Hellbender Half Marathon 2019

Finding a half marathon in the Northeast is difficult this time of year, which explains how I ended up having to travel 150 miles each way to run one in August. I will admit that the name of the race was appealing, too (even though it turns out that “hellbender” is actually just a species of salamander).

After the debacle that was the Angevine Farm Half, I looked into this to ensure I wouldn’t be setting myself up for a repeat experience. I was quite glad to learn that it is mostly flat cinder track, thus saving me the hassle and expense of having to fly somewhere more temperate.

My pre-race reconnaissance led me to stumble across a picture of a previous year’s medal, which was wooden. I knew Andy really wanted a wooden medal for some reason, which is how I roped him into doing this race with me. It also meant that I didn’t have to drive solo at 5 AM while attempting not to fall asleep behind the wheel, since we ended up taking his car, for which I am eternally grateful!

Naturally, the first thing we did upon arrival was head straight for the bathrooms. I am wearing a hydration pack because this was billed as a cupless race. I’m glad I had the pack, since it gave me somewhere to put the car key, but it turns out the race actually wasn’t cupless, and the stupid pack rubbed my neck raw. Serves me right for using a $15 pack from Amazon, I guess.

1400s, because I thought I might attempt to semi-race it if the course was as fast as they claimed.

Apparently I was very confused … I appear to be heading in the wrong direction. Maybe I don’t race enough to know how to do it properly.

I realize that most people think 75° is quite warm for a half marathon, but honestly, it didn’t feel that hot to me. It was disgustingly sticky and humid, but the temperature itself felt quite pleasant. And the course was largely shaded, so that helped a lot.

Photo by Andy Wong

Since I wasn’t sure whether I’d be attempting a PR, I decided to go out around 7:00 pace, give or take ten seconds, and see what happened. A lead pack peeled off immediately, and there was a woman tucked in there, so at least I didn’t need to worry about feeling pressured to win the race! With the exception of a woman who ran alongside me for a few minutes in the first mile, I maintained my second place position for the whole race.

I realized pretty quickly that the only way I’d PR would be by a small amount, and that would only be if my watch measured shorter than it did at Long Island. Which is not impossible — it wasn’t exactly a trail race, but the heavy tree cover could be enough to wreak havoc on GPS reception. The course was out-and-back, and it wasn’t really hilly, but I find cinder track to not be a very fast surface because it’s hard for shoes to get a good grip. That’s another reason I chose the 1400s. And look what ended up coming home with me!

There were four men in my line of sight during the first half, the lead one of whom was wearing a bright yellow shirt. I passed him around mile 5.5, and I was a bit worried about getting lost because he had been my directional beacon. It was unnecessary, though; the course was very well-marked.

The half marathon had started at 8:30, but there was the option to start at 8:00 if you felt like you needed the extra time. So I was a little confused when I saw a woman running past in the other direction who was definitely not the woman I had seen in the lead pack, but then I realized she’d probably taken the early start.

Photo by Andy Wong

I pretty much ran the second half on my own, with the exception of a kid (okay, teenager) I overtook sometime in the ninth mile. It helped a little bit that it was an out-and-back, because that meant I was at least seeing other people, but still. And there was the snake I came across a bit before mile 10… that’s not something I generally find on my runs!

My GPS went a little bonkers in mile 11, so I wasn’t entirely certain how it would measure the course in relation to my PR. Maybe I can blame that for the fact that I didn’t push a little harder, which I really ought to have done, but oh well… let’s just say I wanted to save something for the extra miles I had to run after the race. (That’s also why I took a gel; I think I need to accustom my digestive system to these again, because it took me an entire mile to slowly make my way through it, and my stomach was still not very happy with me. But then, it rarely is.)

The finish line was already in sight when my watch hit mile 13, and I could have kicked myself, because there was no way I was going to make it in fast enough to PR… but I could have, had I scraped away a few seconds earlier in the race. Hindsight is 20/20, and all.

That’s just over thirty seconds short of a PR. All my fault that I missed it!

Because my Garmin recorded 13.11 miles in 1:33:45, 7:09/mi.

Officially, 13.1 miles in 1:33:41, 7:09/mi. 7/184 OA, 2/97 F, and 1/33 F30-39. Thirty-three seconds. Thirty-three seconds!!

But, I mean, there is this. And considering I really only ran this race to get in an August half marathon, I suppose it’s not a bad outcome.

Though poor Andy. Because I got a wooden plaque for placing, but the medal was lightweight aluminum. (We actually already knew that from the pre-race email.) It’s different from the usual; it’s cute and I kind of like it. But it’s not wood. So I’m sorry!