Race Report: Big Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay

This is one of the most beautiful courses in all of road racing and, coming as it does two weeks before the California International Marathon, is a perfect opportunity for both a weekend getaway and a final tune-up.

My plan was to run marathon pace throughout, but naturally I didn’t adhere to the plan. It was a great race, and if I could only account for the time warp I ran through, I would have no complaints whatsoever.

The worrisome winter storm that was forecast blew through the Monterey Bay peninsula overnight, so the morning was brisk but only partly cloudy. More than 6,100 runners took part in the half, lined up in 11 corrals. I was in #4, so we would start nine minutes after the elites.

There were nearly two women for every man entered. Although I was told this is not unusual, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the field so skewed.

Mile 1 – 10:25

Mile 2 – 9:44

Mile 3 – 9:30

The beginning of the race winds through downtown Monterey, across a pond bridge, under a tree canopy, and through a tunnel. At the end of the tunnel was a bagpiper strangling his instrument. Of course my Garmin lost lock while we were in the tunnel, but ultimately recorded the correct time and distance for that mile. I mention it only because I can’t figure out what happened later.

Crowd support was tremendous, with folks lined up above the tunnel, and a group of women with a hand-made sign that read, “Hurry up and finish! There’s a sale at Anthropologie!”

Speaking of signs, the race commissioned unique mile markers (you can read about them here). They were all pretty cool, but my favorite was the first one:

Mile 4 – 9:30

Mile 5 – 9:10

Mile 6 – 9:05

The course is rolling terrain throughout, but the only nasty hill is just before Mile 4. I knew it was coming, so I gathered myself and covered it without much trouble. It’s worth it for the best part of the entire race. After about another half-mile, you come down a hill and have a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean in the cold, early morning. I’m not big on sightseeing during races, but this just made me glad to be out running.

Mile 7 – 9:17

Mile 8 – 9:12

Mile 9 – 9:14

Because of the design of the route, the turnaround point is actually at 7.5 miles, up the side of a short, steep hill. In past years, this was a relatively lonely stretch, but with the expansion of the size of the field, it was almost a logjam. Heading back into town, I felt terrific and was having no difficulty at all maintaining my pace.

I did a little mental math at Mile 9, and saw I could finish sub-2 if I completed the last 4.1 in slightly less than 35 minutes. I calculated somewhere between 8:30 and 8:45 per mile. That seemed out of reach, but I thought I could get close.

Mile 10 – 9:00

Mile 11 – 9:03

Mile 12 – 8:52

A sub-2 was shot, but I was racing past dozens of runners, cruised down Cannery Row, and really gunned it along the bike trail to cover the last half-mile.

Mile 13 – 8:27

.1 – 0:49

Finish: 2:01:14 – Well, not really. Because clock time was 2:12:32, and chip time ended up being 2:03:01. Still a 2011 PR, but almost two minutes slower than my Garmin indicated for the same distance. 1,813th out of 6,104 finishers. 93rd of 211 in 50-54 age group.

But who cares about that stuff? The important thing is the load of post-race goodies, including a big vanilla sugar cookie, minestrone soup and, of course, beer.

The Big Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay is really a tremendous destination race. You’ll want to spend some time in the area before and after, just for the atmosphere and the eateries. I highly recommend the chicken and spinach aglio olio at Louie Linguini’s for your pre-race carbs, and just about anything at the Trailside Cafe for your post-race brunch.

Two weeks of tapering with Thanksgiving thrown in. I’m really looking forward to it.