Faith in humanity restored ~ Madison Mini Marathon 2017
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Madison Mini Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"
If you've been following along on this race weekend, you know how the race ended. And we'll definitely get to that! And if you've been following me (and paying attention at all), you know that I am NOT a road runner. I pretty much gave that up once I discovered ultras and trail running. So let me fill you in on the fun before and during the race.
As my disclaimer states, I did receive a free entry to this race. I had originally planned on doing another triathlon that same weekend but I decided to go with Madison Mini Marathon instead. And thank goodness I did! Not only would I not be ready for another tri with my ankle issues (open swim, no pull buoy) but I would have missed out on some great memories.
I drove down to Madison late afternoon and immediately headed to the Alliant Center for packet pick up/expo and to meet up with my friend (and her hubby). As soon as I walked in, there was a table of free socks and buffs -- good start! Packet pick-up was quick and simple and they even had the PR bell there!
I had wanted to just enjoy the race and take pics along the way but then I saw the bell and knew I couldn't NOT try to hit a PR. I wanted to ring that bell at the finish line.
I'm not sure where the miscommunication occurred but I didn't have anything to indicate that I had VIP access so I ended up having to go back to remedy this. It turned out to be a simple fix, at least. Just a bright green sticker on my bib.
We decided to hit State St- mostly for food, also for entertainment. If you've never been, this is a must in WI! My friends are from Chicago so I insisted on State Street :)
I didn't really worry about pre-race dinner since the distance wasn't much of a concern. Don't get me wrong; I totally respect the distance. 13.1 miles is a long way to run. But it is also what I consider my "not so" long run distance for ultra maintenance/training. So after having my burger, cheese curds, fries and beer, we then hit up Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Co. If we've all learned anything, my body does not handle dairy very well. I'm not lactose intolerant but I normally don't eat much dairy to begin with. For more on what could go wrong, read my Icebreaker blog post here
We were so busy talking that I was up past 12:30am. That 5:15am alarm came really fast!! We quickly got dressed and headed over to the start. Luckily for us, it was only a 10 min walk.
As VIP, we were treated to coffee, breakfast (bagels, granola bars, bananas, water and gatorade) and our own bathrooms. I met up with fellow Bib Rave Pro, Angie before Danyell and I met up with a fellow Skirt Sports Ambassador, Julia. Few photos later, we each headed to our assigned corrals. I knew my last PR was 1:53 and I wanted 1:50. The best part of the start was seeing Bucky the Badger and hearing a small section of the amazing WI marching band! Tons of great energy from the spectators as well.
The high lasted a few miles before my legs started feeling like concrete blocks and my stomach wasn't having it. It wasn't as bad as Icebreaker but I was not feeling 100%. I tried to focus on the hills. I'm one of those freaks that love them and Madison has plenty of them! Most of the course was pavement though I was able to find small strips of dirt on the shoulder of the road along the course through the Arboretum. The heat and sun didn't help either. I don't like it but I'm used to running long distances in the heat -- but usually in the trails where I have shade. I could feel my pace dropping and knew my goal of 1:50 may not happen. At this point, I just wanted to have a deccent run and to finish the last mile with a strong pace.
The last 4 miles were a blur. The heat was still bothering me, but my stomach issue wasn't much of an issue anymore. And I was almost done!! I had run past my old haunts from my freshman year in high school: where my previous modeling agency used to be on Monroe St, Michael's Custard (where I used to "study" for finals), Edgewood High School (at least the back of it!)... It was a great course and suddenly, I was sad to see it come to an end.
I picked up my pace at the last mile, kicked it up when I saw the 13th mile sign and sprinted to the finish. I looked down at my watch and it had stopped at 1:30 due to low battery. Are you kidding me?! I saw that the gun time was 1:53, almost 1:54 so I ran the PR bell. Still a PR, not what I wanted but still counts!
I decided to walk back towards the course, closer to the 12th mile where runners may need an extra boost. I knew Julia would be coming by pretty soon. I noticed a runner crying out in pain as she went to sit on the curb. A runner on the course stopped and another that was walking along the sidewalk as I was said he was going to get help. I stopped and said I'll stay with her so the runner on the course can finish her run. The girl in distress was clearly upset and in near tears as we were maybe 1/4 mile away from the 13th mile.
