April 2, 2016
This is the 4th time running this and it happened to be my 30th half marathon. Located in Sprinfield, IL this race is one that I enjoy. It is about 3 hours drive from Chicago, so it was far enough for an overnight stay. We stayed at the host hotel so it was really close to the start.
A half fanatic coordinated a meet up for a photo at 7 near the old capital building. Only a few showed up.after we took our picture Rick and I took our usual pictures by the Lincoln statue and at the Lincoln Museum. We still had plenty of time before the start so we hung out and we met another fanatic who was from Maryland. I also got to take a picture with the guy with the penny costume.
After the national anthem they added something new, the fired a cannon to start the race. The course followed the same course as last year. I liked going through the old historical section, the street is gravel which is my favorite terrain to run in. Last year they had a guy playing taps, but this year he wasn’t there but instead they had Abe and Mary Lincoln giving out high fives. The course went through the residential areas of Springfield and a couple of parks. We again went through the cemetery which was another highlight where you can see the Lincoln tomb, and that was a indication that the race is almost done.
It was very windy and the temperature was in the 40’s so it was quite a challenge running through that. It is always nice to see the community out cheering, there were a couple of people handing out tissues, this one kid was passing out bottles of water, and at the part of the course that was on a running track a group of people were passing out popcicles which would of been good if it wasn’t that cold. Nonetheless I thanked them for their support.
I saw Rick at a few spots along the course, which is always nice to see. For my first run of the year I felt good and I finished in 2hrs 49min 28sec. We hung out at the finish and took my finisher photo with Abe and Mary Lincoln, and a couple of people in period costumes.
We headed back to Chicago to drive through the weirdest change in weather, sunning to snowy and then back to sunny. Not a good sign for the next race which is the next day.
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