The Wipro San Francisco Marathon, also known as the ‘Race that
Marathoners Fear’ is comprised of a full marathon, 2 half marathons (each
running the two halves of the full) and a 5k. And if any of those are not
enough for you, you can join the ‘Worth the Hurt’ 52.4 Double Marathon, in
which you run the course in reverse the day before the official race day. There
were about 20,000 runners for all events. The race is usually held in July, but
due to a conflicting event this year, it was moved to June. Next year is
already scheduled for the end of July.
I arrived in California a few days early to adjust to the time
zone difference. One would think to rest the days leading up to a race, but not
this traveling fool! I spent the time exploring Napa and hiking the Sonoma
Coast! I actually unexpectedly overdid it a bit and hiked 13 miles 2 days before
race day! But that scenery was worth every step!
The Expo
was ‘A’wesome!
I arrived into the city with
only 24 hours to spend in town, so I hit the Expo and then quickly explored all
the tourist attractions before calling it an early night. The Expo had a good
variety of vendors and plenty of space to navigate without feeling so crowded.
Packet and shirt pick up was a breeze. ID bands for alcohol after the race were
provided. I loved how the local university was handing out take home cards full
of Mantras and Race Strategies to help you overcoming your obstacle during the
race! There were even a couple charity tables set up selling ‘everything for $1’
including GU and other fuel! (wish I knew ahead of time!) With this being a
downtown race, we were warned of paying for parking at the Expo. However, there
were two options provided to shuttle in, one from the host hotel, the Hyatt,
the other from a local sports store! After a few circles around the building, I
was able to find FREE street parking just a couple blocks from the Expo! SCORE!
If you had to pay metered parking, I noticed on meters, you don’t use cash or
card, you use your phone…LOVE this idea!
Communication
is Top Notch!
There were constant updates on Facebook and via email regarding
the race, any changes from previous years (due to Boston) and just mainly keeping
us pumped up for the countdown! They stayed consistent with lots of posts and
pictures. Their website is ridiculously packed with information, which can be
good and bad. But, if for some reason you couldn’t find your answer on their
webpage, then they were quick to answer questions on FB! There is also good
community communication between runners on the FB page.
The
Training Plan
This is the first race where I actually analyzed the course and
elevation charts, as well as video ahead of time. This Florida gal was going to need some help
to ‘survive’ this race! The only hill I had was a bridge over the intracoastal.
So that is what I tackled, at least twice a week for a month. Sure, I could
have done a lot more, and I knew the elevation was nothing compared to what was
to be expected in San Fran, but it definitely helped which made the race more
enjoyable, than just tolerable!
The Goal
I didn’t really have a goal going into the race, besides just
enjoying the scenery because I knew the hills would prevent me from a PR. However,
once I started running, I quickly realized that was not enough for this
competitive spirit! It was going to be hard for me to ‘own’ a slower time
purposefully. I had to have more of a challenge. So on hill #1 I decided that I
would run the inclines on every single hill, including the bridge (which yes is
on a slight incline). And that is exactly what I did!
Starting
the Day-A OK!
This is the first race in which I participated where each corral
had a set time, all about 10 minutes apart. The full and 1st half
were set to start at 530a….my corral 612a. This made it a little mentally
challenging on figuring out when to arrive to the starting area….do I arrive
before the very beginning, to enjoy all the festivities? Or since I know my
start time, do I arrive with just enough time for my corral?
Start was at the Embarcadero, about a mile and half away from my
hotel, the Westin at Union Square. The BART wasn’t running, so I didn’t have
much of a choice than to walk. Thankfully it was flat the entire way. I decided
to leave the hotel at o dark 5am.
They warned of extra security with the gear check (due to
Boston). They provided gear bags that were to be the only ones used, which I don’t
really know why, since they were solid black. They also restricted the size of
water/fuel belts. This didn’t affect me since I rely on the hydration stations
(that is what we paid for, right?).
The first security check was a bit chaotic, but thankfully they
were organized and had another one a little further down, which only led to a
couple minute delay. Bag drop was seamless.
This left me with plenty of time to explore the start area, take
pictures, do a shirt exchange (thankfully they allowed this, as ALL the sizes
of the womens shirt sleeves were too short. I was able to exchange for a Mens),
hit the porta potty (I actually found one without a line! SCORE!), do some
stretching, and enjoy an awesome sunrise over the Bay Bridge!
It was a gorgeous morning, about 50 degrees. I had my warm up
suit, but was able to shed that early before getting into the corral.
The Course-‘A’
Hilly One!
The course started at the Embarcadero and quickly ran through
all the famous sites…Pier 39, Cannery Row, Ghirardelli Square…and then headed
along the waterfront passed a couple parks, all the while the Golden Gate
Bridge in the distance, getting closer and closer, until you are finally
running over it. It is then a small loop on the other side of the bridge and
then you are running back over the bridge, through neighborhoods on rolling
hills, finishing up at the Rose Garden of Golden Gate Park.
