Yesterday was such a whirlwind, Im just now finding time to reflect on the race. Charlottes Thunder Road Marathon is the only Charlotte full marathon. Yesterdays race was the 10th anniversary and my first year doing it. It was my 4th marathon over a one year span. After practicing this hilly course before the race, I knew it would be the most challenging marathon course Ive taken on so far. My race goal was a 3:45 but to be honest I really didnt expect it considering the difficulty of this course. It was a chilly 28 degrees at the start of the race. My friend Paul Neumann and I drove out together. We got to Uptown at 7am but it so cold, we decided to stay in the car until 10 minutes before the race started. I decided to start with the 3:50 pace group and see what happens. After 3 miles, I felt really good and decided to leave the group and run my own race. I was beaming with pride about my city as the first half of the course took you though some beautiful parts of Charlotte including Eastover, Myers Park, Dilworth, and SouthEnd. The first half was crowded because it included those running both the full and half marathon. The half marathon had over 2700 runners and the full was around 950. The course took you back into Uptown at the BB&T Baseball Stadium. The racing crowd thinned out tremendously as the half marathoners finished and the full marathoners took a left turn to take on another 13.1 miles. As I approached the half way point, the timer read 1:52. At that point I knew I had a shot at 3:45. However I also knew the 2nd half especially the last 6 miles would be more difficult.The course took us east of Uptown towards NoDa. At Mile 16 near Amelies Bakery, I was delighted to see my biggest support group- Christine Robertson Champion , Phyllis Cutrell and Andy Cutrell. I gave everyone kisses and high fives and was energized to take on the last 10 miles. After I broke through the wall in NoDa near mile 17, I went through Plaza-Midwood where my good friend Lanny Michael Walters met me at mile 20 and told me that a Miss St. Bulldog was on my tail. I took on the hills at Commonwealth and Briar Creek passing by Bojangles Coliseum. I got up the hills much better than I thought as I struggled with them during my practice runs.I then went up 5th Street through the beautiful Elizabeth neighborhood. At one of the Cheer Zones near mile 23 there was a sign that read turn left here for a Beer. I was tempted. At mile 24 at Memorial Stadium, Mike met me again and cheered me on. I took the Little Sugar Creek Greenway to Metropolitan and started the climb up Stonewall to the finish line. The final mile up Stonewall was by far the toughest part of the race. I could see Bank of America Stadium in the horizon, however, it felt like it took forever to get there. I just told myself to put one step in front of the other. I eventually reached Mint Street, turned right, and saw the Finish Line. When I crossed the line I looked down at my watch and it read 3:45. I was really excited. My fourth straight marathon PR! Chris, Mom, and Andy were there at the finish line. I saw Paul and found out that he finished 3:11 and 2nd in his Age Group. Overall, yesterday was a great race! My hats off to the organizers of the race. I was beyond pleased. This is a GREAT Charlotte event! The route, the spectators, the bands, the volunteers, and the finisher medal were fantastic! I look forward to participating this event each and every year as long as I can.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 16:03:29 +0000
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