Running Through My Roots: Puerto Rico Half Marathon

Once upon a time (in the 80's), I was a little school kid in Puerto Rico giving it my all in a 100 meter dash at our annual Field Day. Fast forward to present time:  I found myself at the starting line of the Puerto Rico Half Marathon.  I arrived two days before the race in a very convenient and relatively short flight from Reagan National to San Juan via Jet Blue.  One of highlights of being back in the US is the proximity to my roots, Puerto Rico.
Although Puerto Rico has two popular races: World's Best 10k and The San Blas Half Marathon this is the first year a Boston Qualifier marathon takes place in Puerto Rico.  When I saw advertisements for it via Facebook, I was compelled to run the full marathon and quickly signed up for it a few days after my Miami Half Marathon.  I went to Australia with the best intentions of clocking in my long runs but I was too busy hugging Koalas and drinking Aussie wine to do so.  I had trouble catching up due to my nonexistent sleep schedule post race.  Given those factors, I decided to run the half instead.

Race Medal

This half marathon is my third race since returning to the United States.  Every race in every country has its own personality and Puerto Rico did not disappoint.  As soon as I landed in San Juan, it was 89 degrees and it confirmed my intention to downgrade to the half.  I arrived at the expo, which was located at the Caribe Hilton (the hotel in which we also stayed in) and the booths were very limited, which I can imagine is normal for a race of only two thousand.  One of the things which can be improved for next time is to send releases by mail.  Having to fill out and sign releases before picking up the bib was time consuming and created a stop at the packet pickup.  Also I heard from other runners that by the time of their arrival they did not get safety pins for their bibs.  This is something which can be taken into consideration for next time.
Aside from that, race day was perfectly executed.  The shuttle buses from the Caribe Hilton to the start were on time.  At 5am, warm breeze already caressed my face at the start line.  I knew it was going to be hot.  As we started our race, I couldn't help thinking this is the warmest race I have ran.  As we ran past El Condado, one of the popular hotel and nightlife neighborhoods in San Juan, we saw people leaving the club of Hotel la Concha or having a post party margarita at the dive bar wedged between the art deco buildings.  I was tempted to have a margarita being Cinco de Mayo and all, but I decided to keep running.  The mood was animated for both the runners and the spectators (both the intentional and unintentional ones). 
The sun continued to creep and my miles took longer.  I received a lot of motivation from other runners, especially a woman maybe in her late 40's who her husband (I assume) was riding his bike alongside her the whole time. We constantly passed one another until the end and we exchanged words of encouragement. The water stands were excellent as well:  many young and energetic volunteers  with cold water and Gatorade gave an extra boost.  Also notable was the Police of Puerto Rico. While managing the crowds and traffic, many of them gave us words of encourgament.



My "Glam Squad"

The last 4 miles were the toughest.  By 7am the sun was shining bright and sucking all of my energy while heading uphill to Old San Juan to loop around to Sixto Escobar Stadium.  As the finish line approached, I realized I ran the slowest half of the six 13.1's I have done so far but felt as if I had worked the hardest.  When I crossed, I heard my best friend Jaime calling me.  When I look, she's wearing a T-shirt which states "Major Diva Glam Squad" and so is my other friend Mike who both traveled from NYC to be spectators. I was so moved, I began to cry.  I cried because of the faith my friends have in me.  Despite what happened in Boston, families and friends still lined the finish line to wait for their loved ones.  Although the race was challenging, especially because of the heat, I was grateful for the experience to run in the land who witnessed my first race as a child.  For the warmth and generosity of my people , the people of Puerto Rico I will forever be thankful.  This race next to Madrid Marathon and Berlin Half, has been one of the most spirited I have ran from the organizers to the spectators to the runners.  A sincere thanks to my friends and family who still pledge to see me cross the finish line....