Sub-2:40: Spencer’s story

I spoke with Spencer on Sunday night after the race. Our guy got a big dose of big-city races. Even though he was in an elite starting area, the crowd overwhelmed him. He had a fanny pack with all of the gels he planned on taking. In the bustle of the start, the fanny pack was dropped and lost. As he frantically tried to retrieve it, panic ensued. Spencer’s rather small (I’m being nice here); he was barked down by angry and anxious runners as he scurried back to try to get his stuff. Fearful of being stampeded, he took off without his fanny pack and didn’t take his first gel under mile 17, when he saw his father. Obviously, this had a huge impact on his race. Spencer is not a guy to make excuses and he did not use this as an excuse. But clearly it was a factor. It’s a bummer because he was cruising at sub-2:30 pace for quite a while. Is it possible he would not have hit the wall as hard as he did? Yes, it’s possible. Lesson learned, for sure. He still PRed by a bit and he now has another marathon in his legs, with experience and things to improve upon. We are proud of him, and all the alums. (also thanks to Hild for sending me a different version of the picture from mile 18, with Spencer flashing the universal "Foxes" sign)