Goodyear Half Marathon Race Report

 

The Goodyear Half Marathon has it all: hills, heat, humidity, and a good dose of humility. This is not to mention heavy legs. Even though it's a fabulous event, I have to say that for me, they can't all be gems.

I carpool with veteran Akron Marathon Series runners Julie Boggs and Theresa Wright after a 5:00 A.M. meetup. Prior day packet pickup, day of race parking, crowded and narrow start, and other logistics make participation in this race a complicated matter. Julie and Theresa know the ropes. Fortunately, the race starts early, given the warm and humid conditions, which are only going to worsen with the sunrise.

Julie, Dan, and Theresa just before the start

The start at the Proving Grounds is unique and spectacular. Although the road is narrow, the waves make things go smoothly. I begin too fast, just as I did at last week's race. I don't expect to run as fast; I just want to hold my own. The humidity takes its toll early on, and I slow a little bit more for each mile split. 

By the time I reach the middle miles, I start to slow down even more, and I become discouraged. Michael Juppe, who is in my age group, passes me and pulls away. At the halfway point, my time is about 56 minutes. That is slower than last week, but not downright awful. If only I could duplicate it for the second half, I'll feel like the run was semi-successful, even without an age-group win.

It's getting warmer, and the sun is beating down on me. I slow down even more going up hills (of which there are many), but I manage to pick the pace back up heading back down. I take a gel at mile 9, and it does the trick. Mile 11 is slow because it's uphill, but 10, 12, and 13 are some of my best of the day.

Just before the finish line, I spot Michael Juppe up ahead of me. Can I catch him? The final quarter-mile is downhill, so you betcha. He had beaten me by seconds at the Erie Marathon last year, but this time I pass him just before we cross the line. The results show that my 1:52:22 is just seconds ahead of his time.

It's a full five minutes slower than Hofbrauhaus, but with the AG win, I'll call it semi-successful. And the burgers and beer with Julie and Theresa (at 8:40 A.M.) made it all the more fun.