Journeys of The Key West Southernmost Walker: April 2017

Pro Football Hall Of Fame Half Marathon

Canton, Ohio

Sunday, April 30, 2017

I completed the Pro Football Hall Of Fame Half Marathon on Sunday, April 30, 2017. It was a nice day for the event as the temperature varied from 57 to 73 degrees with partly cloudy skies and a gentle breeze. The course was on city streets in Canton, Ohio which for the most part was closed to traffic and had numerous police and volunteers at intersections controlling traffic. Water/Gatorade stations started at mile 2.5 and were spaced from 1 to 1.5 miles apart thereafter. There were plenty of friendly efficient volunteers to take care of the needs of the nearly 7000 participants in the full and half marathon. However, some of the stations were a little crowded. This was the second consecutive year that I did this event which is in its third year. The event was organized and fun again; however, one shortfall in the planning was that there was little parking near the start-finish line so participants had to park in the Stark County Fairgrounds and be bussed. This was no problem before the event but was a nightmare after the event because the busses had to cross through the course and traffic was backed up trapping the busses during their journey. I did not reach my car until 2.5 hours after I finished even though my car was about 3 miles from the start-finish area. I had to wait in a long line for the bus and the short ride took about 30 minutes. The finisher’s medal was unique because it looked like a medal version of a ticket to a pro football game.

Exposition

Before the Race

Me and a Few Friends

Scenes Near the Course

Me After the Race

Newport Half Marathon

Newport, Rhode Island

Saturday, April 15, 2017

On Saturday, April 15, 2017 I race walked the Newport Half Marathon in Newport, Rhode Island. The temperature varied from 38 to 49 degrees with sunny skies and a wind starting calm and building to 10 to 15 mph by the time I finished. The course had much up and down and what somewhat challenging on city roads through the famous mansion neighborhoods and along the Atlantic Ocean. The road were open to some traffic and had many police officers controlling to keep everyone safe. Water stations were located from 2 to 2.5 miles apart and had plenty of efficient friendly volunteers taking care of the needs of the participants. This was the first year for this spring race which has had an identical version in the fall for several years and I had completed once. I enjoyed this event that was well organized and fun. I even managed to get first place in my running age group despite the fact that I walked the entire way.