Two Cities Half Marathon 2012

 

At the beginning of November I ran my 4th half marathon. It was my 3rd half with Two Cities in Fresno, California. There were about 7,000 participants this year, fewer than the past couple years.

The last minute entry fee for this race is $110.00 and $95.00 for the half.

Expo
The expo was downtown at Chuckchansi Ball Park . The way it was set up was designed for the participants to walk by each booth in hopes that they would purchase the latest goodies before race day. I ran into a good friend as she was working at the Fresno Heart Hospital booth.

I didn't have to wait in lines to get my race info. Although, they had multiple steps in order to receive everything needed before race day. One station for bib number, another to pick up bib, and then across the concourse in order to pickup shirt. so yeah, kinda inconvenient.

Race
I decided to run this race a week before the actual event. A good friend, Skinny Chick sent me a text asking if I wanted her bib because she was injured. This is the second year I've ran Two Cities under someone else name and without training. The most I trained was 3 miles. Not to mention I came down with a cold three days before. Fantastic. When I do train, I usually run with a local training group, Sierra Running Company.

This is the first year that Two Cities created a Clovis and Fresno Half marathon. I would have chosen to run the Clovis route if it weren't for the colored bibs for each race. Little too obvious.

 

My mom and cousin were out at Copper River Ranch to support me at mile 6 and mile 10. Thank goodness for their support before the Godzilla hill at mile 7.

 

The Finish - 2:31

The finish line was inside Woodward Park. It is a slight incline barricaded with cheering fans. Runners were greeted by volunteers handing out water, medals, and a sweatshirt. I dig the fall colors this year.

 

 

The Summary
Overall, I enjoy this race since it is local and practically in my backyard. I think I will continue to take advantage of half marathons within my city since they're cheaper than most and convenient to get to.

Read my race review from last years Two Cities Half here.