Medicine Bow Half Marathon

Laramie, Wyoming

May 27, 2018

On Sunday, May 27, 2018 I finished the very challenging Medicine Bow Half Marathon near Laramie, Wyoming for a third time.  The event consisted of a 50K, a full marathon, a half marathon, and a 5K and had a total of about 200 finishers of which 60 were in the half marathon.  All events begin and end at the rest area along the Lincoln Highway (US 30) in Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyoming where the highest elevation (8700 feet) along this famous coast to coast highway occurs and is marked by a large statue of President Lincoln.  The half marathon is an out and back journey on a sand and gravel roadway that is not closed to traffic and as a result the participants had to deal with quite a lot of dust kicked up by the traffic.  The first 4.5 miles were a downhill starting at 8700 feet and descending to 8000 feet with the first 1.5 miles being steep. From there to the turnaround, which was at 8400 feet, was a steep uphill.  All participants were expected to carry their own water bottle which could be refilled at the 4.5 mile low point on the course where two volunteers gladly help everyone.  All finishers received a medal.  There were no overall or age group awards.  All of this was no surprise as it was well spelled out on the website and in the emails sent by the race director.  I enjoyed the challenge of this event.

Before the Race

After the Race