Yesterday I ran my very first Halloween marathon for State #21 at the Spinx Runfest Carolina Marathon in Greenville, SC! It couldn't have been a more perfect day for a marathon, and it was especially fun to see the runners and crowd dressed up for Halloween!
It was another early morning for me, as I had to get up at 3:00 in the morning so that I could leave by 4:00am to arrive by 6:30am. But I was surprisingly awake (although my furry children were not), largely due to my excitement for the day. During the past few weeks, knowing that I would be running on Halloween, I tried to put together a heart-themed costume (to support the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association), and I was excited to be able to run in hearts for the day. I was especially excited to wear my new heart antennas for the marathon :). You can see the costume in the finish pictures.
It was a nice drive, although part of Interstate 85 (the highway from Atlanta to Greenville) was completely shut down, which sent me into a little panic, because the last time I attempted SC, I drove home without running a marathon due to several unfortunate circumstances, and I was afraid it might happen again. But I was able to still get there on time - phew! I easily found parking and hopped on a marathon trolley (how cool) to get to Fluor Field for the start. It was my first stadium marathon experience, which was really nice! I picked up my packet, put on my bib, and dropped off my bag in no time. Since it was a little bit chilly waiting to start, many of the runners gathered around the tiki heaters that were scattered around. It was fun to see the runners start to arrive in festive outfits for the day.
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| Fluor Field |
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| Warming up at the Tiki Heaters at the start. |
We soon made our way out to the starting line, were given some course instructions, and then we were on our way!
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| Starting line of Spinx Runfest. |
Once we were started, the weather was perfect for running. I had never been to Greenville before, and hadn't done much research on the course or the area, and so it was all new to me. We spent quite a bit of time on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, which was quiet and there was even a little bit of foliage to see (which I've missed since moving south). I was feeling really good right from the start, and the heart costume seemed to be a hit, and so the compliments about the costume (especially the antennas) and my cause helped me along too!
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| The Swamp Rabbit Trail. |
We eventually entered into the Furman University campus, which I had never heard of before, but it was one of the prettiest campuses I have seen. Just as we were entering, we ran around a body of water that had a giant clock tower in the middle, which was very cool. Then we came into the campus itself, which just had incredible buildings and landscaping, and I thought it would be a beautiful campus for a student to live on. The students were out cheering for us and directing us along the paths as well. The campus was quite large and so we were able to see quite a bit of it across a few miles.
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| Clock tower as we entered Furman University campus. |
The miles just went along - I love it when marathons just go along and you feel like it's just a good running day. We entered back into the Swamp Rabbit Trail, and I continued to receive compliments on both my 21st State for the cause, my heart antennas, and my heart costume. I thought about my stroke and heart heroes, and soon I had reached mile 25! The last mile brought us back out into the streets, and then we ran into the stadium and circled the outfield to finally come around and cross the finish line. Of course, as I'm not one of the fast runners, there weren't a ton of people in the stands, but I did get to see a few fellow Marathon Maniacs cheering, which was awesome. And it's always fun to hear your name announced in a stadium as you near the finish line!
This was a really great day and a great marathon, and it made me consider continuing to wear my heart antennas (and maybe the entire costume) in the future! You can see entire costume below :).
State #22 is only 3 weeks away at the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and I'm very excited!
Marathon Highlights
Very organized - the shuttle trolleys made getting to the start very easy
The start at the stadium was great - Very easy to pick up the packet, drop the bag, and there were real restrooms and tiki heaters!
Great volunteer support
The trail had running turf at some points (especially awesome for the last few miles!)
Stadium finish
Very good swag (and at a low registration cost) - medal, nice long sleeve tech shirt, pint glass, and coffee cup
#1 Song That Got Me Through a Tough Patch
Listen to the Music - The Doobie Brothers
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