This past weekend I did something a bit different and took part in the inaugural King Neptune Challenge at the Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend. The Challenge consisted of running the TowneBank Shamrock 8K on Saturday, and then both the Anthem Half Marathon and Yuengling Shamrock Marathon on Sunday, March 20th. Sounds like fun, right? Here’s how the weekend of races panned out:
TowneBank Shamrock 8k – Saturday, March 19th 7:45am
The 8K was always going to be the “easiest” of the three events, but that didn’t stop me racing it like a typical race. Based on my finish time at the Cox Falcon 5K a few weeks ago, I expected to run around 29:30 for the 8K – roughly 5:56/mile pace. After a brief warm up, then chat with running machine Mike Wardian (hot favorite for the King Neptune Challenge), it was time to line up and get things underway.
The first two miles were fast and furious as runners enjoyed a moderate tailwind en route to 2nd Street and the sharp left turn onto the Boardwalk. Mile splits of 5:43 and 5:44 were probably a bit quick, but as the pace didn’t feel *too* crazy, I tried to stay relaxed and focus on good form. Heading north was a different story altogether – the wind was definitely a factor and my effort level increased dramatically. Splits of 6:02 and 6:00 probably tell the story best.
Somewhat surprisingly, the final mile turned out to be the fastest of the day. My battle with local Masters legend, Pete Gibson, kept me motivated, and as we made the right turn back onto the Boardwalk I was able to pick up the pace and kick it in to the finish. Not quite as quick as Pete however, as he out-gutted me to the line by a few seconds. No complaints though, as I was able to run the last half mile at 5:29/mile pace – not too shabby for the end of a tough race in blustery conditions.
Finish time – 29:06
Finish place – 24th overall, 3rd Masters
Anthem Half Marathon – Sunday, March 20th 7:00am
I must admit I wasn’t 100% sure of a plan heading into the first event of the day, but based on the start times for the Half and Full Marathons, there appeared to be a few options:
1. Race it like a typical race, which would allow me to make the start of the Marathon at 8:30am, but likely make the Marathon a total sufferfest.
2. Take things super-easy in the Half, allowing just enough time to transition to the start of the Marathon which would shut down at 8:50am, which would likely make the Marathon a much more pleasant experience than option 1.
3. Run somewhat conservatively in the Half, meaning I would miss the official start of the Marathon at 8:30am, but still allow myself a decent Marathon experience and hopefully finish time.
After [probably] too much deliberation, I decided to start off around 7:00/mile pace in the Half, then assess the situation after a few miles and adjust if necessary. At just after 7am we were off and running, and to be honest, I found it difficult to hold back. I wanted to be battling it out with the guys who were racing the Half, but knew with almost 40 miles of running ahead of us, that would definitely be a recipe for disaster. I settled in to my planned pace, and enjoyed the ride.
6:59, 7:00, 6:59, 6:59 were the splits for the first four miles, and everything felt great. It was a perfect day for running and I soon found myself quickening the pace slightly as we made the left turn onto Shore Drive and towards the Fort Story entrance. Camaraderie was good amongst the runners and the final miles back along Atlantic Avenue were very enjoyable. I wondered if this same stretch would be quite as enjoyable second-time-around later that morning….
Looking at my splits post-race, the last nine miles were all between 6:45 and 6:55/mile – pretty consistent aside from a couple of moments where I got carried away and picked up the pace too much. It felt great to hit the Boardwalk with about a half mile to go, but my thoughts quickly turned to the brief transition between events and the all important fuel plan.
Finish time – 1:30:26
Finish place – 185th overall, 19th age group
Yuengling Shamrock Marathon – Sunday, March 20th 8:30am
As planned, Ally was waiting just past the Finish Line at the transition area. I remembered to stop and reset my Garmin, and after a minor scare where the volunteers thought they’d misplaced my drop bag, I was able to grab my 2 small flasks of Tailwind and head out to the start of the Marathon a few hundred meters away. I was also able to chug down a couple of hundred calories worth of Tailwind which helped rebalance any calorie/electrolyte deficit that might have occurred during the Half. The only thing that didn’t go to plan was the public restrooms being locked. I’d been waiting “to go” for miles, but now I’d have to wait a while longer and find somewhere along the marathon route. No biggie I guess. I thanked Ally for being there, then jogged along Atlantic Avenue to jump on the tail end of Corral #2.
Again, I didn’t really have a plan heading into the Marathon. I decided to just run by feel for as long as possible, then deal with the inevitable slowing down when it happened – I just hoped it would be later rather than sooner. The first few miles flew by. It was a little tricky navigating my way through the mass of runners, but by the time I reached Rudee Inlet, the crowds had thinned out and I was able to settle in to a good rhythm. I remembered to sip from my Tailwind flask every couple of miles and was able to chase down the fuel with water from the enthusiastically manned water stops.
