Garmin Half Marathon
Olathe, Kansas
Saturday, April 18, 2015

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 I race walked the Garmin Half Marathon on Olathe, Kansas that started and ended at the Garmin Corporation. The temperature remained about 65 degrees throughout the race. Rain was predicted for the whole event but fortunately it did not start until I reached mile 8 and did not rain hard until I reached mile 12. The wind was about 5 mph. The course utilized roadways and paved bike trails that were completely closed to traffic. The bike paths had a sealant coating that once it started raining became somewhat slippery. There were numerous up and down sections in the course; however, only one uphill of about ¼ mile was challenging. Police and volunteers controlled all of the intersections and kept participants safe and allowed cross traffic to proceed when there were gaps in the field. Water/Gatorade stations were located between 1 and 2.5 miles apart and were manned by plenty of enthusiastic, efficient volunteers who took care of the needs of the participants even after it started raining. There were a few spectators before it started raining and not very many afterwards. Many participants wore Wizard of Oz character costumes and the finisher’s medal featured a flying monkey chasing Dorothy. It was Kansas after all. The event was very well organized and I enjoyed myself despite the rain.