10k split: 56:00
A lot of this marathon reminded me of the Flying Pig. There was a marathon and a half marathon event that started out on the same course before the half marathoners turned off somewhere before mile 9. There was also a relay component for the marathon. They had a Pump N' Run event, and a shorter 5k event. The course also traversed more than one state and ran across a couple of bridges and interstates.
We drove down Saturday afternoon and picked up my race packet. Like the Flying Pig, swag included a poster of the Quad Cities marathon, but I declined the poster. I was trying to give my Flying Pig one away to my sister even. The shirt didn't feel like a dri-fit shirt, though the label claims otherwise. It was soft, and made for a nice sleep shirt. We also got a Quad Cities bandana. I chose a blue and green one to match the colors of the marathon.
All races except the kid's race started at 7:30am on Sunday in Moline, IL. Our hotel was only a 5 minute drive away and AWAY from the race which meant very little traffic. It was 42 degrees at the start, though expected to warm up to 50s mid morning and low 60s by noon. I chose a sleeveless singlet to wear along with some capris, though I suspected I'd be too warm. I got to the start shortly before 7am and was cold standing around, so I ducked inside a building until about 7:15am. Then I lined up with the other runners and was surrounded by body heat.It was crowded at the start. Unlike Flying Pig which was strictly corralled, the Quad Cities allowed runners to line up according to what their perceived pace was. Though there were pacers with signs, I felt they were spaced much too closely together. The 2:10 pacer was really close to the 2:00 pacer, and I was planning to start between the two. In the end, I chose to line up with the 2:10 pacer. I find that starting with the 2:10 group and chasing the 2:00 group has worked well for me. I crossed the start line with 1:20 on the clock.
