The 2015 Run Hard Columbia Half Marathon was held on March 7, 2015 in Columbia, South Carolina. Not that this it applies to the race, but the most notable part of this trip was the drive there. Early 2015 was all about the snow in New England. Mountains and mountains of snow, blizzards, ice etc. and so on. Rhode Island to South Carolina is a long drive in the best of conditions and this drive was far from best. We drove through blizzard conditions from Rhode Island through Virginia! We spent a lot of time stuck in traffic and gawking at rolled semi-trucks (for real!) and cars off the highway. It probably was not safe to drive, but Mallory and I are committed to our trips. It looked like many a motorist had spun off the highway and just hitched a ride and left. So many empty cars littered 95 South. It was craziness and SLOW! Traveling for races can be pretty exhausting and this was one of the top most exhausting trips we have taken and not for fun reasons.
That being said, South Carolina was beautiful, sunny and warm (by our standards). Also, this was a special race for Mallory and I, because we met with several online runner friends from our miles game Facebook group. We are called the Free Agents and we compete for most miles against other groups made of runners around the country. We're known as a group that doesn't win, but has the best connections and most active page. At this race we had 5 Free Agents and one friend from a competing team. We started the race together and hung out for a couple of meals. I am the newest member of the team and Mallory has been on it for years (maybe since the beginning) and these people are COOL. Friendly, funny, runners... need I say more?
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| Left to right: Jenn, Susan, Eric, Me, Mallory, Joe |
For me this race would be part of my long run. I had 20 miles on the training calendar and planned to keep running through the finish, another 3.5 with the marathoners, another 3.5 back and then to the finish.
The start of this race was cold. It was 7:30am and Mallory and I showed up in our Walmart clearance rack long sleeve throwaway shirts from the boys' department. The worst part of this race for me was that NOTHING was open for food in the morning and we hadn't purchased bagels the night before as we sometimes do. I was planning to pick up something at some random bakery or coffee shop before the start, but everything was closed! There was a bakery right next to the starting line that opened at 8 or 9 or something. I looked longingly in the window and questioned how much trouble I would get into for breaking in and stealing some carbs. I like food right out bed, so to have nothing and then run a race and 20 miles on an empty stomach was not cool. I decided not to risk the jail time and started my run on empty.
Run Hard has a 5k, half-marathon on full-marathon. I believe there is also a relay option and kids' run. Jenn and Susan were doing the 5k, Mallory and I the half and Eric and Joe were doing the full. The 5k started half an hour after us, I think. The temperature at this time of year in Columbia on this morning was pretty great for running a race: cool and sunny. The shocker for me was the hills!
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| Here's the half-marathon map. The full is the same course twice. |
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| Elevation |
We ran through town and residential neighborhoods. Crowd support was pretty low if I remember correctly. T-shirts were soft cotton and pretty nice and comfy. Bibs had our names.
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| Shirt and bib |
The end of the race had the usual fair. I finished the half in 01:52:03, which is not horrible, but was disappointed to discover they were out of coffee already. I downed a water and bagel and was on my way for the final 7 after handing my medal over to Susan. If you've never run extra at a race, it's a kinda funny experience, because when I turned around I got a lot of, "Does the race come back this way?" "Are you okay?" and "You're going the wrong way!" Sorry for the confusion.
I finished my 20, got my medal back, met Mallory and went to the hotel to shower, followed by lunch with our peeps. We loved the Southern hospitality, the weather and the palmetto trees. Good race. Good time. Good socialization. I love hanging with other runners.
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| Post-race lunch in our matching finisher shirts. |
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| And a sweet finisher medal |
You should also know is that if you register early this race is super cheap. If you were to register right now for next year the cost is $45. So, if you're considering, stop thinking about it and just sign up.
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