Myrtle Beach Recap

What a great trip to Myrtle Beach. We all worried about the weather, but the winds died down, and we had perfect race temperatures. We all picked up our race packets on Friday at the expo. It was a small expo, but had the standard items. Most importantly they had two beer stands which always makes expos more enjoyable.

Saturday morning was an early wake up call. The race started at 6:30 am while the sky was still dark. We actually had a gentle mist just before the start, but never another drop during the race. This is really a well run race. There were ample bathrooms at the start, countless friendly volunteers, and a reasonably well marked course. The finish line had more beer, so again another plus. Here is how the RMEC performed.

Full Marathon:

• 148th - Derek - 3:24:31*
• 1443th - Frank - 5:21:47
• 905th - Gerry - 4:19:31*
• 665th - Kevin - 4:04:07*
• 186th - Michael - 3:29:00*
• 607th - Scott - 3:59:40*

Half Marathon:

• 1287th - Arthur - 2:08:01*
• 119th - Dave - 1:34:03
• 1286th - Russ - 2:08:03
• 1094th - Steve - 2:05:29*
• 1734th - Tampa - 2:22:48

* indicates PR set

Highlights: Here are some random highlights from the race. Some are RMEC related, others are not.

• Derek was the 13th in his age group, and set a new RMEC record for the marathon!
• Scott broke the four hour barrier on his way to a new PR.
• Kevin and Gerry both ran impressive races in their first marathons.
• A new course record was set at 2:28:33.
• Dave narrowly missed a half PR, and was the 119th person to cross the line.
• Steve set a new PR, and seems poised for a great marathon at the Shamrock.
• An 11 year old from Florida ran a 1:38:38. He also ran it barefoot.
• Russ and Arthur ran together, with Arthur knocking almost five minutes of his half PR. Great team work!
  
• Even a trip to the House of Blues the night before the race couldn't slow down Tampa running another great half!
• Frank finished with a beer in hand, and even toasted the announcer, who said loudly over the PS system, "Here comes Frank Lilley from Littleton. It looks like he has a. . . wait. . . IT IS A BEER! Go Frank!"

For photos from the weekend, click Race Photos link under Quick Links. For complete race results follow this link.