We are in the homestretch of my historical race recaps!!!  I’ve already covered marathons I ran in my first seven states, plus my most recent state, West Virginia.  Just three more recaps to cover: Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon (Race 11, State 8), Ocean Drive Marathon (Race 12, State 9), and the Philadelphia Marathon (Race 13, Repeat of State 6).   First:  the Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon, which I ran in 2013…

Website:  Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon. 

Size: 2,900 runners for all races.  There is a half the same day as the full.

Location:  Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Time of Year:  Saturday in early December.  I ran this race the weekend of my 28th birthday.

Weather and What I Wore:  Chilly start!  Per the picture above, I was wearing a scarf, sweatpants, and a parka just before the start.  It was raining the day before the race but luckily cleared up overnight.  The day ended up being really lovely but a little windy.  Usually the temperature is in the mid 40s.  I ended up running in full length tights, a tech tee, and my pullover.

Logistics:  This race is tricky to get to if you do not have a car.  Philadelphia and Baltimore are each about a two hour drive from Rehoboth.  Salisbury, Maryland is about an hour away, but has limited flights.  BWI is two and a half hours away, and DC is almost three hours away.  We drove from DC on Friday after work and stayed at a mediocre but passable beach hotel (do not expect luxury resorts in Rehoboth Beach).  Being the offseason, there is not much going on or open in town during this race.  However, the morning of the race, logistics are easy. There is plenty of free street parking close to the start of the race, although we just walked from our hotel.  No need to arrive super early.

Expo and Swag:  Packet pickup is available at a local running store on Friday before the race, but I got in late on Friday and picked up my packet the morning of the race near the start line.  There is an after-party for runners (non-runners can buy entry).  I ate some yummy pancakes at the finish tent and changed in one of the heated changing tents there, but then quickly got on the road and found a Chipotle for lunch.

Course and Terrain:  The course is mostly flat with some minor hills in Cape Henlopen State Park.  The ground is mostly pavement, but there are some portions of crushed gravel.  Being a small race and in the offseason, the town is a bit of a ghost town, and there are not many spectators except at the start/end of the course.  Parts are relatively pretty, but others are boring (such as the section through the subdivision) and there are some repeated sections.  There are appropriate aid stations with water and Gatorade (and perhaps some gel?).  I grabbed a small bag of pretzels from a volunteer somewhere around the half-way point, and the solid food felt good.

Speed:  This is a fast course, but this was one of my slower races.  I did this race just about a month after the Harrisburg Marathon (recap here).  It took me over 4:30 to complete Rehoboth–about 30 minutes longer than I had run Harrisburg.  I had been getting frustrated with my running around this point–I had been trying to qualify for Boston but got way off track.  So instead of thinking about my pace, I didn’t set a time goal and instead tried to focus on enjoying the race without stressing or feeling disappointed with myself.

Overall: Not My Favorite.  Relatively small race, no stress, with a fast course.  Pancakes at the finish were nice.  Relatively painless race to pick up a new nearby state.  But I didn’t think the course was as special as some others I’ve run.