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Half Wit Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Reading, Pennsylvania
United States
Pretzel City Sports
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 05m 28s
Overall Rank = 67/486
Age Group = 18-29
Age Group Rank = 16/
Pre-race routine:

Got up, got dressed, walked the dog, noted it was somewhat chilly out, came back and ate a Clif bar, then left. Got coffee on the way.
Event warmup:

I had a gel 5 minutes before the scheduled start. So about 25 minutes before the actual start.
Run
  • 2h 05m 28s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 35s  min/mile
Comments:

Slow start (slower than usual). I thought I was up closer to the line than I was, so I kinda got sandwiched right off the bat. Then got stuck behind people who seemed a little too timid to run through the one mud puddle (it's a TRAIL RUN people! Get over it!). within the first mile or so, it started to spread out some, so I started to cruise a little better. First major hill, just sorta ran up it with no real problems. Feeling good. At around mile 4 or 5 (hard to keep track when there's no markers), I rolled my right ankle. Hurt, but not too bad, so I kept going. 400 meters later, do it AGAIN. Hurt a lot more this time, so I walked a minute just to get it to settle down some. Start running again. Ankle didn't end up causing too many problems, although I know that there were parts that I ran slower to avoid snapping it (the next logical step, of course). Right around the half-way point, I saw the sign that I was dreading (Yeah, they put up signs, but no mile markers. WTF?); "The 128 Steps From Hell". Yeah......lemme tell ya, it's an appropriate name. They are stairs in the sense that you climb them, and they are laid out somewhat in the fashion that one would lay out regular stairs. Beyond that, there is no resemblance to regular stairs. In fact, I doubt Satan himself could be cruel to design these. I also didn't realize I should've brought my climbing shoes.....Oh well, at least it slowed everybody down (at least everyone near me). Around mile 10 I started to feel...a little more drained. Maybe I shoulda had that other gel at the halfway point...eh, lesson learned, right? Anyways, the last 2 miles is tricky for two reasons: A) you're running single track, but passing people coming the other way, and B) the last drink station is also an "alternative" drink station. Hey, it put me in a better mood. Well, either the beer, or hearing that we only had about a hlaf mile to go. Either way, I feel a little better. No more energy than before, but my mood lightened. So anyways, I'm cruising along, trying not to kill myself or anyone else on this single track trail, hit the road, cross it, and am suddenly faced with a downhill that started at about 50-60 degrees, and towards the bottom became closer to 75-80 degrees. Literally. No stairs, no nothing. Just loose dirt and a couple trees to grab onto. One guy came up behind me, and just surfed down that hill! That was pretty cool. Anyways, get down the hill, and just strode it into the finish.
What would you do differently?:

Eat more.
Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster:

Terrain, terrain, terrain.

Event comments:

If you ever want to try a trail run, and are on the slightly crazy side, this is definitely one to consider. Not a PR course by any stretch (souple parts you walk, partly for safety), but definitely fun.




Last updated: 2006-08-14 12:00 AM
Running
02:05:28 | 13.1 miles | 09m 35s  min/mile
Age Group: 16/
Overall: 67/486
Performance: Good
Course: Trail run. And they mean trail in the sense that it's not on a road. at times the "trail" consisted of following th beaten down path through the brush. Sometimes there are advantages of being further back. VERY hilly, VERY rocky, VERY technical course.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2006-08-14 7:00 AM

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Runner
Subject: Half Wit Half Marathon


2006-08-14 7:25 AM
in reply to: #510556

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Pro
4545
2000200050025
Orange Park Florida
Subject: RE: Half Wit Half Marathon

Great Run Scout!

Maybe combat boots with ankle support are the required shoe for this course.

2006-08-14 7:37 AM
in reply to: #510574

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Runner
Subject: RE: Half Wit Half Marathon
Mike 45 - 2006-08-14 8:25 AM

Maybe combat boots with ankle support are the required shoe for this course.



Trust me, I thought about that afterwards.
2006-08-14 7:54 AM
in reply to: #510556

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Crystal Lake, IL
Subject: RE: Half Wit Half Marathon

As a person who broke their right ankle 5 times, I can say I don't think I'll ever run that race!  Thanks for the heads up.

 Seriously, sounds like you had a lot of fun.  Put a kook on a kooky course and what else did you expect?

Nice job.

 

2006-08-14 8:22 AM
in reply to: #510556

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Master
2136
200010025
A Prairie Home
Subject: RE: Half Wit Half Marathon
Wow.. that's an extreme race. Congratulations!
2006-08-14 1:55 PM
in reply to: #510556

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Elite
2661
20005001002525
DC Metro, slowly working my way to NC
Subject: RE: Half Wit Half Marathon
Wow, sounds like a really cool course! 


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