Half marathon prep went better than for my previous races, but the weather had other plans – it was incredibly hot and sunny.
Woke up at 3:45 am. A light breakfast, an hour’s drive on empty roads, and we arrived among the first. Convenient parking right by the start line and zero lines for the toilets were a nice reward for the early wake-up.
The course turned out to be interesting: part of it ran right along the beach – sand, shells, waves, and awesome views. Beautiful, but pretty tough in places.
The heat hit quickly. The water I brought ran out early, so I had to stop at aid stations roughly every four kilometers.
Finished in 2:22 – slower than Devonport Half, but the conditions were better there. Here, the sun and sand added to the challenge. On the bright side, I got to take a dip in the cool ocean right after crossing the finish line – a perfect start of recovery process.
A few hours after the race, the wind rolled in some clouds, and it poured rain for the rest of the afternoon. I dislike the rain even more than the heat, so I actually think I got lucky with the weather.
