When I signed up to run the half-marathon in the Baltimore Running Festival several months ago, I was prepared for it to be hilly.
And it was-- but the long downhill slopes made up for the smaller uphill stretches, at least on the course for the half!
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Although I've been running races in Maryland for years, this year was the first year my schedule allowed me to run the Baltimore Running Festival, Corrigan Sports' flagship event. I'd always heard it's a must-run for Baltimore area runners, and after Saturday's race, I can see why.
The race consists of a 5K, a half-marathon and a full marathon (plus a relay option for teams who want to tackle 26.2 miles as part of a group). That brought upwards of 20,000 runners to the streets of Baltimore, where onlookers lined the sidewalks to cheer the athletes on.
The spectators were amazing and may have been my favorite part of the race (besides the finisher's medal, which I'll get to.) There were residents outside their homes and on street corners pretty much throughout the entire 13.1 course, holding up funny signs and calling out words of encouragement. It's just the motivation any runner needs!
The start times were staggered because of the multiple races, which is unusual-- most races that have both a half-marathon and a full marathon start all of the runners at the same time. The Baltimore Running Festival's set up is much better because you don't have to deal with a huge crowd of people at the start line, all trying to take off at once. The full marathon began at 8 a.m., the half began at 9:45 a.m. and all of the runners joined up on the course at mile 16 of the full marathon, to finish the race together.
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The half-marathon course began at the Inner Harbor and looped around Patterson Park, through Clifton Park and then around Lake Montebello and up 33rd Street (familiar to runners who did the Baltimore 10-Miler, another Corrigan production).
After a few more turns, it was mostly downhill as runners headed down Howard Street and Eutaw Street before finishing at Camden Yards.
This was my ninth half-marathon, and I'm positive it's the only one I've ever run that's ended on a downhill. That was pretty sweet, and I think it's why I ran one of my fastest 13.1 times ever, finishing in 1:42:52.
So yeah, about that finisher's medal: Corrigan didn't skimp on the race bling. How cool is this giant crab medal that opens up to reveal that I "took a crack at the Baltimore Half Marathon?"
It's now my absolute favorite race souvenir.
