Author Topic: PEI Marathon Report - Windy as All Heck  (Read 1209 times)

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Offline Fast Eddie

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PEI Marathon Report - Windy as All Heck
« on: October 17, 2021, 08:16:08 PM »
Started my road trip early Friday morning from Toronto. Ten hours and just over a 1000km, I overnighted in Edmundston, New Brunswick. Took off again early the next morning for the final six hour drive to Charlottetown, PEI. Should have waited until sunrise, as the first 45 minutes of the drive was in fairly heavy rain that blacked out the lane markings on the curvy highway. Speed limit was 110kph, but I was going around 80-90kph. It was white knuckle driving, mostly following the rear lights of the guy in front of you who you figure had the luxury car with lane assist and traction control. Thankful for the dawn sunrise and let up of rain the rest of the trip.

Crossed over the almost 13km long Confederation Bridge and was directed to the Covid inspection station, where you had to present your previously filled out PEI Pass proving you were double vaccinated, and took contact information. Not much of a lineup as the neighbouring Province of New Brunswick was undergoing Covid Circuit Breaker status, where travel out of the community was not recommended. Travel to an event where vaccination was required was one the exceptions. Next, directed to rapid test station for a nasal swab. Nice that it was a swab just around the front of the nostrils, and not the brain tickler. Wasn’t contacted about a positive test, so good to go.

Kit pickup was a parred down at the Charlottetown convention centre. A couple of security guards checked your vaccination certificate, then you picked up your bib and t-shirt. No expo, no presentation. Walked around the downtown and had a pizza lunch. Stopped by the grocery store for bagels and bananas for pre-race breakfast. Last time I was in Charlottetown was a couple of decades ago, before the bridge was built.  It was finally time to check into my hotel about four blocks away from the finish line. Dinner was Chinese fried rice, ribs and spring rolls.

Wake up time was 5:15am for a 6:30am bus loading to take us to the start line on the other side of the island on this point to point course. Woke up at 5:00am (Atlantic Time Zone) anyways, and I could hear the room next door get there 6:10am wake up call, which it seems they never picked up as the front desk called three times.

Made the walk to the bus pickup near the finish line. Nice coach bus with a washroom, not one of those bone shaking school buses. Start was a National Park on the north side of the Island Province and you basically ran back to Charlottetown on the south side. Basically in PEI, you never more than 16km away from the sea. Stayed warm in the bus till about 15 minutes before race start at 7:30am. Rained overnight and we had the threat of light shower through the morning where it did spit on us a couple of time during the race. Temps were ideal in around 12-16C for the race. The biggest thing effecting the race was a stiff wind around 25kph, with some gusts up to 35kph. Some basically 2/3 of the race was into fairly strong headwinds.

Started the race hopscotching a group doing 2km run, one-minute walk for the first 12K, before they dropped me. Sand dunes and a quaint little fishing village highlighted the first few Ks. Just a few rolling hills, but no biggys. Washroom stop at 18K. Hit the halfway mark at 2:04 according the chip mat, and it also was the start of the 13K stretch of a recreational trail that thankfully gave us some protection from the winds. It was deceptively uphill through most of the trail. Plus, I have “Princess and the Pea” feet and had to stop three times to shake out tiny gravel out of my shoes.
 
Aid Stations were self serve. You grabbed cups of water or Gatorade yourself. Masks were required on the bus, and at start and finish areas.

Last 8K were brutal as you hit the roads again with both the wind and four good hills. It was soul sucking.  Finished in 4:19.24 which was way off my watch time of 4:16:08. So something is fishy as I started the watch with the gun and crossed the start line within 10 seconds. Will see if they update the published times. Also I was one of the last people to finish under the inflatable finishing arch, as they took it down right after because of gusty winds threating to destroy it, or go out of control and collapse on someone. I finished 155 out of 244 finishers, which was about half of what they usually get pre Covid. 

So my tenth province is done and it was my 85th marathon. Now that the US/Canada border has reopened, I maybe able to do my 49th state at one the Delaware Marathons coming up either mid November, or early December.  State 50th. Alaska will have to wait till next year.

« Last Edit: October 17, 2021, 08:18:44 PM by Fast Eddie »
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Offline RioG

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Re: PEI Marathon Report - Windy as All Heck
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2021, 08:22:20 PM »
Awesome!  I've made that drive a few times.  Edmunston always feels like you've made it.

Congrats!

Offline glwestcott

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Re: PEI Marathon Report - Windy as All Heck
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2021, 10:41:48 PM »
Great report FE. What an adventure. You’re going to have a great answer someday for “What did you do in the Covid?”


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