The stretch along General Booth Boulevard also passed quickly. First of all it was cool to see the race leaders cruising effortlessly on their way back towards the Oceanfront. Not too far behind was Mike Wardian, followed closely by a couple of local runners and then several big packs headed up by the official pacers – first the 3:05 group, then 3:15 etc. I passed the 3:35 group just before making the turnaround, then settled in for a while to regroup and think about the 20 remaining miles.
Heading into Camp Pendleton I was able to catch and pass the 3:25 pace group, but the much needed port-o-john stop soon left me trailing them once again. The next few miles were quite uneventful as I tried to conserve as much energy as possible heading north towards the halfway mark of the marathon. There was still a lot of running to be done, and I hoped my legs would be up for it. As usual, the Boardwalk was quite deserted, but thankfully by the time we reached the 12 mile mark on Atlantic Avenue the crowds were out in force and making a lot of noise. Just up ahead, I spotted Ally and Shannon waiting on the sidelines which provided a nice little boost at just the right time. Things were definitely getting tougher and I knew the last 13 miles would be the most challenging of the whole weekend.
I reached the 13.1 mile timing mat in just over 1 hour 32 minutes – probably a little bit quick, but too late to do anything about it now. The next 3 miles were honestly a bit of a struggle and my pace dropped from around a 7:00/mile average to a slowest-of-the-day 7:51 mile 16. Time to hang tough and dig deep! I tried to pick up the pace, but the extra effort seemed to cause my left quad and hamstring to tighten, and with almost 50K of racing done, I sensed it was going to be a long, slow shuffle to the finish.
The 50K split came and went (3:39:30 – yep, too quick!), and at the next water stop I chugged down more Tailwind and popped a couple of Endurolytes that I’d been carrying “just in case”. A mile or so later the tight quad seemed to ease and I was able to stride out in more comfort and speed things up again with just over 10km of running left to go. Looking back at the weekend races, I think I’m most proud of the last 6 miles in the King Neptune Challenge – I struggled for several miles in the 2nd half of the marathon but was able to turn things around and close out with splits of 7:35, 7:34, 7:21, 7:11, 7:06 and 6:48 – not my speediest marathon finish, but probably one of the gutsiest.
The miles along Atlantic Avenue ticked along nicely and by the time I reached the left turn onto the Boardwalk where Ally, Shannon and friends were waiting, I was cruising along and nothing was going to stop me enjoying the run-in to the finish line. The last half mile on the Boardwalk was a wall of noise and the atmosphere was probably the best I’ve experienced in 10 years of running the Shamrock Marathon. Outstanding!
Finish time – 3:10:15
Finish place – 83rd overall, 3rd age group
King Neptune Challenge Results
Final standings have been posted and naturally I’m really pleased with my 2nd place finish out of 88 Challenge entrants, with Mike Wardian quite literally being the runaway winner.
King Neptune Challenge Results
| Place | Name | 8K Time | 1/2 Marathon Time | Marathon Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Wardian | 26:20.6 | 1:11:11.8 | 2:53:14.6 | 4:30:47.1 |
| 2 | Steve Speirs | 29:06.9 | 1:30:26.6 | 3:10:15.5 | 5:09:49.1 |
| 3 | Charles Inman | 29:48.8 | 1:30:14.5 | 3:29:51.7 | 5:29:55.1 |
Summary
The King Neptune Challenge is without doubt one of the most unique race challenges I’ve been involved in and definitely one of the most challenging. It took me outside my comfort zone and pushed me to a combined race time and pace I didn’t think was possible. With close to 100 entrants it was definitely a popular choice for something a bit different, and I’m sure in future years it will only get bigger and bigger.
Worth a mention; the race goodies. I’m not one to sign up for a race based on the medal, t-shirt or bling, but you can’t fail to be impressed by the amount of “stuff” you get for completing the Challenge. 6 medals, 3 race t-shirts, 2 finisher caps, 2 finisher beach towels, 3 cinch-cord bags and a King Neptune Challenge beanie. Crazy!
Finally, big thanks to J&A Racing for putting on another first class series of events – we’re really lucky to have them here in the Hampton Roads area.
Race Gear
Shoes (8K) – Pearl Izumi EM Road N0
Shoes (Half/Full Marathon) – Pearl Izumi EM Road N1
Socks – Injinji RUN 2.0 Original Weight No-Show
Shorts – UVU Racing
Shirt – UVU Racing
Singlet – Pearl Izumi Champions Team
Hat – Ultimate Direction Ultralight Hat
Fuel – Tailwind Nutrition
Fuel Flasks – Ultimate Direction 4oz Gel Flask