This year's race would be slightly different because I would be running the 10k then spectating the marathon afterwards. A friend who captained my Pennsylvania Ragnar team from last year decided this would be her first marathon and I remembered how helpful it was to have people along the way and how that last 10k was miserable. I reached out to her and several friends because I knew I would be later in the race, just after the 14th street bridge with my Oiselle Volee teammates. I asked them if they needed anything at all and I went ahead and got it for them along with extra twizzlers to be ready for race day. I told them to be on the lookout for me in a yellow yeti (a union suit made by Oiselle that is always super comfortable) just over the 14th street bridge around mile 22.
Race Weekend
As always, race weekend begun with going to the expo on Friday mid-afternoon to miss the majority of the crowds. I got my bib pretty quick because there was only one person in front of me for my bib range. Then of course for shirts I lucked out because not only were there no lines AND the design for this year's shirt was great despite the olive green color. (The marathon's shirt quickly became notorious for how terrible it looks. It's a picture from a previous year of the race with little 26.2's, Iwo Jimas and Marine Corps globes all over it too. People were so vocal about it that the race organizers even did their own version of mean tweets!) Both shirts were a unisex long sleeved shirt made of wicking material rather than the fleece lined shirts that were given out up until 2016. (No idea if this will be the norm.) Generally it's a mock neck with the Marine Corps globe on the collar. The 10k had it embroidered on, the marathon had it printed.)
After I got my shirt and bib, some Wegmans employees handed out some snacks--apple sauce in a pouch, their version of a nutrigrain bar and one of their fruit twists.
The vendors at the expo were more of the same--a couple headband vendors (Bondi Band and Sparkly Soul), some hydration products (like Nuun), Garmin, Buff USA, Pacers Running and Balega was there with a local Fleet Feet. There were also a few charities scattered about, but generally nothing new or novel. If anything it felt like the expo was actually smaller than in previous years. I bought a new buff with the Marine Corps Marathon course and the Iwo Jima memorial on it because it didn't have the year printed on it and it was the same course as last year. (AND it's very similar to the buff from two years ago that I saw sell out last year just as I walked to the register.)
For the first time in a few years, I really had to put some thought into what to wear on race day. The last few times I've run this race it has been warm enough to wear a tank top and capris and be comfortable. This time it would actually be somewhat chilly at the start! I ended up settling on a long sleeve Flyte Shirt from Oiselle, Be Free Knickers from Athleta, Silver Socks and a headband from Balega.
Race Day
Since I would also be a race crew for a few friends running the marathon, my plan for getting to the race was slightly different. Instead of taking Metro the whole way, I drove my Dad and I to Pentagon City close to where the Volee would be spectating, left my backpack of supplies in my car and walked over to the Metro stop to get to the 10k start. (I thought about simply checking a bag but that makes the security line for the 10k a little more of an ordeal since they want to go through every bag that comes into the starting area. Not to mention going through the line to actually check the bag!)When we got to the race, the security lines were already halfway across the adjacent street. (Again, super glad I didn't bring a bag!) And they asked runners to empty their pockets and any sort of running pack they had with them. I took everything out and held it in my hand to show to one set of police officers then another police officer passed the wand over me to be sure I was safe to pass. From there we immediately went into the portajohn line. I was there with my dad so we lined up in our usual corral (1:10-1:19) hoping that I would be a little faster, but also knowing that my timing chip would not start until passing over the starting line I was okay starting with a slower group.
Obligatory selfie!
This year the first mile was very crowded once again. It's fairly typical due to the walkers and first timers walking several people across and starting further up than they should. You can warn people all you want, there are still going to be people who think the rule doesn't apply to them or they simply realize that they're walking several people across and blocking the path. Then there was this one guy who kept getting right up behind me, in front of me, occasionally kicking the bottom of my foot and I just couldn't shake him until the second or third mile. Somewhere along the 14th street bridge, I had lost sight of them and I was fine with it because once we all ran down the ramp the road (usually where the hand cyclists end up passing me) generally widened out so there was more space to spread out. Once the Pentagon begins to come into view it widens out even more and it's even better because you know you're almost done!
