There is no race-day packet pickup, so I headed down after lunch on Friday. The packet pickup is at a Dicks Sporting Goods store in a nearby city. The shirt was a unisex dri-fit shirt, that was huge on me (and ended up getting donated because of the poor fit). Why don't races offer gender-specific shirts??
There isn't much on the actual Island, so hotels were suggested in Savannah. The island itself is made up of neighborhoods, a research institute for Oceanography, a state park, and a small aquarium. There isn't much else to it, and the race course shows it all.
After picking up my race packet I headed to Saint Simons Island to stay at my brother's house overnight. The race is about an hour and a half from Saint Simons, so I had to get up early to head to the start.
Beware of the bugs!! There are little flying gnat-looking bugs everywhere at the start, and they bite! I'm not sure if bug spray would have helped at all, but I would definitely recommend it. Also, it never gets really cool down on the Georgia coast, so the weather will likely be pretty warm and humid throughout the race.
This was definitely true this year. As I was driving up to Skidaway Island, it was sprinkling, and I could see lightning in the distance. All I could do was pray that the runners were safe and no one got struck by lightning. At the start line, the rain stopped, and the humidity set in. I could still see lightning in the distance. The race starts when it is still mostly dark, but the sun comes up by about mile two.
Parking was very easy. The parking volunteers directed you to a spot on the grass near the start line. They have a "key check." The race starts and ends at the same place, so you can leave your gear in your car, but they will check your key for you. It was pretty dark, so I couldn't really tell what else was at the start, and there wasn't a lot of signage to tell you where to go. They had music playing. And several tents set up along the parking lot, as well as about ten porta potties.
The race had pacers (for both the marathon and half), which was totally surprising for a race that small, and very much appreciated! I started with the 4-hour pace group and stuck with them for about two miles before surging ahead. The marathon started five minutes before the half, so as we were running, there were several lead half marathoners passing us along the side. I'm sure that was frustrating for them, but it is always appreciated when the marathon goes first, as we don't have to run around the walkers.
Around mile three, the sky opened up and the rain poured on us. The pouring rain lasted about a mile or two before it let up. I could barely see a few feet in front of me while it was raining. I'm glad I wear a hat, or I would really have been in trouble. Once the rain stopped, you could see the water evaporating off the pavement, and it got even more humid. The temperature started to climb, but didn't get above mid-70s.
The water stops were fully stocked and volunteers were plenty. I hydrated at all of the stops to keep from getting too overheated, and often poured water over my head, once the sun came out and the temperatures rose. Two of the water stops had energy chews, but they were hard to get open with wet hands. I couldn't dry my hands off either, because my clothes were soaked from rain and sweat. At the first chew stop, I eventually had to just throw them on the side of the road unopened. At the second stop, I told the volunteers to open the packets for the runners.
The course was beautiful. We ran on bike/golf cart paths and through neighborhood, beside marshes and near the park. The trees often grew over the road to form a canopy of shade, with Spanish moss hanging down. There were a couple of out-and-backs, which allowed you to see the other runners. While the temperatures were high, the course was mostly shaded, so it didn't feel as hot as it could have been. The terrain in South Georgia near the coast is almost entirely flat. There was one bridge that we ran over, and a few of the bike paths had some minor hills, but for the most part, the course was completely flat. This is definitely a fast course, and it is a Boston Qualifier certified course.
There weren't a lot of fans in this race. It was quiet most of the course. There were a few spots with fans, but they were mostly near the water stations, and were probably extra volunteers that weren't actively giving out water.
As you get close to the finish, they have a photographer to take pictures of the runners. The race director runs with you during the last 100 meters into the finish line. They have plenty of food, water and Garorade. The results are printed out and placed in the food tent shortly after you cross. By the time I was changed (in the porta potty, since there are no other open bathrooms), my results were posted. The age group winners received a picture of a spot along the course, a beautiful path with the tree canopy.
The best perk about this race were the free pictures. All pictures taken along the course were offered to the runners completely free.
Overall, this was a great little race. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
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