Race Report: NC Half Marathon at Charlotte Motor Speedway (2014)

My first half marathon!

I've run a few 5Ks and 10Ks, and I figured it was time to take on the next challenge.  A few years ago I created a list of goals for myself, and running a half marathon was on the list.  After fits and starts of running over the past few years, this year felt like the one.


The NC Half Marathon is held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway complex, which includes the 1.5 mile Charlotte Motor Speedway, The Dirt Track, and ZMax Dragway.  The course covers all three of these areas, and you actually run on the speedway and the dragway.

It was a two-event weekend, with a 5K Friday night and the half marathon the next day.  The packet pickup and expo was on that Friday, and it was exactly the race theme you would expect.

Vroom!

I hadn't been in the midfield area before, and the first thing I noticed was something I would notice over and over during the two days:  this place is huge.

Cars for scale.

Really huge.

Gulls and cars for scale.

Packet pickup was relatively straightforward, and I saw a few people I knew at the track.  Nancy, a friend of mine, ran the 5K that Friday night.  Coming into the track that evening was very exciting, and you could tell it would be a fun event.  I didn't make the start of the race, but several people had lights on for the run, the track lights were on, and the runners were making their way around the track and through the midfield.

Coming in through the tunnel

There were hundreds of people at the event, and everyone seemed to be having a good time.  The runners crossed under the arc to an enthusiastic crowd, finishing the race on Pit Road.  I've already decided this night 5K is one I'd like to run in the future.

5K at night at CMS

Then it was off to bed to get ready for the half marathon the next day.  I was surprised that it was pretty easy to sleep.  I hydrated with plenty of water the night before, and had a very light breakfast before the run.  The race was held the day that Daylight Savings Time began, so the night was an hour shorter.  It made for a nice sunrise start to the run.

Morning of the half

After parking just outside the speedway (the 1.5 mile loop used for NASCAR events), I had the option of taking a shuttle to the midfield or walking.  Never having done this before, I opted for the shuttle.  We were dropped off at midfield, and walked over to the starting line.  It hit me again:  this place is huge.

View of the starting line from midfield

I arrived about 5 minutes before the start.  The track lights were still on and the sun was brightening the sky a bit as we started.  The best part by far was standing on the track, getting ready to run, taking it all in.

Getting ready to run.

The race began at the start/finish line, and we crossed under the arch to begin this 13.1 mile journey.  As we came around the first turn, several runners ran up the track to touch the wall.  It's a lot steeper in the turns than you might imagine, and the incline helps the race cars that usually travel this track to keep speed while making what amounts to a hard left turn at 170+ mph.  Most of the runners stayed near the bottom of the track near the midfield.

Under the arch we go!

Charlotte Motor Speedway also boasts the world's largest largest HD video display.  I would call it a television, except that it's 16,000 square feet of high definition awesomeness.  It wasn't on for the run, but I've seen it during another event and it's really amazing. After a lap on the track and some traveling through the midfield, we headed out of the tunnel and turned right for a lap around the outside of the track.

Outside main track, pedestrian bridge in distance

Not sure of the distances, but it seemed like a different band or entertainment was playing every half mile or so.  There was a terrific saxophonist, several bands, a drum team, some stops with piped music, and a few areas where you could only hear the steps of the runners and the occasional comments.  Before we made a full lap around the outside we took one of the two pedestrian bridges to the rest of the property across the highway.  After a slight downhill and some time around The Dirt Track, we came to ZMax Dragway.  The dragway was awesome, and a great out-and-back portion of the run.  As you can imagine, it was flat, straight, and big.  This is where cars with hundreds of horsepower fly down the strip in a straight line.

ZMax at the starting line

After the race I heard a few folks say this was the best part of the course - for me it was the most challenging.  I like having a little incline or decline, and it's nice to pass things when I run because it keeps it interesting.  Because the dragway is so straight, flat, and big, I didn't really feel like I was making progress.  Even trying to use other runners to pace me didn't help that much.  Still, a very cool part of the experience.

ZMax after the turn around

After the dragway we headed back, roughly the way we came. We re-entered the main speedway under a tunnel on the front side, made a victory lap, and then crossed the finish line.  The event was really well done, lots of fun, and all finishers received a pretty awesome medal with flashing lights and a spinner in the middle.

Totally worth it.

I had a nice surprise of seeing a friend of mine at the finish - this was Nathan's third half marathon, and he had a good run.  I've heard that it's a good goal to finish in under 2 hours, and I squeaked in under that mark.  Really awesome event, and next year I'm planning on running both the 5K Friday and the half the next.

===  RACE DAY  ===
Race:  NC Half Marathon
Location:  Concord, NC
Shoe:  Avia Austin
Date:  3/9/2014
Distance:  Half Marathon
Time:  1:58:35
Pace:  9:03/mile
Overall:  302/1167 (25.9%)
Gender:  219/525 (41.7%)
Group:  44/107 (41.1%)

==  LINKS  ===
Website:  NC Half Marathon
Registration:  Active.com
Results:  Active.com