trolley track system.

These additions are welcome, but have also made it next to impossible to create an event without a rail impact. As the cities largest event, we work closely with Trimet and the City to accommodate and negotiate transit schedules. But there is also Amtrak. Try as we might, we have little control over these rail schedules.

Faced with this challenge, what do we do as an event about trains?

Answer: We meet the trains head on (not literally, of course). We try to make them fun. In short, we are not going to hide from the train issue. We embrace the challenge. We also make no promises to our participants. Truth is, a runner or walker may encounter a train or two on our course. No matter what we do or how we try to time things we are always faced with the possibility of a train. Does it matter? Actually, very few runners ever see the trains, but some do.

To address this issue, we do several things:

1) We take your written concerns very seriously. Last year, we received 17 written complaints from over 8,600 finishers. Nine of the complaints were from age division Boston Marathon qualifier types (our event is a good one for qualification). These nine had experienced an Amtrak. Some had from 5 to 45 seconds of interruption. But they told us they qualified anyway. The other 8 who commented basically said they observed trains and worried someone might miss qualifying for Boston. We also have heard comments that some folks at a near 8- hour pace were also interrupted. But we were told that for them most thought it was a nice respite. So, out of 8,600+ finishers we feel we did OK and the trains did not effect a large number of finishers.

2) We make sure the runners stop safely. Jumping through a "live" but stopped train is dangerous and a violation of both Federal and State laws. We have volunteers who record as best they can the bib numbers of those stopped. We have other volunteers who pass out stickers that say, "I was Trained at the Portland Marathon." Remember, it is fun to be stopped by a Portland Train!!!

3) Most Amtrak stops are less than a minute. So what we do, if we are notified by the runner, is give that person a finish time reduction for the amount of the time the train took to go thru the crossing (regardless of when the runner got to that closed crossing gate). We then add a further reduction for an amount of time it takes a reasonable person to get back to speed again after being stopped. As our runners tell us, that calculation process is more than fair. As a last resort, I am more than willing to send a note to our friends in Boston about "A Training Encounter of a Wonderful Kind."

So fret not about trains in Portland. As John "The Penguin" Bingham wrote several years ago, a stop by a Portland Train may actually help you.

And watch for our volunteers wearing "Mind the Tracks" at various places on the course, including the embedded tracks on the Lovejoy ramp as you come off the Broadway Bridge on the way to mile 25.

Join us for the Second Annual Portland Marathon Kids' Fun Run & Festival!

October 8, 2011 – 9:00 am to Noon
Lincoln High School Track – 1600 Southwest Salmon Street, Portland, OR 97205-1782
https://www.portlandmarathon.org/events_kids.php

This event is an expanded version of our Kids' Marafun Run begun in 1983, traditionally held on Sunday. The Kids' Fun Run & Festival is now held on Saturday, and is dedicated to our community of active future Marathon runners, ages 2-12. The event will be fun-filled and include:

A Fun Run Obstacle Course:

• Ages 2-5 start at 9:30 am – 1/4 mile once around the track
• Ages 6-9 start at 10:00 am – 1/2 mile twice around the track
• Ages 10-12 start at 10:30 am – 3/4 mile three times around the track

Activities:

• Face Painting
• Prizes
• Food & beverages
• Photos with the Portland Police Mounted Patrol officers & horses
• A special appearance by T-Bone, America's Health & Fitness Ambassador, www.tbonerun.com

Fun Run Participants: $25.00 ea. (includes Festival Entry for participant only)
Festival entry: $5.00 ea. for all those age 2 and over.

This includes parents, chaperones, siblings, other family members and friends who wish to attend. These entries may be purchased online during participant registration or at the Festival entrance on event day beginning at 8:30 am. A Festival entry ticket includes 5 scrip tickets good towards the purchase of food, beverages, and face painting.

Participants ages 2-12 will receive a special Portland Marathon backpack, a Portland Marathon t-shirt, a race bib, a finisher medal and other fun goodies. Chaperones may accompany kids in each age category of the Fun Run Obstacle Course (one chaperone per child). The run will be held on the Lincoln HS Track and will be staffed by volunteers.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase at the event. Individual scrip tickets for food, beverages & face painting will be also sold at the entrance for $1.00 ea.

