Drake Road Races Half Marathon 2022 Recap

Shall we talk about 13.1 hilly miles of smiles?

I've said it many times...I much prefer a challenging race course over an "easy" one. Of course, it's all relative who deems what is "easy" or "challenging." If you're looking for a race course that will test your legs, your determination, your endurance and your grit, the Drake Road Races Half Marathon will fill those needs.

Couple the hilly race course with the usual erratic spring weather of Iowa, and you're in for a morning like none other on the streets of Des Moines. 

Affiliated with the Drake Relays, the Drake Road Races kick off the start of the week-long Relay-related events. Where the Relays themselves attract pre-qualified athletes at the elite, collegiate, and high school levels, the Road Races are for more "common folk" runners. This year, they brought back the 10K (it had been omitted last year, due to Covid), and added that to the long-standing 5K and half marathon options.

I'm no stranger to this event. I first ran the 10K (back in 2013), and returned for the half marathon in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021. All events had to assume a virtual format in 2020, so I ran the virtual 13.1 on the actual race weekend (on my hometown streets). A few months later, while my stress fracture healed, I "biked" the virtual event when the swag arrived. 

Anyways, the half marathon (and 10K) had a 7:30 start time (the 5K started at 7:45; remember this detail), so Barb, Allison and I left town around 5:45 and arrived at Drake Stadium about an hour later.

  

We took advantage of the indoor restrooms, and hopped back in the car to keep warm before heading to the start line. The mid-40F temps were actually pretty decent, in terms of what we usually have on race day for this event. The wind was going to be a bit of a challenge (14mph at the start), but we've been running and training in it, and wouldn't have a headwind for much of the race (fingers crossed). 

ready to go!

These temps are tricky to dress for, in my opinion. I knew I'd be fine in shorts, and went with a tank, arm sleeves, and a light 1/4-zip jacket. I debated on gloves, but decided to leave them behind (and never missed them). 

The half marathon runners lined up with the 10K runners, on Forest Avenue. Oh, was it nice to have a clear sky with full sunshine!

The first mile, of any race, always seems to be a major clustered mess. This race was no exception. We run a short ways, due east (on Forest), then head south for several blocks, eventually heading west on Kingman. Once we made the turn on Kingman, the crowd of runners seemed to spread out much better. This segment on Kingman, though, is my least favorite part of the race because it's a long stretch (nearly 1-1/2 mile in distance), it's mostly flat (#boring), and (on this particular morning) it was into the wind .

Once off of Kingman, the route goes south for awhile, and eventually turns right (going west). We then start our journey through a beautiful neighborhood. This area is where the hills really come into play, just after the 3-mile mark. 

I had lost Barb and Allison shortly after the start, due to the thick cluster of runners and all the dodging and hop-scotching I had to do... but I spotted them up ahead, and was able to catch up with them just before the 4-mile mark. 

By now, I was feeling strong, and in my groove. The three of us hung together for the next few miles.  It was near the 5-mile mark that I slid off my arm sleeves and unzipped my jacket part-way. I wasn't feeling overheated, but I definitely wasn't feeling cold anymore.

Barb was slowly inching away from us (no big deal). Alison and I were still pretty much side-by-side until around the seventh mile...when I could feel myself starting to pull a little ahead of her. I heard my name as I was approaching the water stand, just after the 8-mile mark. There were three different gals who I knew there, and it's always a boost to see familiar faces.

So, onward! 

Although the hills were keeping my legs busy, I hadn't really felt any fatigue until I was about halfway through the ninth mile. There was a slight out-and-back segment, just after the 9-mile mark, that was new this year. Guess what? That little course variation added another hill to the route (and a steep one at that!). Lucky us!

The good news, though, was that once we passed the 10-mile mark, the hills leveled-off substantially. The bad news? We'd soon be back on Kingman (just before the 11-mile mark) for another long, straight stretch. For the time being, someone had done a lot of early-morning chalk artwork on the street...pointing out miniscule "potholes," mud clusters, miniature "puddles" and the (obvious) "hazards" of a select few parked cars. It was colorful, whimsical, very entertaining and much appreciated!

