Race Review – Madison Mini Marathon

Finisher Medal AND Bottle Opener...I'm surprised there wasn't a hidden cheese knife

As you may know, the Commish has taken up running half marathons.  No, I’m not interested in running a full.  No, I’m not going to do a “tri” – I’ll leave that to the people that can swim.  13.1 miles is plenty far and plenty tough for the Commish, thank you very much.  I wanted to get a couple additional races on the calendar before the Des Moines Half, and decided on Madison’s Mini Marathon, not to be confused with the city’s full and half races put on in the spring.  This event is sponsored by the University – so much so, it was move in weekend…because that’s just what people from out of town want to do – fight the traffic for move in weekend.

First negative note – the hotel doesn’t serve breakfast until 7:30, race starts at 7:00. Argh!  How am I to acquire a crappy bagel to choke down in advance of the run?  I decide to skip breakfast and go with the Gu and shotblocks I brought.

First positive note – the hotel we stayed at was the perfect location as I was able to walk outside and stare at the start line. The Mrs. and I walk over to the corral and calmly wait until the race starts – all races should be so easy to get to.

Second negative – The front of the race starts walking toward the back of the race…wtf?  Oh, yeah, that lightning in the distance is apparently a human health hazard so…we seek shelter immediately with no indication on the length of the delay.  We spend the better part of an hour in an old armory (really cool building).

Second positive – I get to eat breakfast!  After Didi (note: Didi was a random runner, not a race official…seemed knowledgeable) informs me that we won’t start this race until at least 9, maybe 9:30 , I figure I can get a breakfast in – so, Back to the Hotel.  Two hard boiled eggs and some melon later…

Third negative – The race starts 5 minutes after I finish breakfast…uh oh.  Well, I figure I didn’t gorge myself too much, so it shouldn’t be too bad… 

Third positive – It’s still raining and will rain for another 45 minutes but we get going (8:30 for those of you keeping track) and the pump up music is quality (and they didn’t play “Jump Around”, which I figured they would since this is Madison – so good job race directors).  I’m feeling good to go.

The Race – One of the more interesting parts about being slow is the wait between the starting gun and when you actually get to start running.  Imagine about 3,000 people jammed into a street, coiled up and ready to go.  With the downpour in full effect and the starter pistol fired, these dedicated runners, who waited through a 90 minute delay, slowly file their way to the start line and then take off.  Being slow, I get to be toward the back and see it all in front of me.  Some people start to jump, some start jogging in place and some are walking to conserve energy (that’s where I fall), so you get this really cool visual of a sea of heads bobbing up and down.  3 minutes or so to the front and I’m off.

One of the things you’re not supposed to do is start out too fast and burn energy you’ll want later.  I do my best to keep that under control, but I’m probably a bit fast out of the gate.  There isn’t a 2:20 pace team, so I’m on my own for reaching my aggressive goal pace.  The first part of the race is really awesome – you get to run straight at the Capitol building, which is a very cool piece of architecture.  You turn and get to go down State Street, which is probably the coolest street in Wisconsin.  The Mrs. clicks a pic and I’m feeling good.  As we approach the 3rd mile, I see Camp Randall.  Someone, around the time this picture was taken says “so, where do they play their football games at?”  Really?  The gigantic stadium behind the arch that says “Camp Randall” didn’t give it away?  Note – team purple ran with me most of the way – I finished a little behind the 3 of them.  This is my crew – generally older guys and packs of women.

Camp Randall in background, team purple on left

By mile 4, the rain has slowed or stopped…I think…and we make our way around a lake and through the arboretum.  The arboretum was beautiful and had some surprisingly challenging hills.  I take my first Gu pack around 6.25 miles because my stomach isn’t really feeling great with that last minute breakfast.  This is also where I start to noticeably slow down a bit.  I grind through miles 6-10 and feel a sense of odd relief – only a 5K left! 

Those last 3 miles are brutal.  I’m starting to feel the effect of running the hills on the course, my stomach still isn’t happy with me, energy is waning, and I’m even starting to doubt my legs can take it.  I definitely slow down on the home stretch.  We get all the way up to an odd turn a little past 11 miles and it allows me to see all the people that are behind me.  When you’re as slow as I am, it’s always comforting to know there are, in fact, people behind you.  Unfortunately, I see the pace team for 2:30.  This does not please me – they are way too close for comfort – maybe 3-4 minutes behind. 

I try to use that as motivation and it gets me to the last aid station at 12.2 miles or so.  I remember thinking “there’s no way I’m going to need anything at that point”.  Funny how 12 miles changes your mind.  I walked through the water station, sipping water…and kept walking to throw away the cup.  I’m beat.  I know it.  0.9 miles might not seem like much, but at that point it felt like 90.  I suck it up and start to jog, hoping the 2nd 4th wind comes to me.  It doesn’t.  I walk for a little while, see some people pass me that apparently saved up a lot of energy for this push.  That angers me and I start to jog again. 

Near the end, the race goes up a steep but short hill (jerks), and onto a street near the union.  Of course, the race ends at the Union, I just didn’t know what side.  A quick turn leads to a downhill where the Finish Line is dead ahead…I’ve rarely seen anything as beautiful as that.  I cruise to the finish less so because I have the energy, more so because I’m ready to be done and I’m sick of all these people passing me with a sprint at the end.  What a bunch of jerks – where were you the last 13.05 miles?!

Final time: 2:28:36  That’s right – I didn’t let those 2:30 pacers pass me.  Post race offerings were sparse – water (no powerade/gatorade), chocolate milk (2 please), banana, chips and granola bars (all sound gross), and a rice krispie treat.  I grab two pints of chocolate milk, find the wife, and have a good long sit.  I see a welcome black and gold t-shirt and give a “Go HAWKS!” to the fellow Iowans.  The Mrs. convinced the hotel to allow me to shower in the locker room since we were forced to check out of our room by 11.  I’m sure the post race festivities were great – but we decided to skip out because, well, it was move in weekend and overcrowded to say the least.

Overall, the “fan” support during the race wasn’t really there for most of it, but the weather didn’t help things at all.  The aid stations were well run and supportive.  The runners themselves were mostly midwesterners so, good people, not surprising.  Plus, they give you a finishers medal that can open bottles of beer…you’ve got a respect a people that into their beer.  Thanks, Madison and UW for a good time.  I still hope you suck this year.  GO HAWKS!