There were a few congested areas and lots of sidewalks were used
by runners. The bridge wasn’t that bad, as most of it was blocked off for the
runners. (yes, there were still cars, as this is a busy city!) However, its
still a race where it would be hard to PR if you are an average/slow runner,
trying to weave around people. My Garmin read a total distance of 13.38.
(however, there were several picture stops)
The race had mentioned entertainment on the course and
afterwards. However, for the 1st Half Marathon, there were only 2
entertainers and nothing at the Finish Line. (I believe this had something to
do with noise ordinances) But with all the scenery, and the hype of saying you
ran over the bridge, I could go without and still be happy!
The first half the race was ridiculously blue skies! From the
very first curve from the Embarcadero, you could see the Golden Gate Bridge
clearly. (this was jaw dropping, as the day before I could barely see anything
because of all the fog!) I almost had to keep pinching myself as I couldn’t believe
how lucky we were for it to be so clear! I must have stopped and taken about 20
photos of that bridge! The second half of the race, the fog came rolling in
quickly as soon as I left the bridge. It was beautiful to look back and see the
fog lingering over the GGB, as the way it is known to be. Without the sun, it
became chilly quickly, but the constant hills for the next few miles kept you
warm enough until the Finish.
The 1st half marathon is known to have more
elevation, but it is ‘worth the hurt’ being able to run the Golden Gate, not
once, but twice. Such an iconic landmark, not many people can say they have
crossed it, and for those that have, not many can say that they have raced it! This
is a challenging course and has a serious cut off time limit. There were
several people that were passed the cut off time, but continued to walk on the
sidewalks.
Couldn’t do
without the Supporters/Cheerleaders/Spectators!
There were only a few areas that had supporters lining the
course, but the ones that were there where awesome! We even had a couple stalkers (supporters with
signs that you would keep seeing over and over, as they follow you along the
course). There were lots of good poster slogans. And there was a first for me seeing a homeless
man holding a sign and giving high fives!
The water/aid stations were also up to par! They had a white
electrolyte drink, which I am still trying to figure out what it as. And it was
placed properly, before the water. They also provided GU on course. The
volunteers were great, and they had separate course directors manage the flow
of traffic and runners. These were all manned by Harley Bikers! I don’t know
why, but it made me smile. Probably because the Bikers always helped out with
the Breast Cancer 3 Day that I used to walk. Also on the bridge were bridge workers at the ‘gaps’.
I am not sure if it was the race directors, or city folk, but it was
interesting to see them hang over the railing giving high fives to all of us,
all while warning us to watch our step!
A ‘Meh’ Finish
It was a nice touch to end in the Rose Garden at the Golden Gate
Park. The refreshments were good and unique….a whole small bag of Hawaiian rolls,
Panera pastries, bananas, Blue Monkey Coconut Water (which I cannot comment on
because my tab broke, leaving me unable to open it) and an Irish Coffee (I guess
since most of us were finishing before 9?) I still would have preferred my
carbed up beer! I even asked if I could use my drink coupon at the 2nd
half party, but was told no. Everyone received a foil blanket to stay warm (how
I kicked myself later, that I didn’t take one).
There was no entertainment at the finish line. There were people
sitting around, but with it being cold and just wanting to get out of my
clothes, I basically just got my food and got in line for the shuttle.
They provided a shuttle for the 1st half back to
start. It was a long wait to get on a bus, and then a long ride to get back.
And then I had a long walk to get back to my hotel. All of that took me about
an hour from the time I crossed the finish line. Although it was seamless, and I
had great conversation with some people that ran behind me most of the course (I
only know this because he told me I was motivating him!), it seems more buses
could have been provided to speed things up instead of us waiting in the cold,
soaking wet.
The Medal
has Character
The medal is unique, having different designs on each side.
However, it seems a little cheap, being made from a lightweight ‘medal’ and the
etching being faded on most of the letters.
Thoughts
This is definitely a landmark race that everyone should run at
some point in their running career. San Francisco is a perfect Race-cation destination!
With the endless opportunities from the big city to engulfing yourself in nature
in the surrounding areas of Napa, the Sonoma Coast or Monterey and Big Sur!
I stayed busy hiking exploring the few days leading up to the race
which left me being a little sore starting the race. (Ok, actually my calves
were killing me and I was scared!) The motivation of knowing this was going to
be a different challenge (hills) kept me moving! But yes, I did stop and take
about 20 pictures along the way! I mean, I had to! It was after all, the Golden
Gate Bridge! I took it easy on the flats, and pushed it on the hills. I couldn’t
help but be reminded of life’s daily struggles of ‘hills!’ These hills in life
can be your friend or your enemy. It is up to you on how you look at things in
life. If you go in with a positive attitude, preparing yourself for that uphill
you know that is ahead, you can coast along the way and even enjoy the ride! I
took those hills one step at a time, never stopping to walk, even if my slow
run looked like I was barely moving! I was still doing it and I was still
enjoying the amazing beauty that I was surrounded by and realizing how lucky I have
been in this life to be a part of such great opportunities!
