Williamson WV
3:49:30 Gun
42/513 Overall and 7/32 M40-44
Sixth 26.2 of 2014 and 17th career 26.2
Tenth US State
West Virginia does not have that many road marathon options and given the number of positive comments about the race I heard from various Marathon Maniacs, it was a natural fit to conclude my spring marathon campaign. I was looking forward to seeing if the race lived up to the reputation I heard about along with its billing by the Weather Channel as one of their 15 Toughest Marathons.
Race Plan. I had some struggles in trying to plan for this race as I tried to weight the impact of a likely warm & humid day, potentially difficult course and having run my first 50 mile race the previous weekend. In the end looking at a promising weather forecast, I decided to push for 3:45, aiming to run the first half in 1:55 and then take advantage of a flatter second half in 1:50.
Race Day. Race morning dawned bright and relatively cool but humid. The Hatfield - McCoy Marathon starts in the parking lot of Food City in Goody KY. I arrived with plenty of time to spare and spent some time talking with some of the over 175 Marathon Maniacs participating in this years race. After the traditional Maniac Photo, it was time to get warmed up for the start which was rather loosely organized.
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| Over 175 Maniacs Participated this year |
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| It is a relaxed start |
With a blast of the McCoy pistol we were off at 7am. The first two miles were generally flat along US 119 before heading onto KY 319 through the village of Hardy. I allowed myself to get pulled along with some of the faster starters, heading out a little to aggressively at under an 8:00 minute/mile pace. The start of the third mile saw the beginning of steady climb that brought my pace back towards a more sustainable 8:30 min/mile with the climb getting progressively steeper as we approached the top of Blackberry Mountain (1270') at 7.5 miles into the race. The descent of Blackberry Mtn was very steep, dropping close 500' in just over a half mile. I was able to run that section quite fast but under control without overly trashing my legs. By the 9 mile point to course had flattened out into a gentle descent parallel with the Blackberry Creek. I was still running strong around an 8:30 min/mile but I could start to feel the effect of both the climb and the previous week's North Face 50 Mile in my legs. The Blackberry Mtn section takes runners past many of the sites from the historic Hatfield - McCoy feud in the 19th Century. I reached the midway point of the race at Matewan, WV at 1:49:30. This year's Hatfield - McCoy Marathon also offered a variety of half marathon options, including running the first half of the course, the second half of the course, or both halves (double half marathon for 3 medals). The second half of the course saw us cross back into Kentucky, running River Rd parallel to the Tug River, rolling in elevation by 50' to 75'. I generally sustaining around 8:30 min/mile until near mile 16 when River Rd transitioned into "River Road needs a few decades of catch-up maintenance" into "River Track". A thunderstorm on the previous day had left the track with a number of slick muddy sections that brought the pace down. Near mile 18 the course reached the Tug Valley Country Club and crossed back into West Virginia over the infamous swinging bridge. The challenge in crossing the bridge was that the runner induced vertical sway of the bridge made controlled running a bit entertaining. Once over the bridge, the course followed a paved gold cart path for about a half mile before crossing back into Kentucky. The last miles in Kentucky were a series of steady rolls along River Road before rejoining US 119 at the 25 mile point. The course was more open through this section and the bright sun and climbing temperatures made this section a challenge. I found my pace slipping down towards a 9:00 min/mile over these last miles. The final mile of the course crossed back over the Tug River into Williamson WV, finishing in downtown area. I met my family with 150 yards to go and my son was able to pace in to the finish at 3:49:30 to be greeted by the Hatfield & McCoy.
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| Crossing the line |
My Map My Run file is linked here.
Bib Pick-up, Start, Finish, Bling and Travel. Race pick-up was held just south of Williamson at the Belfry High School. This year's race pick-up included a 50 States Marathon Club Reunion as well. The pre-race pasta dinner was in the school's cafeteria and was free to runners. As mentioned above, the start at Food City in Goody was relaxed. There was no race day parking at the start but plentiful shuttles were available from downtown Williamson. The finish in Williamson was excellent and included concerts, BBQ and a street fair as well as a kid's race.
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| Are you a McCoy? |
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| Good, You're not a McCoy |
Race premiums included a technical T-Shirt and draw bag as well as a good race medal and mason jar trophy.
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| The Bling |
Travel to Williamson from the Maryland mid-Atlantic was about a seven hour drive. Flight options into the region are rather limited with the closest airport around 90 minutes away in Charleston or Huntington WV. Commercial lodging is very limited in the region. I stayed in Logan WV which was about a 30 minute drive from Williamson. The race organizers do arrange for cots at both the Williamson and Belfry fire departments which can accommodate around 75 - 100 people.
Final Thoughts. I really enjoyed the Hatfield - McCoy Marathon. This is a very well run event with a huge amount of local community support. It is also a rather challenging race, although not quite a physically tough as the Blue Ridge Marathon. With the big climb over Blackberry Mtn and likely warm/humid middle of June weather, this is not an easy race. You also need to plan your travel arrangements well in advance for the race since accommodation is limited and fills early. In hindsight, I may have pushed a little too hard in the first half of the race, but I don't think a time under 3:45 was in the cards for the day.
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| End of a great day |
Next up, a easy of couple of weeks for recovery and then it will be time begin a hard push for a maximal effort at the Lehigh Valley Marathon on 7 September 2014.
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