A percentage of the proceeds from these purchases will benefit the Friends of Portland's Mounted Patrol, an Official Charity of the Portland Marathon. For more information about this program go to: https://www.active.com/donate/mountedpatrol

Be sure to visit and shake paws with the Portland Trail Blazers' mascot, Blaze this year! He'll be helping kids warm up before their races, and handing out lots of fun goodies and prizes. Bring your camera too, because this Trail Cat is definitely not camera shy!

Stanford's will also be on hand providing some fun, kid-friendly snacks!

It's sure to be three hours of non-stop fun for the whole family! We invite you and your family to come celebrate fitness with us, while supporting a worthy cause in our community!

Learn more here: https://www.portlandmarathon.org/events_kids.php

Thanks to Stanford's and the Portland Trail Blazers for their sponsorship of the Kids' Festival!

Your August POP QUIZ

What year did the 10k Family Walk first start?

Be the first to post the answer on the Portland Marathon Facebook FAN page, and win a signature Portland Marathon woven throw blanket.

Walk (or run with us) and talk to us!

Send us photos of you in your gear or running the Portland Marathon. We'll use them in the next newsletter. Feel free to share your training stories and questions too! Just email them to info@portlandmarathon.org. Or, join our Facebook Fan page or follow us on Twitter @pdxmarathon.

How many times have you done it?

US Congressman Earl
Blumenauer is a veteran
of 27 Portland Marathons.

If it's more than 10, we want to hear about it! If you've run or walked the Portland Marathon 10 times or more, we're collecting alumni stories which we'll share with the rest of 2011's participants in the 40th Anniversary Souvenir Program distributed at the Expo on event weekend. Just tell us briefly about yourself, what motivates you to run or walk marathons, which Portland Marathons you've completed, and any funny anecdotes or inspirational moments from any of your past Portland Marathons that you'd like to share. Keep the word count under 200, add a photo, and email to amy.pdxmar@comcast.net before Sept. 15th… and you'll be notified if your submission will be printed in the program.
PM veterans rule!

What drives you to the finish line?

Each year we like to profile stories of the personal challenges and inspirations that have brought participants to register and run or walk the Portland Marathon. Whether you've overcome great odds to bring you within reach of achieving your goal to complete the HALF or full 26.2; or you and your family members or friends have come from far and wide to join forces and complete the event together…we'd like to know your story. If you are a registered 2011 participant, and would like to tell us your tale, give us 200 words or less and a photo, and email to amy.pdxmar@comcast.net by September 15th, and we'll consider your submission for publication in our upcoming 40th Anniversary Souvenir Program, which will be distributed at the Expo on October 7th and 8th.

Annual 10K Family Walk

The Annual 10K Family Walk, is an annual 10km (6.2 mile) fitness event starting across from Columbia Park Annex near Willamette Blvd. Those in the Annual 10K Family walk get the opportunity to see our lead marathoners as they work their way along the last miles of the course. 10k walkers can start anytime between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. (once the Downhill Dash runners have cleared the start). Shuttle buses to the 26th Annual 10K Family Walk Start begin running from the Salmon side of the Heathman Hotel (between Broadway and Park) at 7:30 a.m. and will continue to run until approx. noon (to carry finishers back to their cars at the start).

Half Marathon entries still available through our official charities!

Runners and walkers can still get into the HALF one of two ways:

1) Gain a Charity Fundraising entry through one of our Official Charities. Contact one of the Charities listed at https://www.portlandmarathon.org/pm_half_marathon.php

2) Register for a $250 entry fee. Half of this fee will go to our Official Charity Program. The entrant will be able to take a $125 tax deduction for their contribution with the details of this gift printed on their confirmation. NOTE: The number of available entries of this type are limited and the program could end at any time.

Please join us for this exciting HALF Marathon Event on 10-9-11.

Learn more by visiting: https://www.portlandmarathon.org/pm_half_marathon.php

Education For Life

A NOTE ON TRANSFERS

Entries are NOT transferable. At the Expo we require photo ID. The Portland Marathon reserves the right to suspend entries if they are transferred. Want to know why? Read on.

The Portland Marathon has never permitted transfers, exchanges, rollovers, deferrals or refunds. Doing so with an event of our size would be an administrative nightmare. It is likewise logistic madness. Events order shirts, medals, etc based on a no show percentage which holds very true unless it is tinkered with by allowing transfers. Everything is now ordered since the two events are sold out.

