Jennifer Hay's Staging Area

Let’s start with the negative – I was DNF. I chose this as my first marathon, I know probably not the best idea. But honestly, I could not have asked for a better one to not finish. And it’s not what you think. I arrived with the nervousness of not even starting. The long car ride made my back super angry – no worries, no time limit. Double down with a constant pain in my right plantar fascia – I was a literal walking disasterpiece lol. But I was determined to at least conquer the distance. Enough about what I brought to the race, let me tell you about the race itself.

This is probably my favorite race EVER. This is like a family reunion, with family you didn’t even know you had. The hospitality is the best I have ever encountered, and I am a back of the pack runner when I am running. There was still water, gatorade, fruit, snacks, sometimes sodas (pop if you are from the area there), pickles, pickle pops and juice shots. I have been to races where they have packed up before the last 10 or so of us get there (as evident by ice and water puddles on the roadways). But not this race – they wait for the very last person to pass. The “Sweeper” is really just a “no one left behind” follower. They give you plenty of space without making you feel rushed. The water stations are at almost ever mile, with a couple exceptions (like between mile 13 and 16, beyond that I am not sure). It was a hot one this year, which for the Blackberry Mountain half, wasn’t as big of a deal. River Road half however, the new course (post washed out suspension bridge) is HOT, HOT, HOT. with minimal tree coverage. I carried one of the paper gatorade cups filled with ice after mile 13. The ice was gone by the time I got to mile 14. I was dumping the melted water down my back to help keep me cool. I made it to mile 16, and that’s where the entire race changed for me.

How I was cared for during this moment is THE #1 reason that I will not ONLY return and do this race again, I will ALSO definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to challenge themselves.

When I reached mile 16, mentally I was good, I was keeping up with my electrolytes (I use the SaltStick capsules) but I was almost out of water. I had been refilling my flasks at almost every station after mile 5. But when I asked for water from Ms Jennifer (she was the one handling this station dressed in her very patriotic theme), she said I went from beet red to completely drained of all color on my face when I mentioned that I felt like I needed to sit down. The conclusion her and I came to was that with 10 miles to go on the course with minimal shade, I should probably not continue. Had it been the original course layout, we would have just got me cooled down and ready to conquer the remaining 10 miles. At first, I was unhappy about this. But honestly it was the right decision. Ms Selena retrieved me and brought me to the finish line where I could continue to cool off and meet my racing party (and get an IV if necessary).

Ultimately, it’s great scenery, great running community, and an even better volunteer race support team. Room is already booked for next year =)

Overall I feel this is a pretty decent course and a decent mid-size race. Some of it is along busy roadways and some nice scenic areas through neighborhoods. A few gentle hills here and there. The second half of the course for the half marathon did have some areas on the main road where the crown of the road can make a significant impact on your form if you are not careful. There are areas you may need to position yourself closer to the traffic cones near the traffic because of the slope towards the gutter. Southern springtime weather is always a game of chance, but we were fortunate for overcast for most of the race making it a pretty comfortable morning. Lots of water and gatorade available at the aid stations, some had fruit and Gu gels available.

The packet pickup and expo the night before:
– Appeared organized with great volunteers
– Bought some new Brooks at a special event price from the running store that was present. They had some gels available for last minute fuels.
– LOTS OF COMBOS, I personally don’t eat them but my two teens loved them.

Strong possibility for a return to try the full marathon.