ING Miami Marathon
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Miami, Florida

I race walked the ING Miami Marathon on Sunday, January 28, 2007. The start of the race was 6:10 AM and by 5:15 AM it began raining. Just a gentle rain at first, then harder and harder. The rain continued until around 6:30 AM. This made for a miserable start of the race as everyone had to wait in the chutes in the rain. There was a major puddle near the start line, which cause a major backup after the race started. People were afraid to step in the water even though everyone was totally drenched. It took more than 8 minutes to reach the start line after the gun went off.
Fortunately the temperature was around 70 degrees so I did not get too cold before the start. Once the rain quit, the race was pleasant although there were some puddles that needed to be avoided. The starting area also had much construction which also cause much congestion for the first half of a mile. Once the race entered the MacArthur Parkway, there was plently of space for each competitor. The first three water stations were also crowded; however, this is normal and should be expected in large races.
The whole event was well organized and there were plenty of volunteers. Every intersection had somebody controlling traffic. Major intersection had 3 or 4 police officers directing and controlling traffic. There were 23 water and gatorade stations which made it easy to stay hydrated when the temperature reached around 75.
2007 represented the fifth year for this event and I have done each one. As a result, when I crossed the finish line, in addition to receiving my finisher's medal, I also received a nice New Balance jacket as did the rest of the five year finishers. This was a very pleasant bonus.