Back in early November last year I ran the Enders YMCA Harrisburg Marathon. This was a couple of weeks before the Philadelphia Marathon and I wanted to use this as a final long run and also to run somewhere new. I always try to look for marathon races in driving distance from where I live (in the Philadelphia suburbs). This met a few criteria – the race was drivable (around 2 hours), it was flat and it was recommended by some friends who live in the area and help manage the race and I wanted to show my support for their efforts.

This is a small race but included a full marathon, a half marathon and a marathon relay. The race course is mostly flat and is a loop of 13 miles which is run twice and starts on City Island in the middle of the Susquehanna River and runs across to the city and along the river with some bridge crossings.

I set out from home in early afternoon to head to the expo which was held at the Harrisburg YMCA. It was about a 2 hour ride and the location was easy to find. You could park in the parking lot of the YMCA and the expo was fairly low key and quick.

After grabbing my race packet I took a quick walk in the area to see where I would be running on Sunday. All looked peaceful and I was getting excited for the opportunity. It is not a big city race, but I like smaller races too as they are more intimate and volunteers are always encouraging and glad you are a part of their event.

I then headed to my hotel, about 15 minutes away, and prepped all my gear for the morning before heading out to meet some friends for dinner in the Hershey, PA area.

Dinner was a nice and relaxing time. I got to catch up with friends from my RunDisney experiences. It was funny listening to the group talk. Everyone running seemed to have run more marathons than me….and at the time I was up to 31 marathons!!! Eek!!! After dinner I headed back to my hotel and tried to get an early night and pack my bags ready for an early start in the morning.

The morning of the race had an early 6:30am start for participants who were walking the race. As I headed in around 6:30 I saw the early runners and walkers. The race guide had advised that some of the roads near the starting area would be closed for everyone to clear but the traffic was not bad getting in and parking on City Island was easy to find. Once parked I got all my gear ready and stretched before walking over to the starting area. As I had my car I didn’t need any gear check so it was really convenient. Some of the race reviews I read mentioned it would be a good idea to carry your own water supply so I packed my daily running vest with one water bottle that I could top up as needed at the water stations. It was also a good place to be able to store my gloves and arms sleeves should it warm up later in the race. Once ready I headed over to the start area to line up for the restrooms and chill out before the 7:30 start.

The temperature was cool so I wore my light gloves and arm sleeves but it looked like it would warm up later and it would be fine for t-shirt and shorts.

I lined up according to my estimated finish time and near the relevant pace group. I settled in behind the 4:15 group as this was a long run in advance of my Philadelphia race in a couple of weeks and I was in a ‘do no harm’ mode.

And at 7:30 we were off.

The first mile or so takes you from City Island across the bridge to turn right towards South Harrisburg. Running along the walking path before heading down to the waterfront and running along the river for a couple of miles.

There was a water stop just before runners headed down to the water front as there was no space for a water station on the river path. That is why I brought the running vest I guess. The pacer was running ahead and seemed to be going at a fairly consistent pace. The course was primary flat. There was a small downhill and uphill to get down to the water and back up to street level, but it was nice to run and maintain my pace along the river. As it began to warm up once we were running I was able to pull off my gloves and arm sleeves and thanks to the spectators on the side of the river I was able to have somebody put these into the back pocket on my running vest. The small groups of spectators at each set of stairs down to the river was fun to see and it kept my spirits up to see so many people come out to support the runners.

Around mile 5 we ran back up to street level and there was an out and back to Uptown Harrisburg running past some grand old houses to approximately mile 6 before we started to heading back through mile 7 to run through the Italian Lake Park. This was such a nice surprise and I was really taken back by how lovely this looked. I wished that I could run through this park with my wife so I stopped to take a few pictures….seeing the pacer start widening the gap between us.

