Daytona Beach Half Marathon
Daytona Beach, Florida
Sunday, February 7, 2016

On Sunday, February 7, 2016 I race walked the Daytona Beach Half Marathon in Daytona Beach, Florida. The rain stopped just before the race began; however, the temperature remained about 44 degrees throughout the race and the wind blew from 15-20 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. The course started on pit row in the Daytona International Speedway and did most of a lap around the track before exiting to the highway. From there the course proceed to the beach where between miles 7 and 8 we were scheduled to do 0.5 miles on the sand where the original Daytona races were held, but because of the high wind which created a high surf and made it unsafe to be on the beach and forced an adjustment to highway A1A which parallels the beach. Upon returning to the Speedway we finished our lap around the track and finished on the track at the finish line for the motorsport races. Intersection were controlled by police and volunteers to keep the traffic off the course. It should be noted that at several intersections traffic was quite congested and showed their displeasure by honking their horns. Water/Gatorade stations were located every 1 to 1.5 miles and were manned by plenty of volunteers. I really appreciate the police and volunteers who performed their duties despite the miserable weathers and annoyed traffic. The post-race festivities were not very festive as it was too cold for the approximate 1200 participants. When I finished, the complimentary beer line had no one in the line because the cold and wind had caused people to leave as soon as they finished. The event was very well organized. I expected the less than ideal weather and dressed accordingly. As a result I actually enjoyed doing the race. I got a bonus when I finished as a reporter for Channel 13 News interviewed me because he noticed my shirt.