07/11/2010
Racing on opposite sites of the country and four weeks apart, coaches Lowell and Aaron Ladd competed in the marathons in Reading, PA and Missoula, MT respectively and both were able to earn top three finishes.
Marathons from June to August are few and far between in the United States because the innevitable heat makes fast times all but impossible and finishing can even be a chore. The task of not only running, but competing, did not daunt the Ladd brothers.
On June 13, the innagural 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Marathon was held on a day which saw dew points in the upper 70s and a high for the day around 90 degrees. Of the 300 marathon entrants, less than half finished the course that ran along the Tulpehocked Creek and Schuylkill River. Head Coach Lowell Ladd was able to run away from a field that included a 2:28 recent marathon runner and win by 19 minutes in 2:46, well off his personal best time of 2:22. "In those conditions, I knew I was going to suffer. I just wanted to suffer faster than everyone else," said Lowell after finishing.
Four weeks later, only July 11th, fellow 2L Coach Aaron began undertook the same challenge in Missoula along with several thousand other competitors Clark Fork River. Temperatures in Missoula also soared to approximately 90 degrees, but the early start time and lower overnight temperatures made for reasonable conditions. While not quite a personal best, Aaron's 2:45 was still strong enough to best all but two competitors. Said Aaron, "Having good Montana scenery and weather were positive elements that helped erase any doubts in my head that my training had not gone as well as I would have liked leading up to the race. A top 3 finish is always nice, but most importantly I just enjoyed the experience."