We understand some events allow transfers. However, the Portland Marathon has already assigned starting corrals based on projected times. The bibs are being printed. So a transfer may sound like a logical idea but in reality it is not.

There is an even more serious side to "transfers." That is an attempt to improperly use another person's number or an effort to sell and "transfer" an entry. Recently at a marathon in Wisconsin a female runner gave her number to another female. That person then won an age division. Then that female went to the award ceremony to claim her prize. The local runners realized what had happened and knew the folks involved. As in any event they were outraged. The Event Director turned the matter over to the local DA on the basis of fraud, false impersonation and a couple of other legal issues.

And, some events (NY City and Boston Marathons) are using law enforcement in settings where someone tries to sell and another person tries to buy an entry thru E-bay or the social network. That too is a Federal offense and probably a State offense as well.

We are also prepared to handle course-crashers. Our bandit-catching crew is headed by two Portland Policemen. We rarely have problems, but we are ready.

Transfers, as a matter of policy, are not a good idea for a lot of reasons. An entry to a running event is not like a ticket to a ball game. An entry has too many personal connotations to be passed around. And when purchased that point is made perfectly clear: No refunds, exchanges, transfers, rollovers or deferrals.

Book your accommodations now and stay near all the action

Only a few rooms left near all the action. The 40th Annual Portland Marathon will be held the weekend of Oct. 8th and 9th. The Portland Hilton and Executive Tower is right in the heart of all Marathon excitement. It is located just three blocks from the start/finish area and is also home to our two-day Sports and Fitness Expo.
To book your rooms now, Click Here!.

Coach's Corner

Coach Jared Leeper was born and raised in Oregon. He began his education at Southern Oregon University, majoring in exercise science and was a captain for the university's football team.

Jared has been professionally coaching since 2007. As a health and fitness practitioner, he is very grateful for the opportunity to assist others in achieving optimal health through education, real strength training, individualized nutrition, and had dedicated his life to helping people "Live Healthy, Lean, & Fit".

"I believe that when you invest in something of value, it lasts a lifetime. And I guarantee my coaching provides this. Visit my site ProgressingPerformance.com and see how I can better your life and performance today!"

Meet the Coach!
September 9 & 24 at Noon
Where: Domination Fitness, 7921 SW Cirrus #27C, 97008.

Topics covered:
WHAT STRENGTH BRINGS TO ENDURANCE, RACE PREPARATIONS, SLEEP, HYDRATION AND NUTRITION

SPACE IS LIMITED TO THE FIRST 20 PEOPLE PER SEMINAR.
RSVP AT: CoachsCorner@PortlandMarathon.org

FAQ

Q: Why is it more difficult for women to lose weight?

A: Let's get some facts straight before I answer the question:

(1) Females should never be expected to have similar body fat percentages as males. On average females carry 8-10 percentage points more body fat than males. A leading factor for this is the difference in the proportion of androgenic vs. estrogenic hormones that males possess. Now does that mean that leaner women have more androgenic hormones? In the short yes, but there is more that ties into it.

2) The body does not function on calories. It is not an oven. On the contrary the body is a chemistry set that operates on essential nutrients and hormones working at optimal levels. Wilbur Atwater's calorimeter is simply a measure of heat, in nutrition the calorie is A TOOL NOT THE RULE. For example; typically, 100grams of carbohydrate takes about 5% of its caloric amount to metabolize, where as animal proteins have six times the thermic yield of the same 100grams at 30%, yet they have the same caloric value, would you rather look like the lion or the sheep?

3) Nobody ever became fat from eating too much fat, in particular saturated fat! In my programs, fat is non-negotiable. Every client I coach is required to consume fat. For example I have seen clients lose 19 pounds of fat in one month simply by consuming adequate amounts of smart fats such as fish oils. The research and literature by Dr. Mary Enig from the University of Maryland has shown that foods such as extra virgin organic coconut oils and local organic pasture fed butter will help regulate body fat to normal. Pasture butter is high in a fatty acid called Conjugated Linoleic Acid, which has many other health benefits other than regulating body fat. Enig's book "Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol" is the best known of her five books, and a highly recommended read, especially if you think that fats are evil!

