On March 21st, 2024 (just over 6 months before this race), I received a text from Malissa (pic below) asking how long it took me to train for a marathon. She had devised a plan to motivate me to get back in shape and she'd get a trip to Utah out of it. It worked. Since COVID shut down races in 2020, I had gained about 70 pounds. In the six months after Malissa sent that text, I lost 57 lbs and stuck to my marathon training plan.
Life changing text message from Malissa
Leading up to the Friday that we were to leave (the day before the marathon), we saw news reports of a Hurricane that could impact North Carolina. While it doesn't hold a candle to the impact Hurricane Helene caused Western North Carolina and other regions, I was really worried that months of training would go down the drain if we couldn't fly out. Our plane was scheduled to leave at 6:30 AM Friday morning. We woke up at 3 AM and saw that our flight was delayed due to the hurricane. We were originally scheduled to fly to Chicago with a 90 minute layover before continuing on to Jackson, Wyoming. Our delay would cause us to miss that connection, and there was only one flight per day from Chicago to Jackson. So the airline put us on a flight to Denver. It was also delayed, but Denver had multiple flights to Jackson. We finally boarded, and took off, in the most turbulent weather I've ever flown in. We arrived in Denver just in time to use the bathroom and rush to our next flight just before they closed the gate.
50 mph wind gusts caused our plane to be delayed (Hurricane Helene)
Getting off the plane in Jackson, Wyoming
Cool cowboy sculpture as we left the Jackson Airport
We got our rental car and drove to a local restaurant where we met Danell (Malissa's mom), Angel (Malissa's mom's husband), and Freda (Malissa's Aunt). I had my usual pre-race meal, spaghetti marinara (they called it Spaghetti with gravy, weird).
Danell, Freda, Owen, and Malissa at Packet Pickup
Malissa and Owen at the Packet Pickup
Freda, Malissa, and Danell bought shirts
After packet pickup, we drove to the center of town and looked around, grabbed coffee, and snapped some pics.
Danell, Malissa, and Freda under the antlers
Owen and Malissa under the antlers
Malissa in front of a really cool coffee shop
Owen enjoying his coffee
We got checked in to the hotel, which we found on AirBnB. It was a really nice place in downtown Jackson called Mountain Modern. It was two stories: Downstairs was the kitchen and living room, and 1/4 bathroom. Upstairs was two large bedrooms and two full bathrooms.
Freda, Danell, and Angel enjoying Malissa's cookies
Now that we were in for the night, we just relaxed at the hotel. It had been over five years since my last marathon, so my nerves were very high. I've done this 42 times, but this reminded me of my first. I was confident in my training, and had my "preparations" list that I went through to set everything out for the morning. We had been awake since 3 AM Charlotte time and it was now almost 9 PM Wyoming time. That meant we had been awake for almost 20 hours, and had had a very long day of travel. The race didn't start super early the next morning, but I was tired so we called it a night. Even with all of that, I didn't even make it to my 5:30 AM alarm.
The hotel was very close to the start (about 1/2 a mile), so we walked there. It was cold (about 40°), so I was wearing a sweatshirt and gloves that I would toss on the course, for the race organizers to later donate.
Owen poses under the starting line of the marathon
The race started, and it was cold. I warmed up quickly, though. My biggest problem was pacing. Early on, I went too fast. My goal was to finish in under four hours, which is an average pace of 9:22 per mile. The race wasn't hilly, but the second half had more climb than the first, so my splits needed to be a little faster at the start. I had ordered a pacing band from findmymarathon.com. Here is my goal vs. actual pace for the first half of the race.
Mile
Goal Pace
Act. Pace
Split +/-
Total +/-
1
9:23
9:07
-16
-16
2
9:05
8:37
-28
-44
3
8:54
8:44
-10
-54
4
8:56
8:54
-2
-56
5
9:02
9:01
-1
-57
6
9:02
8:56
-6
-1:03
7
9:15
9:04
-11
-1:14
8
9:08
8:57
-11
-1:25
9
8:53
8:54
+1
-1:24
10
9:13
9:10
-3
-1:27
11
9:11
9:00
-11
-1:38
12
9:14
9:08
-6
-1:44
13
9:15
9:15
0
-1:44
Owen at approximately mile 4
We had a plan for them to meet me at various points. The first was the picture above around mile 4. They were awesome and I loved the support. This race had decided to go cupless to be easier on the environment, which meant I had to carry my water bottle. That was the worst! I carry it during training runs, but on training runs Malissa is there with bottles of gatorade, and the clock isn't ticking, so I can stop and drink, etc. My routine at a normal marathon is to grab gatorade AND water. I drink a few sips of the gatorade at each stop, then wash it down with water. That was impossible at this race. Never again will I run a race that is "cupless".
