Wilmington Marathon 2.24.24

 I was down in Wilmington, NC this past weekend running their Wilmington Marathon. I was looking forward to getting back on the roads for a marathon. This race didn't disappoint. 

They had a record number of runners 4k+ as I recall. 

The moved up the start time by an hour so we are going off at 6:30 AM. Actually, we had a 5-minute delay, but I was ready to run. 

Everyone just surged off the starting line. I found myself surrounded with runners. I couldn't tell who was in the marathon and who was in the 1/2. 

I settled in as we headed down Wrightsville Beach before turning inland toward Wilmington. For the better part of 3ish miles, I had a pack around me. Then, they started to string out. I missed the first aid station at 2 miles because I couldn't get across the stream of runners. 

Just before 6 miles, I grabbed some water and Gatorade at the aid station. Whoever mixed up this batch when heavy on the Gatorade. When it hit my tongue, I was like this is so sweet. I drank it anyway. 

The runners continued stretch out when we turned on to 74. I noticed a little more wind here but overall, there was very little noticeable wind. The only other time that I noticed it was the last 2 miles of the race. 

Off of 74, we hit some neighborhood streets and a dirt section leading to downtown Wilmington. This was a really hard section for me because 1/2 marathon runners were surging to the finish. All I could do was watch them go. 

We split just before the 1/2-way point, and we headed for the Greenfield Lake area of Wilmington. This is a nice little neighborhood section around the lake. Heading out, we ran on the road but on the way back we used the paved path. 

Heading to finish is nearly a 2-mile gradual climb back into Wilmington downtown area. It isn't overly steep but given it is miles 25 and 26, my legs were not exactly happy about it. 

In the final stretch, we dropped down from Front Street to Nutt Street to rejoin with the finishing 1/2 marathoners. 

Coming to the finish, I could see a bunch of flags which I assumed was the finish. To my surprise, I had to keep going another 30 to 40 yards. 

I finished in 3:01:22 placing me 29th overall and first in my age group. 

They did a very good job with this race. I would definitely consider putting it back on my calendar for next year. 

The Cool Down Runner