Valentine’s Day Massacre Marathon
After getting shot by Cupid’s arrow on Saturday at the Cupid’s Cup 5K, where I finished in 18:29, 3rd Overall Master, I decided to take a short jaunt to Greensboro Sunday morning to get a long run in at the Valentine’s Day Massacre Marathon. It was scheduled to be a beautiful day, and since the race doesn’t start until 10:00 am, I didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to make the journey.
The event is mainly geared towards relay runners consisting of 2 or 4 person teams and is unique in that each member of the team runs 1 lap and then hands the baton and timing chip to the next runner and so forth. Once you are done with your lap, you wait for the other members of your team to complete their laps before you take off again. In addition to the relay, the race does allow solo runners, or ‘crazies’ as they are called, to participate.
It’s held at the Greensboro County Park and consists of 1 lap of 2.2 miles followed by 15 laps of 1.6 mile laps. For those trying to qualify for Boston, the course is certified (and you’ll be certified crazy after running all of those laps). Oh, I forgot to mention that you are responsible for counting your own laps though you do have a timing chip that records each lap for you. The course is not flat as the following elevation profile indicates (profile taken from their website, www.massacremarathon.com):
The picture doesn’t really do the hills justice as they really wear on you after about 10 laps!
As a last minute decision, my goal was to get in a good long run for upcoming marathons (Umstead, Tobacco Road, and Blue Ridge) and enjoy the beautiful weather! I finished in 3:24:10 and was 2nd Overall Male.
So if you’re looking to run long around Valentine’s Day, consider this race. It’s a great deal for solo runners costing only $35 race day including a long-sleeve hoodie!
Thanks, Bobby, and great job!
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