Registration:
I registered online. This one required proof of time in order to get into the appropriate corral. I gave them the only proof I had which was the link to the results for the Cocoa Beach race. When I registered, I had not yet run the Tulsa race.
That warrants mentioning. I am signing up for these races three months in advance. I do not want to schedule too many of them and too far in advance in case I get injured or otherwise have some issue. I also do not want to wait too long to register because the fee goes up and the hotels book up. So, three months at a time is what I am working with at the moment. In the next post I will give some update on what are the next races scheduled.
Fee:
$112.85 total
The Expo:
This expo was in the Island's conference center. It was not in a big convention center like the Tulsa race. It was a bit cramped. The bib and T-shirt pickup were in a little room and seemed a bit unorganized. Same thing as you would expect, alphabetically by last name, then to the T-shirt station where they checked of the box on your bib and gave you your shirt. I walked past the small vendor area on the way out, not much there to speak of, then walked right out the door to head to our house.
Shirt:
Long sleeve, Sky Blue with race logo. On the back it simply reads : Kiawah Island Golf Resort Marathon 12.10.16
Race Day:
Saturday
Race Start Time:
8:00 -- started right on time
Course Map:
This is one of those races where the half marathon and the full marathon start out together and then split off somewhere along the way. It was super confusing at several spots along the course. Runners were looking around at each other, shrugging their shoulders. I was mostly just trying to breathe. One guy I saw had made the wrong turn and had to double back. That would be upsetting to me.
Race Type:
Mostly road race, but there were a couple of small dirt trails and a couple of little wooden walkway bridges. The race was around the gated community and around the golf courses. I had heard from several people that it was a pretty course and a pretty area. I think maybe my poor performance is clouding my ability to be objective. This was not my favorite race. Maybe I am being more critical because I had a bad day. I dunno.
Accommodations:
There were NO places available on the island. We ended up at a house about 40 minutes away. This meant that we could not even get on the island without a pass. On race day, we had to park outside the gates and be bussed in... more on that later.
Transportation:
As I mentioned, we had to drive to the island. The traffic was all backed up. The road became a parking lot. Entering the island there is a round-about. I personally think round-abouts are just plain dumb. When they are in highly trafficked areas there is ALWAYS a back up. It took us a good 40 minutes to travel 1.5 miles. I kept thinking this was the 39th time they have had this race, they should be able to figure out a way to ease the traffic. There were no police or anything until we got to the parking lot. Seems like they could have been more prepared and proactive... but we made it and parked in a big grassy field along with everyone else. Walked in the freezing cold to the busses. Plenty-o-busses... one after the other. They drove us past the gate to the race venue. That was the easiest part. I was wondering if it would be equally as easy on the way back.
Weather:
It was 33 F at the start. I was a little more prepared this time. I had a jacket and a jacket. I gave Valerie my outer jacket right before the start, and shed the other jacket somewhere on the course. This was 33 F, but it was a very cold 33. I don't know if it is just me, but sometimes the temperature does not reflect how cold or warm I feel. Let's just day, it was cold and I was colder.
Race Morning:
It was cold and people were bundled and meandering. Only a few people were able to figure out where the start was. It seemed that those that were aware of where the start was were those that had run this course before. The DJ announced that everyone needed to get to their respective start areas soon, but it was not well marked. Once we found the start, we located the A corral and security moved the gate to allow entry. The A corral was pretty small, the holding area anyway, but once we passed the chip timer mat the course opened up quickly and there was plenty of room.
Race:
There was mostly road running on the pavement. There were only a few cars here and there and the drivers were extremely careful, traveling... creeping against the grain in a two lane area. It appeared as if they were well coached, and had done this before. There were a few areas that went on hard packed dirt and gravel and there were signs informing everyone that spectators and bicycles were not allowed on these areas -- runners only. Of course that did not stop some folks. There was one time on mile 10 or 11 through one of these trails and over a wooden bridge (the kind that are not terribly uncommon on a golf course like this) where a man jumped off his bike and ran with his bike on this narrow section of bridge -- right next to me. I really wanted to just shove him as hard as I could and watch him fall backwards pulling his bike over onto himself in the process. This is all I could think of. Of course I did not say or do anything, but in all candor, this is what I was thinking. I can picture it clearly.
Somewhere about mile 5 or 6 the full and the half split off. I made the turn along with all of the other halfers, then we came up on a large sign that read Mile 12, with a timer. Presumably the full doubles back around to this area after they split off, but at the time it was super confusing. I was very well aware that we were not at mile 12 yet, but then I started to wonder if I had turned the wrong way. Believe me, I had no intention of running the full -- I was already in pain. There were a few other spots where the signage indicated mile 15 or mile 20. Obviously we knew we had not run farther than the 13 miles we had signed up for, but my mind, for one, was not working as well as normal. I was confused several times.
Water/Food Stations:
Plenty of water and Gatorade and bananas. I think there were oranges somewhere along the way. I did not notice any vodka jello shots, although in this race I may well have circled the vodka station multiple times if it were available. I did get a banana at one of the stations. I ended up dropping most of it. I could not feel my fingers.
Scenery:
Nice neighborhood and if you like golf course communities, then you would enjoy this course. One stretch had a water view. I heard people talking about the ocean course and how beautiful that was. I am assuming that was were we were.
Race Entertainment:
I did not notice anything anywhere on the course except at the start/finish area. Was there some entertainment that I may have missed? Sure... but I did not see or hear any of it.
Finish:
The finish was right in front of the conference center. We had milled around there before the race and walked over to this area from the busses and this is where I picked up my bib and shirt... so it was familiar. It was partitioned off and there was a lot of nice cheering and an announcer that called out the names of the finishers. It was quite crowded, though. I could not find my family after I finished for a couple of minutes anyway... but we were able to walk over to the busses and they transported us back to the parking area directly. It was pretty easy. Oh yeah... there were bananas, water, and gatorade. I could not find any food. I was looking. I was hungry.
Bling:
Misc:
There was a chip timer mat at the start and half and finish. There were other chip timer mats and timers, but I think they were more for the full runners. I dunno, I was delirious. The roads weer blocked off nicely, but the spectators were running wild. At one point there were two girls walking in the middle of the street, in the middle of the course, just chatting and texting... apparently oblivious that if I were going fast enough, they might actually feel something if I were to bump into them.
We did not participate in any of the "stuff" because we were in a rush to get back, so we simply rushed off. I don't know if they had a bunch of things that we might have enjoyed -- we just ran off (well, I did not run anywhere... I limped off).
Post Race:
I have received two emails so far. One for pictures and one thanking me for running, oh and sign up for next year. I checked earlier this evening and the results are posted on the web site, listed as unofficial. I am hoping Tempe is better. :)
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