Rocktoberfest 1/2 Marathon

 I headed back to the Riverwalk area of Rock Hill for the 2nd year in a row to run their Roctoberfest 1/2 marathon. I had a good time last year, and I was hoping for a repeat this year. 

The morning was decently cool, but the wind was blowing like crazy. I felt the chill as it stripped away any layer of warmth on my skin. 

They changed the course somewhat. The start and finish were shifted around. We ran nearly all of the criterium course to start and finish the race. The rest of the course was the same as last year. 

I ran 1:27:30 to finish 5th overall. I won my first masters award in several years. 

As I think about it, this course isn't easy at all. 

I felt that I was struggling on the hills on the greenway, but I felt that I was really struggling on the climb back up to the finish. The last 3 miles are pretty grueling with so much climbing. I just didn't have the strength that I had last year. 

As I finish up this post, I wanted share something that I noticed. For reasons that I am not aware, participation was clearly down in this year's race. It was quite noticeable in the 1/2 marathon. I cannot speak to the 5k, since I didn't see it. These things are disappointing to see. Here's hoping that they bounce back next year. 

The Cool Down Runner