There are some races that I just feel compelled to come back and run year after year. The Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon is certainly one of those kinds of races. I was super bummed when I thought that we would not be able to make it this year, but then I won two nights from A-Loft Hotel when I was there for the Southwestern Region - American Music Therapy Conference in March. I booked the nights on my way out the door and our trip was back on!
We have run this race two times before, but we have never stayed downtown so that was a super fun change. Let me tell you, Oklahoma City really has it going on these days! Bricktown has lots of restaurants and a minor league ballpark and there is even more to do if you cross over into downtown - the race expo is right there and just past that is a big arts festival that is always on race weekend.
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| Beautiful OKC weather! |
We had beautiful sunshine on Saturday and Mr K and I really took advantage of it. According to my activity tracker, we walked 7 miles on Saturday. Probably not the best pre-race strategy, but we made the most of our time in the city! We had the most delicious breakfast in a trendy downtown restaurant and I used my running knowledge to win a t-shirt at the expo. After visiting the arts festival for a bit, we took advantage of the huge patio on the top floor of the hotel. Great views and plenty of sunshine - now that is living! We had dinner at Hideaway Pizza, an Oklahoma favorite, which was also right by the finish line. I got a peek at all the medals, just waiting for us to come and get them!
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| All the pretty medals just waiting to be earned |
With a 6:30 starting time, race morning comes even earlier than usual in OKC. Being able to walk to the starting line has to be one of my favorite things ever when traveling for a race. There are always others walking the same direction, so that race energy starts early. Walking a mile or so is also a great warm-up to running 13.1 miles. The weather was okay, considering that you never know what you will get this time of the year - upper 50s, but with high humidity. The race begins and ends adjacent to the Oklahoma City National Memorial, a breathtaking sight - especially in the predawn hours. This is a beautiful, well thought out, and well put together race - beginning with the traditional 168 seconds of silence (one for each person who was killed in the bombing). It is incredibly powerful to hear a crowd of more than 25,000 fall absolutely silent for over two minutes. The city loves and supports its race and it is clear in the sincere and abundant crowd support. Glance up at nearly any point along the race course and you will see one of 168 banners, each with the name of someone who died on that dark day 20 years ago. It is one of those days when you feel like you are a part of something way bigger than yourself.
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| View from inside the corral |
The first mile or so was fairly congested (typical of any big race) but I am always moved when I see the firefighters who are walking the entire 26.2 miles in their full gear. We ran past our hotel just after the first mile and I laughed at the thought of running in there and back into my bed. Not today! I turned my attention to getting a good start and settling into a steady pace. I've had mixed results in my two times running this race - once I suffered mightily in the humidity and ran 2:01 and then two years ago I ran my fastest half in recent history at 1:54 on a nearly perfect day. I had no idea what to expect, other than I was prepared to take what I had to give on this day.
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| The dynamic duo |
It was one of those tricky days when it felt pretty warm when the wind was at my back, but then almost chilly when I was running into it. I love this course because it is a nice mix with a steady climb up to mile 3, then a slight downhill until the middle miles where the famous Gorilla Hill awaits. Then there is another steady climb until mile 11 then a steady downhill, just when you need it the most. A slight climb out of that brings you to a flat finish on Broadway Avenue. I was able to make my handheld last all the way to mile 7 where I stopped for my first water station. My pace had been pretty steadily in the upper 8:00s until my water stop and then they stayed in the upper 8:00s/lower 9:00s until the wheels came off a bit at mile 10. Between miles 10 and 11 I just couldn't go any longer without a restroom break, but even with that I managed a 9:31 mile. (Note to self: make sure to turn off the "auto pause" feature on the watch when racing - it was quite a scene as I battled the buttons on my watch during that break.) I made the most of that slight downhill at 11 and picked up a sub 9:00 mile split....only to pay for it in mile 12 as I found myself struggling with the last small uphill.
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| Finish Line Preview |
It felt great to make the last turn on Broadway and I tried to give it all I had for the last stretch and boy did that last stretch feel looooong!! The crowds were so loud here and I could hear the race announcer welcoming people back to the finish. I knew that sub 2 hours would be close, but I dug deep and gave it all that I had. I crossed the line in 1:59:34 - so thankful to be finished! I've done 52 of these things now and they just never get any easier. We runner types tend to take distances and races for granted, but 13.1 miles is a long way and I feel grateful anytime that I can complete the distance.
This is the 15th edition of the race and the 20th anniversary of the bombing and they added some nice touches in honor of the occasion. The medals were absolutely beautiful and instead of a single cotton t-shirt, we got 2 tech shirts this year including a super nice finisher's shirt. Well done, OKC!
The area around the memorial was absolutely humming with people, so much positive and happy energy, it was a beautiful sight. Anytime I find myself in that area, I am reminded that good always triumphs and evil will not win. Ever. The people of Oklahoma City are a living, breathing reminder of this - the Oklahoma Standard lives on in each of them. Run To Remember, because we cannot afford to forget.
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| We Run To Remember |
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