MISSOULA — For a window into the anxious mind of a competitive Missoula Marathon runner, chat for a while with four-time champion Trisha Drobeck.
She’s not really a morning person and that created some challenges in the past as she prepared for a race that starts at 6 a.m. in Frenchtown.
“I do remember vividly one year,” said Drobeck, who now serves as Missoula Marathon race director and executive director for Run Wild Missoula.
“I always tried to go to bed super early. One year I shot out of bed and it was still daylight and I thought I had completely missed the start. But it was really only 9:30 at night. I had gone to bed at 7 and only slept two hours but I thought it was the middle of the next day.”
The point is, the race is mighty important for many that dare to endeavor.
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“You don’t sleep well the night before and you’re nervous, and riding a bus out to Frenchtown … You feed off the energy of others because no matter if you’re the first person across the line or the last, you’re nervous,” Drobeck said. “It could be a really long, painful day or it could be your day. That can be felt for all runners.”
Sunday’s 18th annual marathon promises to be memorable, with four-time defending champion Mark Messmer, 31, chasing the elusive men’s course record. His winning time of 2 hours, 22 minutes and 25.92 seconds last year was roughly two minutes off the 2014 record time he was hoping to break.
The Missoula Sentinel/UM grad and current resident of Colorado should get closer this year, coming off a solid performance at Olympic Trials. His personal record is 2:17:27. The Missoula Marathon record is 2:20:27, held by former Montana State Bobcat Matthew Adams of Seward, Alaska.
On the women’s side, Kate Landau-Olmstead of Tacoma, Washington, will attempt to defend her title. The 48-year-old, who has twice qualified for Olympic Trials, won with a mark of 2:47:16.84 last June. That mark set a new Masters standard.
Californian Bonnie Keating owns the women’s record, which was previously held by Drobeck. Keating’s standard of 2:46:35 was set in 2022.
For those interested in seeing the top marathon runners cross the finish line, be advised that will happen shortly after 8 a.m. in downtown Missoula. A large crowd is expected along Beartracks Bridge.
Joining Messmer as serious contenders in the men’s marathon are Missoula transplant Mitch Morris, Cooper West of Great Falls, Adam Cordell of Wyoming and Dylan Villescas of Massachusetts.
Joining Landau-Olmstead as serious contenders in the women’s marathon are Erin Forde of Missoula, Mariah Bredal and Madison Liechty of Bozeman and Kelsie Zitzer of Dillon.
Bigfork grad Makena Morley, who competed in Olympic Trials earlier this year and resides in Bozeman, will try to break her course record (1:14:29) in the women’s half marathon. She won the event in 2016, 2017 and 2018. She will be pushed by the likes of Elizabeth Wasserman, the 2022 half marathon champ from Columbia Falls, and Utah Valley assistant track/cross country coach Hannah Branch.
Kalispell natives Zach Perrin and Jake Perrin will challenge for the men’s half marathon title. Other contenders include Cody Moore of Kalispell, Habtamu Cheney of Utah and Collin Buck of Great Falls. The course record is 1:05:30.
The weekend celebration begins at 4 p.m. Friday with a runners expo. More than 40 vendors and a disc jockey will be on hand and a beer run will be held at 6 p.m. Runners will also have the chance to meet Alison Mariella Désir, author of “Running While Black.” The Seattle resident will speak Friday at 3 p.m. and well be around all weekend.
The Tony Banovich 5K will be held Saturday at 8 a.m. in downtown Missoula. That will be followed two hours later by the annual Kids Marathon on the Clark Fork River Trail.
“The kids race is a show-stopper,” Drobeck said. “They all get capes and have the best time. Nobody runs as hard as a 6-year-old.”
The marathon will cover 26.2 miles and the half marathon 13.1 miles. The 5K is 3.1 miles and the kids marathon is 1.2 miles.
Drobeck noted there are several changes to the race. The course has moved over from Fourth St. to Fifth St. and moved back to Beckwith Ave. because of water main projects on Fourth St. and Franklin St.
The Tony Banovich 5K is almost at capacity (1,440 entrants, 60 spots left). The marathon (1,440 entrants, 60 spots left) and half marathon (2,826 entrants, 174 spots left) are also close to full. More than 6,500 runners will participate over the course of the weekend and all 50 states will be represented along with Mexico, Canada, Germany, Iceland and Poland.
Total prize money is $6,150 for both the full marathon and half marathon, plus an additional $950 in bonus incentives. Total prize money for the 5K is $1,350.
Notes: Course monitors are needed Sunday. If interested, call 406-544-7073 or email missoulamarathon.org .. Last Sunday, volunteers picked up about 1,000 pounds of trash along the course route.
Bill Speltz is Missoulian Sports Editor. Email Bill at bill.speltz@missoulian.com.