One of the things I did to try and slow down was pick a runner in front of me and not pass her. She seemed to be going consistently the pace that I should be. Every once in a while I would forget and start gaining on her and slow down. It really helped. At several points along the race, she had supporters yelling "Go Alex!". One of the times I made the joke to them that I was going to pretend my name was Alex.
For the first 12 miles, I felt great and was having to try to slow down, but mile 13 was different. I knew I was in trouble because I had to put some effort in to hit that pace. It was also about then that my lower back really started hurting. I popped the ibuprofen I had brought for mile 20. I made the decision then that there was no way I could keep that pace for 13 more miles. Alex slipped off in the distance, never to be seen again.
View from the race
Almost the entire course was on a path next to the highway, like pictured above. They did a great job with course markings and the support was great (except for the no cups part). For the next few miles I just tried to focus on the unbelievable beauty, and enjoy that I was finally running another marathon. But my legs were shot. I'm not sure if it was the elevation (about 6,200 feet above sea level), or the fast pace, or what. After about mile 16, I came up with a new plan. I did the math and figured if I averaged 12 minutes per mile (run/walk), I would finish in under 4:30. So I ran at each mile marker as far as I could, then would mix in some walking, making sure my current mile pace never got above 12.
Somewhere just after halfway
Another shot from the same place, just after halfway
Elevation profile vs. pace for the entire marathon (that's an ugly second half pace chart)
Mile
Pace
Mile
Pace
14
9:24
21
11:28
15
12:04
22
11:14
16
10:00
23
11:30
17
10:20
24
11:55
18
10:07
25
11:48
19
11:02
26
11:32
20
11:03
26.2
10:16
Total:
4:24:03
I continued with that approach for what seemed like a lifetime of pain. When I was about a mile from the finish, I saw a guy cheering the runners and thought to myself "that dude looks like Corey". Corey Vigil is a great longtime friend from Utah. After the race we planned to drive down to Utah to visit him and other friends/family. Immediately after that thought popped into my head, he stepped on to the course and I realized it really was him. He asked if he could "run me in". That was music to my ears and gave me the boost I needed. There's video of that moment (shot by Angel) down at the bottom of this page. He ran me in to the finish, and I have no doubt, shaved two minutes or more off of my time.
Crossing the finish line!
Just after the finish
About a week before the race, the race organizers sent an email asking for information the MC could use as material to announce as we crossed the finish line. I sent the following information. As I approached the finish line, he read ALL of this, and did a FANTASTIC job. It is the reason I am so emotional in the finish line picture.
Name: Owen Lillywhite
From: Charlotte, NC
50 States: This will be my 43rd marathon, and 38th state completed.
Celebrating my 50th birthday on Oct 21.
Running in memory of my dad, who I shared a birthday with (he'd be celebrating his 90th)
So much emotion, impossible to explain
After the race, Corey and Tracey (who had also surprised Malissa at the finish, we are all longtime friends) joined us for lunch at a restaurant next to the finish line. It was a lot of fun. They had to leave right away, but I really appreciated them making the 9 hour round trip drive to surprise us. We would spend a lot more time with them later in the Utah portion of our trip.
After that we drove back to our hotel in Jackson (the finish line was in Teton Village about 20 miles away). We relaxed for a bit. While relaxing I looked up results and noticed that a woman won the race. I thought that was pretty cool. Her finishing time was 2:57:49 (6:47 pace), which was almost 5 minutes faster than the guy that took 2nd overall. Later we also realized that Alex (the lady that I used as a pacer early in the race), finished 48 seconds before I did (I almost caught her). After getting cleaned up, we drove to the Snake River overlook to take some pictures.
