Kiawah Island Half Marathon-Dec 12, 2015









This was the 38th Annual Kiawah Island marathon and half marathon. Kiawah Island is a barrier island off South Carolina near Charleston. This race had been on my mind for a couple of years, knowing Kiawah is known for its gorgeous beaches. Registration and lowest fees start as soon as the prior year ends, so I was looking forward to this one for over a year.

Kiawah Island is a mostly residential Island. The Sanctuary Hotel is the main hotel, located directly at the race Start/Finish. This luxury 5 star hotel, however, comes with a hefty price tag, but every penny would be worth it! The hotel has a lovely sprawling green garden with chairs placed perfectly to relax and overlook the ocean. The pool and hot tub also have prime gorgeous views. If this is not in the budget, then a condo/villa rental (airbnb, vrbo if not through Kiawah assoc) would be my recommendation.

Because I was traveling solo and on a budget, I found a cute small beach town called Folly Beach which had the perfect hotel for me called The Tides. The drive was a quick, no traffic light, 45 minutes from the race. This budget friendly hotel is also located directly on the beach, has a small outdoor pool, and a great lounging area with bonfires, outdoor warmers, and tiki bar. Live music is played nightly. (make sure you ask for a high floor if you want to sleep early) Book directly on their website and they give you a free bottle of champagne! Score!

I drove up the morning before the race with time to relax in the afternoon, meet some friendly Folly Beach residents, and catch a gorgeous beach sunset!


EXPO/PACKET PICK UP
Packet Pick up was available a couple of days before or on race day. It was located directly at the race site which had a small Conference Center. They had a lot of race merchandise, with items on sale too from previous years. This small expo had a good variety of vendors available as well for other needed running supplies. It was requested to bring canned goods, or teacher supplies as part of their charity contribution, however, no one asked anything about it and seemed to almost be forgotten.

DAYS PRIOR
The Race Director really tries to help you create a full weekend out of coming to town. There is a 5k glow run right on the beach the night before, Yoga the night before and day after the race, an option to rent bikes and tour the race course with a guide, a buffet dinner, and even a buffet breakfast the morning of the race!


SHUTTLE/PARKING
Kiawah Island is a private and gated community. Therefore, if you are not staying on the island itself, you have to park right outside the gates and get shuttled in. I arrived about 545a and was able to park quickly and get straight onto a bus without a problem. However, the driver told us they changed the drop off area and we had to walk further than planned. This was a very awkward walk through the pitch dark on a winding sidewalk through the woods. It was a bit unnerving to make sure you stayed on the sidewalk without twisting an ankle, finding your way.

The shuttle back to your car at the end of the race on the other hand was in a completely different location, much closer. There was not a delay in any of the 4 shuttles I had to take (more on this to come later)


START
There was supposed to be a pre race warm up, but I never saw nor heard any information of where this was at. There were Two Gear Checks that were completely unsupervised. You basically left your bag on a shelf in a tent hoping it would still be there upon your return.

Another reason I arrived so early was because they announced there would be breakfast at the Market located at the Start. They had a complete runners buffet and hot sandwiches for purchase. I was able to sit in the warm, enjoy a hot breakfast and coffee and ease into race morning. This was definitely one of the best prerace experiences!

There was also the Conference center at the Start where a lot of people were sitting to stay warm.


COURSE
Yes, Kiawah Island is technically an island off of South Carolina. Because a good portion of the island is mostly surrounded by marsh and the beautiful beach is blocked by houses and golf courses, you disappointingly do not see ANY ocean the entire 13.1  miles.

This flat, mostly shaded and residential course, runs a circle with a 3 mile out and back. A good portion of the second half is run on an entirely too small of a sidewalk, making it hard to  pass if you are in the middle of the pack pace.

There were pacers for the full marathon, which split off at M11.


WATER/HYDRATION STATIONS
Each station was properly stocked and bananas and oranges were even offered.The water and Gatorade people were wearing different shirts which helped make them recognizable.

