BCT Harpers Ferry Half Marathon

Last weekend I traveled to West Virginia to run the BCT Harpers Ferry Half Marathon which makes it state #35.  While it was a hilly and challenging course, it was still beautiful.

I left Friday morning for Baltimore and met up with Jaime for lunch.  She went back to work and I went to the National Aquarium and was very impressed with it.  I saw turtles, sharks, frogs, so many types and fish and birds.  The best part was touching the Moon Jelly.  They felt so weird sort of slimy.  I found Nemo but could not find Dory.  Afterwards I got a coffee from Corner Bakery and waited for her to get off work.

After work we met her husband and went to a bar while enjoying the best crab pretzel.  Yummy. Then we relaxed and enjoyed a baseball game between Baltimore and Detroit.  We did not stay too late because we had an early wake up call in the morning to drive to West Virginia.

The next morning we were out the door by 5:45.  We knew it was about an hour drive to Harpers Ferry but didn’t really know how much longer it would take to get to the start line.  We were there by 7, met her friend, Justin, picked up our bib, used the restrooms and waited for the race to start.  It was a small race with no more than 400 registrants.

A quick announcement from the race director (no National Anthem but there were playing “Take Me Home, Country Roads which made me smile) and off we went.  There was no special mat at the start line so my time started right at 8am.  I had a timing chip secured with ziploc twist ties and was afraid of it becoming loose and actually losing it.  Throughout the race I made sure to look down a few times to make sure it was there.

Here is the race description:

“Local runners have crafted one of the most challenging and beautiful half marathons in the country. The half marathon course is almost completely enclosed in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and the preserved Civil War era towns of Bolivar and Harpers Ferry.  The route includes close to 1000 feet of total elevation gain and 2000 feet of total elevation change.  You will experience a mix of trail, road, and crushed gravel paths.  You will view the confluence of the Two Rivers- the Shenandoah and the Potomac.  The steep uphill portions will test each runner’s strength and will. The fun and challenging downhills will be a wild ride you’ve rarely experienced in a run.  Breathtaking views of the rivers, historic buildings, mountains, scenery will stimulate the senses and inspire you to reach the finish line.”

Running through Harpers Ferry.

This is how I felt going down and up the hills.

It may be a simple medal but let me tell you that I earned it.

Even though it was challenging and tough, it was a beautiful course.  I did like the variety of running paths.  The volunteers were wonderful.  I knew I wasn’t going to PR so I took my time, walked up the hills, took pictures, and simply enjoyed the race.  I wore an Oiselle shirt and shorts along with a blue Sparkle Athletic skirt and got many compliments on it.  I was so happy it wasn’t hot and that it did not rain.  I did get warm while running but was never uncomfortable.

Post race I had two slices of pizza and a bagel.  I was very hungry.  We stuck around for a little bit longer and left after the start of the One Mile Fun Run.

Next race is the Buffalo Half Marathon on May 29.