So, now we understand that body fat needs to be reduced is a start, but you want to know your exact body fat percentage. You want to be properly tested by a qualified professional that uses precise measuring tools. I use the Charles Poliquin BioSignature method which uses 12 sites telling exactly what your body's method for storing body fat is and how to correct it. Charles calls BioSignature modulation "forensic nutrition, that tells the story of what is going on in your life based upon your body fat storage."

What I do at Progressing Perfomance:

I specialize in permanent fat loss. I will never put you on a diet. However, you will learn the effective techniques that produce long term, maintainable results to live the healthy, lean, and fit life you want!

The three largest factors that lead to obesity are; stress, toxins, and malnutrition. For these reasons I refer to the expertise of specialized practitioners that analyze trainee's blood panels and other intrinsic factors causing fat gain and storage. Using this information I can further emphasize that there are no paradoxes in biology. Everything happens for a reason, knowing is 49% of your battle, and implementing proven successful protocols that are specific to you is what it takes to win!

Carrying too much fat is not natural and you don't have to put up with it any more! Investing in our coaching provides a return, and results speak for themselves. You apply your ability to learn with your efforts to implement, you then receive the results you have desired with the happiness you deserve!

We provide a guarantee when invest in Progressing Performance coaching. Upon completing your program, if you apply all the tools specific to you and are not satisfied, you shall be refunded in full.

Here are three simple ways to improve your body composition:

1) Invest in a coach. A high quality coach will properly assess all of the factors that lead you to your success. They will not only be able to provide the proper education, but should be able to tell you exactly how long it is going to take you to get to your goal, based on experience, not guesses.

2) Increase your fibrous protein consumption. The right meats, in particular wild and 100% grass fed meats, will raise your metabolism and give you the right neurotransmitters, namely, dopamine and acetyl-choline. This will improve attention span and mental acuity. With respect to vegan vs. meat proteins, there are many reasons that meats are superior sources. For example, high quality meats have have a family of enzymes called carnitines that are responsible for driving fat into the cell for energy. Helping adapt the body from a fat storer to a fat burner!

3) Get the correct panels done. Get referred by your strength coach to proper testing specific to you by a qualified functional medicine practitioner. As previously stated, the intrinsic factors that lead to fat storage cannot be seen in the mirror, and take years of education to understand and interpret. These factors are interconnected and can be as simple as improving your digestive processes or as complex as detoxifying the body from heavy metals accumulated in childhood. As local Portlandians, we receive less Vitamin D3 than an inmate in solitary confinement wearing two straight jackets. A VD3 deficiency, for example is linked to every disease known to man. Pursuing a fat loss or performance goal with out assessing VD3 levels and expecting things to change is as Ben Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Winston Churchill said "the definition of insanity."

In conclusion, the processes that get us to store or lose body fat are complex, a high quality coach will understand and give you the proper tools to optimize your body fat and hormonal discrepancies and make you stronger, faster, sleep incredibly, and win the battles and achieve the excellence you are entitled to.

Visit my site ProgressingPerformance.com and see how I can better your life and performance today!

Submit your coaching questions to the Portland Marathon's Coach Leeper at CoachsCorner@PortlandMarathon.org

In the best of health,
Coach Leeper
Jared@progressingperformance.com

Where did you wear your shirt?

Send us your finisher shirt photos at info@portlandmarathon.org!

Rick Hickmann in his Portland Marathon training shirt overlooking Jenny Lake in the Tetons.

Shandi Taylor was actually three weeks pregnant when she ran the Portland Marathon for the first time…she just didn't know it! Congrats, Shandi!

Jill Harriman Browning in her 2009 finisher shirt riding the 2011 Bridge Pedal with her family.

Dave Holzwarth after finishing the 2010 Portland Marathon!

Melanie Springer Mock in her 2009 finisher shirt with her family at Crater Lake a few weeks ago, "just a few hours before my husband got us lost on a logging road. At least I didn't have to run for help!" she said.

Hope L. Hardaker in her Finisher shirt from 2008 at the Pints to Pasta race!

40th Anniversary

October 9, 2011 will mark the 40th Annual Portland Marathon! We have 74 entertainment groups at 53 locations along the course. Each year more than 12,000 people run, walk, or volunteer with the event.

Proceeds from the Portland Marathon go to help local schools, charities, and non-profits. The event has been called the "best-organized marathon in North America" and has received national attention for being one of the first eco-friendly, "green" marathons.