My first Beach to Bay experience was definitely a positive one. I was running the last leg and I knew I wouldn't be starting until later in the morning but for whatever reason I decided to get to my exchange point at 7:30AM. I just walked there from my house, it was close enough. I made a friend as soon as I got to the park and we hung out and talked for a good chunk of the morning. Luckily enough, he also had some sunscreen that he offered me. I slathered some on my arms and legs, apparently missing my shoulders and chest. More on that later...
The first runners came through our chute around 8:45AM. These people are fast. Like... really fast. I don't understand how it's humanly possible to sustain what I see as a sprint for 4+ miles. Then again, I'm a little overweight and I have short stubby legs so it may just be humanly impossible for me. Either way, these runners are impressive.
A handful of men came through, followed by the first female runner. Let me tell you, this girl didn't look too good. As she was coming through the chute she started walking and veering off to the right. You could tell she was having a hard time functioning physically. Her teammate grabbed the baton and the girl almost immediately just kind of collapsed. Race workers had to carry her to the first aid tent to cool down. It was a very, very hot day. Multiple runners went down from heat exhaustion. I heard teammates handing off the baton and telling the next runners to be careful of the heat. It was then that I decided I was not running for speed. I was going to take my time and enjoy the race and not end up in a first aid tent.
After about four hours of hanging out at the exchange point drinking water and watching runners coming through, I finally heard my bib number get called. So I hopped in the chute and waited for Josh. Finally I saw him, grabbed the baton, and was off!
The run was more pleasant than I expected with the heat. The water stations were plentiful. Every time I hit on, I slowed to a walk, drank a cup, then poured another cup over my head. There were also people with water guns squirting runners, which I appreciated thoroughly. Some people who live along the race course were even out front with their garden hoses spraying runners. I found that this was the only way for me to keep my body temperature down. Especially because there was little to no shade on the course for relief from the sun.
So on I went, drinking and dousing, drinking and dousing, through all 4.89 miles. Finally I saw the finish line in the distant so I pushed through. The time on the clock was 5:09 and some change. Not the best time, not the worst. After looking at the results, I'd say we were in the 3rd quartile of teams. I think a lot of what slowed us down was the fact that one of our runners accidently ran two legs. That's over eight miles of running. In the heat. And the sun. A very impressive accident, if I do say so myself.
After the race, I realized I had gotten a lot of sun. My shoulders and chest are pretty red. As I'm typing this at work, I can feel them burning. I need to buy some sport sunscreen pronto.
So there it is, Beach to Bay 2012. I think it will be an annual tradition from here on out.
