Michael Laputka
Lurker
Posts: 35
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« Reply #3 on: April 09, 2011, 05:35:54 pm » |
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The first half mile is a pretty steep downhill, even when you try to hold back you will still be faster than what you may have wanted. Line up on the left edge at the start and stay to the left, it's very crowded at the start and if you are on the left you are set up to "tangent" the left turn onto Foothill. Mile 3 to 4 is practically a cliff, 4 to 5 is also a deep plunge but you don't notice it as much because the 3 to 4 shock. Now you're in Sugarhouse Park, still going downhill into the park, then you roll up and down then back up again, rather steeply as you exit the park. There will be a traffic jam of slow half marathon runners clogging your exit of the park. It's very frustrating because these halfers don't realize that you are much faster and seem to get aggravated that you're trying to get through them, and they like to run like cattle 3 and 4 wide on a narrow strip. (look at the course, the halfers turn around in front of the park but the marathoners go into the park and run and extra mile and a half so you half to bust through a bunch of runners before you get back to daylight)
Things quiet down once you split away from the halfers, and it's actually quite a relief and now you realize how horrible it's been to run with them. Things are very nice as you run along 20th east. At about mile 8.5 you turn left (east) and it's a pretty good uphill climb to 23rd east. 23rd East and Holladay Blvd. is a very nice stretch, nice, cool and quiet. You'll be making a sharp right (west) on 6200 south, be prepared for a pretty steep half mile hill to 6200 South, once you round the corner you'll be at the 13.1 half way marker. From here, enjoy a nice downhill mile to Van Winkle. There will be a lot of spectators here. This is where the poster above suggested you should have your wife meet you. My suggestion would be to have here meet you at 5600 South and Van Winkle. There is a HUGE, empty parking lot that she can park in, it's accessible from eastbound 5600 south. She would turn left into the parking lot just before Van Winkle.
When you run Van Winkle, stay to the left. Van Winkle "bananas" to the left but all the sheep run to the right and add many extra feet to this 2 mile stretch. I love this part of the race, it's very quite but if the sun is out this is where you start to feel it. The first 14 miles are cool and shaded and if it's a warm day this is where the heat kicks in, and it stays hot the rest of the way, there will be no more shade. At the 17 mile marker the next half mile is uphill at you approach 45th south, from here, the course is flat until you exit Liberty Park. From Liberty Park to State Street you have a very slight downhill mile.
Once you're on State it's a gentle uphill at gets increasingly steeper with a monster one block kick as you go from 1st South to South Temple. This is mile 25 and practically everyone is walking. Keep a little in the tank for mile 25. It's about a 200 foot incline over a quarter mile.
Remember those halfers you started the race with and then fought through coming out of Sugarhouse Park? Well, guess what, THEY'RE BACK! But now they have there jackets tied around there waists and walking 3-4 and 5 wide clogging the street! You'll be fighting through these people the last mile across South Temple and into Gateway. Since it sounds like you're not gunning for a PR then maybe you won't find this as aggravating as I do. This last mile along South Temple is a nice downhill glide into Gateway. Enjoy your run!
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