Race Reports for 3/3-4 and Encouragement/Kudos!

[Tiger Lily 03]

Great! Heather thanks for sharing your pictures.

 

[escape]

Hi Everyone!

I’m back from my weekend in Little Rock. By now you’ve probably read Stephanie’s report on the marathon. I don’t have nearly as exciting of a report as I only did the half-relay but I gotta tell you – it was a lot of fun. Little Rock really has their act together and the marathon weekend was a blast.

I got in town on Saturday around noon and headed to the Expo. Although not as big as Disney’s expo, I did manage to gather a lot of freebies – cookies, sample GoLean Crunch cereals, trail mixes, etc. Another perk was the free massages. What a nice touch. That night, we went to a pasta party where we heard from someone from Runner’s World (forgot the name…I’m still learning who’s who in running). We also heard from a guy who has run in 170 marathons and a 70 year old guy who ran in 325+ marathons. Wow! Very inspirational!

Sunday was the day of the 5K, Half-marathon Relays, Half-marathon, and full marathon. The temp was around 30 degrees at the start but warmed up nicely throughout the morning. I ran the half-relay and the name of our team was the Disney Duo. My partner and I wore the WISH shirts so we could spot each other easily. And, of course, I got A LOT of compliments on the shirt.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous about the race because 1) I hadn’t trained much since the WDW half-marathon and 2) I had a terrible chest cold and didn’t sleep much the night before. My partner hadn’t trained at all since the WDW half but we still managed to finish in 2:55. My split times were (I ran 6.3 miles in my leg):

Mile 1: 13:36
Mile 2: 12:41
Mile 3: 13:55
Mile 4: 13:19
Mile 5: 14:10 (hills)
Mile 6: 12:52

These were actually some of my best times so maybe the cold helped me. Go figure!

I took some pics with my disposable camera and as soon as I get them processed, I will post them later for you to see. My half of the relay took me by the governor’s mansion, the Ville Marre (the house seen in Designing Women) and Central High (famous for the 1959 riots). We finished the race in front of the state capitol.

I’d like to tell you a little about the activities surrounding the marathon weekend …. if you are still reading. LR had a VIP tent. For those of you who did the VIP tent at WDW, let me tell you….this was 10 times better for half the cost! The spread of food BEFORE the race was awesome. Bagels, Krispy Kreme doughnuts (oooh, I was drooling but refrained), bananas, oranges, water, flavored water, Gatorade, juices, coffee, muffins, gels and maybe some other goodies. There were also 10 private port-a-potties – more than WDW! AND 12 massage stations. So, I had a massage before the race and only had to wait about 5 minutes.

After the race….back to the VIP tent. There were TONS and I mean TONS of pizzas. More bagels, cookies, sodas, juices, water, several varieties of gels, fruits, and BEER. Yes, free beer! And, more free massages. Of course, I got another massage. Oh, yes, there was even a little live band to keep us entertained.

That night, LR sponsored a free barbecue and open bar for the participants. Very nice! There was a live band there as well. Lots of food. Lots of liquor. There were some really happy runners there that night. I stuck with my diet Pepsi, however. Not sure what purpose the 7 foot tall female impersonator served. I'm not sure if he was part of the entertainment or a runner that dresses like this normally. Quite a show.

I just have to say that I’m very proud of the Little Rock marathon and all the activities surrounding it. I thought it was well organized, lots of fun and I’m so glad I was part of it.

 

[nucpharm29]

Susie--After the reports of what a waste of $$$ the VIP tent was at WDW, I decided against spending the $$$ on the Hatcher House--Now I see it was a mistake! I would've loved all the stuff at the finish! For us non-payers, there was practically no water and NO gatorade once you left the "finish zone". And we were told that once we left to get our finisher's shirts that we couldn't get back in. I think I only had 2 cups of water after the finish before leaving. They had milk--but YUCK after 26.2! I also missed the "Big Bodacious Post-race Party". We had a little one here at home. I debated going back--but I just wanted to sit home and veg on my recliner! Glad you had such a great time! I can't wait to see your pics--I don't even remember passing the Ville Marre! But I do remember thinking "Um, why isn't the new gov. outside cheering us on???" I mean we went right by his front door. Great report and great splits!! Hope to actually meet you soon!

 

[escape]

Stephanie, my running partner told me that the folks on marathonguide.com recommended the LR VIP tent. Otherwise, I would have figured it would be a lot like Disney's....not much. I really didn't pay attention to the drinks and such after we left the finisher's area because I headed to the VIP tent. WOw, no water or gatorade? Fruits or other stuff? Wow. I guess the intent was to keep this out of the non-participant's hands. However, to not let you back in the area with the food and drinks...that's not right. THe organizers need to know about this.

A note about the party that night - I had a lot of fun and glad I went. However, after running a marathon like you did, I would have rather been at home....reclining somewhere. The party was a nice touch but I probably won't do it next year. I stayed two nights in LR...mainly because of my friends from Dallas being there I don't see that happening next year...especially if I run the half or the full.

 

[nucpharm29]

Susie--yeah, I was thinking of sending an email to the race directors about the water/gatorade issue. They did have water coolers outside the finish zone--but I got one cup of water and went back and the cooler was empty. Yeah, they had more water bottles, but Iwasn't about to lift one of those puppies into the cooler! That being said, I was getting killed though by the folks with the 180 energy drinks--I think I ended up hauling 4 of those drinks home with me.