This race is one of my favorite races. Besides being a well organized race, it holds a lot of significance for me. This race was where I ran my very first half marathon back in 2005. This race was also where I first broke 2 hrs in the half marathon in 2008. This race current honors the United States Marine Corps Dark Horse Battalion. I try to come back every year on Memorial Day to remember those that have served and sacrificed their own lives so that we can enjoy our freedoms while living in this country.
Another thing that I like about this race is that they have race day packet pick up. I left the house a little bit before 5 am with a quick stop at the gas station to fill up the tank. I arrived at the Laguna Hills Mall at about a quarter till 6. The parking map that was provided wasn't very accurate. The map showed that we were not to park in the lots surrounding the Nordstrom Rack. However when I arrived, only the lot to the East of Nordstrom Rack was fenced off.
After I parked my car, I walked over to the usual spot for bib pick up which was right next to Calle de la Louisa. Participants weren't pre-assigned a bib number, so I was able to go to any of the volunteers. After getting my bib, I walked over to the table to get my race shirt. My friend, Dexter, was once again volunteering. That guy is always giving back! In addition to the shirts, they were also giving out trucker hats. The hat looked kind of cheap and I don't wear hats these days, so I ended up not taking one.
Bib pick up
Race shirt and trucker hat
Race shirt
Back of race shirt
I went back to my car to rest a bit before the race. I had to go back out and use one of the portapotties before they got too busy. Similar to when my urine reminds me that I had eaten asparagus earlier in the day, my poop reminded me that I had eaten something spicy for dinner. I had to think about it a bit before I remembered that I had eaten some fermented jalapeños. Spicy going in, spicy coming out. :)
Portapotty time
After I grabbed my stuff from the car and headed to the gear check truck for the Half Fanatics pre-race photo that was scheduled for 6:40 am. Along the way I bumped into Latino Heat and Eviltwin as they were waiting in line for the portapotties. Boy the lines got long in a hurry! As soon as the pictures were taken, I headed for the starting corral.
Half Fanatics!
Latino Heat!
Start line
Having run this race so many times, I knew not to get sucked into the wave of energy from the 5k runners. I was perfectly fine having them blow by me on that downhill on Paseo de Valencia near the mile 3 marker. Everything was going relatively okay until I got to another downhill portion at around mile 5 along Alicia Parkway. I felt something in my right arch. At first I ignored it, but it felt progressively worse. When I made the right turn onto Aliso Creek Rd, I decided to pull over and walk a bit to see if the discomfort would go away. I tried my best to cruise through the rest of the race, but with the pain in my arch, my last 3 miles were pretty dreadful. However I knew that I had run the earlier miles fast enough that I would finish in under 2 hrs.
Almost to the finish line
Finish line
Finish: 1:57:55
Click here for my Garmin data.
After I crossed the finish line, I got my medal and made my way through the finisher chute. I got some snacks and a bottle of water. I then headed over to the grassy area just at the top of that final hill to meet up with my friends and to cheer on my fellow runners.Relive 'Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half Marathon'
Finisher medal
Post race snacks
Carrying Old Glory
I waited around until about when the race clock turned 3 hrs before I started heading for the bus pick up location for a ride back to my car. The queue for the bus grew pretty long before the buses finally arrived. The first bus however didn't stop at the front of the line. That caused quite a confusion as the bus driver had opened the door and was telling us to get on while the folks at the front of the line were yelling at us. I think next time, I'll skip the chaos and just walk back to my car.
Along the way home, I stopped in at the McDonald's in Brea to get some lunch as they were giving out free medium fries whenever the Angels win their prior day's home game. It was free with the purchase of at least $1. I satisfied that requirement by ordering the 2 McDouble sandwiches for $3 deal.
Post race lunch
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