We offered to help her, each of us on her side as crutches. I don't remember the details of the pain, but it was on her left hip (the side I was on) and she couldn't put her weight on that leg at all. She apologized profusely for holding us back. We insisted we were fine - I was already done and told her I had all day to make sure she got to the finish. I tend to use humor as a coping mechanism so I'm caught smiling or making weird faces in almost all of the photos with her. I wanted her to keep her spirits up and know that we weren't upset about helping her along. This was her first half marathon and there was no way Samantha (the other runner helping) and I were going to leave her. This girl's determination was amazing. She could only hop along on the right foot for about 3-5 strides before crying out in pain but she stuck it out.
Many runners stopped by to ask if we needed help and a few offered to carry her but there was a question of whether that would be considered an "official" finish so we carried on. I told her to focus on the PR bell ahead. As her first half, she gets to ring that bell regardless of how she crossed it. That .1 is like a mile away when you're injured, I know from experience!
A volunteer came with the wheelchair as we got between the .1 mark and the finish and all 3 of us cried out "Not here!... We're crossing the finish line..."
She did it. She crossed both mats and then almost fell. From the photos, I see that she's stepping on her left leg and I'm sure she was in sheer agony.
As I'm writing this, I'm in tears because I witnessed the love and support from everyone along the way. The spectators along the way were cheering her on, the runners would offer help and/or cheer her on as well. Once she turned the corner to the last .1, you could hear the crowd get even louder.
I feel honored to have been right there. My faith in humanity had been restored and I only wish everyone could experience that kind of love and support from complete strangers.
After I crossed the finish line again, I found Julia and her little ones (who ran the 5K!). I also met Nathan, whom I'd only from Twitter. So crazy that he was able to find me in the large crowds!
I soon realized I forgot my ID for my free beer -- complimentary, unlimited beer as a VIP. So I ran back to the hotel and got back just in time to meet up with Danyell, who'd just crossed the finish!
They had run out of medals at that point so it was a bit of a disappointment to say the least. She did receive a note stating that they will mail it out to her. We headed back to the VIP area for our free, unlimited food: fruit, brats, potato salad, chicken burgers, muffins, cake, soda, water. If you haven't realized it yet, this VIP is definitely worth paying the little extra. If you're a Wisconsinite, 2 words: unlimited beer. We caught up with Angie and took some photos out on Monona Terrace - also the 14th mile post-race party.
This is a race I will never forget. Thank you Madison Mini Marathon for putting on such a great race with some of best views of the city. Thank you to all who cheered us on, whether injured or not, the volunteers and spectators were phenomenal. And I am humbled at the love shown that day. I hope to come back next year.
If you've been following along on this race weekend, you know how the race ended. And we'll definitely get to that! And if you've been following me (and paying attention at all), you know that I am NOT a road runner. I pretty much gave that up once I discovered ultras and trail running. So let me fill you in on the fun before and during the race.
I drove down to Madison late afternoon and immediately headed to the Alliant Center for packet pick up/expo and to meet up with my friend (and her hubby). As soon as I walked in, there was a table of free socks and buffs -- good start! Packet pick-up was quick and simple and they even had the PR bell there!
I had wanted to just enjoy the race and take pics along the way but then I saw the bell and knew I couldn't NOT try to hit a PR. I wanted to ring that bell at the finish line.
I'm not sure where the miscommunication occurred but I didn't have anything to indicate that I had VIP access so I ended up having to go back to remedy this. It turned out to be a simple fix, at least. Just a bright green sticker on my bib.
 |
| Because we're dorks. |
I didn't really worry about pre-race dinner since the distance wasn't much of a concern. Don't get me wrong; I totally respect the distance. 13.1 miles is a long way to run. But it is also what I consider my "not so" long run distance for ultra maintenance/training. So after having my burger, cheese curds, fries and beer, we then hit up Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Co. If we've all learned anything, my body does not handle dairy very well. I'm not lactose intolerant but I normally don't eat much dairy to begin with. For more on what could go wrong, read my Icebreaker blog post here
 |
| Love her!! |
 |
| Pre-race with fellow BRP , Angie |
As VIP, we were treated to coffee, breakfast (bagels, granola bars, bananas, water and gatorade) and our own bathrooms. I met up with fellow Bib Rave Pro, Angie before Danyell and I met up with a fellow Skirt Sports Ambassador, Julia. Few photos later, we each headed to our assigned corrals. I knew my last PR was 1:53 and I wanted 1:50. The best part of the start was seeing Bucky the Badger and hearing a small section of the amazing WI marching band! Tons of great energy from the spectators as well.
