University Of Charleston Marathon

 Saturday, I made the trip up I-77 to Charleston, WV, for the University of Charleston Marathon. This was part of a 3 races this weekend which included the full, half, and 5k. Me, myself, and I were doing the full. I have run in Charleston many times through my years of running, but this would be the first time that I really got the full foot tour of Charleston proper and including on both sides of the Kawaha River. 

This was also a 1st time race, and I am happy to report the following. They did an amazing job. From the aid stations to the support along the course, to the course monitor, the course makings, the start - finish setup, the expo and packet pick up. The prerace notifications emails. Everything was to notch. They clearly set a high bar for the coming years.

To my race, the start was only a 3-block walk from my hotel which was really nice. I laid round until about 6:20 AM before heading to the start. The temperature was 50 degrees which isn't that cold but then, it isn't that warm when all you have on are running cloths. 

The race started promptly at 7 AM. By the mile, the cool temperature and morning shade felt nice. We stayed in the shadow of the mountains as we went through the northern and western sections of the course. We hit our first hill which was actually an underpass, so you have to go down first and then up. 

At around 6 miles, we crossed over the river. The climb over the bridge was easy enough. I was still feeling good. 

The next several miles on wide open road. Nothing could hide us from the breeze and the direct sunlight. I was wearing my sunglasses, but the sun was so bright that I found myself looking down at the road just to see where I was going. 

At one point, we ran by the University of Charleston Cheer leaders - they were loud, but when we ran through the UC campus, the students made the real noise. We actually ran through the campus section twice. They were loud and motivating. I wish that I had had them along the entire course. At many other places along the course, people brought out their lawn chairs and cheered us on as we ran by. 

Around 20 miles, we made the turn on to a different bridge which would take us back into Charleston proper. We ran along in front of the capital building. This building is so hard to miss with its golden dome. 

We ran along the waterfront for about 3 miles. At which point, we turned onto some neighborhood streets. I actually like this section best. It was not boring. However, it was a lot of back and forth as we navigated this section. I could tell that I was slowly getting closer because the building that I could see in the distance. 

At this point, my legs were about as stiff and tight as possible. I remember stepping on a crack in the road. A crack that I would not have noticed in the earlier miles, but here, it rippled up my leg. 

As the finish line came into sight, I heard them call out my name. This is nice touch that I wish all races would embrace. 

A nice young lady hung a huge middle around my neck. Yes, it was a nice size, but I will admit not as big as the Oak Island medal. Now, that one was huge. 

After the race, I walked back to the hotel. I took a hot shower which was amazing. I would love to have this after every marathon. 

Like I said, they did an amazing job with this race. My only struggle in the entire race was the heat. It warmed up fast. At this time of year, there isn't much foliage in WV, and as such, there is not much shade. The sun beats down. I got sunburned in several spots. 

I finished in 3:16:31 for 29th overall and won my age group. They gave away these super nice race branded mugs. This will definitely go on myself. 

Would I recommend this race? Yes, I would. I think I paid like $90. Along with the race t-shirt, prerace dinner, they have out these seat covers. That's a good deal, and I didn't register all that long ago. 

The Cool Down Runner