Jacksonville Half Marathon
Jacksonville, Florida
Sunday, December 29, 2013

On Sunday, December 29, 2013 I race walked the Jacksonville Half Marathon in Jacksonville, Florida. The temperature at the start of the event was 65 degrees, the breeze was about 9 mph, and the skies were partly cloudy. This was a pleasant surprise because rain was predicted for the entire event. I did not luck out completely as by mile 4 it began to drizzle and it continued to rain and drizzle for the rest of my half marathon. I even experienced a flash of lightning and the boom of thunder as I was approaching the finish line on the track of the stadium at Bolles High School. The course was almost completely flat on the roadways which had a closed dedicated lane for the participants. There were a large number of police to control the intersections and other key points along the route. The last half mile of the course was a quarter of a mile across a soccer field, an eighth of a mile path, and a half lap around a track. The soccer field and path were muddy and had many puddles as a result of the rain. Water/Gatorade stations were located approximately every two miles and were manned by plenty of volunteers who did their duties despite the rain. As always I really appreciate the volunteers without which these events could not occur. There were a few spectators braving the bad weather to cheer the participants. It was pouring when I finished and I did not stay around for the post-race activities. The event as usual was very well organized.