This
was the 4th Annual Pensacola Beach Gulf Coast Half Marathon. The
Gulf Coast Series is comprised of three locations...Mandeville and Gulf Shores
are the other two. There were about 1400 runners total, keeping it a nice small
town race. The course takes place on the beautiful and scenic Santa Rosa Island,
a perfect destination to turn a race weekend into a vacation weekend! There are plenty of hotels within walking
distance to start and finish, which is also the center of town with lots of
restaurants, shops, and entertainment…on and off the water!
I
drove in from Jacksonville the day before the race early enough to arrive for
packet pick up time. How quickly I forgot there was a time change, so I was
actually a whole hour early before the store ‘Running Wild’ was open! That’s Ok…it was just enough time to check out
the area and drive a bit of the course…. So breathtaking!
Packet
pickup was a breeze! The t-shirt design is one of the best I have received in
any race! Plus they gave away a cool beach bag for just filling out a survey!
There wasn’t an ‘expo’, but since it was held in a race store, they still had
everything to satisfy your running needs/shopping addiction! I picked up my GU
and grabbed my first 13.1 race sticker for the car! (25 half marathons later!)
It
was to be a relaxing day, so I quickly found myself lying on the beach and had
an early night after watching the sunset. Speaking of which, the Holiday Inn
Pensacola Gulf Front is one of the best I have been in, with the friendliest
staff. They allowed early check, offered a late check out, and even lowered my
rate mid stay! You have great views on both sides...Gulf front or Intracoastal. This was my view from my room!
Race
time was set for 7am….just enough time to catch the sunrise on the beach right
before! It was just a couple buildings down from the Holiday Inn, so I walked
the beach, which may have been a bad idea with the way the back
of my knee has been acting the previous weeks. Temps were perfect, in low 60s,
with a nice breeze. However, the lack of clouds and practically no shade on the
course made the temps raise quickly into the 70s.
The
course started at the iconic Pensacola Beach Ball water tower, passed the huge
Ferris Wheel, and ran the street closest to the beach for quite a bit through a
neighborhood. However even though we were so close there was little view of the
ocean. Head winds were strong enough to be a bit aggravating for the first
7miles….although, without it temps may have been unbearable. We made our way
back onto the main road and through the white dunes of the Gulf Islands
National Seashore. Turn around point was mile 7 where we had some nice
Intracoastal views as it ran through neighborhoods on that side of the road. The course ended at the infamous Flounders
Restaurant which has their own beach, bayside.
Despite
my Garmin never picking up the satellite in time for start, and then the
battery dying at M7…Despite the nauseous stomach that followed me for a good
half of the run and left me trying to hit 3 porta potties without luck (heat? Over
hydrating? Over ate at breakfast?)…Despite the ache in the back of my knee that
came at M7 and moved to a sharp pain in the front at M8 that nagged me the rest
of the way….this was definitely one of my favorite races. I may have missed my
PR by 4 minutes, but I did come to find a few other bloggers had the course mapped
further than 13.1…so who knows. Ill take it.
Just
like every race, there are pros and cons. I still would highly recommend this
race to anyone looking for a small town race in a beautiful destination! So
here they are….
The
roads were partially still open, which
not only meant traffic was trying to get by,
but cars were still parked on the already small neighborhood roads,
causing a little crowding and difficulty passing. However, I read somewhere
there is a cut off to the number of racers, so it seems this race will always
be small enough to be manageable.
Beach
roads mean sand on the road as well as eroded streets with holes/cracks causing
uneven footing at places. There were slanted roads for a couple miles as you
approach/leave the Park. However, the gorgeous pure white sand dune views make
up for it!
Small
town, means less cheerleaders/spectators. However, the perfect scenery leaves
this race a perfect meditation race. I was able to once again enjoy a race
without an Ipod/no music and instead enjoy the sound of life and nature. There
also were 2 really fun and energetic groups of volunteers to cheer us on. One
even being a Jimmy Buffet theme that had a guy singing and playing the guitar! A
couple people out on their driveways also had their hoses out, giving us the
opportunity to cool off!
The
food/drink at the finish line was entirely too far and a little confusing
getting to the after party area for an out of towner. For Flounders being ‘known’
as having the #1 chowder in the state (or nation?) I was extremely disappointed
what they served the runners was rice and beans. Really? I almost thought it
was a joke when the staff told me that. But sadly, it was true. The only other
food was bananas and cookies. To top it off, the restaurant was not open until
after the after party, so you could not even order off their menu. I really
would hope they would change this. However, they did have all you can drink
beer, a nice view, and the cool water of the intercoastal to cool off in.
To
end on a positive note, the Medal is one of the most useful ones around….a Bottle
Opener! =)
