River Town Run Half Marathon Race Recap

On Sunday morning I had another scenic drive to Washington.  I arrived around 7:30 a.m. which was a bit later than I wanted, but the drive ended up taking a bit over an hour, even without the cycling event.  The half hour I had before the race went by quickly and before I knew it, the National Anthem was being sung by NFL Hall of Fame tight end Jackie Smith.  Just a few minutes later, the half marathon and 5k were underway.

Runners waiting at the starting line

I honestly can't remember how the race course was described (I generally don't pay attention anyway) but it included pretty constant hills.  This race was probably the 2nd hilliest race I have run after the Adventuremax trail half marathon at Innsbrook, MO.  The course took us on some very scenic hills, by many farms, through a several industrial parks, along the Missouri River, throughout downtown, and then back to the fairgrounds.  Traffic didn't seem to be an issue along the course and volunteers were stationed at all of the turns.  The water stops seemed well-placed and were staffed by very vocal volunteers.

My right hamstring was bothering me the last half of the race so my time was not great, but I really enjoyed the course and the weather was perfect.  There was a decent gap between the runner in front of me and the next runner after me, yet the crowd cheered loudly every time it saw another runner approaching.  The post-race food and water were directly behind the medals, so you didn't have to wander around or walk a great distance to refuel.  

Later that afternoon, I received a congratulatory email from one of the directors as well as a personalized email with my finish time, a link to my official stats, and a link to the overall results.  The first email mentioned that over 300 runners participated in the two races, which is great for an Inaugural year.  I thought the organizers and the volunteers did an excellent job in the planning and execution of this race.  It was a great idea to have the race on the same weekend as the Art Fair and Winefest, because it gives runners who travel specifically for the race more to do and it helps us learn more about the community.  Proceeds from the race benefit the Foundations for Franklin County, which is a non-profit agency that supports substance abuse prevention programs, enforcement, and recovery.  By talking to one of the race directors a few weeks prior to race day, I learned that the race came about as a new way to raise money for this non-profit and also offer a closer half marathon to local runners.  So by running this race you get to run through the scenic town of Washington, receive a great tech shirt and medal, get cheered on by countless strangers, and support a great cause.   I hope that the volunteers and race crew were as pleased with the race as the runners seemed to be, and I hope to see this race on the Fleet Feet St. Louis race calendar next year!

The River Town Run Half Marathon Medal