The 1998 Silicon Valley Half Marathon: My First 13.1-Miler Ever
On Sunday, October 25, 1998, I toed the starting line of the Silicon Valley Half Marathon, an event I never imagined myself running. While I had always considered myself a cyclist rather than a runner, I found myself lacing up my shoes that Sunday morning—not for personal glory, but for Lam Research Corporation, my employer at the time, which had sponsored the race and generously covered my entry fee. As an added bonus, Lam later surprised me with 10 free passes to the Tech Museum of San Jose, the race’s beneficiary. I would later offer these passes to Stanford Cardinal Young Alumni (C-Ya) in December.
Pre-Race Excitement & Encouragement
A few days before the race, I received an email from Stacey Li Collver, the manager of Twisters Climbing Gym, who was planning to cheer on a friend at the marathon. She was introduced to me over email by a mutual friend, Loren, who like me, was a Stanford alum just getting into rock climbing.
Stacey initially wrote to invite us out to climb, and through our correspondence, I learned she was going to be at the Silicon Valley too. She wrote:
I’ll be cheering Megan on at the Silicon Valley Marathon at the 1st mile marker. I’m Chinese and have chin-length hair, I’m 31, and I’ll be wearing a fluorescent yellow biking jacket. If you describe yourself, maybe I could cheer you on, too.
I responded, mentioning my race but also noting that I was not a runner and would likely be in no shape for climbing afterward. As it turned out, I was very right about that!
Race Day: A Test of Endurance
With no experience running anything beyond five miles, I wasn’t sure what to expect. My main goal was simple: finish without walking.
To my surprise, not only did I run the entire way, but I also finished in a respectable 1:53:12, averaging 8:38 per mile. Even better, I managed to beat a co-worker—a 45-year-old experienced ultra-runner—by a full 20 minutes! That little bicyclist-vs.-runner showdown gave me an extra boost of motivation.
Somewhere around Mile 1, I spotted Stacey standing by a lone police officer. I shouted her name, but either she didn’t hear me or I was moving too fast (or at least, too focused) to stop. She had also provided me with some food before the race, which definitely helped keep me going.
Of course, I didn’t know it at the time, but that pre-race encounter turned out to be the start of a long friendship—all the way until Stacey’s passing twenty years later in 2018.
The Price of Perseverance
The real challenge wasn’t the race itself—it was the aftermath. The very next day, I emailed Stacey:
Oh my gosh, you cannot possibly imagine how sore I am right now! I seriously can hardly walk! But surprisingly, I held up pretty well in the race… I actually ran the entire way and finished in 1:55:??
BTW, I did see ya at Mile 1, standing by a lone officer… I yelled out ‘Stacey’ but I don’t think you heard me, and I had too much momentum to stop =). The race was fun, although walking back to my car wasn’t (whoever saw me must have laughed—I was totally walking like a robot, my legs were so stiff!)
Unfortunately, three weeks later, just as I was getting into a fitness groove, I developed a stress fracture in my right foot, likely caused by the race. This sidelined me from all sports for a couple of weeks, but by mid-November, I was finally able to get back on the bike.
Looking Back
Though I suffered some post-race consequences, I was incredibly proud to not only finish but to finish strong. This half marathon was a huge milestone (pun intended) and a stepping stone toward more endurance challenges to come.
The following year, Lam Research sponsored the race and paid for my entry again. But that time, I did the full marathon option. That would be the first of many dozens of marathons I’d run over the next decades. You could say this was all set in motion by this “free” race in the heart of Silicon Valley.
Race Data
Final time: 1:53:12 (8:38/mile)
Overall Finishing place: 444 out of ~1200 runners
Division place: 85
Male place: 302
