A man with a bullhorn called people over to an open gate, which would serve as the makeshift starting line. He asked the group, “How many of you are doing the marathon?” About one-third of us raised our hands, which generated polite applause. “And how many of you are doing the 50-miler?” A much louder cheer went up. Suddenly, being in the marathon felt like being in the kiddie pool—and I wanted to dive in and swim with the big kids!
