GO! St Louis

Here we go again! Marathon travel to Missouri!

Race: April 7th, 2019

I believe this was my third trip in four months.  I paid for travel, the race, and promised to contribute to lodging, yet continued to experience the infamous leg pain when running.  *sigh*.

I signed up for this race to join Caroline on her Journey and had hopes of running under the infamous St. Louis Arch.  The race organization updated racers on how flooding impacted the race and needless to say, the race was re-routed because of mother nature.  Re-routing is better than cancelling given that I am writing this after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Travel day was uneventful considering I just flew to the middle of the country from the east coast.  Took an uber to the hotel situated near Busch Stadium.  The location wasn't bad - just a walk from some touristy stuff to do!  The race expo was a bit smaller than I expected but did not deter from the over-all experience.  My one complaint about the expo: shirt swapping was allowed at the packet pickup area.  Nooooooo!!!  I ended up getting a large and was a bit frustrated because I how have a shirt that looks stupid on me.  It would not be so bad if I lived near the race but I traveled to completed this.  Digressing back to the good of the race expo... There were plenty of shuttles from the hotel to the expo for packet pick-up prior to race day.  Bonus: the hotel allowed for runners to have a late check-out and a happy hour.  I know Caroline and I had a pitcher of something...

The pre-race meal consisted of sushi and beer.  Beer is mandatory :)  Sushi to avoid high trans fats.  

Next is race day...  And one must take transportation to the starting line in one of the larger parks in St. Louis.  The inside was crowded but warm - a must for the chilly race day start.

Who choses to travel and get up early on a weekend?  Marathon runners. 

We're in the starting corral!

I knew I would run this race a lot slower than previous ones due to injury, so I tried to volley a bit with the 5:30 (yep) pacer.  The pacing team in the back was great and made it known he had a bit of fireball with him to help with warmth and sanity.

Posing for race photographers as one should do.

One of the pros to this race was the free photos.  So yeah, I posed for at least one during this race.  And posing is a requirement for those of us partying in the back of a race.

Marathons are like mullets: business in the front, party in the back.

The race ended in another one of the city's parks. Plenty of carbs, water, and beer to consume after completing 26.2 miles on foot.  I ended up walking back to the hotel after the race.  Not ideal but much needed to help with post-race recovery.  

Post race selfie.  Who cares about time. I just completed 26.2 miles using my own power.

Finish time: 5:28; Gun time: 5:34.  Trailed that pacer by a few minutes!  I could use that fireball, now!

Curious about the gear, pros and cons? Here is a readers digest synopsis of my experience with this race:

Shoes: Altra paradigm 4 (I adopted this line as the over 15 mile running shoe- plenty of padding).

Compression: Purchased from a large on-line retailer

Pros: Organized, shuttle trips to the start line and race expo.  The course is fairly flat with some windy areas, and there were FREE race day photos.

Cons: Pretty sure the injuries did not improve. Shin splints, no fractures.  Mother nature caused the course to be re-routed.  No running under the arch due to the weather.

Race injuries: The usual blisters and missing toe nail.  Nothing once cannot handle.

Rating: Four out of five running shoes.  I would not do this race again but would recommend it because of the organization and flat course.

Is it worth the price? The Asheville Marathon

Finally finished! Need to catch a plane now.

My answer: No.  And here is  why: The race fee and lack of need for police support.

I will admit, I was initially excited to run on the Biltmore estate given that this is a place of American Royalty.  If you live close to Newport, RI, then you can see the expanse of summer manse from families like the Biltmore's, Vanderbilts, and Drexlers.  The race slogan is "run in America's largest back yard."  It is a back yard filled with vineyards, ponds, and gardens.  None of the vineyards are in bloom, nor are the gardens.  I hardly think running through hibernating foliage is worth the race fee: $150.00.

The race expo was held in a hotel outside of the estate.  It was small and well-run. I purchased a pair of lucky socks since the race was held on St. Patrick's day.  The race expo has the usual packet pick-up and an additional station to obtain your shuttle tickets.  Read the fine print with this race: there is a fee you have to pay for being shuttled to and from the estate.  This is in addition to your race fee, folks.

Asheville is a cute southern tourist town with some posh buildings, ambiance of wealth, and funky restaurants.  Caroline and I met up at the airport, went to the expo, then parleyed what to do for dinner.  We agreed on tacos.  Because, tacos.  We had dinner at the White Duck Taco Shop where bonus: the pre-race beverage was a Cheerwine slushie.  I considered this a win being a southerner displaced in the northeast.  There are some southern-isms I miss that cannot be found above the Mason-Dixon line.  But digressing, the food was great as well as the beverages.

Fast forward to race day, and here is where things go awry (at least in my humble opinion).  Caroline and I wake at our usual 2 hours before the race, get ready to embark to the shuttles about an hour and a half before we need to be at the start.  The bus ride was not so bad- it was a usual state of quiet except for the diesel motor changing pitch as we ride through the estate.  Keep in mind this race starts as spring is starting so it is off to a cold start.  The down side: there are not many places to access a toilet or warmth at this point. Hello shivering for an hour.  Side note: I wore layers to shed and was too cold.  We eventually found a covered are with propane heaters to hover around until it was time to walk to the starting line.  There were several announcements (nothing unusual) about the race, then came the request to make donations to support the post run beer.  OH HELL NO, they did not!  I just paid how much to run, no police support needed, a portion of the race fee is a donation, and you want me to donate more?  No.

Pre-race selfie.  Sooo cold!

The first few miles of the race were not so bad.  There are a lot of  out and back loops.  No big deal - mapping out a USATF course with exactly 26.2 miles is challenging.  But the off road areas of the course are concerning.  I found the roads on the back portion - near the vineyards - to be too worn from work vehicles.  They were so uneven that I treated them as if I was running a technical trail.  One of the portions of the trail had bulky gravel - I tripped several times because I lost footing. 

I also missed my original flight because I thought I could run faster than I planned.  There were limited options leaving Asheville. 

Breakdown of the expenses:

Race Fee: $150

Shuttle Fee: $20

Airfare: $500 + $150 fee to change flights

Hotel (split): $125

Rental (split): $40

Dining: $100

Running gear purchased: $50

Airport Parking: ??? Cannot remember if I flew out of Hartford or Boston

Total estimated cost: $1100 - $1200 plus donations for the post race beer 😉

Curious about the gear, pros and cons? Here is a readers digest synopsis of my experience with this race:

Shoes: Topo Flylite 2

Compression: Sleeve purchased off a large internet retailer.  Last use for this one! My legs are now too big. 😂

Pros: Race swag: great long-sleeved t-shirt and buff/gaiter.

Cons: cost, uneven dirt roads, asking for donations for the post-race beer, cost, lack of warmth pre-race, limited flight options to Asheville.

Race injuries: Recurring shin splints and toe blisters.

Rating: 2 out of 5 running shoes because of the cost, limited flight options, continual requests for donations, need to purchase additional shuttle tickets to enter and exit the estate, and lack of warm areas pre-race.