Platte River Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon

Thanks to Dick Dime, COGirl, and few others, I decided to do this race at the last minute. I figured I'd be doing my usual Trophy Series race with the Rocky Mountain Road Runners but I also knew I really needed to get some good distance in one way or another.

Not a bad showing. I set a new cPR (comeback PR) for this distance. Not only was it a cPR, it was one set at altitude on a much tougher course than I really anticipated. First mile however was wayyyy too fast (5:45). I settled in behind Jay Survil for about 5 minutes and since we run about the same time during first miles I thought I was being conservative. NOT.

Second mile was at 11:51, third at 17:57, 5K around 18:30(which I have only run 18:49 up here at altitude so far. Four came at 24:00 and then because of the hills going up and down from then on my splits started slowing a little. I missed 5 but was still around 30:15-30:30. From miles 6-9 I was much slower and started wondering when Dick Dime would be passing me. We came up and over a bridge between 9 and 10 that allowed me to look back but I couldn't see anyone. I had started feeling my legs getting heavier and heavier between 6-9 but tried to hold it as much as possible.

Hit 10 at 1:01:50 and knew if I could hold this I would easily run much faster than my planned 1:24 and maybe even below 1:22 but it would be close. Hit miles 11 and 12 with fairly consistent splits but then I saw the climb over the aqueduct. I knew they said there would be a good climb from miles 12 and 12.5 and they weren't kidding! At about 12.25 there was a nice tough and continuous climb up and over an aquaduct. I pushed it up and over, then flew down and made the left and up toward mile 13. I kept looking at my watch to see when 1:21 would pass. I wanted to be at 13 no later than 1:21:15 so that I had a chance of breaking 1:22. Just before I made the final turn at 13 I saw 1:21 and passed 13 around 1:21:08. It was just a matter of hauling it down to the finish. I heard the announcer call out 1:21:15 for the runner just ahead so I tried to hold it until the finish. Then I saw that I could easily break 1:22 by a comfortable margin but this time I wanted to break my cPR of 1:21:52 that I ran down in Phoenix at the Rock N Roll half, one that was 4000 feet lower in altitude. Hit the tape in 1:21:40 and was very relieved and a little shocked that I did so well.

Therefore I was glad to have been talked into doing the run. What started as a hard training run where a sub-1:24 would have been more than welcomed; I ended up setting a new personal record for the distance. I'll take it for sure.

Tough race for masters. Fortunately for me, they took the first 3 masters out for their own overall placing which left me in third for my age group. $20.00 gift certificate to the Buckhorn Exchange and a visor.

Good start to the season. Hopefully along the way there will be some improvement. This was my first year in this race so I didn't know what to expect. Pleasantly surprised.

This is getting to be a very competitive race. Based on this year's time, I would have placed 10th overall but instead placed 26th. I wonder what it will be like next year! I better hope to break 1:20.

Try to drink a little more although I think I hydrated well before the race I should have taken a little more. Thankfully it was relatively cool throughout the race.

Jogged easily for about 1.5 miles around the area and a nearby park.


Started out much too quickly. If I had started at a 6:00/mile pace I think I could have probably broken 1:21:00 fairly easily. Legs started feeling it after about 6 miles.


There were plenty of volunteers and people scattered throughout the race course cheering us all on. The post race activities were OK and even had some good brats and bison burgers but I noticed they ran out of soft drinks very quickly (not that I needed one - just craved one).