2015 Richmond Marathon Finisher!
I went through the “I’m a marathoner” emotional roller-coaster back in January when I completed the WDW Marathon as part of the Goofy Challenge. Earlier today, I completed my 2nd Marathon (YES, reread that statement) when I crossed the finish line of the 2015 Richmond Marathon.
I met up with a friend down in Richmond for the weekend. It’s a roughly 5 hour drive from home, a fairly scenic drive until you hit I-95 around DC. The expo held at the Sports Backers Complex was nothing impressive, the usual array of packet and shirt pickup plus vendors hawking any kind of running apparel or accessory. We headed out to Maggiano’s for dinner. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel great afterwards, and ended up with nausea and a major migraine headache to end my night. The Omni Hotel in downtown Richmond was my weekend home, and I ended up with a very nice room.
The first night sleeping in a hotel is always a problem, and this was no exception… probably got 3-4 hours total sleep if I was lucky. The weather on race morning was a bit warmer than predicted, with starting temps in the low 40’s. This would warm to mid-50’s by the end of the race. Overall, I took my time in this race and it paid off with no major problems on that side. However, two major issues come from out of nowhere. First, right after Mile 13 was a police controlled intersection. The cop stopped traffic, and motioned me to keep running through. Some idiot on a cell phone decided to not pay attention and nearly hit me. Thankfully he didn’t, but it was enough to make me jar my left knee, and the pain started from there on.
If that wasn’t enough, Mile 20’s junk food stop had one of those pop-up tents to protect the food. However, the volunteers failed to properly secure the tent to the ground, and when a gust of wind came, the side of the tent pole hit me square in the face. From that point forward, my face swelled up, I got a headache, and the last 6 miles were just miserable. I managed to cross the finish line in 6:51… not what I expected, but a PR from the WDW Marathon so I’ll take it.
I completed my second marathon! Never thought I would say that. Richmond was a beautiful city to run through. Lots of interested sights, including a lot of Civil War landmarks. The weather, minus the wind, couldn’t have been better. I wish the medical support would have been more prominent (as in, no medical tents along the course), but the post-race area was decent even though I was at the tail end of the finishers.
We hit the Capitol Ale House for dinner later that evening, and I got to toast with some champagne before bed. Another miserable night of not sleeping, up for an early breakfast, and then the 5 hour drive back home. Was it worth it? Yes. Would I run Richmond again? Maybe. The distance from home was about the max I would be willing to drive. There’s a big part of me that wants another crack at this to try and run the thing fully healthy without issues. But this race helped prove that I can survive more than just the race.