All of us at Snake River overlook of Teton Range
Saturday after pictures, we went to a Target in town and bought stuff for ice cream sundaes and breakfast the next morning. We spent the rest of the day in our hotel, and literally had ice cream for dinner. Sunday morning we got up, Malissa cooked "Eggs in Toast" for everyone (delicious!). After that we hit the road for the 2nd part of our trip: Utah!!! Our first stop was The Factory Pizzeria in Logan. That is my alltime favorite restaurant. My dad took me there as a kid. They had peanut shells on the floor, names carved in the tables, football on the big screens, and the best pizza anywhere. They are underneath another restaurant right on the main street through town.
My happy place: The Factory Pizzeria in Logan, Utah
Yum!
Britney and Malissa
We met there with our great friend Britney, and her family
After pizza, we hopped back in the Mustang (our rental car for the week) and headed to my brother Eric's house, where we'd stay the next three nights. He lives in Roy, Utah, a few miles from our old home in West Point. Sunday night we went out to eat at Applebee's with Eric and his girls (twin daughters Abbey and Bailey).
Watching football with Eric (I'm terrible at selfies)
Monday, Malissa and I made a list of everything in the Layton area that we wanted to visit. We drove around taking pictures of all of our old houses, schools, doctors, everything!
My dad's grave. I can't believe it's been 24 years.
My parking spot when I was an employee here 33 years ago
I had to dig under weeds, but this is concrete I poured with Michael's baby foot impression from when he was a couple of days old.
Our old Layton home. The new owners re-sided it, but let the rest go, what a dump.
This picture was taken 20 years earlier on the same spot (different vantage point). That's Michael torturing Kyle.
I'm taking a picture of a shed I built 20 years earlier
Here is that same shed right after I finished building it
I graduated from Layton High School, in that very auditorium in 1993
Taken from the edge of the parking lot of Washington Heights Baptist Church
Malissa's Ob/Gyn Doctor's Office
Michael and Ali were born in this room. Kyle was born across the hall. The nurse was nice enough to let us go back there and take our picture.
Michael's Elementary School
Our old home in West Point
Britney and Malissa met up for drinks at a soda shop
After driving around aimlessly, Malissa headed over to Britney's work and hung out with her for a while. I went back to Eric's and we got ready to head out for dinner with the girls. My nieces have grown up so fast. They are twins, but couldn't be more different. Yet they are so great together. I hate that I live so far away, I'd love to be fun Uncle Owen. I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with Abbey and Bailey. Eric is a great dad, and I REALLY enjoyed spending time with them.
Eric, Bailey, Abbey, and Owen at dinner
Owen and Eric at Warren's Craft Burger
Mini-golf with Eric, Abbey, and Bailey
Tuesday we didn't have a lot of plans, except to meet everyone at Sill's. Sill's is a restaurant that serves the best scones and honey butter. Below is a group picture from that night.
Left to Right: Eric, Corey, Sydney, Bailey, Owen and Malissa, Scott, Abbey, Donna, Tracey
Wednesday we got up early and drove to Las Vegas. On the way, we stopped and had breakfast with a coworker and friend of mine from when I worked at Harmons, Steve Jacobs. We had a great visit. I learned a lot from him and always like catching up when we are in town. We arrived in Las Vegas and got checked in to our hotel, the Venetian. I splurged a little on the room because I wanted one close to, and with a view of, the sphere. I'm glad I did. It was a great room at a great hotel, and the sphere was amazing.
Our room at the Venetian
Probably the nicest room I've ever stayed in
Dinner at the shoppes at the Venetian
Walking to the show at the Sphere
Not as spectacular during the day, but still cool
Waiting in line for the show
I thought it was interesting to see what it looked like up close
The view from our room
On Thursday, we didn't have any plans in Vegas. We had a red-eye flight that was scheduled to leave after 11 PM vegas time, so we got up, had breakfast at Denny's and slowly packed up and got checked out of the hotel. We decided to just slowly walk toward the airport, along the strip. We had the suitcase and our backpacks, and it was over 100°. We ended up getting to the airport hours before we were allowed to check our bag, so we had to stay on the boring side of security for a few hours. We watched a two-hour dateline episode and a three hour football game. Our overnight flight home was uneventful (execept for having to taxi back to the gate because someone demanded off the plane, which cost us about 45 minutes). We made it home about 7:30 AM Charlotte time, and went straight to bed.
Only 12 empty hooks! 38 states done, 12 to go. This is in my office, each sticker above the hook is the state flag of that state.
Below is a compilation of every video we took on this trip.
