Hofbräuhaus Cleveland Half Marathon

I got to the start line around 6:35am, it was still a bit dark out, and drizzling very slightly. I wasn’t totally sure what to expect but there was a surprisingly good turnout. Everything moved along without any big issues or delays, and we started right on time to the sound of a ringing handbell.

Right from the start, I felt good and got into a comfortable rhythm. Admittedly I went out a little too fast in that first mile, but it felt easy enough, so I wasn't too worried about it. My breathing felt very easy. After the 1 mile loop, which took us through Playhouse Square, we got back to Chester Avenue. It was pretty flat for a few miles, so I just focused on keeping a steady pace, passing a couple of people and getting passed by a few others. Then we turned onto Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, which was nice and cool under the trees, even with the sun starting to pop out from behind the clouds a bit.

The whole way down MLK Jr. Drive through Rockefeller Park to the turnaround around Mile 7 felt like a steady downhill. I kept thinking to myself that running down this far was going to suck on the way back, since it's an out-and-back course. But once I actually turned around and started heading back up, the incline wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. There was maybe a block or two of Mount Sinai Drive where I noticed the hill, but for the most part, the return trip was so gradual that I didn't feel like my pace dropped very little and my effort felt steady on the way back to Chester Avenue.

Things got a bit chaotic in the last mile and a half. I passed the 10K leaders before their turnaround, and then I hit the 5K turnaround where a huge group of 5K walkers were spread out along the width of the course. Because the 5K and half marathon routes merged, the final mile and a half stretch on Chester Avenue was really crowded. Dodging through everyone made it a little tough to keep my momentum, but I managed to stay on pace, passed one last half marathon runner towards the end, and pushed through to a strong and fast finish.

It wasn't a personal record, but I'm super happy with how I ran. I ended up finishing 9th overall and took 2nd place in my age group. They gave me a cool wooden age-group award and a commemorative pint glass, which I absolutely love. I'm sure that every time I use it, I’ll fondly remember this race experience. Anyway, I think that was a pretty good outcome for my 50th half marathon!