Smuttynose Half Marathon

Hampton Beach, New Hampshire

Sunday, October 1, 2017

On Sunday, October 1, 2017, I race walked the Smuttynose Half Marathon in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire.  It was a nice day for the event which had 5500 participants in the half marathon and 1500 participants in the 5K.  The skies were sunny with little wind and a temperature that varied between 42 and 60 degrees.  The course utilized roads that were completely closed to traffic.  The first 4 miles were a double loop through the resort town of Hampton Beach. The next 2.5 miles were along the Atlantic Ocean.  The next 3.5 miles went through a forested neighborhood that had gentle ups and down.  The final 3.6 miles returned to Hampton Beach along the Ocean.  A few police officers were needed at key spots and the rest of the course used volunteers to direct the participants.  There were 3 water stations and 2 water/Gatorade stations spread out throughout the course which made the stations a little further apart than I would have liked.  The event was well organized; however, they had trouble with their result area.  I had to wait extra time to find out if I earned an age group award as the awards had to be picked up at the race.  It turned out that I was third in my male 70 and up and I received a Smuttynose glass and 8 Smuttynose coasters.  I had done the Smuttynose Half Marathon once before on a very cold rainy day.  The 2017 event was much more enjoyable.  It has been a month since I have done a race as Hurricane Irma caused me to miss the Sioux Falls Half Marathon and the Quad Cities Half Marathon.  I would like to commend Delta Airlines as they let me apply the value of my airline tickets to future flights with no penalty.  Also Hertz Car Rentals and Choice Hotels let me cancel my reservations with no penalty,

Before the race

After the race