Blue Angel Rock and; Fly Half Marathon
Pensacola, Florida
Saturday, March 29, 2014

On Saturday, March 29, 2014 I race walked the inaugural Blue Angel Rock & Fly Half Marathon in Pensacola, Florida. On Friday evening it was decided that the start of the race was to be delayed until 9:00 AM to allow the threat of thunder storms to disappear. It was an unnecessary precaution as by 8:00 AM the skies were mostly sunny and there was no longer a threat for rain. This was a minor inconvenience for the sake of safety. It did cause the event to be held in relatively hot temperatures in to 70’s with mostly sunny skies and a gentle breeze, The course was mainly flat on the roadways of the Pensacola Naval Air Station that had dedicated lanes closed to traffic for the use of the runners. Most of the plentiful volunteers were military personnel from the Base who handled their duties efficiently with much enthusiasm. There were about 10 water/Gatorade stations spaced out in the half marathon that had plenty of volunteers and not enough supplies. I only was able to get Gatorade at one of the stations and three of the stations had run out of water by the time I reacted them. The finish line also had no water or Gatorade and there was nothing to drink except beer in the post-race party. Fortunately I had some Gatorade in my car. As would be expected for an event sponsored by the Navy, the sold out with 2500 entries in the half marathon and 5K was very well organized and fun to do with the exception of the above mentioned water stations. There used to be a marathon held on the Base that was no longer held after a hurricane did major damage to the Base. It was nice that twelve commanders unanimously decide to hold this new event. I have confidence that next year’s edition of this event will be held with the water station problems fixed. I expect to be an entrant.