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.

weigh 6 pounds less? :-)

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. :-)


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