The return trip to Kingman (remember, we'd run this segment shortly after the start) wasn't as bad as anticipated...though, it still was a long haul. Passing the 12-mile mark gave me a huge boost of mojo because the remainder of the course was a gradual decline.

A couple blocks after the 12-mile mark, we take a left turn and run north, back towards Forest Avenue. Along this final jaunt are numerous sorority/fraternity/organization groups cheering, so the excitement is pretty euphoric. Also, you can hear the roar of the crowd coming from inside Drake Stadium, at the finish line.

the last stretch, on Forest Ave., into the wind

I made it to Forest, turned left (going west...back into the wind) and nearly lost my balance. The wind had picked up in the past two hours since we'd started the race ( I later learned it had increased from 14mph to 22mph!). A couple blocks later, the course turns right, and leads us down a nice short hill. We round the corner, entering Drake Stadium, and finish with a lap on the famous track, known as the Blue Oval. 

There's a Jumbotron, spotlighting everyone as they cross the finish line (but I never think to look at it). Although my legs were feeling trashed, overall I was still feeling pretty strong. I spotted the timing clock to the right of the finish line...and it showed 1:51:xx! For a split second, I was overjoyed to be almost nine minutes UNDER the 2-hour mark. 

the final "sprint" on the Blue Oval

Then, another split second later, I noticed another timing clock, on the left...showing  2:06:xx. Duh, LOL. Remember me saying the 5K racers started 15 minutes after the 10K/half marathon? Yep, that clock on the right, showing 1:51:xx, was their clock.

Alas, my Garmin showed 2:06:41, though my official time was slightly faster (2:06:35). Not a 13.1 PR (as if, LOL), but a decent time considering the tough course. My Drake PR is 2:04:33, so I'm quite satisfied with my finish time. Truth be told, this is not a course I anticipate ever setting a shiny new PR on anyways. 

post-finish line

How did I do?

My stats show that I finished 466th out of 794 (overall); 154th out of 360 females; and 6th out of 21 in my age group. Speaking of age group...I recently aged-up to the next group, but these "old gals" in this new group are beasts:

My Splits:

Mile 1 - 9:35         Mile 6 - 9:57       Mile 11 - 9:46

         2 - 9:19                 7 - 9:44                12 - 9:47

         3 - 9:20                 8 - 9:49                13 - 9:24 

         4 - 8:47                 9 - 9:43                 .2 - 1:43

         5 - 9:27               10 - 10:18

We all agree, this race course is a tough one. Myself, I kind of like that aspect. I mean, it's fun to run a fast & flat race, but there's something empowering in fighting a bunch of hills en route to the finish line. It definitely feels like a conquest when all is said and done! 

Our friend, Chuck was also there. He ran the 10K, but promised to be waiting for us at our 13.1 finish line. 

How about the swag?

The medals are always top-notch, and usually pay tribute to the symbolic Blue Oval.

This year's jacket is kind of meh (IMO). In recent years, they've had 1/4 zip jackets (some flannel-lined, some not). This full-zip hoodie is a cute design, but it's really light-weight (in other words, not very warm). I'm just not sure how practical it is (?).

By the way, Drake University's mascot is the bulldog. As you could guess, there are statues of Spike throughout the campus. It's only right to get a picture with one of them.

 

So that's what went down on a beautiful, albeit windy, spring morning, on a hilly race course. Even though the race course is tough, the event itself is very well-organized. There were water stations (some with Gatorade) at almost every mile mark. Since the race course goes primarily through residential neighborhoods, the traffic is well-controlled by police officers. There also are fair amounts of residents spectating and cheering.

How do you feel about hilly races? Would you knowingly run a hilly course, repeatedly? Any favorite races that you return to every year? Have you ever misread a timing clock at the finish line?

I'm linking this with Kim and Zenaida for the Tuesday Topics Link-Up

By the way...are you following me on social media? 

Let's connect : Facebook Instagram  Pinterest Twitter