The marathon pacer started getting a little further and further from the group of runners I was a part of. As you can see from my splits through mile 12 I was fairly consistent but the pacer’s gap kept growing. I noticed around my second loop that some of the pacers were running alone (i.e. they had lost their running group). I’m not sure if this was the pacers going faster than planned or the runners not keeping up with the pacers but I have never really seen that before in a race. I did start to slow down around mile 9 but it was a little before this when the gap started to grow. My splits are below:

After running through the park it was time to head back towards City Island. There was a bit of a breeze running south which was noticeable but nothing too strong. We ran past more old grand houses as were in the Old Historic part of Harrisburg, including past the Governor’s Mansion. Just before mile 10 and crossing the ‘M. Harvey Taylor’ Bridge a friend had set up a ‘Fireball’ station. I have never stopped and taken a shot during a race and my friend reminded me I still had a second loop to run, so I promised to see him in about 13 more miles.

The run across the bridge was an out and back across the river before turning right again and heading back to City Island. The crowds were pretty solid on the road heading back to City Island and it was encouraging as you hit mile 12 and headed back towards the halfway split. Once crossing the bridge back to City Island the route took you around the north side of the island which routed you around the Harrisburg Senator’s baseball stadium and City Island Park before heading back to the start/finish/halfway point.

I crossed the halfway point and headed back out to run the second loop. It was definitely warming up so I stopped at each water station and made sure to top up my water bottle. At the water station in South Harrisburg before heading down to the river walk the volunteers handed out water bottles as there would be no water stop for at least a couple of miles. This was very much appreciated.

The second loop had less people as only the marathoners were still out on the course and as you can see from the picture above, the runners were pretty spaced apart at this time. The photo will show you the views of the river and how flat the course was. It was quite relaxing running along the river for a couple of miles. Very enjoyable.

I was definitely slowing down on the second loop, gradually slowing down through mile 17 as I began to feel tired. My splits totally reflect that. I was surprised by how much I had slowed down. I started to take some walk breaks just to keep my heart rate down and started to just relax and enjoy the day. I had long lost the pacer so my goal was to finish with a smile on my face.

The weather began to cool on the second loop. By the time I had exited the Italian Lake Park and was making my way back south, the wind was picking up. The second loop back seemed longer but then again I was tired and slower. I was keeping pace with a few runners but eventually I passed them by. My pace was definitely slower than the first loop by now.

As I approached mile 23 I stopped by my friend’s ‘Fireball refreshment station’. At this point I was just enjoying my run so I decided to stop and partake. I had never done anything like this before but I was just having fun, so why not? My friend clearly made an effort to let people know what was up ahead. See all the signs he put out.

Well, it really warmed me up. I felt the fire as I took the shot. I thanked my friend and took off for the last 3 miles. I will admit, I had a slight lift in my step as I made my way over the bridge for the small out and back. At this point of the race it started to lightly rain and was definitely cooler but with only 2 or so miles left it was not a big deal. As I rounded the based of the bridge and turned back towards the city the rain stopped so it was only a quick shower and no damage done.

Once back on the city side of the river I made the final turn towards the City Island bridge. The crowds leading up to the bridge were cheering on the runners and this made the last couple of miles enjoyable. As I reached the bridge and started crossing I began to see runners wearing their medals walking back across the bridge on their way home. I stayed over to the left side of the bridge before doing the loop around City Island Park before making the final turns and up to the finish line with a smile on my face.

I liked this race much more than I expected. All the volunteers were friendly and encouraging, the course was enjoyable and not challenging with some nice views and it was generally a more relaxed atmosphere than all the big city races. I also enjoyed the opportunity to support my friends and their running organization.

Once I got my medal I grabbed some post race refreshments and headed back to my car to change into some dry clothes and prepare to head home. I mapped a place to grab a quick bite before the 2+ hour drive home and felt really accompanied and ready for my next race in a couple of weeks.

At the car I changed into my race swag. I really liked the technical hoodie and wore it as soon as I was home and showered.

If you are looking for a fall race and don’t mind a two loop marathon course I would definitely recommend this as a friendly and relaxed race. It’s a flat course and has the potential to be fast for those that want to push.

Thank you Harrisburg. It was a fun day.