Seawall Half Marathon 2010 – Review
I completed the Seawall Half Marathon in Galveston, Texas, on 20 November 2010 — the first year for the event. Here is my review of the good and bad aspects of the 2010 event.
Exposition
- Not Applicable: No exposition!
Toilets
- Good: Public restrooms near start line
- Good: Portable toilets at many water stations (especially at higher mileage points)
- Good: Public restrooms near finish line at Moody Gardens Visitors Center
Start line
- Good: Efficient start (~2-3 minutes total)
- Bad: Required $15 bus ride from parking area at finish line to reach start line, which also had parking
- Good: Free bus ride to start line for those staying at Moody Gardens Hotel
- Good: Nice view toward Gulf of Mexico for racers facing the start line
Police
- Good: Blocked car and truck drivers well
Water-station people
- Good: Cheered racers onward
- Bad: Sometimes had bare fingers inserted in filled cups being handed to racers
Water stations
- Good: Heavily manned
- Good: Always had water
- Bad: Gatorade quickly depleted at one of the first stations
- Good: Oreo cookies at one station — delicious!
- Good: Spaced approximately 1.5 miles apart
Bibs
- Good: Included Chronotrack B-TAG technology, which eliminated the need for a timing tag on the shoe
- Bad: Racer name in small font, so invisible to spectators
Spectator turnout
- Good: Encouraging words from local residents watching from their balconies, with the two-days-old Galveston franchisee of Rita’s Ice Custard serving to racers small, paper cups filled with Italian ice — a refreshing pick-me-up at the 61st Street Fishing Pier on Seawall Boulevard!
- Bad: Relatively sparse
Timing mats
- Good: Reliably picked up B-tags on bibs
- Bad: Only at start line and finish line
Course
- Good: Very flat
- Good: Volunteers at every intersection that required a turn
- Good: Cone-protected right lane of Seawall Boulevard, eliminating need to run on hard concrete of seawall itself
- Good: Easy-on-the-joints (very soft) asphalt for a few miles, due to its newness
Weather
- Good: Breezy but not windy
- Good: Cool temperature at start
- Bad: Warmed up relatively quickly (rising to the 80s Fahrenheit)
Race photographers
- Bad: Very sparsely distributed on course
- Bad: Did not announce themselves or otherwise make themselves very visible to approaching racers
Finish area
- Good: PA announcement of finishers’ first and last names
- Good: Water bottle given with medal
- Bad: Medals not put over heads of finishers
Medals
- Good: Attractive seashell medal for finishers
Post-race area
- Good: Shaded areas and picnic tables
- Good: Across a parking lot from Moody Gardens Hotel, making it convenient for Hotel patrons to get a shower before checkout
- Good: Plenty of baked potatoes and beer
- Bad: Quickly ran out of Muscle Milk
- Good: Medics and race officials very responsive to requests for assistance
Conclusion
I give Seawall Half Marathon an “A-” grade for the 2010 event. Overall, the good far outweighed the bad, and the organizer could easily eliminate most, if not all, of the bad to make this an “A+” event. I recommend that you consider participating in this event on Galveston Island, especially if you plan to stay at Moody Gardens Hotel, enjoy Moody Gardens and the Festival of Lights, and make it a nice weekend before Thanksgiving week in the USA.
Have you had a similar set of experiences? Where? Please leave a comment. Thanks!
