I know there was some interest in the Space Coast Half/Full Marathon, being that’s it was one of the few in-person races still happening, so I thought I’d create a new thread.
Overall, I felt extremely comfortable and had a fantastic time. I literally went back and forth on my decision to still run in-person versus switching to virtual - it was really stressing me out. We decided to switch from our usual 2-night stay to just a short overnight - not even a 24 hour visit.
The expo/packet pick-up was at the race start/finish area, in an outdoor park. It’s typically held in the convention halls at one of the host resorts. The location change made it very easy to social distance, and I was in and out in mere minutes. The finisher medals (bonus medal for completing a 3-year challenge) were given with the bib to reduce a contact point at the finish line.
Pre-race, the number of runners seemed comparable to years past, but it was very easy to find a quiet place to wait if you so desired (which I did, haha!). They held a staggered start with corrals instead of just opening the start line and letting everyone shuffle in a mass herd. Masks were required in the corrals until you crossed the start, and everyone I saw complied. There were 4 corrals for the north half/full marathon and 4 for the south half. They held everyone back for the south course, but with 5 minute intervals, everything moved quickly. I was in the 7th corral (of 8 total) and started 28 minutes after the first runners.
The staggered start really helped to reduce crowding on the course. It’s an out and back on a road with one lane on each side, so once the returning runners reach you, you are a bit limited on space. No pace groups helped prevent bunching and I never felt “trapped” behind anyone. There was weaving, of course, but I never felt like I was too close to anyone. The only negative is that because the faster runners had a 10 minute head start (and the full marathon had almost 30 minutes), the faster runners caught up a lot sooner than usual (I’m sure the elite marathoners were not super thrilled).
Aid stations were limited, as they had warned beforehand. I ended up investing in a Nathan hydration vest and it worked really well - I actually wish I had done it sooner! They were handing out full bottles of water and PowerAde if you needed it. And although the course didn’t have quite the usual party atmosphere, there were still residents out on their lawns waving and cheering, and a couple wee even handing out mimosas, Fireball shots, and beer.
I told my husband that about a half mile into the race, when everyone had removed their masks and gotten into their running groove, it almost felt like any other year. I hate to use the word, but it was probably the most “normal” thing I’ve done in a long time. And I finished with a 2:47:10, so not too shabby (for me, anyway
)!
Overall, I felt extremely comfortable and had a fantastic time. I literally went back and forth on my decision to still run in-person versus switching to virtual - it was really stressing me out. We decided to switch from our usual 2-night stay to just a short overnight - not even a 24 hour visit.
The expo/packet pick-up was at the race start/finish area, in an outdoor park. It’s typically held in the convention halls at one of the host resorts. The location change made it very easy to social distance, and I was in and out in mere minutes. The finisher medals (bonus medal for completing a 3-year challenge) were given with the bib to reduce a contact point at the finish line.
Pre-race, the number of runners seemed comparable to years past, but it was very easy to find a quiet place to wait if you so desired (which I did, haha!). They held a staggered start with corrals instead of just opening the start line and letting everyone shuffle in a mass herd. Masks were required in the corrals until you crossed the start, and everyone I saw complied. There were 4 corrals for the north half/full marathon and 4 for the south half. They held everyone back for the south course, but with 5 minute intervals, everything moved quickly. I was in the 7th corral (of 8 total) and started 28 minutes after the first runners.
The staggered start really helped to reduce crowding on the course. It’s an out and back on a road with one lane on each side, so once the returning runners reach you, you are a bit limited on space. No pace groups helped prevent bunching and I never felt “trapped” behind anyone. There was weaving, of course, but I never felt like I was too close to anyone. The only negative is that because the faster runners had a 10 minute head start (and the full marathon had almost 30 minutes), the faster runners caught up a lot sooner than usual (I’m sure the elite marathoners were not super thrilled).
Aid stations were limited, as they had warned beforehand. I ended up investing in a Nathan hydration vest and it worked really well - I actually wish I had done it sooner! They were handing out full bottles of water and PowerAde if you needed it. And although the course didn’t have quite the usual party atmosphere, there were still residents out on their lawns waving and cheering, and a couple wee even handing out mimosas, Fireball shots, and beer.
I told my husband that about a half mile into the race, when everyone had removed their masks and gotten into their running groove, it almost felt like any other year. I hate to use the word, but it was probably the most “normal” thing I’ve done in a long time. And I finished with a 2:47:10, so not too shabby (for me, anyway
)!
Sounds like they had a great plan in place to keep people safe.
