Brian Johnson (MM8807, HF7287, DA707)– Run weekends are always a blast. They give you a chance to connect with your running friends, experience new things, celebrate people’s accomplishments, and, of course, test your fitness level.
I wasn’t sure how today would go, especially since I’ve been injured and sick over the past month, which meant not a lot of running. But it went about as well as I expected—I finished, and I didn’t die!
The morning started off cold at 39 degrees, and it was in the mid-70s by the time the marathoners wrapped up. I opted to run just the half marathon, knowing the race had a pretty strict cutoff and that I wasn’t quite ready for the full distance.
Before the race, the Marathon Maniacs and Half Fanatics got together for a group photo. I also got to see a few Columbus running friends along the way, including Molly Niswander, Karen Brainard Olson, and Cindy Deep.
The course itself was pretty flat (which surprised me since it’s West Virginia). There was one stretch along a bike trail that was a bit annoying to run on. By mile 12.5, my left leg, which had been bothering me, started acting up again, so I walked the last bit in.
One cool part of this race is that you finish on the football field. They hand you a football as you get down to field level, and you get to run the length of the field and back before finishing.
I’m glad I chose the half and not the full marathon—I just wasn’t ready. The additional medal was a nice bonus since I’d done the Hatfield McCoy Marathon earlier this year.
I also got to watch Jamie Hotrod Miller and Mary Carolyn finish their 50th state today, which was amazing to see!
This race is an experience—it’s definitely worth doing.
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