Steak and Potatoes — The Cowtown Marathon
Even with more than one million residents making it the 11th largest city in the country, Fort Worth Texas retains much of its cattle rearing past. A sprawling city affectionately referred to as Cowtown, Fort Worth has also retained many of its historic art deco buildings and its stockyards, now a national historic district. The city has a large cultural district boasting world class art museums, more than 13,000 acres of parks and miles of trails including the 100-plus mile Trinity Trails Network. I had never considered visiting this city until I heard about the Cowtown Marathon. Then after a little research—I was hooked and booked! I couldn’t wait to represent Team Potato in Cattle Country!
When I decided to run a marathon or ultra-run in all 50 states I knew that half of the fun would be discovery. Nine states so far into my journey, and that’s been the best thing about this challenge. Discovering new places—and experiencing a wide array of natural, cultural, and historical sites that I never imagined. All of this adds to the experience of the run and gives me a better appreciation of the diversity of people, landscapes, and vibes across this vast nation.
Start at dawn!
I have said many times in the past and it’s worth repeating, this whole process is about the journey. I’m in no hurry to get all 50 done. Each race I sign up for is an invitation to spend time at the destination getting a more satisfying experience than merely just running the race and heading home. I spent eight days in the Fort Worth area merely scratching its surface, but never-the-less getting a good feel for this place—and returning home afterward satisfied in another fulfilling adventure.
One of the best ways to see and experience a place is to slow down and walk it—or in this case, run it! The Cowtown Marathon showcased many of the finest landmarks and attributes of this city. I loved the course. Loved the cool Texas Longhorn race shirt. And I loved the race. It was well organized, well-supported, and such a great way to experience the vibe of this city. This year’s Cowtown was its 47th. And while it’s not the largest marathon in Texas, that honor goes to Houston—Cowtown which consists of several distances over two days is the Lone Star State’s largest running event. More than 26,000 runners took part in this year’s events.
I of course was among them! And boy was I happy that the temperature at the start was a warm 40 degrees! I had arrived in Texas six days prior, just one day before the Polar Vortex descended upon the region. Temps hit the teens with wind chill factors close to zero. It changed my outdoor hiking plans to indoor activities. As the week progressed, it slowly began to warm up. By race day’s end it was in the 60s and felt quite warm after the arctic blast.
Through the historic Fort Worth Stockyards!
The Polar Vortex was just another bout of extremely cold weather I had been experiencing, as Western Washington had one of its coldest Februaries on record. Needless to say all of the extreme cold, ice and occasional snow put a major damper on my training and I was feeling it on race day. I had a feeling that this race was not going to be one of my best in terms of performance—and I was correct.
I convinced myself however that it was all about the experience and I was going to enjoy this run even if I was hurting! We were off at sunrise from the Will Rogers Memorial Center with its 208-foot tall Art Deco Tower hovering over the field. I was in the 4th wave and it took nearly 15 minutes to get to the start—but then I was off heading through the Cultural District on my 26.2 mile journey.
Belting out some great music!
I ran with my phone out for the first 10 miles to capture some of the city’s iconic landmarks including the stockyards which we ran right through. The original brick roadways required some concentration, but I was slowing down anyway taking in the sights of this 98-acre highlight with its saloons, livestock exchange building and many other historic structures. It was Cowtown incarnate.
It was then a long stretch from the stockyards to downtown including a long uphill grunt. I was definitely not feeling my best and knew that I would be relying on a lot of willpower to keep me going. The various bands along the way certainly helped boost my mood and tempo at times. They were quite good ranging from country, to rockabilly, alt rock, blues, and Tejano! The Wear Blue Mile on the course which honored our fallen service members—was especially moving. I became absorbed with the faces of these heroes as I grunted along the course.
The Wear Blue Mile approaching the Tarrant County Courthouse.
We entered downtown greeted by the gorgeous Tarrant County Courthouse, constructed with pink granite in the Renaissance Revival style. I passed many beautiful historic buildings—that one and the Flatiron building (looking a lot like the famous one in New York City) stood out. We then ran through the vibrant Near Southside Neighborhood and a handful of tidy leafy neighborhoods as well as the Texas Christian University campus.
The last few miles were on the Trinity Trails through gorgeous parks and greenbelts along the Clear Fork Trinity River. I was struggling but kept my focus on finishing yet another marathon! Lots of “Y’all are doing great” encouragement along the way kept me going! Coming over that finish line is always a great feeling regardless whether you’re limping or strutting. I met up with my friend Hannah from Massachusetts (who is intent on running a marathon or half marathon in all 50) and some of her fellow 50-state runners. It was then calorie replenishment time dominated by chicken noodle soup and ice cream! We were also rewarded with not one but two beers—and thankfully they were in cans so I could take them back to my hotel and drink them later—lest I pass out in the beer garden!
Along the Clear Fork Trinity River.
My post marathon splurge usually involving a burger and fries (yay, potatoes) would come later. And while I was in Texas, the home of Whataburger, the Lone Star state also contains quite a few In-N-Out burgers. And that iconic California chain won for the evening grub-out! While a good part of my trip I feasted on Tex-Mex, a meat and potatoes night was in order. And there is probably no state better at providing that meat to go with your potatoes than Texas. The Lone Star state ranks number one in the nation when it comes to beef cows with over 4 million. This is the state where after the Civil War the Chisholm Trail was developed to drive millions of heads of cattle through the endian Territory (now Oklahoma) to the rail yards in Kansas.
Celebrating with the family afterward at the Stockyards!
The Texas beef cow herd today comprises of nearly 15% of the entire country’s output. Washington ranks 32nd in cattle production with about 220,000 beef cows. Texas ranks 12th in the nation in potato production with an annual harvest of around 6.5 cwt (hundredweight). Washington’s potato crop greatly exceeds it with an annual harvest around 100 cwt, making the Evergreen State the second largest producer of potatoes in the country. Texas does however help contribute to a healthy and vital potato economy. In Washington County to the southeast of Fort Worth, Texas A&M’s AgriLife is a leader in potato research and has developed several varieties including fresh market russets that are now also being grown in Washington State.
After running 26.2 miles through the streets of Cowtown I was now hungry enough that I could literally eat a cow—or at least part of one! And definitely throw some potatoes in with it!
Big Thanks to the Washington State Potato Commission for sponsoring me. I am proud to be a member of Team Potato and to showcase the nutritional value and performance enhancement of potatoes as I attempt to run a marathon or ultra-marathon in all 50 states—and train for my first 100 mile run! I’ve got many miles left to go—and lots of potatoes to consume to power me along the way.
