2023 305 Half Marathon Race Experience
It has taken me longer than normal to write this race experience blog post because (a) the end of the race was a tough one and (b) life has been extra busy and weighty in the days post-race. Also, lots of mixed emotions came with this race as I reflected on my experience and whether or not this is a race I would return to in the future.
Read on for my experience at the 2023 305 Half Marathon.
Accommodations
Local race meals local accommodations aka my house. I woke up at 3:30am on race day (similar to the time I wake up for Saturday long runs) and there truly is nothing like the comforts of home to move through the morning and pre-race routine.
Expo
The 305 race has packet pick-up - not a formal expo - at various sports store locations throughout Miami. If you pick up from the Dick’s Sporting Goods locations then you have an opportunity to get anything you may need for race day. Day-of pick-up is also available.
Pre-Race
Race days mean I have a chance to practice my London Marathon nutrition plan. Like I mentioned earlier, I woke up at 3:30am and had Picky Bars oatmeal for breakfast. The drive to the race was 30-minutes and that lined up with me having my Vega energizer drink an hour before start time. This race was actually part of a longer run, so I ran 2 miles before the start of the race.
Post-Race
I struggled big time post-race. The last 4 miles of this race include two bridges, a boardwalk along the beach, and nothing but sun, sun, and more sun. All miles up until this point had felt great, but the sun took it’s toll, as did the heat, and my post-race experience was spent sitting for over an hour to try to get over the light-headedness and nausea that hit me as soon as I crossed the finish line. The finisher’s area had plenty of food and drink options, but I wasn’t able to take things in with how poorly I was feeling.
On the Course
In my opinion, this is the hardest course in Miami because of all of the bridges along the Julia Tuttle (x2) and MacArthur Causeway (x2) and because of the sun exposure throughout the course. It is a beautiful course that shows off Miami and all her beautiful water views, but it is one that is at the mercy of the elements. There were water stops at almost every mile with bathrooms spread throughout the course. Energy gels were also on the course, but I don’t remember the exact location. Music was played throughout the course as well. One of the more frustrating parts of the course were the mile markers as most were off by significant distances (I passed the mile marker for 2 at a little over a mile on my watch). At first I thought it was because I had ran 2 miles before I started the race and I always try to leave room for understanding how wonky GPS can get during races, but the mile markers were all over the place until about mile 11. Not sure what happened with the placement, but I know I’m not the only one that noticed they were off and had moments of feeling confused with a dash of discouraged.
Race Experience
My main goal for this race was to practice nutrition and I feel really happy with how that went. My secondary goal was to enjoy this race as part of a longer 15-16 mile run. What I didn’t expect was how the heat was going to affect me. The last 2 miles of the race were the hardest; I walked a lot to try to get my hammering heart to ease up. Even with those tough 2 miles I was hopeful that I could finish the race and run 1 more mile to get to 16 total miles for the day. Yeah right. As soon as I crossed the finish line and collected my medal, I became so light-headed and nauseated that I rushed to the bathroom because I couldn’t tell if I needed to vomit or use the bathroom. I found my friends, took some pictures, and sat down because standing only made me feel worse. I drank lots of fluids and had a banana, but it wasn’t until I made it back to the A/C of my car and the Skratch recovery drink in my car that I started to feel a lot better. How I was feeling after the race was probably signs of heat exhaustion, which makes sense as I felt like I was being battered by the sun in the final 4 miles of the race.
Up until those final 4 miles, I felt strong and was having a great time. I even had a thought that 16-mile long runs might be my sweet spot - that’s how good I was feeling at mile 11 of my long run (mile 9 of the race) before hitting the first bridge of the MacArthur Causeway and the never-ending sun. This race was a kick-in-the-butt reminder that the older I’ve gotten, the less resistant to the heat I’ve gotten. I have always struggled with the heat, but it feels like my tolerance for heat is even lower than I understood. While I feel like I drank plenty of water on the run, I realize now that I needed to do more to keep my body cool while on the course. Very, very important lesson to have to relearn and proof that, even if I feel I know myself as a runner, there is always something new to discover about myself as I get on in my years as a runner.
Overall Impression
This race used to be my favorite Miami race because I appreciated the challenge of the bridges. Don’t get me wrong, I still appreciate the challenge of the course, but after my experience with the sun and heat this year, I feel apprehension when it comes to this race. The mile markers also seemed like an odd thing to get wrong on the course, especially given that this race is part of the Lifetime family of races that includes the Miami Marathon & Half Marathon. While I did sign up late for this race, I was also thrown off by how expensive this race has gotten since the first time I ran it in 2013 (this race was almost as much as the Miami Half Marathon). This brings me back to the curiosities I have around race pricing, value to the runners, and issues of accessibility. I love running and I enjoy racing in my Miami community, but racing is becoming expensive and I would love to be able to understand why.
As for doing this race again, I don’t know. I think my participation in future events would be based 100% on weather. I want to also mention and make clear that my experience towards the end of the race did impact my ability to take everything in and enjoy the race itself. This is not a reflection of the race itself, so I would love to hear the thoughts of people who had positive experiences from start-to-finish.
Pros
Local race.
Quick bib and shirt pick-up.
Medium-sized field: not too much running around people to get through, but enough people on the course to feel like you are always surrounded by runners.
Rolling start.
Water and bathrooms stations throughout the course.
Plenty of bathrooms pre- and post-race.
Music at various points on the course.
Beautiful course along the water.
Start and finish in the same area.
Post-race meals, snacks, and drinks.
Unique Miami-inspired medal.
Street parking close to the start/finish areas.
Free finish line photos.
Pacers.
Cute pineapple challenge medal for those who participated in the Turkey Trot, Miami marathon/half marathon, and 305 5K/half marathon.
Cons
Depending on preference, 6:15am start time can be a challenge (more time under the sun).
Weather is a wild card in Miami.
Price of entry.
Challenging course with all the bridges.
No on-course photographers.
For those of you who like the numbers, our official time for the 305 Half Marathon was 2:31:27 Next big race for me is the London Marathon in April!
You can support my #TeamSunshine fundraiser for the London Marathon by making a donation to my fundraiser here.
