Pittsburgh Marathon – May 4, 2014
“I’m sorry, sir, but this credit card has been compromised and I have to destroy it.”
It was May 3rd, 2014, and I was at the car rental counter in the Pittsburgh Airport after taking a Saturday morning flight to run Marathon State #30 the next morning.
“And I won’t be able to rent the car to you without being able to swipe the card,” the agent casually mentioned as she cut the card into pieces right in front of me.
My mind raced with questions.
What is the public transportation like in Pittsburgh?
How am I going to get from the airport to the downtown area to pick up my race packet on Saturday, and run the race on Sunday?
(In case you’re wondering, this was before I had ever even heard of Uber, and at the time I only kept one credit card!)
And the most important question …
How much cash do I have to pay for such transportation and to, uh, eat?
I frantically looked in my wallet and found the answer …
$41 to my name
Fortunately, I had booked a hotel near the airport, and after checking their website (how did we survive before Smart Phones?), I discovered that they had a free airport shuttle.
OK, so we’ll take the shuttle to the hotel, check in and drop off my bag, and, as my kids just LOVE to hear me say …
“We’ll figure it out.”
While riding in the back of a packed shuttle van to the hotel, I did some quick research and calculations. I was going to have to travel to the downtown area, about 19 miles away, and back twice (packet pickup on Saturday, the race on Sunday), and cab fare was showing up as $24 one-way. So that was gonna cost $96…no credit card, and $41 in my pocket.
Hmmmm….
As we disembarked from the shuttle van at the hotel, I explained my predicament to the shuttle driver, Frank, who would soon become my rescuer and friend. Frank, who was a retired steelworker (you can’t make this stuff up!), shared the good news that there was a bus route that ran from the airport to downtown for $2.75 one-way – let’s just call it $3. OK, that was more within the budget.
So after quickly checking in and dropping off my bag in the room, Frank, who had waited for me, took me back to the airport so that I could take the bus downtown. Along the way he shared his many memories of the glory days of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who happened to be one of my favorite teams when I was a kid. The Steel Curtain, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, The Immaculate Reception…we covered it all.
When Frank dropped me off at the airport, I apologized profusely for not tipping him, and he waved it off and said, “Don’t worry about it, Kansas…we’re good.” I made a mental note to send a gift card to Frank via the hotel when I got home.
After an interesting and interminable bus ride downtown, I now had $38 left and headed to the race expo to get my race number. Knowing that food might be at a premium throughout the weekend, I took advantage of every freebie sample being handed out at all the exhibits and left with a bag full of granola bars, Clif bars, bananas … if they were giving it out, I took it.
Before I had left for Pittsburgh, everybody told me that I just HAD to eat a sandwich at Primanti Brothers, and the original location was within walking distance. Well, I really didn’t have the financial wherewithal to splurge on such a luxury, but when in Rome … So I went and enjoyed a sandwich, no side dish, and water (apologies to the nice waitress who I “forgot” to tip…) at a cost of $9…Still had $29 left!
I then walked around the downtown area and then across the Roberto Clemente Bridge to see the statue of one of my childhood heroes (in grade school I had written a book report about Roberto Clemente and learned that he had perished during his career in an offseason plane crash while delivering relief supplies to the victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua)
After checking out the Steelers and Pirates stadiums (the Pirates were playing, but a ticket would have put me under), it was time for the awesome bus ride back to the airport.
Another $3…$26 left.
After another great conversation with Frank, I was back at the hotel to rest up for the race. Frank had told me that he would not be driving on Sunday, but gave me his home phone number in case I ran into any difficulty and he would come get me in his personal vehicle. He did tell me to make sure that I got to the airport early in the morning to catch the first bus to downtown, because there would be plenty of road closures downtown for the marathon and that the bus routes would be altered. After thanking him and apologizing again for the lack of a tip (this better be a great gift card!) we shared a farewell handshake.
“Good luck, Kansas. Go get ‘em.”
After an essentially sleepless night, I caught the early shuttle to the airport for yet another bus ride downtown to the race. Just like Frank predicted, we had to take a quite circuitous route, and I was relieved to see several other runners boarding the bus. The poor driver got us as close to the Start Line as the road closures would allow. When I asked him where I could find the bus after the race to take me back to the airport, he informed me that they would not be running due to the marathon. Uh-oh…
$3 spent … $23 left…how was I going to get back to the airport after the race? Call Frank?
“We’ll figure it out.”
As I walked to the Start Line with my fellow runners, it dawned on me. Oh, yeah…I’ve got 26.2 miles to run. Getting to the Start Line was the hard part…getting to the Finish Line would be the “easy part”…haha
Well, the race was awesome, and the people of Pittsburgh showed up in force to cheer us on and had some of the funniest signs I’ve ever seen. Throughout the race, I kept seeing people wearing costumes and holding signs with Stars Wars references, which had me confused. Finally, someone was holding a sign that said “May the Fourth Be With You”, and it dawned on me. The date was May 4th. It was Star Wars Day!
I will never forget the large group of parishioners at an African-American church we ran past who were out on the street encouraging the runners. I stopped and “danced” for a few seconds with an elderly lady while Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” blared from the speakers they had set up.
As I crossed the finish line and felt the usual euphoria of surviving another 26.2, it dawned on me that I had to get to the airport and only had $23 pinned in my race shorts.
While passing through the post-race area, I stuffed every bit of food that I could find into a bag they had given to us, knowing that food would be scarce … plus, as usual, I was famished!
About 2 blocks from the Finish Line I saw a nice hotel that I later learned was the host hotel for the race. My thought was that maybe I could find a fellow runner with whom I could split a cab to the airport.
After no such person emerged, I happened to see a van being loaded with people and luggage. There was a guy standing there holding a clipboard who was wearing apparel that gave me the impression that he was affiliated with the race, and I soon realized that some of the elite runners were getting into the van (they had showered, eaten, and probably had time to get a massage and haircut – and do their taxes – while I was still out finishing the race).
Anyway, after visiting with Clipboard Guy for a bit and explaining my situation, he agreed to let me ride in the back seat of the van if I promised not to bother anybody. So there I was in the back of this van loaded with elite runners headed to the airport.
I was the proverbial Sore Thumb Sticking Out. Several years older, several pounds heavier, several minutes slower, and decidedly less international than my van-mates. The driver gave me a quizzical look, shrugged, and we headed off.
True to my word, I was quiet the whole time while trying to understand what I assumed was the Kenyan language being spoken around me. The word “surreal” would be an understatement!
As we got out of the van at the airport, they in their nice track suits and all showered up, I in my running clothes and with my face still covered with salty sweat, we nodded briefly and went our separate ways.
When the shuttle arrived to take me back to the hotel for my own shower, I was more than pleasantly surprised to see Frank driving!
“I thought you didn’t drive on Sundays!”
“I wasn’t planning on it, but I wanted to make sure that you made it back OK, Kansas. Now, let’s get you back to the hotel so that you can shower, and then I’ll take you back for your flight home.”
What a guy!
After the best shower ever, I checked out of the hotel (the nice young lady at the front desk had arranged a late check-out for me…is everybody in Pittsburgh this nice?) and Frank was waiting in the lobby for me.
Another great ride hearing Frank’s stories about the old Three Rivers Stadium, and we were back at the airport. This time it was goodbye for sure. As I prepared to apologize again for not tipping Frank, I realized that there was still $23 in my pocket. Despite his vehement protest, I insisted on giving him $20 for all that he had done for me, and it didn’t feel like nearly enough.
“Thanks, Kansas. God Bless you.”
I walked into the airport, with the biggest smile and feeling like the richest man in the world with $3 in my pocket.
