“Disclaimer: I received free entry to the KC Marathon race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check outBibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!”
The Good
Let’s start with the good parts first, shall we? This race was AWESOME!
We arrived on Friday around 5:30/6ish PM. Union Station was such a cool place inside and we really enjoyed walking around the inside and experiencing the expo. It didn’t take too long to pick up my packet and definitely not long at all to take my pre-race photo!
I had pre-ordered the Lululemon full tights and shorts that had the race logo on them and that was also super easy and quick to grab!
We will both agree, that hands down, our hotel and room were one of the best we have ever stayed in. We were on the top floor of rooms and had a view of the start and finish line. It was the best decision to get a hotel right at the start and finish of the race and something I will try to do with every race out of town in the future.
Here are views from our hotel room at the Westin KC Crowne Center
Seriously, could it get any better? It does. The fact our hotel was at Crowne Center, meant that we didn’t have to go far for food. We walked around Crowne Center and decided on Spin! pizza for pre-race fuel. I got the chicken alfredo and a caesar side salad.
We had originally planned to stop at a grocery on the way, but I was so exhausted. So thankfully there were a few stores and I picked up some pb crackers to go with my clif kids bar for pre race fuel in the morning. Now it was time to set up Flat Sam and then curl into bed for the night.
I did end up with a thicker fleece lined black long sleeve because it ultimately fit better under my Bibrave tank. I really wanted my arm sleeves and tank, but that can go under “the bad,” section. This was my first race using BibBoards and I loved them!
The race itself was set up perfectly and the pro to having the hotel right at the start, was that I slept in until 5:50, took my time eating, getting dressed and was able to use the restroom multiple times in my own room before heading to the start line. First, I met up with a few of the other BibRavePros and we met for the first time! So much fun to meet others you have been interacting with virtually for so long!
The just like that, I was at the start line and ready to run! The course was absolutely beautiful and this was my first time running in Kansas City, so I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery.
The best part of the race were the gummy bears at mile 10 or so. I honestly walked and ate my cup of 6, casually enjoying them.
The other good part was having the hotel at the finish because you’re going to find out why shortly. Now let’s get to the next section, because enter bad and ugly.
The Bad
So as I was saying earlier, I wanted to wear my arm warmers/sleeves with just my tank and shorts. I overheat SUPER easily and I get rashes from that and sometimes can get some anxiety. Thankfully I wasn’t racing or I probably would’ve felt the anxiety. But I could only find ONE sleeve prior to leaving Illinois for Kansas City. Therefore, no sleeves.
We did have a bit of trouble finding the parking garage for the expo. But that’s also because we are not city folk and do not do well in cities with one way streets, lots of cars and puzzle streets. The garage was kind of hidden in a back way from where we were driving. But we were able to park for free for the expo which was awesome (put that up with the good!)
I also forgot my Apple Watch. I started to use the Strava app for running in order to use the Beacon feature for my family to keep track of me out there. Since you can’t send beacons on your watch, I use my phone and keep it in my flipbelt and then will start another run session from my watch. This was an issue because I didn’t want to fumble with my phone and try to run, so I started my app when we counted down the start. So my mile markers were off the whole race which drove me bonkers.
The only bad part about the race that I didn’t enjoy, was that around mile 4 or 5, I honestly can’t remember, we were running on a road that had a design to it and wasn’t flat. It was hell on your ankles basically and was honestly awful.
The Ugly
Okay guys, did you really think there was anything ugly about the race itself? It was all my doing. I didn’t train the way I wanted to leading up to this race. I had a solid like 3 weeks of great training and then a month of not running and then maybe like 2 runs leading up to the race of 3 miles. My life was busy packing my apartment and moving to a new state. I was just trying to keep my head above water. Therefore, the ugly was how my body felt during and after. At mile 2 my knees and ankles were already hurting me. I shocked myself by not even walking until mile 5. So there’s that.
Toward mile 11, my body hurt so bad that it hurt as much if not more to walk than run. And by run, I mean shuffle? I never judged myself once during this race. At mile 12, some guy touched me as I was walking and said, “come on, we can do this together. you can do this.” and in my mind I was thinking, “dude, this is my race. run your own,” but I thought I may as well give it a go. I stayed with him for another half mile or so. But when we hit another hill, I said nope.
I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see a finish line before. THANK YOU FOR THE DOWNHILL FINISH! Seriously. Add that to the list. Because holy hills for this race. I don’t think I could run it again unless I truly had great training.
I was ready to cry the last two miles of the race, because I couldn’t tell if I was going to be seriously injured for pushing myself this much. I couldn’t even enjoy the post race party because I could barely hold myself up. Kudos to the boyfriend for seeing me in that state and handling my helplessness and indecisiveness which ultimately led to me asking to go back to the hotel.
Final Thoughts
This was a very organized race and I was blessed to get to participate as a BibRavePro and thankful to have my race comped. I loved our hotel, the race and the feeling of accomplishment afterward. I told the bf I would never run another half marathon again after that one.
Last night I said, “remember when I told you I was done running half marathons?” He said “you signed up for another didn’t you?” I responded with, “no, but I’m not done yet. I want to run another in shape again.”
So to that friends, it’s not the end of my half marathon days. Six in and I’ll be back for a 7th some day!
Q: Have you ran this race before?
Q: What’s your favorite half marathon?
