John Dough's Staging Area

I knew very little about this race and was just trying to qualify for Boston 2023 (which alas, I missed by under 10 minutes). Getting to the race, my GPS took me to a location that was not to actual parking area so I had to find some other cars that looked like they were heading in the right direction and followed them. Once there, parking was easy. There were port-a-potties right there and nearby a table manned by Racewire folks that were very helpful. They pointed out how to get to the starting line and after the race, gave me a Dunkin Munchkin. Very friendly folks!

It wasn’t until I was inside the park, on the race course that I understood how the self-fueling table set up was done. Every runner was given their spot on a table if they wanted to stock their own drinks, gels, whatever. That is a pretty cool idea and many people took advantage of it. Since the course is made up of 6 loops, you are going to pass these tables 6 times. There are also water and Gatorade tables along the course if you do not want/need to bring your own stuff.

This is not a big race (which is actually good) but the participants were energetic and although the fan base is not the size of the Boston Marathon, they were very encouraging. They practically became friends since you get to see them over and over again especially the two women dressed in various costumes. Each time you passed them, they had changed to a new one, be it a giraffe, banana, the big plastic things you see swaying in the breeze at car washes, etc. They were fun and funny (and good-looking!).

The start is done with the fastest group setting up first and you join the group that is running the pace you hope to do. I went with the 3:45 to 3:59 group but in retrospect should have waited for the 4:00 – 4:14 as I think I started out a little too fast.

The course is made of road tar in some spots and dirt and stones in others. There were a few spots that looked a little iffy but I was able to navigate them without too much difficulty. Fortunately, you get to run under trees for many sections so the sun was not that much of an issue (but the 86% humidity that day probably took its toll near the end of the race).

A lot of runners dislike loops but I kind of enjoyed it. Besides getting to see the same fans again and again, instead of looking at it as, I have another 16 miles to go, it was more like I only have 4 more loops to go.

There is only one real uphill in the race BUT since you are doing LOOPS, you get to run it 6 times and by the 5th time, I was having my doubts about how well the last one would go.

When I got to the 24 mile marker, my GPS said I had gone 24.39 miles so either the course was not measured right ) it is a USATF certified course) or I did a lousy job of cutting the tangents. I assume the latter was the problem.

At this point I still realistically could have have run the last 2.2 miles fast enough to qualify IF I HADN’T ALREADY RUN 24 MILES and I wasn’t experiencing groin and calf cramps! I was able to kick it up a notch here and there for some short distances but they were followed up by some walking which is a time killer.

Anyway, I crossed the finish line (DNQ) and the picture they took wasn’t too flattering but properly reflected how I felt at that moment! 🙂

They had plenty to munch on after the race, PB&J sandwiches, granola bars, bananas, tangerines, water, Gatorade and pretzels. There isn’t a huge party afterwards which makes sense because it is not a huge race but all and all, I think it is a good race, well organized and I would definitely run it again in the future.

Two thumbs up!