Have you ever known a race was going to push you to, if not past your limits? This was that race for me. My first half marathon.
Back story~ To date, I had never run more than a 10k, even in training. I had purchased this race and my first 10k as a January 1st resolution. At my first 10k in April, I unknowingly sprained my ankle coming off a curb, funny thing is it was in the exact same location as this half. Little did I know this race would be moved to Everett from the previous Seattle location I paid for. So once I got the info about the change, I was a teeny bit nervous and relieved (Seattle is hilly) at the same time. My ankle was still not 100% healed and I was forbidden from training more than 3 miles at a time. I came to packet pickup feeling defeated and like maybe I should back out.
Packet pick up- short, sweet, and to the point. It was a Downtown Everett hotel with free parking. When you came in it was well marked, you got your bag and packet before going into the expo area. The expo area it self was small, but Biggest Loser cast was giving Q&A and motivational speeches while you walked around. There were smaller amounts of vendors, but they were engaging.
Race day- Early enough in the morning for a cool run. Parking attendants were on their game and who doesn't love free parking less than a block from the race start!?! There were lots of vendors set up and packet pickup for late entries in a room, fairly well organized. The race began on time and they had decent entertainment/ announcing before. The race started with a lite mile, then directly into a large long hill. Fortunately, there were minimal hills after this point. The race turned into a neighborhood area were we weaved down and around the streets for majority of the race. There were moments of downtown running then we doubled back through the housing and back down the big hill. We then ended up back down at the marina where there was some interesting parking lot running (not my favorite part), before the finish line. There were multiple bathrooms that were well placed. The race had one goo station and a few water areas. I found that I needed more water than they had set up, I was hoping for more goo also. Thankfully, I provided my own because I need caffeine free and there was no option. The finish line was really great and I could hear the crowd cheering as I came through. There were apples and bananas as you left the gate to the vendors, though the bananas were gone by this point. I was a little sad because many of the beginning runners were in my timeframe and most of us were hurting physically from the very few water locations and needed hydration and potassium to aid the twitching muscles. I was pleasantly surprised to find CHILI and pbj's as the after race food. It hit the spot.
After Party-
They had a race tent to see my stats and an area to get your finishing pictures with a photographer and honestly from this point I left to go soak my poor tired legs. So I cant be 100% sure of the fun that may or may have not happened after the race. There was quite a few fun looking vendors, I wish I would have felt good enough to visit.
Take away~If there was one thing I could take away from this race that maybe I won't see at another, it would be people of all sizes running together. Since The Biggest Loser is famous for it's obesity transformations, there were a lot of larger people out trying to take their life back and prove to themselves they can start and finish on the same course with even elite runners. It was amazing. I found motivation from running with them during the race, as well as cheering them on. I even had a lady who was considering quitting who I ran with for a while to help her pace, who I got to watch cross the finish shortly after me. This race was full of good hearted people who just wanted to accomplish and be a part of something great. I am happy that it was my first half and this memory will always be a part of my run story. Sadly, I ended up doing more damage to my ankle and it cost me a lot of pain but my experience was worth it. I think every race is more than just before, during, and afters and the best review I can give is to make the most out of every race that you can.