In case you missed it, another fantastic racing weekend was accomplished the weekend of November 16th as almost 60 of TCTC’s finest members took on the Richmond races to cap the success of another travel race for the club. 3 races of varying distances: Full marathon, half marathon and the 8k provided differing challenges for our runners.
This race isn’t run as frequently by our runners but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t bring just as many memories. Most of our runners have only run this race maybe once or twice in the past. This race actually seemed to prove to be a bit of a challenging race for a few of our runners as a handful of them got sick in the days leading up to the race, which put a bit of a damper on their plans, but they still did the thing and looked like beasts doing so! Here’s a few words from some key runners from the group:
Jeffry Fransler:
“This was my first Richmond Marathon Experience. This is one I definitely plan to run again, hopefully with similar weather as the race logistics were well planned out and communicated, I really appreciate that. While I didn’t get a marathon PR, I’m appreciative of my health and ability to run a fantastic race. I tested positive for COVID-19 10 days before race day. Did not expect that on my 2024 racing bingo, it definitely affected my overall ability to perform. Despite that challenge I consider my placement well because I still crossed the finish line after 26 long miles. I’m thankful for the racing environment and giving myself a bit of grace, those helped me a lot getting to that finish. Outside of catching covid, I do wish I would have fueled a bit more before the race, and the headwinds on the bridge caught me a bit off guard too. Beyond that, I think I otherwise had a great race and weekend.”
Thanks for your thoughts Jeff, can’t wait to see you out there again and we’re glad you recovered from Covid.
Greg Broom:
“This wasn’t my first time running Richmond but I will participate again. The crowd support is great. I particularly enjoyed the guy playing drums in his front yard, just him, playing drums by himself with no other accompanying instruments. I also loved the military personnel manning one of the hydration stations in full camo. This experience had better weather for sure but both experiences I’ve had with this race were great either way. I did not PR this time around, my finish time was very close to my last time there but a little slower. Different challenges for sure but with pretty much the same result.
For this race, I joined a pace group for the first time. I was planning on going out a little slow and then settling on a pretty even pace thereafter. Unfortunately, beginning in mile 2, without knowing ahead of time; the pace group sped up and banked 10 seconds per mile vs marathon pace for the first half of the race and I toggled back and forth between trying to stay with them vs just settling at marathon pace by myself. The end result was me lagging and trying to catch back up and lagging again and trying to catch back up again. I Never actually caught them after the first mile. Even though my 13.1 split was pretty much a usual split for me, it felt 10x faster and I expended too much energy with the back and forth. I think I should’ve just backed off, regrouped, and developed a new gameplan. It was stressful and I had a lot of difficulty staying focused through that and from that point forward. I never settled into any smooth running at all. Despite that hiccup, there was never a time I wasn’t still thrilled to be there. It was still so much fun and an absolutely beautiful day for a race. Being only my 3rd marathon and the first one where I’d actually completed a real training plan; I went into it feeling great and I learned some invaluable lessons to take forward to the next one.
I do wish I would’ve done a better job ahead of time thinking through how I might react to different surprises. Simulating challenges to overcome, etc… I also opted not to carry a belt bottle pack like I usually do on long runs and chose to rely on aid stations just thinking that would be simple. I didn’t do a good job getting through them smoothly with adequate hydration and got somewhat dehydrated. Nearly 100% of all the runners I’ve ever met have a story and we all run for various reasons.
After the race, I spent the entire afternoon with my family walking around Carytown, gorgeous day, great little area! My last little note on this experience: Nearly 100% of all the runners I’ve ever met have a story and we all run for various reasons. I’m no different in that respect. I woke up on race day greeted by this text from my son, Caleb, a freshman at UNCC who couldn’t join us. In my mind, there’s no such thing as a bad race when your day starts like this!”
So glad you could wake up on race morning to a good luck from your son Greg, congrats on a strong finish.
Er Ralston:
“I first ran the Richmond Marathon in 2006. The weather was very warm that year, so I backed off my target race pace and ran it as a training run. Fortunately, the weather was much better in 2024 with temps in the 40’s at race start. But the cheer zone that was set up near the 25 mile mark was incredible and a big pick-me-up to get to the finish line. Everyone knows that finishing is always the best part of a race 😋
I did not get anywhere close to a PR which was established 21 years ago at age 47. I still performed well under the conditions so I’m happy.
2006 Race – 3:58:10 (1:55:30 at half)
2024 Race – 4:20:33 (2:05:52 at half)
17 of 51 for Male 65-69 (speedy)
My pre-race plan was to go out behind the 4:00 pace group (9:10 per mile) and see how it felt, hoping to get in under the 4:05 BQ time for my age group. After I came down with a cold, I initially kept that plan with the realization that it was probably not going to happen and to begin backing off early depending upon how I felt. After 2 miles, I settled into a pace of 9:35 which felt about right given my head cold. I slowed in the second half to an average pace of 10:16. I had enough left in the tank to run under 9:30 for mile 26. I should have started slower. Even with good health, I run better when I ease into my target pace instead of trying to start out at target pace.
It was so awesome to meet up with all the other TCTC runners at our tent in the party area after the race. The rest of the day included a nap, a burger/beer dinner, and a meetup with several other TCTC runners at a milkshake joint to celebrate together. I didn’t expect to run with a cold. Otherwise, the race course and other race factors were exactly as expected. It is a very well organized race with great support from city residents. I highly recommend this race to others. Destination races with other runners are one of my favorite things to do. We had around 50 Winston-Salem people in Richmond representing Twin City Track Club and/or the Crazy Breakthrough Running group. I look forward to another group destination race in the near future.”
Glad to hear you had a good race despite the challenges Er. Kudos!
Despite a few unforeseen challenges our runners had, they still enjoyed a race well done and enjoyed meeting up with fellow runners as well. Be on the lookout for our next destination race!