DIVAS Myrtle Beach is my second race for this series, I ran the Peachtree City, GA race last year. DIVAS is a fun race that makes every woman feel like a queen and the tiara sure helps. Myrtle Beach is great location for runcation, wonderful beaches and plenty of shopping.

Expo: The expo for the race is bit disappointing due to the theme of the race. The expo for both DIVAS races that I ran were held at small community centers. I like to use expos to purchase discounted gear. I was hoping for more vendors, but I did buy a few shirts. For 2015, the race is giving out tutus to all runners. We had an opportunity to take pictures with the tutus, boas, and tiaras. The race medals were also on display.

Race: This race was exciting because it was my first half marathon pacing gig. One of my goals for 2015 is to run races for free. One way to accomplish that goal is to pace the race. I volunteered to pace the 14 min/mile group. Because I do not run this pace, I knew it was going to be a challenge. I decided to do intervals (3 minutes running and 1 minute walking). Since I hadn’t used my watch for the interval functionality, I ran a bit too fast in the beginning. I am proud of the ladies who ran with me, two of them were running their first half marathon. I walked the last two miles to make it in on time. The terrain was about 95% flat, with a few small rolling hills. There was plenty to see along the course. I learned a lot about this race and I will work to continue to working on my pacing. Overall it was a great race and I met my pacing time. I medal was different than last year and I am looking forward to running the race in Peachtree City.