Anyone running this in July? I've never run a half before (officially) but I have run 16 miles on my own. I love running in Maine (I'm a midwesterner by birth) and I'm excited to run my first half in Maine!
an amazing likeness
I've run in the two previous Old Port Half, as have many of the folks here in this user group. I do plan to run it again this year. It's usually a pretty warm day -- as you'd expect for a July race. The '11 version was 78-80F and very sunny, the '12 version was 72F, humid and very thick air. I expect this year the weather will have a greater impact since the new course stays in the concrete jungle of downtown Portland and doesn't do the section along the coast to Falmouth and back.
It's a good race, nice after party atmosphere on the pier. We'll have to hold judgment on course change, but on paper...I'm not a fan.
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I'm registered for it. It will by my second half, I ran Race the Runways last year. Since I haven't run this one before, I won't have the previous years to compare it to, as MT does. I'm running this one for fun and have another race in September that's my goal race. Honestly, I just really like the medal, lol. ; )
"...You have to have faith, to know that you can do what you want to do." -Joseph Nzau
#2867
I don't do a lot of road races these days but have volunteered at the Old Port Half in the past. This year, the course had to change due to construction constraints, and I think that the new course will be much better. Erik does a good job on his events and it should be a great time.
I don't plan to be racing at all that day since my first 100 miler is in a few days and I doubt I'll be ready for racing that early, but the Bradbury Scuffle is the same day so I'll be there to watch the trail race instead. My wife will be running, so my daughter and I will be cheering her on.
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The runner info packet email sent today has a link to a video narration of the new course.....
Link to YouTube video
As expected, heavy climb to the Western Prom, back to Commercial St, then again up to the Eastern Prom (by the Portland Co), then plunge downhill onto the Back Cove trail for the last 6-ish miles. (final section is much the same as Portland Trails 10K)
Just my opinion, obviously....but that was a terrible course redesign. (1) there were constant choke points; (2) the runners lane on Congress was on concrete and a footing nightmare; (3) I'd bet dollars to doughnuts the course was long; (4) why didn't they just have the start on the Eastern trail and eliminate the left turn at the start?
Too bad - on paper it looked like a better course than the old one.
Lillian and I were at Bradbury cheering on Erin at the Scuffle, so we missed it.
MilkTruck, I didn't end up running it but I was there to cheer for my sister. I hung out at 6.5/12.5 mile mark- where you have a water stop, a left turn, then when you return, straight through to the finish. I thought it was dreadful. Not only were slower HMers getting in the way of the lead HMers, but the lead HMers were caught up in the back traffic of the 5k. There was also one volunteer lady (bless her heart ) who kept stepping out onto the course to try to get water to runners coming one way, but kept getting in the way of runners coming the other way. The whole thing was one big traffic jam.
And yes, I wouldn't be surprised if the course were long. My sister is convinced it was- her garmin measured 13.42. The thing that really makes me question it, though, is the fact that the 3 mile marker (for the 5k) and the 13 mile marker were not in the same location even though they shared the finish line. Something was screwy there.
It's too bad. And after the heat, I'm rethinking the intelligence of running a HM in July, so I probably won't run it next year, either.
For me, the "contract" between me as runner and the RD is pretty simple at the core -- I expect a safe course, which is reasonably well marked and marshaled, an accurate course, accurate timing and results, and a common-sense level of organization around the event.
This Old Port Half did many of those well, and others not as well. Erik / GiddyUp put a lot of bells and whistles into their events...and certainly a high percent of the concerns runners are raising are around those bells and whistles -- be it the after party, the porta potties, parking, or whatever.
The RD did deliver a safe, well marshaled course, accurate timing and good overall organization. I'd like to see him revisit the overall course design to deal with chokepoints at various places, the use of the middle of Commercial St, and certainly -- that intersection at the bottom of Cutter St / East End beach. And, either we ran it wrong or the course was long.
(not to mention the 5K course, which is outright abysmal)
Everything else runners are complaining about -- running out of water bottles and medals, some problems with the timing display clock, only having banana ice cream, challenges finding things at the finish area, etc...those are the not core of a good 'race', they are about the 'event'.
Boy, oh boy what a adventure this race is every year...this year the course was short by about 0.4mi +/-.
MTA: On the race's FB page, the person who was the 1:45 pacer is reporting that the early runners were mis-directed in the Western Prom section, and the later runners ran the correct course. Comparing what we ran to the course map, it does look like we skipped a whole section in the 4-5 spilt and that's where the 0.4mi was missed.
So...I'll be logging this one as a long run...in a crowd...with a bib pinned on...but it wasn't a 1/2 marathon.
Ugh, sorry to hear that. I went to the Bradbury Scuffle again to cheer on Erin. Lillian was a trooper - had a lot of fun on the playground during the race and we got to the finish line in time to see the first finisher, but by the time her mommy came by she was struggling to stay awake. She managed it though and was happy to see Erin finish and almost gave her a hug. (One touch of mommy's sweaty arm was enough to back right up...)
Maybe some day Erik will move the race to be a different weekend than Bradbury like it used to be and I'll get out to the Old Port.
It's no big deal...but I feel pretty foolish paying them $65 each of the last 2 years for a timed tempo workout run through Portland and 2 Shipyard beers.