 |
| With Danyell and Julia before lining up |
The high lasted a few miles before my legs started feeling like concrete blocks and my stomach wasn't having it. It wasn't as bad as Icebreaker but I was not feeling 100%. I tried to focus on the hills. I'm one of those freaks that love them and Madison has plenty of them! Most of the course was pavement though I was able to find small strips of dirt on the shoulder of the road along the course through the Arboretum. The heat and sun didn't help either. I don't like it but I'm used to running long distances in the heat -- but usually in the trails where I have shade. I could feel my pace dropping and knew my goal of 1:50 may not happen. At this point, I just wanted to have a deccent run and to finish the last mile with a strong pace.The last 4 miles were a blur. The heat was still bothering me, but my stomach issue wasn't much of an issue anymore. And I was almost done!! I had run past my old haunts from my freshman year in high school: where my previous modeling agency used to be on Monroe St, Michael's Custard (where I used to "study" for finals), Edgewood High School (at least the back of it!)... It was a great course and suddenly, I was sad to see it come to an end.
 |
| Kicking it up and no, I didn't push past her! |
I picked up my pace at the last mile, kicked it up when I saw the 13th mile sign and sprinted to the finish. I looked down at my watch and it had stopped at 1:30 due to low battery. Are you kidding me?! I saw that the gun time was 1:53, almost 1:54 so I ran the PR bell. Still a PR, not what I wanted but still counts!
I decided to walk back towards the course, closer to the 12th mile where runners may need an extra boost. I knew Julia would be coming by pretty soon. I noticed a runner crying out in pain as she went to sit on the curb. A runner on the course stopped and another that was walking along the sidewalk as I was said he was going to get help. I stopped and said I'll stay with her so the runner on the course can finish her run. The girl in distress was clearly upset and in near tears as we were maybe 1/4 mile away from the 13th mile.We offered to help her, each of us on her side as crutches. I don't remember the details of the pain, but it was on her left hip (the side I was on) and she couldn't put her weight on that leg at all. She apologized profusely for holding us back. We insisted we were fine - I was already done and told her I had all day to make sure she got to the finish. I tend to use humor as a coping mechanism so I'm caught smiling or making weird faces in almost all of the photos with her. I wanted her to keep her spirits up and know that we weren't upset about helping her along. This was her first half marathon and there was no way Samantha (the other runner helping) and I were going to leave her. This girl's determination was amazing. She could only hop along on the right foot for about 3-5 strides before crying out in pain but she stuck it out.
Many runners stopped by to ask if we needed help and a few offered to carry her but there was a question of whether that would be considered an "official" finish so we carried on. I told her to focus on the PR bell ahead. As her first half, she gets to ring that bell regardless of how she crossed it. That .1 is like a mile away when you're injured, I know from experience!
A volunteer came with the wheelchair as we got between the .1 mark and the finish and all 3 of us cried out "Not here!... We're crossing the finish line..."
She did it. She crossed both mats and then almost fell. From the photos, I see that she's stepping on her left leg and I'm sure she was in sheer agony.
As I'm writing this, I'm in tears because I witnessed the love and support from everyone along the way. The spectators along the way were cheering her on, the runners would offer help and/or cheer her on as well. Once she turned the corner to the last .1, you could hear the crowd get even louder.
I feel honored to have been right there. My faith in humanity had been restored and I only wish everyone could experience that kind of love and support from complete strangers.
 |
| Samantha |
I soon realized I forgot my ID for my free beer -- complimentary, unlimited beer as a VIP. So I ran back to the hotel and got back just in time to meet up with Danyell, who'd just crossed the finish!
Official finish time: 1:52:55
Overall: 564 of 2429
Women: 188 of 1384
Age (35-39): 25 of 216
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