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If you are signed up to run in the 2022 News and Sentinel Half Marathon, congratulations, you are going to take part in one of the best 13.1-mile races in the country on Aug. 20.
Many people run the half year after year. If this is the first time you are going to be part of the event, I thought it would be good to outline exactly what to expect.
Most people get the "full experience" by coming to the packet pick up the night before. Open from 2-9 p.m. in the Parkersburg Municipal Building, the packet pick-up is a great way to connect with other runners. After you pick up your materials, head up Market Street to the pasta dinner at St. Xavier's Parish Hall.
Here you will be able to break bread with racers of all ages. It's more like a family reunion, with long-time runners catching up with people they haven't seen since 2019 and welcoming people that have never run the event. This is not an event where you want to find an empty table. Sit down with some of the other runners, introduce yourself and get ready to get your fill of both pasta and tales of past races.
Volunteers will bring you your pasta and salad. Help yourself to all the fruit and ice cream you can handle. We will not judge you, but remember, you are running 13.1 miles in the morning.
Spend a little time enjoying the downtown area. The races are held the same weekend as the Parkersburg Homecoming, the downtown will have a festive air with bands and other activities to enjoy.
Next you want to get a good night's sleep. Race day starts early.
Most people arrive downtown by 7 a.m. Several bridges get closed for the race. Arrive too late and you may have a warm-up run from Belpre added to your morning.
A lot of people call us to ask where to park. You are free to park in our parking lots either next to our office, or behind it at 519 Juliana St. Please do not park in the green spots.
The race starts on Juliana Street, so you want to make your way the opposite way that the traffic flows to the large group of people you will see gathering under the banner that says "starting line."
At this point all the half and two-mile racers will be milling around together. It will be a sea of spandex as people start to get ready for the race. Some people will be jogging up and down the Juliana Street bridge in an effort to loosen up.
A public address announcer will inform the crowd of how much time they have before the event. Everyone will pause for the playing of the national anthem. You will not be able to, and should not, miss it. Get some deep breaths in as you face the nearby giant flag.
The crowd will slowly separate into two groups.
The half, and the two-mile racers. The half goes first. Within this large group of runners, the faster people will migrate toward the front. Since your time does not start until you cross the mat, it doesn't really matter.
The crowd grows very quiet.
"Runners take your mark"
BANG -- with a shot from a starter pistol the race is under way.
Take a deep breath - remember it's a (half) marathon not a sprint.
You will soon be starting up a small hill and entering a residential area. It is along this tree lined street where the pack of runners begins to spread out a little bit. By the time you reach the first mile you will still be running with people, but it will not feel packed in.
Find your zone and stick with your plan. Don't worry about the people that may be passing you, this is your race. You may very well pass them in the next mile.
Remember when you pass the water stop at around 1.5 miles that you will likely be thirsty as you start the next hill. Take water here. Take water everywhere.
My plan during a race is that if someone hands me something I take it. If it is liquid I drink it, if it is solid, I eat it. I ran a race once where they handed cookies out at around the eight-mile mark. I kept waiting for the milk stop that never came. Spoiler alert: We don't have a cookie stop, sorry.
Keep going, do your race at your pace. We will wait for you. You may end up in the homecoming parade if you take too long, but we will wait for you.
Once on Market Street you know you are about done when you round the last bend and see the finish line. This is a good place to start running if you have been walking the last few miles. Save a little bit in your tank for this final push.
Listen for your name as you near the finish line. Enjoy the moment as a volunteer puts a medal around your neck. Grab something to drink and a snack as you quit running for the first time in 13 miles.
For lunch we ordered pizza for you. Return to the same spot you ate pasta the night before and enjoy a pizza lunch with your new friends.
Remember to check out the posted times to see if you won an award and make sure you pick it up before you take off.
After you take an afternoon nap you might want to return downtown to enjoy the Homecoming celebration that was getting started while you were running around town.
Art Smith is co-director of the News and Sentinel races and is online manager for The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. He can be reached at asmith@newsandsentinel.com. His column about the races appears each weekend.