4:16 is a really good time.
One of the years I did the Wild Wild West, the winning time was a bit over 3:29.51, while the last marathoner came in at 8:39. I reached the halfway point at under 2 hours and thought I was going to have a super time. But, then "Mother Hill" kind of helped take it out of me. My time was 5:41.29. That's a really slow last 13 miles! But, I didn't walk as I was running with a runner from a club in Ridgecrest. She slowed a bit to help me get by the last couple of miles. BUT, I do remember "running" the last two miles in sand and gullies before Tuttle Creek Campground and watching "walkers" passing me by.
I've never run a street marathon, mostly because the dirt runners are wonderful and helpful people who care more about running than winning. Since the Wild Wild West is all dirt, and of course has a nice uphill up to the Portal Road, creek crossings, etc, the times are much slower than a street marathon. My buddy who runs street marathons from time to time can do one in about 4:15, while he finished the WWW in just over 5 hours.
Again, anybody who want to do the WWW, it's May 7th, 6:00 A.M. Start. I'm gonna have Gary call me from Atlanta to wake me :-)
"Turtles, Frogs & other Environmental Sculpture"
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