Journeys of The Key West Southernmost Walker

Shiprock Half Marathon

Shiprock, New Mexico

Saturday. May 4, 2019

On Saturday, May 4, 2019 I race walked the Shiprock Half Marathon on Shiprock, New Mexico. This is the sixth time that I have done this half marathon with is held by the Navajo Nation on their Reservation. The course is a point to point course which has no flat parts and is for the most part a downhill journey with no challenging sections on two paved highways. The first six miles was on a two lane road with one lane dedicated to the participants and the other dedicated to the support vehicles which were mostly buses and police. The last 7 miles was on one side of a four lane divided highway with a wide shoulder and one lane devoted to the participants and the other devoted to regular traffic which had to travel at a greatly reduced speed. The weather saw the temperature start at 37 degrees when we boarded the bus to the start line at 6:30 and reached 44 degrees by the start of the race at 8:15 and reached 78 degrees by the time I finished. The sky was completely cloudless and there was almost no breeze. I am glad I made a decision to only wear shorts and tee shirt which required that I be somewhat cold for the first two miles so that I would not overheat for the last six miles. Water/Gatorade stations were located every two miles for the first seven miles and every mile thereafter. The age group awards are handmade Indian Pottery; however, I came in fourth of seven and did not earn one. The event has been enjoyable and this year was no different. There was a 10 K and 5 K on Friday evening which had 132 and 150 finishers respectively. The Saturday events saw 193 finishers in the full marathon, 711 finishers in the half marathon and 530 relay finishers the five-person full marathon relay. About 90% of the participants are Native Americans from the many tribes in the USA as well as the tribes in Canada and Mexico. I really enjoy being immersed in this unique cultural experience.

Pre-packet pick-up