There were Drop Zones where they tried to keep the majority of the trash or discarded items. In these drop zones, you could also discard clothing that you could be retrieve the next day.

One generous neighbor set up a Sam Adams sample table, which we got to pass by twice....and yes, i did partake!

RESULTS
I thought the weather was almost perfect. It started off cold, but quickly warmed as the sun rose, but I never got hot because the course was completely in the shade. (of course, the full marathoners did get a little more heat). I had just run 19 miles a few days prior, so my glutes kept me from pushing it too much too soon. I ran the first mile, and then decided to do 3x30 (run 3minutes, walk 30sec). This was the first time I was able to maintain the 30second walk breaks the entire 13 miles and it felt good! I was able to take a couple of Gus to maintain my energy. Around M11, when I realized I was not going to PR, I wanted to slow, but decided it was a new goal to be the first race for the 30sec breaks the entire course. I also caught up to a girl wearing a pink ribbon shirt right in front of me, which was a slap in the face reminder to keep it up! I ended up crossing the finish line matching my PR!


FINISH/AFTER PARTY
This finish line really is a party! There was a band, buffet spread, and endless beer! The food included different cold pastas and veggies with chicken, corn bread, brownies, and best of all hot bean soup. There was also a spread of nonalcoholic drinks such as hot chocolate, tea, lemonade.





















A good portion of the vendors from the Expo were there, as well as a couple others, handing out samples. There were also circus/juggling acts as well for entertainment!


Next to the never ending beer line, there was a set of bull horns and bell you could ring if you had PRd! What better way to celebrate!

Having to drive back  to Florida straight from the race, a huge plus of this race was that they offered showers. Oh, but how they burst that bubble...BAAAD! I had sent an email before coming to town, double checking there would in fact be showers. I was basically told yes and to inquire at the Info Table on race day. So I did. Little did it dawn on me, and little did anyone tell me, to bring my shower supplies actually to the race START.....not leave them in my car, which I had to take a shuttle to get to! The info table casually told me I would be allowed through the gate showing the map to the showers they provided. So, on the shuttle I went to get my car and supplies, and to the gate I went and BAM! I was denied. So back to the parking lot I went, to get back onto a shuttle to go Back to Finish, and go on this wild goose chase walk to a shower! The shower was supposed to be in the golf club house which ended up being 1.5 miles away! Once I finally figured out how to get there I was Denied Again! The showers were being renovated! Luckily, I finally got a golf shuttle guy who basically listened to me, cared, and taught me how to sneak into the Sanctuary Hotel locker room. It literally took me over 2 hours to get a shower!

**Secret to any future runner that needs a quick shower without having to walk 3 miles to the golf clubhouse that they direct you to......The Sanctuary Hotel is right at the Finish. Walk through the double doors to the right of the main entrance. Walk through the 2nd set of double doors. Pool is straight in front of you, locker room is on the right. There are only 2 stalls, but there is shampoo, conditioner, soap, towels, and even a hair dryer! Your Welcome.




SHIRT
The race shirt is eco friendly being made from recycled products.... best part?... its not splattered with sponsor logos all over the back!



MEDAL
The medal unfortunately is very dark making it difficult to see what it is. It seems like they were going for a stained glass, but you can not see through it, even when holding it up to light, it is still very dark. (Flash pictures didn't work well either)

OVERALL THOUGHTS
Its hard to say if I would recommend this race. Technically speaking, this race is pretty spot on (except for the shower incident). However, I just still cant get over on how close you are to the gorgeous ocean and not even catch a glimpse of it while running! This is not the first time I have said this about a race, so I guess I cant only blame Kiawah. If you are going to do this race, it can not be an in/out, you must plan to stay, otherwise you will not appreciate the beauty of what this island has to offer!

13.1-2:15
Half Marathon #57

I am currently running a half marathon a month and also running a half marathon in each state all to show support and raise awareness for breast cancer via The Donna. Please consider showing your support by making a donation today! www.donate.breastcancermarathon.com/2016-marathon/melissajohnson