This was my first race as a Bibrave pro and first time in Hilton head, SC. I got into Hilton Head on Friday afternoon, rented a car and drove to The Palmetto running club where the packet pickup was held. It was a very quick process and the volunteers was so friendly and even gave me tips on where to eat :) Although there was no traditional expo, the running store had some nice deals just for the Hilton Head marathon weekend, and I walked out with a new shoe that I got 50% off.

For dinner I met up with 2 other Bibrave pros, which was so fun. WE had some great pasta at Pomodori Italian eatery.

Race started at 8 am, which is so nice! race start was at Jarvis Creek Park and there was plenty of parking available at a high school which was just a short walk away. Perfect way to warm up. Race started promptly and I was able to get my race pace going early on. The route is out and back, starting at the park, going onto a bike path across a bridge on highway and back again and finish at the park. There is a nice lake at the park where you can enjoy the food/drink and makes a great photo opp. The Bridge was the only significant elevation on the course ( according to my Garmin, total Ascent was 361 feet, for a Half marathon that is not bad at all) Starting Temperature was 45 degrees and I was cruising along great, it did jump to 60 when I finished with my 2nd best time of 1:54:09 :D The race was small with 310 half finishers this year, but had plenty of volunteers to guide us on the course and at aid stations. Crowd support was mainly at aid stations and finish but there were some who drove and parked their cars on some sections of highway and that was greatly appreciated. There were enough aid stations throughout the course (6 for the out and back) and some included Nuun, porta stops ( thankfully I didn't need them) and one with energy gels.

After finishing there was Pizza available, which was a super plus in my book and each runner got 2 free beers! I got to talk to some other runners and was able to cheer on everyone who was doing the full marathon and going for the 2nd loop of course.

As race swag I love the quarter zip fleece lined pull over and a simple yet beautiful embossed medal! Another nice tough was we got free race pictures!