Buffalo Run Half Marathon 2/12/05

The Buffalo Run Half Marathon took place on at Catalina Island on February 12, 2005. Despite the rainy forecast and muddy trails, there were about 250 participants. What made this run more challenging than usual was the extremely rough boat ride to get from Long Beach to Catalina. You know it's going to be bad when the captain announces, "Folks, even though we have coffee and orange juice available, if you don't need it, don't drink it." Before departure, the staff spent more time handing out sea sickness bags than explaining the proper way to wear the life preserver. They say there is a first time for everything, and I learned the hard way that I am prone to getting seasick. Fortunately, I'm small so my stomach contents only filled up one bag - what I refer to as "carbo-deloading." Once we landed, it started raining. I managed to get a little oatmeal to stay down before the start, but still felt less than good. Things went from bad to worse when the race director gave us the pre-race pep talk which included this statement, "Folks, I'm not going to lie to you, the trails are in pretty bad shape..." The temperature was in the mid fifties with a strong breeze and a steady rain. About a half hour after we started, the rain subsided long enough for most runners to ditch their ponchos and trash bags, then naturally it started raining again. The first six miles were uphill, but it might be more accurate to describe it as upstream. There were a few points on the course where the entire fire-road was one giant puddle from one side to the other and runners had no choice but to wade through ankle deep muddy water. But honestly, running in these conditions was a lot more pleasant than the boat ride, so I tried my best to enjoy it. The terrain was pretty grueling, and I certainly wasn't in a hurry to get back on the boat, but somehow I finished first overall female in 1:44:18. Afterwards, I seriously contemplated becoming a permanent resident of Avalon, rather than get back on the boat but who would feed my cat? So I took some Dramamine and made it back with no problems. Despite the misery, I highly recommend this race to those who like a good challenge, but next year I might try taking the helicopter...

Click here for Buffalo Half Marathon Results