Massacre Marathon Relay Race Report 2016

I finally thawed out a few days after the Massacre Marathon Relay.  That was one unforgettable event!   On Feb. 14, 2016 the Greensboro, NC area was in the grip of a polar vortex when approximately 800 undeterred runners descended on Country Park to test their mettle.

To sum it up quickly: It was brutally cold and incredibly fun.  How can that be? Well, we were all in it together!  I understand from teammate Trisha Eason, who is a multi-time Massacre Marathon survivor, that one year can be shorts weather and the next is jacket weather.  This went well beyond that!  Heaters, blankets, big puffy coats and balaclavas were in the mix this year.  I look forward to returning next year -- preferably in shorts!

Peak City Pacers Team 2:  Carrie Endara, Abby Offenbaker, Pauline Baggerly and me.

This 26.2 mile race has something for all types of runners.  Teams can approach this race in different ways -- just for fun, competitively and somewhere in between.  Most teams were co-ed, four-person teams, but a variety of registration categories are available ranging from solo marathon runner to teams of 5-8 people.  The course was challenging but beautiful.  The lap of 1.6 miles is around a small lake on a paved road (the first leg is just over 2 miles, but all others are 1.6 miles).  The mid section of the lap is hilly, but the approximate last quarter mile is downhill and flat to the exchange zone and is an area where you can make up for lost time on the hills.  The registration fee was reasonable, and the swag was nice.  All registrants received a high-quality, fleece-lined hoodie, medal, a bowl of chili and access to all the candy, cookies and trail mix we could eat.

Even though it was below freezing, the time flew between legs while teammates warmed up, encouraged and cheered for each other, compared race notes, refueled/hydrated, took portable restroom breaks, tried to stay warm, and socialized.  I remember a few distinct conversations in our warming tent around a portable heater.  One was centered on our times and the other was about how hard this was because it was difficult to breathe in such conditions.  I had read about runners having difficulty breathing in frigid air.  I had done early morning runs in that air, but had never pushed my body so hard in that type of air.

Gathered in the warming tent: Deborah Jenkins, Carrie Endara and Trisha Eason.

My team from the Apex, NC area arrived around 8:20AM for the 10AM start.  By arriving that early we had ample time to park, set up a tent and do a warm-up lap.  We had three teams of four Peak City Pacers:  women's teams 1 & 2 and the men's team.  We all ran competitively, stayed healthy and had fun!  The men placed 4th in the Men's Division.  Team 2 placed 2nd in the Women's Division, and Team 1 placed 6th in the Women's Division.  

I was the second runner on team two and ran 1.6 miles four times. When I received the baton for the first time at 10:15AM, it was 20 degrees, but felt like 10 degrees.  I ran too fast on the first leg.  I checked my Garmin frequently (after forgetting to start it until a bit into the run), but it did not accurately indicate how fast I was running until the end of mile one, which I ran faster than intended.  My average pace for the first lap was 6:55 per mile.  That's NOT a good way to start a relay race.  I reigned it in on the second leg and was slightly under target at a 7:26 per mile pace.  I slowed for the third and fourth legs, which I ran at the same pace and slightly slower than target at a 7:34 per mile pace. By my fourth leg at 12:28PM, it had warmed to 27 degrees.

I was surprised at my times (and everyone else's, too)  because it is more challenging to run in extremely cold temperatures.  According to the chart below, we should have been affected by about 20 seconds per mile.  Thanks to some very fast teammates, our finish time was 3:00:43 with an average overall pace of 6:54 per mile.




[Chart provided by Coach Holly Kane in the on-line article "How Cold Weather Impacts Your Running" by Matt Johnson (Dec. 1, 2014).]

Kudos to the race volunteers and staff who persevered to keep the food table appetizing, present us with medals and toil behind the scenes.  Those folks did not have the benefit of running to warm themselves nor the luxury of tents and portable heaters.  The awards ceremony was not held -- because volunteers deemed it too cold.  We were appreciative to track down our 2nd place finisher sport bags.

I look forward to next year because the weather couldn't possibly be any worse than what we experienced.  From the misery comes a great sense of camaraderie with teammates and a sense of accomplishment. 

Abby leads team 2 across the finish line.