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| Very fun finish inside the stadium! |
I just returned from a fun weekend adventure in Huntington, West Virginia for the Marshall University Half Marathon. I'd heard great things about this race from many people, so it seemed like a "must do" for the state of West Virginia. We did our homework and watched the 2006 "We Are Marshall" movie to learn the story of the tragic plane crash which killed most of the football team, coaches, and others and the rebuilding and recovery following.
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Memorial Fountain for the 75 lives lost in the November 14, 1970 plane crash
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West Virginia was one of the last states in my comfortable driving range, so sneaking it in this fall seemed like a great idea. I'd actually planned on it before I decided to join Elana for the Atlantic City Half Marathon two weeks ago, so perhaps it didn't end up being such a great idea to have three half marathons in four weeks, but considering the Marshall University Half Marathon has a generous 6-hour time limit I figured worst case I could just walk and enjoy the experience. Alice joined me, she is a great road trip buddy!
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| Alice got to feed a quarter to an old school parking meter |
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| The boys stayed home to cheer on the Steelers |
We drove down on Saturday, it was an easy 4-hour drive and the fall colors in the mountains of West Virginia were gorgeous! We made it in plenty of time to stop by the packet pick-up, which was offered in a local church with plenty of easy parking. Also worth noting though, it looked very easy to pick up packets on race morning. We opted to stay at the Delta Hotel by Marriott near the Huntington Mall. It was a 20 minute drive to the start, but I had Marriott points and the hotel pool/hot tub looked awesome.
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| We love a good hotel pool and hot tub |
That was our first stop! The pool was warm, the hot tub was hot, and we had it all to ourselves. After our swim, we picked up Chipotle for dinner and found Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, on tv. I went to bed early. I was worried about messing something up due to daylight savings, but alarms all functioned smoothly and I was out the door by 5:45 AM. I was parking by 6:05 AM, tons of easy parking right in the stadium lot. I could see the start from my car! It was cool and drizzly, but not too bad for November racing weather. I ate my breakfast, laced up my shoes, and met the 50 State Half Marathon Club members for a group picture. There were also other Pittsburgh Rogue Runners at this race, which was really nice!
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| 50 States Half Marathon Group |
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| Pittsburgh Rogue Runners |
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| A bucket truck raised the flag during the National Anthem |
Straightforward start, I enjoyed running through the streets of Huntington. The rain was light and didn't bother me much with my hat on, I'd rather run in a little rain than be too hot! I could have done without the short stretch of brick street though, I felt like I was going to slip so I took it pretty slowly through there. Otherwise, I felt very comfortable! I stuck with my 30:30 intervals and kept the 3:00 hour pacer in my sights until mile 9 or so. It was mostly roads, very flat, but at one point we did hop onto a crushed limestone trail that had some rocky sections and a low bridge.
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| Very pretty low bridge over the trail section |
It was nice to change things up, but I got a sneaky rock in my shoe. I spent a few minutes wondering how a rock managed to get up and into my shoe, and then a few more minutes debating whether I should stop to remove it or just ignore it for the final few miles. I remember thinking to myself "hm, only a 5K left... wait, there is still a 5K left!?" I figured I wasn't setting any personal records this race so I stopped to remove the rock. I also said hello to a friendly dog in the cute park we ran through.
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| World War I Memorial Arch |
By this point I couldn't see the 3:00 hour pacer any more, but I got a little second wind, put on some good tunes, and pushed on. Shout out to the Marshall University Swimming & Diving team, they had the best, high-energy, cheer/aid station, and we got to run through their spot right along the river twice! The cheers were epic both times, and much appreciated. I think the cool, wet weather kept the crowds a little light, but the people who did come out along the course were great. There were a ton of water stops, and all of the volunteers were encouraging. I heard “Take Me Home, Country Roads” several times!
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| Ohio River |
Towards the end of my race, the super speedy marathoners started to zoom by. I always enjoy when the full marathon runs with the half so I can cheer on the marathon finishers and marvel at how they are completing their full before I finish my half, lol. One of the marathoners even paused to chat with me because I had on a 50 States club shirt and he was working towards completing a full marathon in all 50 states!
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| There were hard-to-miss signs announcing the photographers, nice touch! |
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| That is why I look so happy! |
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| Footballs are waiting! |
The finish of this race is hard to beat. You run into the Marshall University football stadium (down a pretty steep ramp!) and they hand you a football. You get to run onto the football field and finish the final stretch down the field carrying the football over the finish line! So unique and fun!
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| Me with a football! |
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| Probably should have done something more exciting in this moment, but I was just taking it all in |
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| Pretty medal, the middle spins! |
I am proud of my 3:06 finish time! Especially considering I felt like I was meandering a bit in those final three miles and not staying very focused on the task at hand. I'm creeping closer to being back to a comfortable 3:00 hour finish. Honestly, my goal these days is just to finish, have fun, and not hurt myself so I can keep on racing and traveling!
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| Pittsburgh crew accounted for |
I didn't mean to dress like a ninja, you can't see the fun "50 States Half Marathon Club" shirt logo very well in these pictures. I guess my cool weather running gear is not as colorful. Anyway, I took a few pictures and headed back to the hotel for a shower. Then Alice and I went to check out the mall near our hotel. The Christmas tree was up and they had Christmas music playing! We shopped, went to Chili's for an early dinner, and returned to the hotel to play in the pool again.
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| It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!? |
Monday morning we explored the Marshall University campus together, checked out the bookstore and the fountain, before driving home.
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Not our usual WE ARE... but we enjoyed seeing Marco the Bison and Marshall pride everywhere!
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| Starting to fill in nicely! |
The middle spins!
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Completed my "4-hour drive or less from Pittsburgh" states!
I will need to slow my roll a bit now that flights are involved...😄
(*It has been brought to my attention that the Detroit Free Press International Half Marathon
is a great option for Michigan that would be drive-able from Pittsburgh!)
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Final thoughts: I really enjoyed the Marshall University Half Marathon! It was a flat and interesting course with plenty of aid stations along the way. It was extremely well-organized and logistically pretty straightforward. The only thing I typically prefer in this category is being able to walk to/from the start/finish, but at least in this case, since a car was required, the parking was easy! I really got the sense that the race directors are eager to make this race a success. I'd recommend it as a great choice for West Virginia.
West Virginia complete! State #8, Half #13
Date: 11/2/2025
Bib: 1422
Time: 3:06:39
Pace: 14:15
Next up is Mississippi Gulf Coast Half in December followed by Louisiana Half in January for the "Beach 2 Bayou Challenge" (as long as the flights/airlines hang in there, fingers crossed!)
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