Disclosure: I would like to thank Team Running Free for selecting me as the lottery winner for this year’s entry to the Hamilton Road2Hope Marathon
Looks like Hamilton Road2Hope Marathon tagline of “Ranked Canada’s #1 Boston Qualifier” does stand true to its claim!
The overall route is very fast and mostly downhill, great for individuals ambitiously reaching for Boston Marathon qualifying times. While I still need more training down the line, I did manage to reach a new personal best to offset another marathon that I participated and struggled mightily weeks prior. The course consists of rolling hills at first, followed by the major downhill once you are entering into the Red Hill Valley Parkway. The remainder of the course would remain as flat as it can possibly get so it is important to not get too carried away at the first half of the run.
The weather for race day was certainly not the most ideal with intermittent rainfall and cold winds. However, I was able to manage my overall pace from start to finish as well as even distributing my energy gel pack intake.
Takeaways from this race: maintain a comfortable yet manageable pace / energy gels or chews are your best friend (the more the better… without upsetting your stomach that is) / study the route map and elevation (if you run with music, see how long your playlist is and sequence it in a sense where the most pumped up beats occur when you need it the most)
I especially find this YouTube video embedded from the Hamilton Road2Hope Marathon website quite useful as I could envision the time and pace of where I want to be at, at a certain given time during the race.
I look forward to tackle this course again in the near future and use this as my benchmark for potential BQ times.
I’m still smiling ear to ear knowing that a carved out a 19 minute advantage over my last best marathon!
Cheers,
M.W.
