Last weekend I had one of the most fulfilling experiences as a coach since I started almost 6 years ago (wow, I can’t believe it’s been that long!) I traveled to Savannah, Georgia for the Every Woman’s Marathon where I had 4 athletes racing as well as a number of real life and internet friends racing as well. It was an amazing experience! Keep reading for my Every Woman's Marathon Weekend Recap!
The Every Woman’s Marathon Race
This year was the inaugural race and when they announced the race back in January, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I was able to snag a bib for only $65. I wasn’t sure what my intention with racing it was, but I knew I wanted to be there.
After my April DNF, my redemption marathon in June (after racing Chicago last year, and my first 50k in January), I made the decision to not run the marathon. I needed the break from marathon/long distance training.
But. I had already booked an Airbnb with one of my athletes and a few other internet friends, so I knew I was still going to go. I pivoted the race into a coaching experience and it was still 100% worth the crazy travel.
Travel to the Every Woman’s Marathon
I live in San Diego county. Traveling to Savannah is no small feat. It is anywhere rom 8-12 hours of travel. When I knew I wasn’t going to run the marathon, I decided to take a red eye and enjoy an extra day exploring the city.
I haven’t taken a red eye since my honeymoon — so a solid 10 years ago! It set luxurious to fly with just myself, no kids of husband to think about. The first flight was SO cold that I only slept about 2 hours of the fight. I had a layover in Charlotte and only a 35 minute flight to Savannah after.
Once I landed in Savannah, I waited an extra 30 minutes for 2 of the girls I was rooming with the arrive (one athlete, one Internet friend). Once they got into town, we went and grabbed food and coffee since our Airbnb wasn’t available yet. We found a cute spot called Flora and Fauna. Then the weather derailed out cute outside hanging plans.
Because we had all of our luggage with us, we didn’t want to just wander the city too much (plus they had a marathon to run in two days). So we took an Uber to another coffee shop. Turned out that one was closed to we went to another one, Collins Quarter, that was amazing. After plenty of wandering with a ton of luggage, we were ready to check into our Airbnb and nap and regroup before dinner!
Athlete Dinner
On Thursday night, a few friends and athletes that were in town met for dinner at 1540 Room. It was beautiful and the food was delicious (although rich!). I was able to meet one of my athletes in person that I’ve been coaching the longest. It was incredible.
We had delicious homemade cornbread and sourdough (carb load much? Hah!). and I left feeling so fulfilled and glad to have so many of my people in one place.
The day before the race: Shakeout run, Every Woman’s Marathon Expo, Race Captains Panel, and friendship bracelet making
Friday was an event filled day, starting with a small shakeout run with two of my athletes who traveled from Minnesota. One of the things I talk about with my athletes before any big race is whether or not they should do the schedule shakeout runs. For runners (like me) who struggle with “people-ing”, otherwise known as introverts, it is better to skip the big shakeout run and do something smaller. These two athletes decided to do just that, so I met them at their Airbnb and we did a small shakeout to check out the start line and headed to the expo.
The expo was small, but I actually liked that it wasn’t filled with a ton of “stuff” to buy. There was the official race gear, a small table with a few gels/chews/etc, and some special touches. I know some people look forward to buying all the things at the race expo, but I am not one of them. I like to get my bib and leave.
One of the cool features was a wall of magnets with each runners name on one. You were allowed to take them. The colors of the name tags corresponded to how many marathons a person had run. I commented that it was very cool because we were there early, but it would be sad for those who got there at the end of the expo. I was wrong! It turned out there was a big sign behind it that read, “we run for us.” There were a lot of these special touches through the expo and the weekend that were so special.
I ran from there to bagels and sign making with Another Mother Runner that I was co-hosting with my 5k coach from AMR Mandy. We got to meet each other in person after coaching together virtually for 3.5 year!
Post bagels and signs, I headed back to the expo for one panel, on running communities with Kathrine Switzer and Alison Desir. It was such a cool experience and I was so grateful that even though I wasn’t running the race, I had a bib and was able to be a part of the panels and race feel!
Next up was a quick Thai lunch and then back to the expo for another talk, this time by the Race Captains — I really only attended this one because I wanted to hear Des Linden talk. She is one of my favorite pro runners and I was excited she was a part of this race. I admire the way she has always shown up as her authentic self and people respect and recognize her for it. And she’s run really fast with it.
After the talks, it was all about my athletes again. I had a quick meet-up with those I hadn’t had a chance to meet yet, handed out some gifts, including my favorite Run My Life Journal, and then headed back to the airbnb for a bring your own dinner and hosted friendship bracelet making. Inspired by an Instagram post, I grabbed a couple kits from Amazon and we made mantra bracelets. It was the perfect way to end the day before the race.
Spectating the Every Woman’s Marathon
I was so excited to actually be able to watch my friends and athletes run and the first half of this race was great for spectating! I was able to leave our Airbnb and walk 1.5 blocks to spectate at mile 4 and 6, and then walk over a few more blocks to see everyone again at mile 9, cross Forsyth Park and catch almost everyone again at mile 11. I really wanted to get out to around mile 17 because I knew those are the hardest miles of the marathon for most people. But I also realized if I did that, I wouldn’t be at the finish, which I didn’t want to miss!
I made a sign before I headed out, but once I got on the course, I was so busy cheering and clapping that my sign ended up on the ground. At some point when I was moving locations, the sign got set in a trash can!
It was incredible to be on the course and see my friends, my athletes. I realized how much things have changed since I spectated my last race in 2019 (I volunteered at CIM!). At that race, I knew one person. At this race, I knew dozens.
Spectating the marathon was such a beautiful reminder of the tenacity of people. Being surrounded by thousands of women all working to do something incredibly hard, by choice, was inspiring. I am always in awe of the marathon. Watching people choose to do something hard and then work really hard to actually do it reminds me that we are going to be ok. That being surrounded by people who choose hard means that I am surrounded by people who change the world.
I got to watch every single one of my athletes cross the finish line. I was able to give finish line hugs and cheers. I sat at the finish line festival and talked through the race with one of my best friends. I grabbed a delicious dinner at a rooftop bar and stayed up too late chatting with friends post race.
Post Race Reflections
Coaching and spectating this race gave me a lot of think about. And because I’ll be thinking about these things for a while as I think about what to do with them, here is a small brain dump of all the things running through my mind:
I want more in-person connections as a coach
We’re going to be ok
marathons are magic
your coach, especially if they’re long term, will be almost as invested in your goal as you are and there are few people (if any) who will be as excited for you when you achieve it
I laughed and cried and I am in awe of what I got to bear witness to this weekend
To sum up the Every Woman’s Marathon weekend
I think this is one of my longest recaps, so if you’ve made it this far, thank you! I loved being a part of this weekend, even if I wasn’t racing it. This was a great race and I highly recommend it for anyone looking to run a marathon, especially a first marathon. That being said, be very cautious of protecting your energy and time on feet with all the fun stuff there is to do!
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