Garmin Half Marathon

Olathe, Kansas

Saturday, April 13, 2019

On Saturday, April 13, 2019 I race walked the Garmin Half Marathon in Olathe, Kansas.  It was a cold day as the temperature varied from 34 to 44 degrees during the event with 5 mph winds and sunny skies,  The course was on 10 miles of city streets and the rest was on paved bike paths.  There was much up and down with a couple of the hills being somewhat challenging.  Major intersections were controlled by police officers and the rest were controlled by volunteers.  There was no traffic allowed anywhere on the course with either the road being completely closed or there was a dedicated lane for the participants.  Water/Gatorade stations were located every 1.5 to 2 miles with plenty of friendly, enthusiastic, efficient volunteers taking care of the needs of the 448 finishers in the marathon, 959 finishers in the half marathon and 743 finishers in the 10K.  This is the third time that I have completed the half marathon in this event which always has a Wizard of OZ theme.  The event is sponsored by Garmin and the start, finish and after party is held at the Garmin World Headquarters property.  There is plenty of free parking there also.  The event has always been very well organized and fun to do and many of the participants dress as one of the Wizard of OZ characters.

The Course

The Exposition

Before The Race

After the Race