Ron Jon Half Marathon

Cocoa Beach, Florida

Sunday, October 23, 2016

On Sunday, October 23, 2016 I race walked the Ron Jon Half Marathon in Cocoa Beach, Florida.  It was a nice day for the event as the temperature ranged from 64 to70 degrees with sunny skies and a 5 to 10 mph wind.  The course was completely closed to traffic and consisted of 10.2 miles of paved roadways and 2.9 miles of sandy beach which for the most part was solidly packed sand; however, the exit off the beach consisted of loosely pack sand that was hard to traverse.  Water/Gatorade stations were located from 1 to 2 miles apart and were manned by plenty of efficient enthusiastic volunteers taking care of the needs of the participants.  The event is a Jeannie themed event based on the old television show: “I Dream of Jeannie”.  This is the second year for the event and there were more than 100 participants dressed in Jeannie costumes.  In the first year, Barbara Eden, whom played Jeannie on the TV show, attended.  This year Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island, attended.  The event is well organized and fortunately was able to be held less than 2 weeks after Hurricane Matthew went through the area.  I enjoyed myself and even managed to win third place in my running age group even though I walked the entire way.

Des Moines Half Marathon

Des Moines, Iowa

Sunday, October 16, 2016

On Sunday, October 16, 2016 I race walked the Des Moines Half Marathon in Des Moines, Iowa.  There was dense overcast fog with 100% humidity, no breeze and a temperature holding at about 62 degrees.  The course was completely closed to traffic with no cross traffic allowed at any intersection utilizing 10 miles of paved roadways and 3 miles of paved bike paths.  Except between miles10 and 12 where the course encircled the Iowa State Capitol Building which sits on a hill, the course was mostly flat with small up and downs.  There were about 7000 participants in the half marathon and 3000 participants in the full marathon.  There were also a 5K and a marathon relay of whose numbers I am not sure.  The water/Gatorade stations were located about every mile beginning at mile 3.  There were plenty on enthusiastic, efficient, friendly volunteers taking care of the needs of the participants; however, the first three stations were a little crowded because of the number of participants.  The event offered prize money to the top finishers and as a result there were several elite Kenyan and Ethiopian runners posting very impressive times.  There were many spectators everywhere along the course cheering enthusiastically for all of the participants as well as live and recorded music spaced approximately every ½ miles.  The post-race food was the best I have ever experienced in all of my 326 marathons and half marathons.  Security was used to restrict the area to the participants who were allowed to eat as much as they want from a huge selection of items including pizza, Bar-B-Que Sandwiches, Soup, Etc.  There were excellent live bands playing in the finish area.  My friend, ex-Olympian-Coach, Jeff Galloway and his wife were there.  Two of the running clubs to which I belong, Marathon Maniacs and Half Fanatics, held a reunion even in association with the event attracting at least 500 members.  As a result the race provided the clubs with the lobby on the Civic Center with its indoor bathrooms immediately next to the start line, as an indoor place the wait for the start. The area had a separate gear check for the club member’s exclusive use.  This was extremely nice and added to my enjoyment of the event.

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