Disclaimer: I received an entry to Garmin KC Marathon to review as part of being a BibRave Ambassador. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Ambassador, and check out BibRave to review, find and write race reviews!

After dropping to the 5K, the weight of running a formal event wasn’t entirely lifted. While the stress of running a longer distance that I wasn’t prepared for was gone, I don’t “phone in” any event easily. I went into the morning with a mindset I was going to give it what I had in me.

I got to the parking lot of choice on time, for the most part, but I needed to modify my hat. I spent a little time cutting and sewing my hat to allow for a “top bun” hole. I am not entirely sewing-savvy but I got the job done. I ended up going with a top ponytail…which was a poor decision as my hair ended up being a matted mess post race.

One my hat was ready, I started the half-mile walk to the starting area. The half and full marathon starts had already happened so I walked along sheering for the runners. As I got closer to the starting area, the graveyard of tossed items of clothing grew. I guess if I felt ill prepared, I could have grabbed something along the way… My only goal ahead of the race start was to exchange my race shirt.

Once at the start, I got my shirt exchanged, added my new shirt to my drop bag (provided at the expo), dropped off my bag, and walked around the pre/post race area to warm up. I have not been running in the morning, so the chill wasn’t fully anticipated. After the 10K was sent on their way, I made my way over to the starting area. After a brief delay, we got started on our route.

Any event in Kansas City is going to have hills…that’s just how it goes. The first mile consisted of a 1/2 mile downhill start straight into the uphill trek thru the Plaza on 47th St. At the peak, we were turned around to face the runners still making their way up the hill.

And so went the rest of the miles – uphills followed by downhills. The last 1/2 mile was the pits with an uphill last mile followed by a relatively flat finish.

I always challenge myself with the Kansas City events. The KC 5K is the one distance I haven’t ran in past years, so I was glad to knock it off my list.

Post Race

While the bottleneck for metals after the finish was less than ideal, it didn’t match the disappointment of mushy, soggy bananas. Gross…or maybe not gross, but I couldn’t even pick one up to give it a try…

I made my way back over to get my drop bag. Then I started another trek around the post race area.

Grabbed a BBQ sandwich (with a ticket off my bib). Grabbed a Quirk (with a ticket off my bib). Explored the vendors. Took a couple pictures and then started the chilly walk back to my car.

While my legs felt much better than the typical walk of pain after a race, I still needed to walk nearly a half mile to get to my car. Maybe I’ll get my steps in today afterall, ha!

Overall, I can’t give the KCM crew enough praise. I am always surprised by the course (no matter the preparation), the expo is an exciting scene, and the post race party can keep a crowd around for hours. My only downfall of this years event was the less than ideal banana situation. No fear, I grabbed a less soggy one on my way home.