Santa to the Sea Half Marathon Race Report

December 12, 2010

We arrived in Oxnard about 6:30am and met up with Penny, Kristy, Jordan and Stuart in the parking lot. We rushed of to catch the shuttle buses to the starting line with toys in hand. The drive to the starting line took about 20 minutes through the farmland of Oxnard. The starting line was on an access road adjacent to the 101 freeway where there is a large Santa on display. For history about the Santa Claus Statue click here.

Stuart, Jordan, Penny, Kristy, Bob

We snapped a quick picture then hit the port a potty's one last time. The race started without much fanfare and off we went. We started about 1/2 way back and spent the first 1/2 mile dodging some of the slower runners and walkers.

Penny and Kristy had on green and red tutu's and Penny was sporting bells on her shoes (see video) which concerned me at first, but after a couple of miles, I didn't even notice them.



The first thing that we all noticed was that it was hot and it was going to be a tough race. Kristy, Jordan, Penny and I stayed together for the first 6 miles or so, but after the mid-way point, where they offered pretzels and sweet rolls (they were good, I had 2), Kristy sped up a bit and was out on her own. About the same time Penny and Jordan started to slow up and walk a bit due to the heat. I decided to catch up with Kristy and run the rest of the way with her. We ran and talked and kept hoping to get close to the beach for some of that cool air. We finally made it to the beach and it was still hot as we were running in the direct sun and there was absolutely no shade at all.

On the beach and it was still hot!

 We finally got some relief around mile 12 when a nice resident had his hose out and was spraying everyone with water. I must say...it felt great. We made the final push and headed for the finish line. Official time: 2:45:59...It was officially my slowest half marathon ever, but from the get go, I always said it was going to be a fun training run with friends, not a race. Sometimes, it's not about the time, it's about the people you are running with, and for me, this was one of those times.

Bob, Melissa, Adam

 After we finished we got in a line to get some water and food, met up with Melissa and Adam and waited for Jordan and Penny to finish. When they finished, they were informed that the race was oversold and they ran out of medals. Their names and bib# s were taken and have been promised the medals will be mailed to them. We headed back to the car and Penny and I took part in a celebratory "adult beverage" before heading out to Eggs N Things for a fantastic breakfast.

Kristy, Jordan, Penny, Bob - Post race

Bob and Penny with our post race "adult beverage"

Penny and Kristy in festive tutu's

Jordan

This was my first time running this race and other than the unusually warm December day and that they ran out of medals, it was a well run event and they collected a lot of toys. The volunteers were fantastic and very supportive. I think the only thing I would change would have been to have a couple of extra water stops since it was so hot.