Jacklin breezes to CdA marathon record

Gayle Jacklin runs without a watch, meaning she wasn’t exactly sure where she stood time-wise during the Coeur d’Alene Marathon on Sunday. So imagine her surprise when she approached the 24-mile marker and was informed by her coach, David Kandia, she was at 2 hours, 36 minutes.

“I was like, ‘No way, that can’t be right,’ “Jacklin said. “I could not believe it.”

Jacklin churned out the final two miles and change to run away with the women’s open class in 2:51:46, shaving nearly nine minutes off her course record. The 40-year-old Jacklin finished about 19 minutes before Coeur d’Alene’s Jennifer Bradley, who completed her first marathon in 3:10:35 in cool, soggy conditions.

“I thought 2:55 was a realistic, achievable goal,” said Jacklin, a three-time CdA winner who recently moved to Rathdrum. “I just try to run by how I feel. That’s why I’m so excited. I never felt any pain, never hit the wall and even my recovery — typically I come across the line pretty sick and cramped up. I think it’s a testament to my training — it really helped me those last few miles.”

Calgary’s Lonnie Matsuno passed defending champion Brian Hadley of Coeur d’Alene with roughly six miles left and went on to claim the men’s race in 2:41.50. Hadley led most of the way, but he cramped up near the 20-mile mark and faded to fourth in 2:48:59. Spokane’s Scott Dartha took second in 2:46:37 and Nine Mile Falls’ Scott Middleton was third at 2:47:44.

Heather Taylor, an assistant coach at Lake City High, set a course record in the women’s half-marathon, timing 1:22:23. Spokane’s Amber Hamilton (1:24:00) and Missoula’s Marie Boyd (1:24:06) finished second and third, respectively.

Spokane’s Kyle McNaught-Davis edged Matt Nelson in the men’s half marathon. McNaught-Davis finished in 1:19:38, 13 seconds in front of Nelson. Nine Mile Falls’ Roger Thompson was third at 1:20:12.

Jacklin took the lead early and was never threatened, though she had some anxious moments after making the turnaround at Higgins Point.

“I thought Jennifer was about a minute and a half behind me and I kind of started to say, ‘Oh no, maybe I’m slowing down,’ ” said Jacklin, who ran a personal best 2:40:08 at age 32. “But then David clocked her and we realized she was eight and a half minutes behind and it was this renewed sense of energy.”

Sunday served to renew Jacklin’s dedication to running.

“Going into this I didn’t know what my plans were, but I can honestly say I’m going to continue to run and probably train for a fall marathon,” she said. “And I’m considering going back to run in Boston and maybe excelling at a masters’ level.”

But first things first.

“I’m going to get in a hot bath,” said Jacklin, who was shivering from the sometimes brisk winds and a steady sprinkle/rain. “My hands were just tingling out there.”

The 5-foot-5, 125-pound Matsuno was a winner in his first attempt at Coeur d’Alene. The software developer has run 16 marathons, winning twice. He said his last victory was “6 or 7 years ago in Penticton” and it looked like that dry spell might continue Sunday.

“I didn’t figure I’d catch him (Hadley),” Matsuno said. “He opened a gap at the start and kind of held it, but with marathons you can never tell. He hit the wall, I guess, and fortunately I had enough gas in the tank.”

At 15 miles, the 41-year-old Matsuno trailed by perhaps 400 yards, but he always tried to keep Hadley within eyesight. At 17 miles, Matsuno was more than a minute behind. At 20 miles, Hadley’s margin was down to 45 seconds. By 21 miles, there was a new leader.

“At the turnaround point I thought he had me so I kind of encouraged him on,” Matsuno said. “When I caught him, I gave him a little encouragement.”

Hadley, 29, was encouraged by his start, but it unraveled when he started suffering cramps in his side. “You go from clocking 6s (6-minute miles) to all of a sudden cramping up,” he said. “But that’s been happening to me. (After being passed) I told him, ‘Good job, you’ve got it.’ ”

Hadley acknowledged that he probably went out too fast. “He ran a good race, a smart race,” Hadley said. “I should have hung back with him.”

Matsuno said his time was a tad slower than usual, but joked “I’m getting older so I’m slowing down a little bit. It’s fun (to win), but you can never tell in a marathon. I’ve experienced when the wheels come off and you have nothing left. You kind of respect (a marathon). Once you see the finish line, you know.”