Every year I have the goal of running up the hill to Iwo Jima and I get closer every year I've run the 10k. (The marathon was a different story since by then I was just ready to be done. I basically fast walked last year.) The hill is short, but a 4.3% grade over even just a tenth of a mile makes it difficult. This year I made it the majority of the way, slowing just as I reached the apex to high five one of the paramedics at a tent at the final turn towards the finish. At that point I sprinted to the finish (was shuffled to the left side to allow the hand cyclists through), stopped my Garmin and looked down. 1:04:55! I had just barely gotten my B goal to beat 1:05!
After receiving my medal, I took a few pictures of the Iwo Jima Memorial. The clouds were starting to thin out and it was turning into such a beautiful day!
After getting my banana, food box and water I waited for my Dad a little ways from the Runner's exit. By the time I finished my water and banana I got a text from him saying he was done and walking through the line of Marines handing out food and water. We then walked over the bridge to my favorite part--the watermelon!!! We scarfed down the fruit and then visited a food truck hired by Brooks Running to cook bacon for runners that was parked just by the finisher's gear store. My Dad and I got some bacon, checked out the finisher's store (don't worry, we wiped off our hands before buying our 10k finisher's shirts) then got a second round of bacon before getting Sports Beans samples and trail mix from Wegmans as we walked to the Metro. I got off at Pentagon City to get back to my car and my Dad kept going to the end of the line.
Spectating/Race Crewing
Once I got back to my car I grabbed my backpack with race supplies, a clean shirt, my yellow yeti (basically a big, comfy union suit made out of sweatshirt material by Oiselle), and changed my shoes. As I walked over to the cowbell corner I stopped at a Starbucks for coffee and space to change. I ordered my usual and after it was done I changed my shirt and threw on my yeti over everything. I walked the rest of the way to the cowbell corner and found out I had just missed the founders of Oiselle (Sally Bergesen and Sarah Lesko) running past by about five minutes. (Sorry to have missed them, but I needed coffee. It was Lesko's first marathon and she even BQ'd for 2020!) Then the waiting for my friends to pass began. I had only received two texts despite asking for notifications on about 10 people, so I kept refreshing the app and even that was also not so reliable. For a little while I held out a pan of Swedish Fish to the runners but as some of my friends started to get closer I kept my bag close by and just rang my cowbell.Finally some familiar faces started to run past and I offered them Twizzlers. After a little while longer, my friend came through with her pacers (two other friends who have run the race several times.) I handed one of her pacers a ginger ale and snickers, and her own water bottle with coconut water and handed her a couple fun size payday candy bars. They chugged their drinks and took some bites of their candy bars. After a few moments it felt like they were lingering. After last year knowing if I hung out too long it'd be hard to start up again I told them "Get outta here you have a race to finish!" And while they were lingering they took a picture of me, always happy to crew for a friend. (Seriously, I was kinda hard to miss but I was SO comfortable.)
Picture by JGivens75
And off they went! After handing out twizzlers to a few more friends, the crowd of spectators began to clear. It felt like the line of runners was never ending even though the familiar faces had all passed. Around 1:30 or so, a police car went onto the course and redirected runners to turn left under the bridge instead of going straight. From there on out, the runners would not be official finishers because they did not complete the whole 26.2 (really more like 21 miles.) Once the runners began to thin out even more and race vehicles began picking up equipment we called it quits for the day.
Overall Thoughts
Again, this is another race I love from start to finish. My description of the 10k is generally all the fun of a big race, but none of the pressure of the training for the distance. It really is fitting for the race. It's always super crowded, but so much fun. The course is fairly challenging and the crowd support is amazing. You end up running past so many landmarks even with the 10k it's worth running if you're local or from out of town. This year I feel like the experience was elevated by parking downtown and going back out onto the course to spectate with friends and help friends who were running. I'm not sure if or when I'll be back to run the marathon, but you can always count me in for the 10k as long as I'm able!
Have you run this race before? Want to run this race? Any questions about it? Leave a comment below!
