Eddie Hahn — MM184
Here is an extrapolation / summary from a comment thread I wrote to my friend Iyob Tessema in his half marathon experience at the Shoreline Marathon in Ventura on Sunday.
“For me, I believed the event to be the perfect temperature (a prior 8 to 10 time heat casualty I would not otherwise run a July Marathon). But I definitely “fell flat” on reading the pre race amenities hold harmless/ buyer beware BRING YOU OWN on course energy replacement!
Had I done the proper homework, I definitely would have put that mint protein bar I failed to consume for breakfast in my fanny pack instead of my check in bag-because after 15 miles I felt like Wiley coyote falling from a cliff or something.
No gu’s, no gel’s, no power bars, no banana’s, no oranges, no pretzel’s nada Zip zero zilch. Just super concentrated self serve gatorade and water.
I was reduced to quite the “airborne shuffle” in the latter stages. But, hey, it was just a springboard for pacing gigs in the fall. And with missed training due to everything from family medical emergencies to deaths and car accidents, I didnt expect much more.
As you succinctly put it “landing on another planet” bonding with our fellow like minded humans-especially the first time marathoners (and I met three)-made my day more than worth it.
Incidentally, in Mr Escobar’s defense (Bill of Elite Sports the RD a great guy)-he had street tacos, beer and bananas at the end. And I am sure he delineated the lack of on course aid outside gator in the instructions. This was also the case when I ran Surfer’s Point here in 2018.
Still I think he should at least em-place one banana gu or gel station at the 6.5 turn around for half and full runners.
Incidentally, sorry you ended up in the “stink hole” (4th place)- I have had that dubious yet disheartening experience before. That’s much higher than me, who was 6th out of 9. I was hoping for at least “the middle” in view of the latent reserved I may have had from 3 months without missing a day in Dec, Jan and Feb before being clobbered by crisis.”
I had hoped for a 4 hour finish, but it took me 4:11:27, the back half collapse after I ran out of energy accounting for the 9:50s I held verses the 909s I may have preferred. In the end I can live with it-no real recent speed work or long runs and training at 12 – 13 minute miles.
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Photo and Post Credit Eddie Hahn