West Virginia (Marshall University) 11/7/10

After 3 weeks off it was time to get back to hitting the road and knocking off a couple more States. This marathon was in Huntington, WV where Marshall University plays football. If you have ever seen the movie "We Are Marshall" you know about the tragedy that happened to their football team. We flew into Charleston the day before and it was an easy 1 hour drive to Huntington. Looking around there was nothing flat about the area so I was wondering how they could say the course was relativly flat. There was alot of people that I knew running this race including several from Houston and a good friend of mine I have been running with for several years. There was no expo except a local running store selling a few items, just an area set up to pick-up your packet. They did give you a really nice fleece jacket instead of a shirt if you registered early enough.

Race morning was a cold 26 deg and it sure felt good. Beings the race was small we were able to stay warm in the car until just a few minutes before the start. We walked a few shorts blocks to the start and within minutes we were on our way. The course was fairly flat as advertised and the sections that went through several parks were very nice. My buddy David and I ran the race together and we were able to see Wendy alot beings she was able to move around easily. She really is amazing when it comes to her support at these races. The highlight of this race had to be finishing at the football stadium on the field. For the last 200 yards or so you enter the stadium and once in they hand you a football. You then run down the sideline and once you are at the far end zone you turn around and run down the center of the field for the last 100 yards.

Overall I really enjoyed this race and with the finish in the stadium it is one that I will remember for a while. With this one in the books that now gives me 30 States and after this weekend in North Carolina I will be in the teens for remaining states. Until next week I hope everyone is enjoying what ever they may be doing.