Winners Very Different Gilbert, Martin Cross Finish Line First In 20th Coeur D’Alene Marathon

One encounters all kinds at a marathon. Even in the winner’s circle.

Consider the dissimilar backgrounds of the champions at the 20th annual Coeur d’Alene Marathon on Sunday.

Men’s winner Chris Gilbert has been running most of his life. At age 27, the former North Idaho College track and cross country athlete still competes in open track meets.

At the other extreme, women’s champ Myrna Martin didn’t need jogging shoes until five years ago.

“I never, ever ran before that. I used to be a pack-a-day smoker,” said the 35-year-old from Nelson, British Columbia. “I stopped smoking when I had kids. In high school, I smoked and drank coffee and did all those things that I don’t want my (three sons) to do.”

The prevailing message: Anybody can do it, if you’re willing to pay the price.

In only her third marathon, Martin clocked 3 hours, 7 minutes and 22 seconds for a 7-minute victory.

Gilbert shared the feelings of most competitors after crossing the finish line in a record 2 hours, 27 minutes and 58 seconds.

“I’m sore,” he said between shivers on a drizzly day. “My calves are sore.”

Gilbert defeated ‘94 champion Mark Tarr, who led for nearly half the race before settling for second place in 2:32.40.

In the half marathon, former Eastern Washington University standout Kari McKay timed 1:16.10 to shatter the course record by 7 minutes. She had one of the top times, male or female.

Mark Bloudek, of Tigard, Ore., was declared winner of the men’s half. Bloudek and another runner inadvertently took a shortcut near the 10-mile mark. The other top runners apparently agreed Bloudek would have won the race anyway.

Cheney’s Jerry Martin won the wheelchair event in 2:08, nearly 3 minutes faster than Brent King, also of Cheney.

Coeur d’Alene’s been good to Gilbert. He attended NIC on scholarship from 1989-91 and met his wife Carolynne here. She put in some running time, too, toting Gatorade to her husband between water stops over the last portion of the course.

It was Gilbert’s second marathon. To win Sunday, he said he learned valuable lessons from his initial marathon in November 1995.

Gilbert ate too much and didn’t stretch and warm up properly before his first marathon.

“Patience is the biggest thing I learned, don’t make big changes from one mile to the next,” said Gilbert, who works in accounting for a telecommunications business in Vancouver, Wash.

Gilbert caught Tarr at the “11 or 12-mile mark” and quickly moved into the lead.

“I was bringing him in pretty easy,” said Gilbert, who finished his schooling at the University of Portland. “I ran with him a little bit, then I kept on my pace and he kept on his.”

Gilbert celebrated his win with a cold soak in Lake Coeur d’Alene and a massage. His 2-year old son brought a smile to his face about 2 hours after he had crossed the finish line.

“Are you through running yet?” his son asked.

Martin, who trains with her sons, hopes to crack the 3-hour mark soon.

“It’s kind of addictive,” said Martin, who works in a dental office.

She ran alone most of the race, so she had to search for self-motivation.

“You end up talking to yourself trying to get through those barriers,” Martin said. “You say, ‘I know I can do this, it’s just another long run.’ I was thinking about (husband) David waiting at the finish line.”

He was there, with open arms.

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