The Rosy Wanderer

The 2024 Wilmington Marathon was held on Saturday, February 23, 2024. This was going to be my 26-mile training run for the London Marathon in April. My family and I rented a house on Wrightsville Beach, which was a two minute walk from the start line, so this was going to be a really fun trip!

We traveled to Wilmington with our four dogs, so it was a very full car. Luckily, everyone was a good traveler, so it was an uneventful trip. We stopped at the Wilmington Convention Center for the expo so I could pick up my bib. The expo was really well organized, and super easy to get to. Sometimes, expos are held in places that are challenging because of parking and it’s in a huge facility for such an easy task. The Hot Chocolate race in Charlotte, is this way. You have to navigate the Charlotte Convention Center for the expo, and I find it such a pain. This was much easier than that. They had a lot of vendors there and also fun maps, which I always like to see.

After collecting my bib, we went to check in at the house then had dinner downtown.

Race Day

My routine before half and full marathons is to have a Kodiak cake cup in the morning then about an hour before the race, I have two cherry Pop tarts. The house where we stayed was only a few blocks from the start line, so I knew I didn’t need to give myself a lot of time. Most people stay in Wilmington and take shuttles to Wrightsville for the start of the race. I can see how this would be nice because it’s not a far trip and there is a lot to do in town. It’s also nice to have a short walk back from a finish line, but I enjoyed being near the start line at Kiawah to avoid the stress of travel in the morning on a narrow road. I wasn’t sure what the traffic would be. I think this race wouldn’t be too stressful, whereas, there is a lot of value to staying on Kiawah for that race. There are a lot of houses on Wrightsville, and most places can be walking distance to the main pier, which is where the race started. I am really glad that we chose to stay here, but I also think my family enjoyed being at the beach.

I, unfortunately, lost track of time, so when I left to go to the start, it was only about 10 minutes before the start of the race. I was able to get a picture of the sunrise over Wrightsville Beach before we started. I don’t like doing this because I need some time to settle and mentally prepare for the race. I couldn’t believe I just showed up and started a full marathon. It would be different for a 10K, but not the best of things for me with a marathon.

The Race

The race was off quickly. Full and half participants start at the same time, so it’s a very full course in the beginning. You run from Wrightsville over the bridge to the mainland and into Wilmington. It’s a lot of highway running, which allows people to spread out and have room. That being said, it’s highway running. We did get to see a beautiful sunrise, and the weather was ideal. There were a lot of people cheering once we made it into Wilmington, which was nice.

The whole race I was on a high. I was feeling great and motivated. I packed all of my fuel, which included my hydration pack with Tailwind. I also had enough gels to take one every 30 minutes, which I made a really big effort to do this. Since there was a lot of activity, but not a lot of distraction, I could focus on this. I listened to running podcasts for most of the race, which I found helpful and entertaining.

My three goals were A: sustain 15/30 intervals, B: finish, C: PR. I really didn’t think it was possible to PR, so I didn’t put it so high. I was really worried about putting too much pressure on myself, and this was supposed to be a training run for the London marathon. I wanted to be on a consistent and steady long run.

The half marathoners (majority of participants) split to the finish around mile 12.5. This is always a mentally hard part because the course goes from being really busy to empty. You see people who get to put their feet up and finish, and you have to do it all over again – but on tired legs. My energy was still high at this point, and I told myself, “it’s just getting started.” I passed the leaders as they were running back to the finish line. I cheered them on as they ran past with either blank faces or faces of pain. It would be nice to be faster, but they usually look miserable. I have no desire to be like that. Since the second half was an out-and-back, you did get to see most marathoners finish. None of the sub-4 runners ever smile back or anything. Not sure if it’s their personality or just needing a lot of focus. I told myself, “it may take me longer, but at least I’m enjoying this.”

We ran down to a really nice park and ran around the park’s pond. I couldn’t believe I was still maintaining my 15/30 intervals. If I was at home on my own, I would surely be walking more. Mile 20 was where the turnaround point was, and that is when I knew I needed some extra encouragement. I turned on my dance mix at this point and BLASTED it. I couldn’t let my brain work. I was doing a good job, and I didn’t want to come into a mental challenge. Isn’t that so much a part of distance running. Your brain can be stronger than your body. I was tired, but I knew I could keep going, and my A goal was to sustain these intervals.

At mile 24, we got back on the road that would take us through the city and straight to the finish line. Only 2 miles, and I could do it. Two miles was an easy morning run. But oh gosh! The sun was out and there was no shade. As I listened to my mixture of Disney, Broadway, country, and worship music, I kept on going. Just 15 seconds of running, then recover. Don’t think about anything besides the music and the beeps. I am towards the back-of-the-pack in a race like this, but I was able to pass some people with my intervals. Not a lot of people were out specifically to cheer at this time, but people were out for Saturday brunch and were cheering us on.

I knew I was tracking for a PR, but I couldn’t think about it. Something could go wrong in the last two miles. I hit mile 25 and knew I was closer, but I have had bad things happen. I couldn’t think about it. They also put a hill at the end of 25 – why do they do this? I’m sure it wasn’t a big hill normally, but it felt like it during the race.

Finally, around mile 26 you could see it was the end because of the banners and a long chute. I pushed hard. I couldn’t believe I didn’t hit a wall. My legs were tired but were still going. I had good music. I was almost at the end of a long run and on the verge of a PR. I just couldn’t believe it at all! I kept going and worked to pass a group in front of me. I could do this!

The Finish

I saw the finish line and crossed it with a huge smile on my face! I couldn’t believe HOW GOOD I felt. I had never felt so good during a marathon. The people who promoted 3 days of carb-loading were right, and WOW, what a difference it made. How did I not hit the dreaded wall. I didn’t even come close. I stopped my watch and saw that I probably had around a 10-minute PR. To have a PR and feel so good was just amazing to me. I was improving and my consistency was paying off. I started to cry after I got my medal and had to sit down. I just couldn’t believe it. My final result was 5:40:01. I know that is slow to some people, but that was unbelievable to me. My 5:15/5:30 goal for London was totally obtainable.

I got my banana and checked bag. Getting my sneakers off and putting on recovery sandals is the biggest treat after a race like that. I sat on a stone wall to eat my banana and drink my protein drink to watch the final runners come in. I enjoy this part because this is the people I saw on the race. I would cheer for them and encourage them. The back-of-the-back usually appreciates this and smiles or cheers back. We all know what we go through and they persevered to make it to the end.

After I pulled myself together, I walked to find the shuttle to take me back to Wrightsville Beach. This is where it is nice to stay at the end of the race because I waited for 45 minutes or so for the shuttle to arrive. I met a girl who did her first half marathon. She had a really good race and was so proud to do it. I love talking to people about their racing stories. I think she will be back to do another race, even though she said she was going to lay on the couch for the rest of the day.

Takeaways

Overall, Wilmington was probably one of the best run races I have ever done. From their pre-race communication to on-course signage, I never felt lost or uncertain. I was so impressed with the volunteers and the race logistics. Every water stop had water (even for us in the back), and the race party was still going for us. That’s not common at many races, so it is really appreciated when I see it.

The biggest lesson from this race was the importance of carb loading. For three days before the race, I tried to take in 300-350g of carbs. This is so hard, and it makes you feel disgusting. After the first day, I wasn’t sure I would be able to do it. I used Gatorade and Nerd Gummy Clusters to help, but ultimately, I did it. I really think this is what helped me not hit a wall (and fueling on the course). I’m going to keep doing this for all distance races in the future because I think it is what made me feel so good.

But now, it’s on to the London Marathon!