We are now in the last mile, turning the corner off Montezuma after lumbering through an unwanted final uphill, onto Lincoln. The course goes for only one block here, in order that the finish can be on the opposite side of the courthouse that it started from, leaving the starting block on Montezuma open, because it is a busy commercial street.

In case I might miss it, they had a friendly policeman stationed in a chair on this corner, who politely told me: ``Take the first left turn, sir!'' Yep, I looked like a vagrant or escapee from death row by this time, but he called me sir.