Gosia Marjanska-Fish's Staging Area

The organizers of this great running event have delivered yet again. This was my third Publix half-marathon and while I was hoping that third time would be the charm – it wasn’t. Mainly because I still had a bit of a cold and breathing posed a challenge. Apart from that, the route was just as lovely and difficult as last year with two causeways to cross. On the second one there was a piano with a colorful bouquet on it and enchanting tunes were flying all around. There were other great musicians and singers along the course and that really made a difference. I thoroughly enjoyed their performances. Maybe it was just me, but the red carpet at the finish line seemed more red, plush and soft than in previous years. It made me feel somewhat victorious despite my not-so-great performance in this race. Since the avocado is the patron of this race, the finisher medals were in the shape of cute avocados with smiling faces, dangling legs and revolving pits in the middle. The post-race support was great with a variety of cold drinks – not just beer – fruits and snacks. All in all this is a great running event to be in at the Space Coast.

This was an incredible experience and I am glad that I participated in this running event.
I was not quite prepared for what was ahead of me which in retrospect is probably a good thing. The route went from Jonas Ridge down to the ghost town of Mortimer, NC. While the altitude somewhat bothered me at the top of the mountain, eventually things got better as I was descending. The route was gorgeous with forest and rocks and mountains all around. There were lengthy sections when I was all alone on the steep downhill path and it felt great. I had this exhilarating sensation of flying as I was sprinting as fast as I could down the mountain. The path itself was bumpy, sometimes it was dirt, sometimes gravel and there were rocks and roots sticking out, so you really had to pay close attention in order not to go flying too high and colliding with the path. Unfortunately good things tend not to last and this joyful downhill flight turned into an uphill battle and a steep one at that. It went on and on in the second part of the course and to make things even more challenging it got hot and muggy. I struggled through that part right to the finish line. The organizers did a great job though. They bused us to Jonas Ridge where the start line was and then from Mortimer back to the campsite at the Brown Mountain Beach Resort for the after race party. There were aid stations on the course with friendly volunteers and we all got water at the finish. I am also grateful for the nice lunch at the campsite. Normally at a lot of running events you have pepperoni pizza and beer. That does not cut it for me because I’m vegetarian and a teetotaler. They had vegetarian burritos, tomatoes, chips, watermelons and delicious cookies, and yes beer too for those who drink. There were no long wait lines for the buses, nor for the food. It was all in all a very well organized event. That being said, this race is definitely not for everyone because of the difficult terrain. Lots of people struggled and quite a few did not finish. I loved the beautiful nature all around us and I am happy to have been part of this, but I will probably not be signing up for next year’s edition.

The City of Sunrise delivered yet again. This was our second year of participating in the Wings for Life Worldrun. I thoroughly enjoy running for charities and this is a great one because it helps fund research for people with spinal cord injuries. In fact, there have been some significant breakthroughs in Europe recently. In Wings for Life we run for those who can’t in hopes that one day they will be able to run with us. This year’s event was bigger, better and with a much nicer route than last year. We started at 7:00 am sharp with a flurry of colorful confetti. The support was absolutely fantastic and so was the atmosphere. When I returned on the bus to the sports center after the chaser car passed me I was given a medal by a little boy in a wheelchair. So yes, I am preregistered for Sunrise 2020!

Although this was the second time that I participated in this particular race, it was still by far the most challenging running event that I have ever been in. Normally, when I look out the window and see that the skies have opened up and there is a very strong wind – I do not go out for a run. This time was different. There was no thunder and lightning, so the organizers had no reason to cancel the race. It wasn’t raining any more when we were standing at the start line. My hope was that it was over. Wrong. This event has a nice, but rather difficult course with two tall bridges on the way. The first bridge is halfway through and the second one is just before the finish line. As some law of the universe would have it, the skies opened up and the strongest wind was blowing as I was running up the first bridge. It felt as if someone was throwing bucket after bucket of water right at my face. No personal bests this time. I applaud the brave volunteers, police and organizers for being there and supporting us under those not so great conditions. The organization was flawless, just as it was last year. A lovely medal with a happy, surfing strawberry was waiting for us at the finish. I have already signed up for next year which will be the year of the avocado.

As a general rule, I try to avoid races that go there and back again. I find them to be psychologically more challenging than going on a loop, or from point A to point B. Either way, I decided to participate in this event because it is after all the oldest race in the state of Florida, it is close by and I really like the space exploration theme. Also, this year begins a three to four year challenge, the so-called Big Bang Series. I do not regret being part of this beautiful celebration of manned space flight. This year’s theme was the Mercury Project, the first human spaceflight program. The organization was nothing short of perfect with buses circulating regularly to and from the start-finish line, great support with fantastic volunteers and lots of aid stations. The weather cooperated as it was a cool and overcast morning and the route enchanted us with the picturesque vistas of the Indian River Lagoon. There were two half-marathon routes this year, the slightly slower south route and the faster north route. I was on the north route. The after race support was fantastic with lots of fruits, drinks, delicious muffins and even fried eggs with pancakes for those with bigger appetites. I intend to participate in the four year challenge.

This was my first marathon, but not my first race. I participated in a few half-marathons and 5km races. I chose this particular race because of its 40th anniversary, my birthday and the year of Poland’s 100th independence anniversary. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this event exceeded all expectations. It was like stepping into a beautiful fairy tale and a dream come true. The organization, starting with packet pick up and throughout the event was efficient and quick with friendly and knowledgeable volunteers. It was nothing short of perfect. Since it was chili, we dropped our warm jackets in one of the vans provided by the organizers. Our bibs had the number of the van designated for our gear. It was all transparent, quick and easy to do both at the start and at the finish line. No lines, no fuss with the help of fantastic volunteers.
Apart from the truly great technical aspect of the organization, what also made this event special was the atmosphere and wonderfully cordial support from the people of Warsaw. Just to give you one small example, at one of the tram stops there were three little girls, they were maybe 5-6 years old and shouting towards the runners: “you will make it! you will make it!” Now how can one not make it with such incredible support? All throughout the gorgeous course that took us through some of the landmarks and most beautiful, historic places in the city, there were people cheering us on by our names that they read on our bibs. I could feel this positive energy which was extremely helpful. There were also numerous bands that were giving beautiful performances ,also a fantastic children’s group. The route itself could not have been more spectacular. We ran through one of the city’s most beautiful parks, the zoological garden (by the way, the movie “The Zookeeper’s Wife” was set there which I strongly recommend watching), bridges and historic areas. When running over the bridges we could see the Vistula River below sparkling with millions of diamonds and the breathtaking panorama of the city on the other side. We could see the historic Old Town and the skyscrapers in the background. Stunning views and a magical atmosphere was accompanying us all the time. The support along the course was great with long aid stations supplied with water, sports drinks, bananas and sugar cubes. After crossing the finish line one could get a meal, different types of drinks and even a massage. My husband and I were too tired to hang around, so we got our medals, took something to drink and left. The medal is gorgeous , with two historical landmarks and a fragment of lyrics of a song about Warsaw. It is also worth noting that there was fantastic technical support. There were automated cameras that were taking pictures of the runners as well as human photographers. Live tracking was available to fans at home. The data showed the map of the city, name of the runner, distance, speed and flag of the country they were from. According to the stats, people from 55 countries were participating. An interesting element was an oxygen tunnel that you could go through. I went through it and it was nicely refreshing to have cool oxygen be blown at me from numerous jets. I feel privileged and honored that I was part of this beautiful event which was a grand celebration of positive emotions.