This was my 2nd time
participating in a Zooma event (1st being in Cape Cod last year) and
I must admit I am pretty impressed. Yes, the fee is on the high side when it comes
to race registration, but sometimes it may just be worth it.
Zooma Florida was held in the
Fernandina/Amelia Island part of Northern Florida. It was an A to B course
starting city center of Historic Fernandina which is a cute little
shopping/dining area on the intracoastal, through Fort Clinch State Park, and finishing oceanfront of the
luxurious Ritz Carlton of Amelia Island.
Shuttle service was provided for the
guest of the hotel to the race start, and for every that drove in, there was a
shuttle back to their cars. The course spends the first half in the beautiful
Fort Clinch State Park and the 2nd half along A1A with glimpses of
the ocean between beach houses!
Zooma Florida has a very small amount
of runners…only about 500 this year…which also means there are not many
spectators/cheer leaders (I think I saw 5) but this makes it almost better
because it keeps the course peaceful and at moments you feel it is only you,
nature, and the open road.
This winter Northern Florida has been
impacted with the below normal freezing temps and this weekend was not any
different. We woke up to about 30 degrees and 10 mph winds. I think it may have
reached about 38 once the sun came out. We were lucky inside the park because
the winds were blocked by the trees and dunes. On A1A, sunglasses helped keep
the eyes from tearing from the cold winds.
The five star Ritz Carlton provided a
runners discount, however, living just an hour away, I decided to be cost
efficient and drive in race morning. Doing so, however, limited me on the extra
perks that Zooma provides…such as the Expo and 80s themed ‘mocktail’ party the
day before.
I woke about 5a and left the house
about 6. I had my oatmeal, banana, and coffee on the drive in. However, still being
an hour early for the 8am start, I needed more, so stopped at the gas station
for a Cliff bar. This is probably the most I have ever eaten before a race, but
my stomach was talking!
The free parking was about a mile
away from start, which I was not aware of until I actually started walking
looking for it. I had sat in my car as
long as possible to avoid the freezing temps. Ear warmers and gloves were
necessities for this race! As well as a warm fleece jacket to keep on before
the start! By the time I arrived to the start area, I had very minimal time to
hit the porta potty, drop off my bag at the gear truck (well, SUV. Yes, SUV was
a first!) before the gun went off! I didn’t
even realize there were Pacers until the half way mark (when there was a turn
around and we got to run by the faster runners)
My goal was to take it easy as I was
planning another 10mile when I got back home (for a total of 23 miles in
training for 26.2 with Donna). I was doing the run/walk of 3/1. I felt super
good in the beginning. Almost too good. It
IS a race after all, my mind kept telling me. So I after 6miles, I changed up
the pace and did 3/:45 and then 3/:30. I felt awesome the entire time. I even
felt I could do more, but didn’t want to exert myself, not knowing how I would
feel for the next 10 later that day. I crossed the Finish Line 4 minutes slower
than my PR. I totally could have had it, if I didn’t hold myself back the first
6miles. But that’s okay. Because you know what? I still felt Awesome on the
next 10 miles I did at home! I broke through 23 miles without ever hitting a
wall!
The entire race course was open to
traffic. There was either cones up to allow single file running (in the neighborhood
towards the park), or signs up encouraging runners to stay to the right, single
file (Fort Clinch State Park), or we were running in the bike lane (on A1A).
All of which, a good portion of runners did not listen or pay attention to.
Because the small amount of runners, this worked fine regardless. However, if
the amount of runners ever got larger, I would hope the directors would take
this into consideration, as no one wants to run single file when trying to PR!
There are a ton of Perks when running with Zooma, which has several locations across the country. These of course are focusing on the Florida race.
- -free group training run a few weeks ahead of race day, with a reusable goodie bag full of samples of GU, body glide, and Muscle Milk
- -discount at host hotel with shuttle and spa treatment discounts
- -80s themed mocktail party the night before with speakers
- -reusable goodie bag with super soft race shirt, running hat, a pair of Feetsures socks
- - yoga at finish line
- -massage at finish line
- -endless wine/champagne from Barefoot
- -nonalcoholic drinks available as well, Honest Tea, Hint, Muscle Milk
- -Expo/shopping at finish line as well as the day before race
- -real meal at finish line included chicken salad sandwich (or veggie hummus) with pasta and cookie
- -band at finish line
- -cute medal with detachable charm
The only downfall I saw for this race
was the Finish. I loved that it finishes at the beach…you cant ask for a more
scenic view. However, the sand is incredibly soft at Amelia Island. I think
they did the best they could with this. They made sure to advertise it repeatedly
that it was a sand finish. They also picked an area between the sand dunes and
hotel (not the water side but you could still see the water), where the soft
sand was a little more compact in areas…and there was also a very narrow wood
plank boardwalk you could utilize for some of it. However, there still was no
way to ‘sprint’ across the finish line like most races.
I met up with Marcia with 26.2 with
Donna at the Finish Line party. It was freezing cold in the wind, but the sun
was warm. After a quick change of clothes and meal, I headed over to Moon
River, where I still had a gift certificate I won from the 2012 Fernandina
Reindeer Run for a free pizza pie! I took that home for my reward after my next
10 miles.
I had planned to run the Winter Run
10miler on Jax Beach after Zooma, however, I just couldn’t come up with the
$30. I live across the street anyways, so just took it as a little motivation
to see all the runners. I ran the street a half hour before they started on the
beach. At my turn around, I ran on the beach towards the racers. It was pretty
cool to see all the runners staying active despite the freezing cold!
All in all, Zooma Florida is a great
quick weekend getaway to celebrate health and womanhood. (yes, men are still
allowed to race). I would highly recommend this race. It was a great day and I walked
away feeling the strongest I have all season!
HM #34
13.1-2:22
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