2018 Galveston Half Marathon Recap

I ran the Galveston Half Marathon on Sunday, February 18.  In addition to the half marathon, there was also a marathon, 5k, and a kids 1 mile. This is my 2018 Galveston Half Race Recap. I ran this race in 2017, you can check out the recap from that race here.

Race day eve I headed to Subway... for my pre race dinner.  I've really found that the veggie sub with guac works really well for me stomach wise. I lined out my gear and got ready for bed somewhat early.


On race day morning my alarm went off at 3:30 am!  I made some coffee, took a shower, and grabbed a banana. I left house at 4:45 am. It's about a 90 minute drive to Galveston and I still needed to pick up my packet. I managed to make a pit stop at Buccees and still arrive in plenty of time.

2018 Galveston Half Marathon Recap

The race started and ended near Stewart Beach.  Parking was on the beach and very convenient to the start line.  There were plentiful port-a-cans, in addition to the flush toilets in the Stewart Beach Pavillion.

In addition to the half marathon, there was also a marathon, 5k, and a kids mile.

Weather conditions that morning were mid 60's and 100% humidity.  There was a dense fog... so dense you couldn't see the other side of the road.  After a singing of the National Anthem by the runners, the race began promptly at 7:30.

The Course...

The course was on paved roads and flat.  It had a loop through Beachtown, then 2 out and backs (one to East Beach and the other down the Seawall.  There were aide stations about every 1.5 miles that were stocked with water and Gatorade, some had gels.  One thing I missed was any type of first aide supplies at the aide station.  I had started chafing on one of my arms and had hoped that they had vaseline, but alas they did not.



I was surreal running along the ship channel on the east end and hearing the foghorns from the ships but not being able to see them... or even see the water.   While I've ran in fog before, this fog was very dense.



I didn't really have any goals for this race, other than to have fun... and I had a blast.  My pace was fairly steady, around the 10:40 mark.  During the second half, my legs started feeling like they had lead in them.  My hydration the day before had been less than ideal, so I'm thinking it was likely that.

I finished with a smile on my face with a time of 2:20:24.

At the finish, they handed out the finishers medals and water. Afterwards, I met up with a fellow TROT ambassador and we had someone take our picture.  We enjoyed the afterparty which had had plenty of food - pizza, tacos, frozen yogurt along with water, soft drinks and beer.



As the party wore down, I went to the beach to get my toes in the sand and to stand in the cold water for a bit.  I showered and changed at the pavillion, refueled at  my favorite Mexican food restaurant, then headed to visit with some friends before heading home.

Final Thoughts

The Galveston Mararathon and Half Marathon is a smallish race.  While weather can be anything from cold to quite warm, there is almost always a seabreeze.  The food and drink at the end are plentiful.  As with most races in Galveston, there isn't much crowd support.  The swag consisted of a long sleeved tech shirt and gloves.

Insider tip:  Pack dry clothes and a towel, there are showers at the pavillion!

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I'm linking up with HoHo Runs and Taking The Long Way Home for the Weekly Wrap; and with MCM Mama Runs, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and My no-guilt life for Tuesdays on the Run