FF Race Team Ambassador Race Re-Cap - Jekyll Island Marathon

Thanks to FF A-Team member Bryan Weiss for this re-cap!  It's a race worth checking into - providing a 10K, Half and Full!

 

Race Recap: Jekyll Island Full Marathon, January 19th, 2020

 

My wife and I decided to take a long weekend away, go somewhere close that we haven't been to before, and what better thing to do then to run a race? She ran the 10K and I ran the full. Saturday night after dinner, I realized that since the race started at 7:30 am, I probably needed to start thinking about breakfast for the next morning, After asking the lady at the front desk of the hotel, it was obvious that nothing was open before 6:30 am. Luckily, there was a market across the street and for some weird reason they had everything I needed, including the exact peanut butter I eat! The forecast for the next morning was rain and low of 64 degrees. Great!

 

Fast forward to race morning. It didn't end up raining at all the night before and the storm that was coming through pushed out. I got up when I normally would and followed my pre-race routine. The one thing I forgot to do came back to haunt me halfway through the race - drink plenty of water before time. My wife and I walked down to the race start and got some warmup laps in. The full started at 7:30, the half at 7:40 and the 10K at 7:50. I had all my gear checked and I was ready to go. My goal for this full, only 5 weeks out from running Kiawah Full, was between 3:10 and 3:15 and to truly enjoy the views/race. I started out feeling really good and enjoyed the course and scenery. The flatness was definitely welcomed, as were the volunteers at the aid stations. They were absolutely fantastic, especially towards the back half of the race. The first half of the race was exactly where I wanted to be, time-wise, holding a 6:59 pace.

 

Once I hit the half way mark, I could feel the wheels coming off. It was 64 degrees at race start and I in no way hydrated the night before as much as I needed to. I decided that this was the time that I would really enjoy the race, the views and the volunteers. I stopped at each aid station from this point on and chatted with the volunteers. Then I switched to a run/walk combo for the rest of the race. I walked for 30-45 seconds and then ran a mile. This definitely helped me get through each mile and push to the finish line. Once I got to mile 24, there was a guy who was chasing me down. He would pass me when I walked and then I would go right past him when I went back to running. He pushed me through all the way to the end. I finished my third full with a finish time of 3:13:40, good for 7th overall and 1st in my age group. After I finished, caught my breath and grabbed some water and food, I found the guy who was was chasing me and talked to him. We congratulated each other and he mentioned that this was his 55th full marathon! I told him that he pushed me to finish strong and he said I did the same to him. Without even knowing we both helped each other out and this is what makes the running community special!

 

Overall, I truly enjoyed the island and the race. I finished right where I wanted to and even took home some extra hardware for it! I will definitely be signing up for this full again in the near future and recommend it to everyone who asks me about it. It was a great weekend away with my wife and we both enjoyed the island and all it had to offer!

- Bryan Weiss