"A Pimple On a Gnat's Butt" by Pat Hagan (Chattanooga,TN)

First of all I want to thank all the volunteers who always make this race such a great experience despite the rough terrain. The cheering for us was just great, especially the water stop at mile 23!! The music and cheering was just wonderful. As my girlfriend and I were enjoying the great marathon pre-race dinner on Friday night, a couple of other runners asked me to compare Grandfather Mountain with the Big Sur Marathon in California, since I was wearing a Big Sur T-shirt. I told both runners that GMM was about the same as Big Sur in regards to degree of difficulty. On Saturday afternoon after the race one of the runners I told this to came up to me and said "Big Sur is a pimple on a Gnat's Ass" compared to Grandfather Mountain!! And I had to agree after I thought about it. I tend to forget how hard GMM is after a few months, but after about 17 miles into the race my memory improves. This is ONE TOUGH MARATHON. I hope my girlfriend still wants to marry me at the finish line next year after she experienced the course this year for the first time! THANK YOU FOR A GREAT RACE - THE VOLUNTEERS ARE THE BEST!!!