The more states I crossed of the 50 States Half Marathon list, the more difficult it became to complete them. It's expensive and time consuming to fly across the entire continent, so I planned a trip where I could pick up state 48 (Vermont) and 49 (Maine) in one weekend.
At this point, these half marathons are just about completion. Just getting through it and checking off the state. So there wasn't anything I wanted out of the Maple Leaf Half Marathon except for a finishing time. I barely got that.
Now I should be clear: the race is a cute little community race. Combined with a 5K, they max out at 500 runners. It raises money for a local charity, starts and finishes at a big park, and everyone gets a little bottle of maple syrup. All good.
The problem with this race was me.
I got to the park early (of course!), picked up my bib, t-shirt, and bottle of maple syrup, and then waited in the car for a while. I wasn't feeling great, but I figured I'd run/walk the first half, and then save my legs for the race in Maine the next day.
The race start felt a little crowded -- the 5K and half start together and quickly narrow to sidewalks through town. I just trotted along with the crowd and tried to get comfortable. At some point not long after the course split -- where the we lost the majority of runners -- a volunteer told us to go "up the hill and turn right". So all the half marathoners headed up the hill. I had noticed a small painted arrow next to the road, but it was at the bottom of the hill and I could see runners and people in high-viz vests at the top.
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| Looking at this map, I think the turn we missed as after mile 2 -- we took the first right, then went straight and not the second immediate right. |
Halfway up the hill I hear frantic honking and someone yelling and pointing. Apparently, we had ALL missed the turn.
One of the guys who was right at the top of the hill passed me a bit later as we wan by a mile marker. He shouted across to me, "Well, that was an EXTREMELY long mile!"
I was already feeling tired and I think the wrong turn broke me. I had totally bonked by mile 5, and was stumbling by mile 9. Clearly I didn't fuel well and I just couldn't catch up. With such a small race there were no snacks on course, and I wasn't carrying anything. Guess I should have held on to the maple syrup!
I was super super tired, my feet ached, and I somehow shredded my quads on the rolling hills. Back at the hotel Wil checked to see where I was and couldn't figure out why I was still so far away. Honestly, if I wasn't all the way across the country trying to finish state 48 -- and had any idea of how to get back to my car -- I probably would have quit.
But I finished it. I was not dead last, And I picked up state 48.
After the race I went back to the hotel where Wil took one look at me and worried I hadn't finished. I walked into our hotel room and sat on the bed, feeling week and drained. Wil made me cheese sandwiches and made sure I ate them. It was 15 minutes before I felt like I could get up and into the shower.
Maple Leaf Half Marathon
Bib 57
3:20:47
146/150 finishers
13/13 women 50-59
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