I recruited my running partner who lives in Alabama and she was totally excited for it. As you remember, we are not fast runners so one of the themes of "your race, your pace" really appealed to us.
The Expo
The expo was held at Kedron Fieldhouse and Aquatic Center. Well, it was held at a field house of an elementary school which was actually not on my GPS. So I headed to Peachtree City, found a car with a 13.1 mile sticker on it, and followed her into the expo. Parking was atrocious. The expo ran from Thursday to Friday, 11am - 7pm. I had planned on going there at Friday around 4:30pm in hopes every diva had already passed through. I guess other women had this same idea. I had to circle around a few times until I was lucky enough to find a spot. The bib pick up was really well done. They were organized and on point. I got our bibs, bags, tutus and race day parking information and started to walk around the expo. I was nervous about the quality of the tutu but was pleasantly surprised. This tutu was certainly going to make the 13.1 miles without coming apart. The space itself was small but there were lots of vendors there. I walked around and spoke to a few. The Publix Half marathon was there recruiting people...I swiftly walked past them as I don't want to do that one again (too hilly). But lots of free samples, lots of running shirts, magnets, bling, pain management help (creams, massages, etc), granola bars, sales, flyers and lots more. I spent about 20 minutes there and then headed out. As I said, the space was small so lots of women with vendors in a small space made maneuvering difficult.
Race Day
Alarm goes off at 4:15am. I like to stretch and eat breakfast without feeling rushed. I was out the door by 5am. I made it to Peachtree City by 6am to pick up Running Partner. She was staying at Dolce, a very nice hotel in Peachtree City. Also at that hotel were the shuttles. Lots of parking at the hotel for Divas to grab the shuttle to the race spot. We decided to drive it. So we headed out on to the road at 6:10am, put the coordinates into the GPS for the Diva race parking lot. And essentially sat and waited for 45 minutes in traffic. I had read that traffic was bad as lots of people drive to the parking lot even though race organizers suggest taking the shuttle to alleviate the congestion. But I guess most people, like me, liked driving.
The last shuttle was supposed to head out at 6:55am from the parking lot to the race start. At 7:07am Race Partner and I got on the shuttle. I assumed that because of the traffic they allowed lenience to that 6:55am last shuttle announcement. There was STILL a line of cars waiting to turn into the parking lot when we left on the shuttle. I do not know if those lovely ladies were able to make the shuttles, but it was only a 2.5 mile jaunt to the race start. Not that I wanted to walk that distance BEFORE heading out for 13.1 but it is possible if you miss the shuttles.
The shuttles pulled up to Huddleston Elementary School off of Kelly Drive and I noticed lots of parking there, wondering if we could have driven to the Elementary school instead of taking the shuttle. Interesting, must inquire for next year. We got out and headed right for the bathrooms, which are always disgusting and out of toilet paper no matter what time you get there, so make sure you bring some wet wipes. We got some water and headed to the corrals.
The announcer said they were running on a 10 minute delay so we found our wave start group and waited. The 5K ladies were still heading out and we had to make way for some late comers who had to scramble up to the front of the que in order to head out their race mates.
We waited in a large park area on a paved driveway. Around us was a fairly wooded area. The announcer said it was 55 degrees outside and it was overcast. It was a perfect day with a light breeze. I know you can't choose the weather when you sign up for a race 6 months in advance but this was a perfect day.
The announcer said that Wave 2 (our wave) was next. We made our way to the start of the corral, waited for the horn and we were off. The first five miles of the race were on roads. The right lane off these two lane roads were blocked off just for the divas so we had lots of room to maneuver. Some of the women were saying how hilly it was in the first 5 miles. While I agree it was hilly, it was much more rolling hills. But if you had not been training on hills (as in just using a treadmill) then I can see how this would be hilly for you. It was about half the elevation gain as my first half marathon in Atlanta.
After mile 5 we veered right onto golf cart paths. The golf cart paths lasted for about 8 miles and it was nice and shady there under the canopy of the large trees surrounding the path. The path itself was not wide, which made passing difficult (and I mean people passing me). Plus, as the cart path wore on, you could definitely see signs of wear and tear in the asphalt - it was cracking and coming apart in places. You really need to watch your footing on these paths. Also, this was actually the hilliest part of the course, but also the most scenic. It was such a pretty 8 miles along these paths.
There were aid stations with water and Gatorade every 1.5 miles which was a perfect distance. I actually prefer every mile only because it gives me an excuse to walk a little bit (remember I am not fast). At mile 13 there is a tiara and boa station (with water of course). We put on our tiaras, put on our feather boas. Turned a corner and saw the uphill finish line. We booked it up the hill and crossed the finish line. There were volunteers with water, extremely good looking firemen (real fireman? I didn't care) with their shirts off handing out medals.. I was lucky, mine has a sexy accent as he said "congratulations" to me. And then there was a nice table with champagne. Running Partner and I clinked the glasses and went to find a place to sit. My quads were killing me (not sure why) and my stomach was a bit sick (not sure why, but the champagne did not help) but I had so much fun!
This is certainly a run that is back on my list for next year. Although with so much training (3 half marathons in 6 months PLUS another one in 2 weeks) I may opt for the 5K next year. Aside from a shorter course, the divas still get medals, tutus, and royal treatment throughout the race.
Tips for the Peachtree City Georgia Diva Half Marathon
* Parking - if you can, try parking at the elementary school. We finished the race and it felt like no time before they announced the last shuttle to parking. I KNEW there were still divas on the course that would have to walk back the 2.5 miles to their car.
* Traffic - expect it to be dreadful. Leave 30 minutes BEFORE you think you should at the very least.
* Thank a volunteer - as many as you can, these kind people really did an amazing job with this race.
* Train for rolling hills (elevation profile at the very end) as you can see there are some hills, but they are totally manageable with some training. 358ft elevation gain is what we had.
* Your race, your pace - this race falls in between some serious races and a theme run. I had so much fun talking to the other ladies that I was not focused on my time at all. But some ladies took it very seriously...finishing in 1h 37 minutes (that is NOT me) and kudos to them.
* Wear your tutu, everyone else will be and it just adds to the fun.
* Personalize your bib - When registering for the race, the bib defaults to Diva _______ and most people just filled in their name. So we saw lots of "Diva Tracy" and "Diva Christy". But then we saw ones like "Diva Queen Bee" and "Diva Hell Raiser" which I thought as cute and fun.
* Please train - I was surprised at how many divas told me they hadn't trained. 13.1 miles is no joke.
Elevation profile
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