Tidewater Distance Series

I ran a 20K (12.4 miles) race yesterday. It is part of a distance series of 3 races to help people prepare for the Shamrock Marathon in March. The local running club, along with huge support from the local running stores manages these races. I am impressed. This is really a fabulous thing for the runners. For $45 each, Pete and I registered for all three races which are spread out over about 6 weeks. There are 2 series. One for the half marathon runners (10K, 15K, 20K) and one for the full marathon (20K, 25K, 30K). All races are run on Ft Story and they are chipped timed. For a new runner, this gives them a chance to practice water stops, timing chips, clothes or whatever. It also breaks up the lonliness of long runs. When you complete the series, each runner gets a distance series hoodie and a plaque with a photo from each race and their times for each race. As if that were not enough, after each race there is a party with free food. Yesterday, it was cold with a bit of wind. They set up the party in the post bowling alley and served all of us grilled cheese sandwiches and either soup or chili. I just think that's a hell of a deal. They had about 350 runners yesterday.

By the way, I placed 3rd female overall with a time of 1:32:50.