Picking up from yesterday –
So, I miss the turn and go on my merry way. I start to get a little nervous the closer I get to 13.1, but I figure I’ll find the turn at some point.
I get a little boost of possible confidence when I see a lit up sign that tells the marathoners about a turn. “Oh, that must be my turn.” I still have no idea what that sign meant because the turn was oh so long gone at that point.
When I got to basically the end of the race, there was a volunteer yelling, “Right this way! Turn this corner!” And I ran over. “What about the marathoners?” “Marathoners too! You’ve made it.” “Uh oh. I have not made it.”
Then I ran around ’til I found a volunteer who knew where the turn was. There was a volunteer who thought there’d be an extra golf cart to take me back to the turnaround…but he said I’d have to ask someone else. That person wasn’t sure. The next person said no, there wasn’t one.
I didn’t know what they did and didn’t have available… I mean, I’ve been toward the back of races many a time and seen several sag wagons ready to just roam around and give water and snacks. So, I feel like there’s often extra transportation. But it looks like not this time.
Obviously I wouldn’t want to take a vehicle that’s needed for medical situations or anything like that. So, with no vehicles available, I started hoofing back on foot. And then it’s weird ’cause everyone’s going by me looking at me weird. I mean, I’m off to the side not in the way, but still someone in a marathon bib, trucking back to where they’ve all been coming from.
I see that I’m not getting anywhere fast and I try to sort of hitchhike with a car in the lane of open traffic, but no cars will pay attention to me. Once I make it maybe a mile(?) or so, maybe?, I jump in one of those bike-pedaled carts that’s around. It’s not all that much faster than going by foot, but it’s still something.
We try to make it to the turn.
At this point, I’ve gone multiple miles out of the way (since I did 10.5 through 13, and also the mile-ish coming back toward the turn).
Since I was toward the back of the marathon crowd, I didn’t have that much time to lose.
The biker and I find the turnaround point, then we start to go farther, but that part of the course is being taken down. And we’re a little lost (as per usual, right?).
After a bunch of looking around and trying and thinking, and math-ing… We give up and he pedals me back toward the finish. I go to where I was before and finish the half marathon.
And this is where I’ll pick up next time.