Jersey Shore Relay & the Unite 9.53 Marathon

I was really looking forward to this weekend for a number of reasons. I was running two races, one hard and the other long but both with a number of close friends.

The Jersey Shore Relay Marathon is one of the best events put on by the JS Running Club. You get the run and drive along the Jersey shore from Seaside Heights to Asbury Park with four of your best running buddies. This years team consisted of Taugh Lynch, Chris Kelly, Tom Moritz and John Liptak. Tom and Chris were filling in for Dale and Ken. We were defending masters champs and looking to win for the 3rd year in a row. We also wanted to break the 3 hour barrier and with the new new guys, I really thought we could do it this time around. What we didn't factor in was the 30 mph winds whipping off the water right into your right temple. It was also a little on the cool side which made waiting for our team members slightly annoying, but at least the heavy rain that was predicted held off.

Taugh has been suffering with a sore knee, ran a good first 6.11 mile leg (44:12) handing it off to Chris who was our fastest runner. Chris ran the 6.22 mile leg in 42:25 then immediately got on his bike to ride 70 miles home to Somerset in the rain. Tom ran the 4.22 mile Pt. Pleasant to Manasquan leg in 32:25 and then handed it off to yours truly. I was running the Manasquan to Belmar 6.28 leg. Last year I was battling a virus that slowed me considerably, but felt really good this year and ran 36:44 for my leg. My run took me through a park on a gravel road and then through a park on a dirt/grass trail. The wind was blowing in my face for a bit, at my back then hitting me in the side of the head when I got on the boardwalk. I handed off to Johnny who was our anchor this year and at this point we thought we would certainly go under three hours for the 26.2. John's leg was 3.4 and just needed to run a 7 minute pace and we were good. The distances mentioned are from the race website, but are not nearly accurate so we had no chance. John's leg was closer to 4 miles and we finished in 3:03:21. I know my leg was not 6 miles because I knew I wasn't running a 6 minute pace. The drive through the streets following our runners was fun as usual but the third leg was a bit nerve-racking because we hit traffic due to road construction. We just got Tom to his spot before Chris got there.

I think we were a bit disappointed that we didn't break 3 hours but enjoyed the day. John and Tom split right after the race so that left Taugh and I to enjoy the post race food and beer. We met up with Mike W, Mark and Rosemarie Strawn and waited for the results. It was a little deflating to hear that the masters winners ran a 2:57 and we came in second. Oh well, there is always next year. It certainly was another great run along the Jersey Shore and missed the heavy rain by 30 minutes.








The Unite 1/2 Marathon would be my third 13.1 mile run in 5 weeks and I wasn't sure how my legs would feel after running hard the day before. Frankie Trentacoste was taking his zipcar into central Jersey along with his co-worker Katya. Frankie and I planned to run at least 4 halves this year together. This would be our second and we already have the Hampton 1/2 schedule in September.

This is the second year of the Unite 1/2 Marathon and many folks gave it rave reviews in its first year. The race runs through the campuses of Rutgers University as well as Johnson and Buccleuch Parks finishing on College Ave. It was overcast but at least the heavy rain that came on through the night before had finally stopped. It was a blessing but later turned out to be a curse as you will see as you read on.

Frank was running a bit late and I still had to get him his race number but I was happy to mingle with many of the RVRR runners. I ran into Gene who casually said to me "if I was ready to run 10 miles"? I was a bit confused, but he quickly said the course was shortened to 10 because of flooding at Johnson park and the Landing lane bridge. I was immediately disappointed, but then thought 10 miles would be better for me since I ran hard the day before. When Frankie finally arrived he shrugged off the change as "what are you going to do"? He was right and most folks seemed to be okay with it at the start, but that wasn't the sentiment at the finish.

Frankie and I moved as close to the front as we could and went off in the second wave. Since we were running 10, I was thinking I may be able to go at a 7:15 pace. Our first mile was 9:06 due to getting stuck in the initial pack. We picked it up for miles 2 & 3, running 7:20's. It is here where I started meeting up with may of my running friends. Mike W, Brian, & David Brockman. David is the race director of a new race in town, called Hugs for Brady.

By mile 4 my legs seemed to get a bit heavy and the wind was picking up. The course wasn't very hilly although the wind in your face was making it difficult. Miles 4 & 5 were a bit slower and mile 6 was tough as we running up a hill into the wind. Knowing that there was only 3 miles left gave me some confidence to push the pace to the finish. Frank was right by my side the whole way as we battled the wind and we both started picking up the pace.

When we got to mile 8, the course change came into play and mile 9 was over the bridge back into downtown New Brunswick. We were running a 7 minute pace at this point, but it was hard to tell since the mile markers were nowhere to be found. I was a little disappointed not see a mile marker at 9, but knew I was getting closer to the finish. When we hit College Ave, I had about 3/4 of miles to go, but volunteers kept saying that the finish was just around the corner. I hit the tape in 1:11:45, but the last mile was about 3:45 which was a bit confusing. Right after finishing, someone had a Garmin watch that said we ran 9.53 miles. At this point I was really disappointed. I don't mind the shortening of the course to 10 miles but to only run 9.53 was not good. Most folks at the finish were pissed. Frank's friend Katya finished in 1:32 and was not happy as well. Once we got over it, we headed to the food line and to get our bag check.

Frank & Katya headed home after hanging for a bit and getting a ride back to his zipcar. I headed over to the Corner Tavern on Easton Ave to meet up with the RVRR runners. The bar is a real dive but the company was fun as usual.

My thoughts regarding the Unite 1/2, too pricey, not enough giveaways, so-so post race food, too long of a wait for that so-so food, no enough water stops, no clocks at each mile and the course change. It was a Biblical rain so I don't want to kill them for the course change but they really should have tried to make it either a 15K or a real 10 miler. When you pay $85 to enter the race you expect a certain level of detail which I don't think the runners received. As of right now, I won't run this race again unless I get in for less than $40. I think I will try the Superhero 1/2 next year.