Hilton Head Island Half Marathon
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Saturday, February 7, 2015

I race walked the Hilton Head Island Half Marathon in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina on Saturday, February 7, 2015. It was cold as the start, 32 degrees, and it warmed to about 44 degrees by the time I finished. Fortunately there was no wind and sunny skies as I completed the half marathon which utilized mostly paved roads and bike paths that were completely closed to traffic. Police and volunteers were located at all the intersections and controlled the traffic to keep the participants safe. Numerous other volunteers were located at all the turns and the places where the 300 marathoners and 300 5Kers and 600 half marathoners separated from one another. Water stations were located from one to two and a half miles apart and were manned by plenty of enthusiastic, efficient volunteers who braved the cold to take care of the needs of the participants. There was only one station which was at mile 8 that offered Gatorade. I would have liked Gatorade to be at every station. They did not have a gear check, so I had to leave my warm clothes for after the race sit under a tree near the finish line. Fortunately it was still there when I finished. Except for the Gatorade and gear check the event was well planned, well organized, and fun to do.