50th Annual Heart of America Marathon

One of the hardest marathons in the US to run, because of the route. There's a really steep hill that happens at the end of the course. And, oh!, the drama. My camera has been being hinky lately. It all of a sudden didn't want to turn on. I fiddled with the battery a little bit and it seemed to fix itself and then...

I'm at the marathon and I've been taking pictures of the atmosphere, etc., and here comes the first-place finisher. He's heading down the home stretch and my camera has gone asleep. So I depress the button, nothing happens. Now, I thought maybe it was just my battery, and I'd brought 2 extra charged ones, and I stick in the first one and nothing! I'm muttering, 'come on! come on! don't do this to me!' And get the second one in and nothing! Stupid camera! Now I'm going to have to get you fixed!!! And I'm on assignment and I missed the winning shot.

So I started taking pictures with my i-Phone and then around 9:30 I tried the Missourian and someone was there (they weren't there at 7:30 when I tried to check out a camera just in case my 'working' camera decided to get finicky), so I walked the 3 blocks down to the Missourian and got a working camera.

Here's my captioned pics:


Carolyn Mitchell, 72 (#39), of Lenexa, Kan., waves in triumph, with Karen Nicholson, 43 (#167), close behind as she crosses the finish line of the 50th Annual Heart of America Marathon on Monday, September 7, 2009. Mitchell was one of the last participants to finish and had planned to run with her husband, Kent Mitchell, but he was sidelined with an injury.


Newell Kitchen, 50, of Columbia, Mo., rests after completing the 50th Annual Heart of America marathon on Monday, September 7, 2009. The Heart of America marathon is considered one of the most difficult in the United States because of the weather and some of the inclines during the race.


Jay Giddings, 35 (#248), accepts a kiss from his fiance, Julie Hochwender, after completing the 50th Heart of America marathon on Monday, September 7, 2009. The couple became engaged when Giddings stopped and proposed at the bottom of Easley Hill during last year's race and are planning on getting married in July of 2010.


Medals and a drink of Gatorade or water await the runners who complete the 50th Annual Heart of America marathon, on Monday, September 7, 2009. Most runners prefer the water because it's not so sweet, according to Carl Schulte. Schulte, whose parents were founding member of the Columbia Track Club, flew in from Irvine, Calif., to volunteer for the race and has been part of the race for the better part of 38 years.


Rick Roeber, 53 (#46), aka Barefoot Rick, shows his foot as he relaxes in the cool-down pool after completing the 50th Annual Heart of America marathon on Monday, September 7, 2009. Roeber has been running barefoot, including the Boston Marathon, since October 2003.


Chad Rogers, 26 (#214), of Columbia, Mo., is overcome with emotion as he finishes the 50th Annual Heart of America marathon. The marathon is considered one of the most difficult in the United States with more competitive racers avoiding it because of the race's potential impact on their standings.


Boonsom Hartman, 52, of Oak Forest, Ill., receives a hug after completing the 50th Annual Heart of America marathon on Monday, September 7, 2009. Hartman, known as the "Lipstick Lady" for the fresh lipstick she applies before crossing every finish line, wore #200 in honor of her 200th marathon.


Karen Mills, 27 (#175), and Chris Bowling, 40 (#28), both of Columbia, Mo., push for the finish line of the 50th Annual Heart of America marathon on Monday, September 7, 2009. The annual marathon is considered one of the most difficult in the United States because of the heat and the grade of hills, with most competitive runners avoiding it because of its potential impact on their national standings.


Darrell James, 48 (#58, left), of Corvina, Calif., and Joe Bechtold, 42 (#907, right), of Columbia, Mo., relax in the cool-down tank after completing the 50th Annual Heart of America marathon on Monday, September 7, 2009. The marathon is considered one of the most difficult in the United States because of the heat and grade of many of its hills, with most competitive runners skipping the competition because of its potential impact on their national standings.


Bekkie Wright, 46 (#37), does a cartwheel across the finish line of the 50th Annual Heart of America marathon on Monday, September 7, 2009. Wright and Joseph Poliquin, 57 (#36), traveled from East Hartford, Conn., to participate in the race, one of the most grueling in the United States.


From left: Peggy Horner, Marie Kerl, Kate Floros, Andrea and Tom Allen track the progress of participants as they approach the finish line of the 50th Annual Heart of America marathon, on Monday, September 7, 2009. Tom Allen has helped man the marathon for over 20 years. "I like to see the runners come in. I know what they've gone through," Allen said.