Running where Lincoln walked

The Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon took place in Springfield Illinois on April 6, 2013.

We took a road trip down to Springfield on Friday, and got there to pick up my packet and walk around downtown and see some of the historical sites.

The race started at 7:30 and our hotel was really close so we were able to get there early. The race started with a welcome from “Abe” and a musket volley by the 114th Volunteer Regiment to start the race.

The race took us through the town square where we saw the old Capitol building and the law offices of Lincoln. Next we went through the historical village where Lincoln’s house is located, in the village a Yankee soldier played his bugle the morning taps. We ran past the new Capitol building and then ran through the streets of Springfield. Another highlight was running through the cemetery where we ran past the Lincoln tomb. At the finish we were awarded our penny replica medal and had the opportunity to take a finishers photo with Abe and Mary Lincoln.

My thoughts about this race. It was an enjoyable race, a few quirks like no bathrooms until the 6th mile and a lot of hills to run up were quite a challenge. I enjoyed it because it was pretty neat to be running where historical events happened. I improved my time with this race, I finished at 2 hrs. 27 min. 15 sec. I thought my time would of hurt with the uphill roads, but at the 10th mile I saw the 2:30 pacers next to me, so I picked up my pace and kept it steady and finished before them. Ian very satisfied with my results.