by Larry Merrifield
It has been some time (like 8 years) since I had run the Seattle half-marathon which is held in conjunction with the Seattle Marathon. Usually by the end of November I am in the process of taking some downtime in my running. This doesn't mean I'm not running, but just taking a break from the track, hard workouts and races in general.
2009 presented a unique opportunity to combine my favorite sport - running - with my own little birthday celebration. It's not often this opportunity presents itself so I jumped at the chance. I could have chosen to run 42.2K on my 42nd birthday but instead I elected to run 21.1K since I had already run two marathons this year.
Courtesy Erin Merrifield
The marathon start, as seen from the 38th floor of the Westin.
Sunday morning, November 29, presented ideal weather conditions for all participants as a thick layer of clouds kept the temperature near 50 degrees. While there was a slight south wind, for the most part you forgot you were in Seattle in late November when conditions can be a rain/snow mix and temperatures in the low 30s.
I was staying at the race hotel - the Westin - which made things very convenient. First I didn't need to locate any parking as my car was at the hotel. Second the race start is just one mile from the hotel, so a short jog up 5th Avenue to warm-up the muscles, drop my clothes off and into the start corral I went.
The half-marathon is the biggest of the events held on marathon weekend with over 7,000 participants. Despite this the race does not feel crowded. The runners line up on 5th Avenue next to the Experience Music Project (designed by Frank Gerry, the building has been described as a pile of clothes). The gun went off promptly at 7:30a with the course heading south on 5th Avenue through the heart of the downtown retail district and then past the office
towers before dropping down to the King Street train station and onto the I-90 Express Lanes.
The express lane section includes a nice tunnel before the runners head north along Lake Washington and through the Leschi neighborhood. During this portion of the course I found several runners who had gone out too fast paying the price, while I had settled into a rhythm
which I would use to carry me to the finish.
The section along the lake is flat for the most part until runners reach the Madison neighborhood where they face a steep 2 block hill and then a solid 400m climb up Madison itself. This is where the race really begins. From this point on I found many more runners slowing their pace considerably versus myself who seemed to be passing one or two runners each mile in my slow climb through the race field.
After cresting the hill runners drop down into the Arboretum before making a winding climb up to Capital Hill where they wind along on a nice paved road through the trees - imagine Leif Erickson Drive in Portland but paved!
Courtesy Erin Merrifield
Larry Merrifield nearing the finish of the 2009 Seattle Half Marathon.
Emerging from this forested section around mile 11 the race field was pretty sparse and I found myself breaking the remaining portion of the course down mile-by-mile. After crossing I-5 the course comes down off Capital Hill toward Seattle Center and the finish. You can see the finish area by the Space Needle and Key Arena for almost the entire final two miles. A quick left onto Denny Way and then the last little uphill, which really knocks the wind out of your sails, before you make a left turn into Memorial Stadium. The crowds lining the finish are loud and cowbells were ringing as I crossed the line in 23rd place and the first master.
Getting back to the hotel is simple - just run back down 5th Avenue, but I elected to jump on the monorail and ride it with my family back to the hotel since they had come up to cheer me at the finish.
The marathon starts 45 minutes after the half-marathon and runs the same course as the half-marathon with additional sections out-and-back on I-90 and south along Lake Washington to Seward Park and back. Walkers are welcome and there is a kids marathon and 5K held the day before the half and full marathons, so there truly is something for everyone at this event.
Experience what 16,000 others did this year and put the Seattle Marathon on your calendar for a little post-Thanksgiving running in 2010. Details can be found at www.seattlemarathon.org.
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