2017 Naples Daily News Half
January 15th was a gorgeous morning in Naples. The weather was perfect for a race! The race stated at 7am so I was there around 6:30am. There was plenty of parking in the parking garage. Race day check-in was easy to find and they had a whole line of port-o-potties for runners to use. The race started on 5th street where they had markers for different pace groups. The longest pacer they had was 2:30. I met my friend Ryann and we got all lined up and ready to go. They had an amazing A cappella group sing the national anthem. Before I knew it we were off!
The whole course was fast and flat. This really was the perfect race for a PR. Unfortunately due to an earlier injury I did not PR, but I still finished faster then I thought! There were plenty of water stations along the course but no nutrition stations. The staff and volunteers were great with answering questions and cheering everyone on. The course had a few (3 I think) down and back stretches. The course was shaded and it was fun running past all the crazy mansions in downtown Naples.
The race finish next to Cambier Park with a fun after party. The course race limit was 3 hours. Runners were still coming in after the designated finish time but they just missed out on seeing the speedy runners get their medals. (Top finishers finished in a little over an hour!) They had plenty of water and snacks to take in, along with may different vendors. Overall it was a great race and I can’t wait to do it again next year to shoot for a PR!
Cheers to many more miles!
❤ Dr. Carrie
ps. I gave in and purchased some of the race photos because they came out so great!
