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@martinevans007
Plano, TX Raving since 2015 Active 4 years, 8 months agoAbout Me
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Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.
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| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Paid |
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Past Races (2)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result | My Raves | My Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santiago Marathon | Marathon | Santiago, Chile | Apr 3, 2016 |
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| Great Wall Marathon | Marathon | China | May 16, 2015 |
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Santiago Marathon
A good, solid South America race
Santiago Marathon
The Santiago Marathon was a good choice for a South America marathon - organization, course, run support, difficulty, other runners, safety - all measured up and made it a good … MORE
The Santiago Marathon was a good choice for a South America marathon – organization, course, run support, difficulty, other runners, safety – all measured up and made it a good experience. Knowing Santiago pretty well over the years, this took me to new areas of the city I’ve never seen before which was nice. Santiago is a very safe place to visit, especially relative to other major cities in South America, though the level of English was less developed than expected. One can get by with rudimentary spanish skills however, and the people are kind and patient, and proud of their country (and rightfully so).
Some specifics:
– course was not overly difficult despite Santiago sitting in the foothills of the Andes
– the course takes you through most major areas of the city and you get a good feel for the CBD, middle and lower class areas, high-end areas, residential and commercial – a good run through a beautiful city
– the pre-race expo was a little sparse on what is typically at expos, so don’t necessarily expect to find various gu’s, gels, beans, etc.
– subway to the race start was a last second great idea – tons of runners and lots of excitement
– on-course support was adequate
– fan support was a bit sparse in some areas from most runs, but those out there were cheering and supportive and friendly
– one section of the course had runners in a lane of traffic with traffic on both sides of you in a heavily commercial area and a traffic jam (b/c of the lane closures) – wasn’t a safety concern but those looking for less integration to the city were challenged
– last quarter of the race is downhill – perfect!
The reasons to do Santiago besides the race:
– restaurant scene is great – especially seafood
– the wine scene is outrageous – take a winery tour. take a winery tour. take a winery tour…..saying it three times isn’t enough but gives the idea – great wines and less than an hour from Santiago for Concha y Toro.
– lots of smaller wineries outside Santiago – visit them and do tastings – fun experience and meet great people
– hire a driver/tour guide for a day and go to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso – easy day trip down and back, wineries along the way, seafood overlooking the Pacific, magnificent views of the Pacific, historic area of Chile with great wineries…..all for less than $200!
A very nice race and a great trip! (take a winery tour!)
Great Wall Marathon
Toughest race ever - totally worth it!
Great Wall Marathon
Breathtaking scenery on the Wall and in the villages, great camaraderie with other runners, light on aid/drink stations - the steps are real and well known, but the heat during … MORE
Breathtaking scenery on the Wall and in the villages, great camaraderie with other runners, light on aid/drink stations – the steps are real and well known, but the heat during our run was brutal and far more impactful (cool start but heats up quickly to mid-80’s). Would definitely do it again and recommend it to others (but eyes wide open).
Some additional thoughts:
– first KM is easy, but then uphill to wall and the undulating hills of The Wall is a rough start-up.
– the heat took it’s toll on people and the aid stations/water breaks were a little sparse on the marathon loop after the half-marathoners cut off – carry a bottle (even the cheap disposable kind) from station to station so you don’t get nailed while out there. Consider dry packs of gatorade or equivalent to carry with you to mix with water in case you need an electrolyte boost and there is none at the station. Also, bring cash with you in case you need to pop in a store and buy a water or something
– the 6-hour cut-off is no joke for the last wall section – they shut it off hard and have a ‘sweeper’ coming along behind (for safety of the runners).
– passed 5 people on the last wall section in various stages of distress and all laid out on the ground – one was already stretchered, IV’ed and being carried off. The medical staff was excellent and provided by the Danish organizing company with multi-lingual doctors, but the heat is so intense after so many hours it just overwhelms many. Sobering running past runners in various stages of distress that were being attended to….consider the heat in your training plans as much as the steps (if you’ve struggled with heat runs before – that’s certainly my case).
– the camaraderie amongst the runners and the fans that came out was beautiful
Overall, an incredibly intense, difficult, and hugely satisfying run that should be on any runners short list of destination runs looking for a complete experience. Humbled to run it.