By 303 Ambassador, Erin Trail
I like to start out my race season with a half marathon. It gives me a running goal for those cold winter months and I find that it gives my fitness a jumpstart as I head into triathlon season. Rather than repeat a race that I’ve done in the past, I wanted to do something new. Three Creeks Half Marathon by Racing Underground at Cherry Creek Reservoir fit the bill. It was a fairly new race (2015 was the inaugural event), close to home, a course I haven’t done before, and most importantly – my money and race mojo went to a locally produced event (win, win, WIN!).
Larger events may have the “spectacle” element going for them, with large crowds and hype, but if you haven’t done a small event, you should. There’s just something about seeing the race director at the race start, being able to park (for free!) close to the race venue, and having a personal touch added to the event. Some of my favorite races have been the small ones because of the atmosphere.
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Race Details, from Racing Underground’s Website
The Three Creeks Half Marathon features a USA Track & Field certified half marathon course that is flat, fast and scenic!
Travel on foot through some of the most beautiful parts of Cherry Creek State Park, with a total combined elevation gain of only 291 feet spread out over 13.1 miles as the course follows the banks of Cherry Creek, Windmill Creek, and Cottonwood Creek on a mix of road, paved running trail, and wide dirt trails.
Other Details to Consider
They offer an early packet pick-up on Friday, or a race-morning packet pick-up (which I love!). They also have 2 waves for the race, with the 2:30+ finishers starting at 7:30 AM and the sub-2:30 finishers starting at 8:00 AM. This is to reduce 2-way traffic on the back end of the course and to ensure that all finishers get a crowd to cheer them as they go through the finish chute.
The race swag includes a really nice finisher medal and a quality half-zip long sleeve tech shirt, as well as a tasty post-race meal from Noodles and Company.
My Race ReportI wasn’t quite sure what to expect, since I did something to my left leg a few weeks back. A few ART treatments and a quality massage and things were better, but it had been over 2 weeks since I really tested things out. Also, my taper consisted of 2 very long hikes on the Monday and Wednesday before the race in Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. Fun, but not exactly restful.
The first 5 miles were awesome. I was relaxed and running well – hitting my splits exactly as planned. Then around mile 6 my left leg started talking and my asthma started acting up. It was at this point that I knew I wasn’t going to have the race I hoped for. I hate it when that happens; all that training and then your body just doesn’t feel like showing up. To be perfectly honest, I thought about quitting. My head wasn’t in the game – it went from a race to a run. And with the leg pain, I couldn’t even really run that fast and walked a large chunk of the last 3 miles, resulting in my 2nd slowest half marathon.
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So why did I continue? I was pondering quitting and I kept catching glances of my Coeur Sports kit as I looked down at my feet walking along the dirt trail. Part of being a Coeur Ambassador is that we elevate people in athletics. That can be something as simple as smiling to a fellow competitor, thanking a volunteer, or just sucking it up and finishing what you started. As I caught glimpses of the Coeur logo on my shirt, I thought of my team and the brand and I wanted to make them (and myself) proud. So I soldiered on, thanking volunteers, encouraging those around me, and enjoying the beautiful views of the Reservoir and the mountains and knew that I was earning my finisher medal one step at a time.
Despite my leg and lung issues, I really did enjoy the course. There was a variety of trails – paved path, road, and dirt – and a nice amount of rolling hills. Nothing too steep or too long – just enough to give you something to focus on as you ran along. They did a great job keeping us out of the busy parts of the park, minimizing our exposure to other users. And the volunteers were excellent – mostly consisting of Civil Air Patrol Cadets.
I hope to be back to “race-race” in 2017.
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