This past week I participated in the Harbour Heights Half Marathon. Despite the hot weather, it was overall a very nice race.

Pre-race info:
There was a pre-race packet pick up which was really nice this year. Last year, because of the parking situation (which I will discuss below), it was stressful to get my packet the morning of the race. So when I heard there was a pre-race packet pick up I was very excited. It did happen to be on a day that I was busy but my friend was able to pick mine up for me. The “swag bag” wasn’t really that “swaggy”. Other than the race shirt, bib and granola I’m not even really sure what was in there because I threw the rest away. I think there were some flyers for other races and perhaps a chap stick. Nothing terribly exciting.

Parking was much better this year than it was last year. Last year the park was being remodeled, so we had to park far away and take a trolley to the start line. There was also only one or two trolleys out there so it took a little while to actually get on a trolley due to the long line of participants that were waiting. But, this year the remodeling is done and you could park much closer to the starting line. I was still about a half mile away but that was a nice warm up walk for me.

Registration started at $65 and went up to $90 the longer you waited to sign up. They offered a $5.00 discount if you were a member of one of the local running clubs. (Which I am, yay Zoomers!). The half was limited to 800 people but there was no where near that many people there for the half. I think there was only maybe 200, so it was a smaller race, which is actually nice. I love the Disney races but you can never get a good time because they pack you in there like sardines and you can’t move around the slower people very easily. This course was wide open and due to the low amount of people I could easily maneuver around other runners.

The restroom facilities were pretty good. There were two restrooms open each with three stalls and there were also some port-o-potties. There was, of course, a line for the women’s restroom but it moved pretty quickly and it was well stocked with toilet paper.

This race is put on by Harbour Heights Charities, Inc. The do a 5K and a half marathon at the same time with the half marathon starting 15 minutes before the 5K. They have done this 5K for the last ten years and just added the half last year. They have raised more than $145,000. That money raised goes to schools in the community who teach autistic children. So not only is this a local race for me, but it also goes to a really good cause. I participated last year in the first half marathon and had to come back this year too. I hope to make this an annual event.

The race started promptly at 7:15AM after a few announcements and the national anthem. It was a chip timed event with finisher medals for all participants and medals 3 deep in each age category.

The Race:

The course was along the Peace River and the surrounding neighborhoods in Harbour Heights. It was flat (you have got to love Florida) and was all on paved streets. It started and ended at the park. It was very well marked with signs and lots of volunteers pointing you in the right direction.
It was such a hot day! By the end of mile 1 I was already drenched in sweat and I knew it wasn’t going to be a PR for me. But I set a goal of 1:55. I saw the 2:00 pacer and I kept him in sight for the first mile. Then mile 2 I decided I wanted to get in front of him, so that if I slowed at the end of the race and he passed me, I could just keep up with him and finish in under 2 hours. I’m happy to say that I passed the 2 hour pacer and never saw him again!

There was one section around mile 8 I think where I became desperately thirsty. I had bought a small water bottle that clipped to my spibelt before the Goofy and had intended on using it for races like this one - ono hot, humid, sunny Florida mornings. Unfortunately, I left that in one of the bathroom stops I made during the Disney marathon and have yet to replace it. So I was relying on the water stops provided by the race. I think toward the end of the race they could have used a few more water stops. When I finally saw the water stop around mile 10 I could have hugged those volunteers! I took one cup of water to drink and one cup to pour on my head and boy did that feel good.

Around mile 11 I went to pass this guy who I had been following for miles and he would not let me pass him. He sped up and stayed with me. Then I fell behind him and he led. Then I passed him. Then he passed me. We stayed together for those last two miles. I have no idea what his name was. We spoke to each other just briefly with little comments about how hot it was, how we hoped for clouds at mile 12. I was so glad he was there to keep me motivated on the last stretch. I was so sweaty I think my sweat was sweating! Having this random man really helped me finish strong. I crossed the finish line in 1:53. That was 2 minutes below my race goal of 1:55. It is not a PR but considering the weather I was very happy with that time and it was good enough to get me second place in my age group!

Post race:

When I crossed the finish line a volunteer gave me a water and another one gave me my finisher medal. I walked it off for awhile, just trying to cool down. I walked back to my car and got my flip flops and brushed my hair. I had forgotten my sweat towel. (I know, I know, how do you live in Florida and not have a post-race sweat towel with you!) So I had to settle for some hand sanitizer wipes to get some of the then-dried sweat off my face. I was feeling lazy so instead of walking back to the awards I moved my car closer and found a shady spot.

The race provided hot dogs, cake, banana and beer. Kind of an interesting combination. I’m not complaining, I actually very much enjoyed the hot dog and beer. But a little more variety in the food options would have been nice. The awards ceremony started shortly after I had finished my beer, which was nice to not have to wait around for too long. The person presenting the awards is someone I know through Zoomers and she did a great job of moving things along quickly and speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. I claimed my second place trophy and listened to the rest of the awards before heading out.

All in all, it was a very nice race, for a great cause and I can’t wait to do it again next year. Hopefully it will be a little cooler next time!