The 2023 Kiawah Half Marathon was on Saturday, December 9th and the weather was perfect, IMO. Flat course, overcast weather and encouraging runner friends – what else can you ask for?!
This was us before the race started. We were a tiny bit cold (we had just dropped our bags at gear check). All but one of us was doing the half marathon. Both distances start at the same time and split around mile 6.
2023 Kiawah Half Marathon Course
I realize this isn’t a great image of the course, but you get the idea. 😉 The course is pancake flat! There were two slight, slight inclines that I was actually happy to see. For the most part you’re in shaded neighborhoods surrounded by multi-million dollar homes. There is a tiny stretch on a sandy/gravel area and a tiny bit of narrow sidewalks/paths. But overall, I really liked the course. It’d be a great one to PR (which Michelle did!).
For the people that found the flat, tree-lined course boring, there were some more exiting things along the course. Elves on stints and unicycles just to name a few. We started as a group, but since this was Karl’s first half marathon, I elected to stick with him and see him cross the finish line.
He was on pace for his 2:30 goal until about mile 9. Poor guy cramped up something terrible. Debbie and I continued to encourage him and do walk breaks when needed. He ended up missing his goal but didn’t swear off running. 🙂
It was my slowest half, but also the most rewarding getting to see someone else finish their first one. Those 13.1 miles are no joke and such an accomplishment! We didn’t have time to check out the supposedly epic brunch (although from the sights of it, it’s nothing compared to PumpkinMan), but the beer, medal and shirt all get an A+. (PS none of us had to call the ambulance, I just didn’t get a great post-race photo.)
