Kiawah Island Half Marathon - Run


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Kiawah Island, South Carolina
United States
Kiawah Island Golf Resort Marathon
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 22m 46s
Overall Rank = 24/2611
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 2/123
Pre-race routine:

Flew from DCA->Charleston on Thu afternoon/evening and drove to Kiawah in a big rental van with a bunch of FeXY teammates. Rental house was just a few miles from the start right on the island and gorgeous.
We didn't have a pool/hottub, but it was walking distance to the beach, tons of room, and a great living area for hanging out and the usual puzzling.
thu and fri were tame. Pizza thu and good cooked dinner on Fri.
Event warmup:

Drove to the start a bit early because we were unsure of parking situation, but that was ok. Hung out and took pics, went to port-o-pottie, and did a quick warmup run.
Run
  • 1h 22m 46s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 06m 19s  min/mile
Comments:

Marathon and half started at the same time. There were lots of fast college kids and runners at the start, but it wasn't crowded so I started up front with Kevin.
I was shocked at how bunched up the first mile or 2 was. Not uncomfortably crowded, but lots of people hanging together at a fast pace. I held 6:08 for miles 1 and 2 with Kevin, but that was a bit fast, so I backed off a bit and found some space. the winds were really mild and the roads were curvy, so it was actually better to be alone running tangents than with someone drafting in this race. There were so many curves it actually took concentration to run the most direct route.

About mile 3, an older black gentleman came up on me and we ran together for a bit. He was doing the marathon and totally conversational. We chatted about how many he had run, etc. but after a mile, I decided to let him go as he was about 5-10sec too fast.

The rest of the race was pretty uneventful and steady. I saw a ton of people on the way back of the out ad back which is always inspiring. I was pretty much alone after that though with a few sections I couldn't see anyone in front or behind me. Eventually I started to reel in two guys that dropped me earlier. I caught the first without too much trouble, but the second was just hanging out there. I finally got him with about 1/4 mile to go.
What would you do differently?:

weigh 6 pounds less? :-)
Post race
Warm down:

Found Kevin and grabbed a beer with him. We jogged back to the car to change and get guinness for Jeff and then cheered on the other finishers. I stayed and drank while Kevin ran back out on the course.
Later, Kevin told me that the guy I ran with was named "Dr. D" and he caught Kevin and they ran together for multiple miles until the split. I found Dr. D at the finish line to see how he did and he sheepishly admitted he won the marathon (with a 2:45)! Really nice dude.

After the race we went back to the house and partied for 2 days. :-)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

?

Event comments:

Excellent race. Big enough to be an event, but small enough that nothing was a hassle. Would definitely recommend it.




Last updated: 2013-12-24 12:00 AM
Running
01:22:46 | 13.1 miles | 06m 19s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/123
Overall: 24/2611
Performance: Good
Course: All flat 1 loop with part of an out and back.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5