Richmond Marathon and Half Marathon 2021 Race Recap
Plus a link to a gallery with free downloads of print and web resolution images from the race!
There is so much magic in a marathon. Heck, there’s so much magic in any race! That chance to toe the line, full of uncertainty and hope, that chance to discover what’s in store that day, what’s in store inside you, and burst forth with joy and anticipation, pain and tears, fortitude and achievement ❤️
I was originally signed up to race Richmond Marathon in 2019, but work obligations got in the way and I deferred my registration to 2020. And, well, we all know how 2020 turned out. So that registration turned into a 2021 registration. It was a little untimely; I didn’t relish the idea of racing a road marathon a month and a half after my first 100 miler, but I figured it would be fine to rest for a month, do one or two long runs leading up to Richmond, and casually run the race. After all, it’s billed as the friendliest marathon in America, so I figured just doing the race would be a fun experience!
Except that my build back from my rest period didn’t go so well. I suddenly had this intense pain in my knee — in my IT band! I know the IT band plagues many a runner, and this is my first battle with it. I’m working with a PT, and while I was cleared to run I considered my options: Do I tackle Richmond and just gut it out to get the race done knowing it would be a long and painful day? Or would I prefer to skip this race and know I can always sign up again in the future? (Spoiler alert: I DNSed; Richmond will always be there later.)
But while that decision was made, the question was — what to do with the free weekend? I was the first one from Fleet Feet Carrboro/Durham to process my deferral registration from 2020 to 2021, so I was the de facto team captain (haha who put me in charge?!), and I took a look at the team list. We had forty-two registered runners! 🤩 Plus I knew some other runners were coming from Bull City Running Company and Oiselle Volée and other groups, and it seemed the event was too exciting to miss!
So my friends Nora, Magdalena, and I woke up at 4am to pile into Nora’s car and road trip to Richmond! And as fate would have it, we happened to stop at a rest area at the exact same time other friends from Fleet Feet Carrboro/Durham were stopping! (What are the odds?!)
Roadtrip pic! (And I’ve got chocolate chip muffin stains on my lips, lol) PC: Nora Ayers
That moment when you run into friends driving up to cheer Richmond at a rest stop and you gotta get a pic! PC: Nora Ayers
It was a little hectic navigating the road closures once we made it to Richmond (I was SO grateful that Nora was driving! I get a little stressed in city traffic) but we managed to find a spot along the course that was about mile 23 for the marathon and mile 11 for the half marathon (ish. I think. lol) We just barely missed the first few half marathon runners come through, but we got the pop-up tent and snacks table set up in time to catch all our friends leading in the half!
And oh gosh we had fun cheering on our friends doing the half marathon — those who were running a PR, those who were pacing, and those (including Sarah!) who were doing their first ever half marathon (a huge benchmark that for some has been delayed far too long), and all the joy of just being back at races!
And then — oh my goodness, there were the frontrunners of the marathon! The first sped past us, and then shortly afterwards came Matt Blivin, who is sponsored by Fleet Feet — second overall! And soon enough there was Neal Duncan fighting it out in a pack of three! (I legit was 🤩🤩🤩 by how fast and hard these guys were going — as a mid- to back-of-the-packer I never get to see these fast guys except for the dust clouds they leave at the start line!)
After that there was a smattering of runners from Fleet Feet Carrboro/Durham, Bull City Running, and Fleet Feet Richmond — including an old friend of mine from high school and college! (I was so excited to see him, but he legit ran so fast I barely had time to recognize him! But omg I just barely managed to snap a pic of him and am so glad I did!)
After that it was scores of runners from Fleet Feet, Bull City, and Oiselle Volée!
And then there was Katie! Katie had been training hard all season with coach Nathan Toben and had been nailing every workout leading up to this race. She looked strong and happy enough, but there was some grit behind her grin. She paused for a second, said she was fighting dehydration, and kept going — looking strong as she earned a major PR through problem-solving and pure determination, with some fire to already look forward to the next marathon to nail her target goals. (Katie, you’ve totally got this!!)
(I missed getting pics of a few people before and after Katie though, including Susan who ran by so fast my camera couldn’t wake up quickly enough to get her in focus!)
Shortly after Katie was Sarah, who put on a huge grin for the camera and then paused long enough to explain she was in a lot of pain. Gosh my heart went out for her because she’s such a strong and consistent runner and you hate to see anyone in so much pain, but she demonstrated so much grit and gutted it out to the finish line!
I know I missed quite a few people — either I didn’t nail the photo, or I was distracted, or some I focused on seeing them and cheering them on and didn’t want to stick a big ol’ camera lens between us. But Magdalena did get a couple pics of me and Heather on her phone!
And then there was Katy and Elly! They saw us and omg Katy’s joy of running her first marathon was so palpable I had to share the whole sequence!!
We stayed around to cheer in a couple more runners we knew plus to just cheer in general for everyone we didn’t know 😄 I love the party vibe as the line of runners thins out; so many marathoners were happy to pause for a second, pick out a candy from our table and chat us up, and I always love hearing a little bit of someone’s story ❤️
Richmond, as always, delivered on a beautiful course and the friendliest vibe ❤️ I may not have raced it this year, but I was so inspired by everyone’s grit and determination, their passion, their struggles, and their joy. There’s magic in a marathon, and I’m so grateful that we’re getting some of that marathon magic back in our lives.
Here’s to many more miles! Hooray! 🎉🎉🎉
Full Gallery Available with Free Downloads
There is a full gallery with free downloads of print resolution and social media/web resolution images available for personal use on this gallery: https://lizgoodmanphotography.shootproof.com/gallery/richmond-2021/
I just ask that if you use any images, please give photo credit and/or tag @therestlesswild so I can re-share and/or celebrate you! CONGRATULATIONS RUNNERS!!
Pilot Mountain State Park in North Carolina is a popular place for hikers and runners, and is one of my favorite spots. It is close to Winston-Salem and has a very distinctive profile that lends it nicely as a landmark for navigation, and can be easily seen from some places in the Blue Ridge Mountains.