January 29th, 2023 – I completed my second marathon.
Here is the deep dive into my experience while running the Miami Marathon.
Myself & the crew woke up at 3am on Sunday to start getting ready to make our way downtown to the start of the race. My friend Ellie and my cousin Lauren both are insane and the best race day pack mules and moral support.
We arrive at the Miami Heat arena at about 4:15 AM. The nerves are really starting to set in. I’m thinking, “I am just a couple hours away from starting the process of completing 26.2 miles.” We do the entire pre-race routine, going to the bathroom, lathering up with Vaseline, warming up, and stretching. I say good-bye to my parents and we head into the start corrals.
“Corral H are you ready to run!?” the announcer enthusiastically yells over the speaker. There is music blaring, sky lights, lights flashing, and thousands of people all around you. I can feel my heart beating in my ears, I start my watch, and I take a deep breath as I cross that start line.
Miles 1 – 14 were a breeze! The crew was smooth sailing. We were laughing, talking, and right on pace, 13’30”. Ellie even did burpees for charity around mile 8. But unfortunately as the race went on, the sun came up and it got hotter and hotter out.
Mile 12 we saw our hype crew which consisted of friends and family. We stocked up on salt pills, more fuel, got iced towels and picked up our sunglasses and hats before we headed into the second half the race, which had little to no shade.
Mile 15, we are pretty isolated. Majority of people who run Miami do the half marathon so there were only a few brave souls going for 26.2 that day. Its quiet out but thank god myself, Lauren, and Ellie were still moving. Mile 15 we begin our two mile journey on the Rickenbacker Causeway. We did not have to run over the bridge but we had to go under it which meant for over two miles we had no shade, water on both sides of us reflecting the sun back up and were just starting to bake. This is when I knew it was going to be tough.
Mile 16 took a turn for the worse. I puked. It came on very suddenly and I forcefully removed all hydration and fuel that I had been taking in over the last 16 miles. This is when I knew I was really in for a battle. I still had 10 miles to go and now I am extremely behind on fueling and hydration. I call Coach Alysha frantically asking her what I needed to do to finish this race. Alysha told me that I desperately needed to get calories in my body. This was gummy bears and a flat Dr. Pepper.
Mile 17 – 19 were a walk/run. I was hurting. At this point, I wanted to drop out. I wanted to give up but I knew I would never forgive myself for walking away. Part of me was hoping that I would just collapse so I would not have to make the decision to remove myself from the race. Ellie is constantly in communication with Coach Alysha to make sure it was safe for me to keep going. I mean I was able to hold down some food and was able to hydrate. I was not dizzy and I was fully aware of what was happening. It really was just hot and I did not think I could make it another 7 miles.
Mile 19, I see my parents. I sat on the curb and I started to cry. At this point, I knew if I wanted to finish this race, I would not be able to run. I had trained so hard for today and here I am at mile 19 and I am going have to walk the rest of the race?! What do you mean?! I was so disappointed in myself but I just could not continue running. My mom grabbed me by the shoulders and said, “I will walk with you until midnight. You can do this.” I told Lauren and Ellie to continue without me because I still did not think I was going to finish the race or if I would get picked up by the sweeper bus. Lauren and Ellie told me I could do this and they would see me at the finish line.
My dad helped me stand up and him and my mom began walking on the sidewalk next to me. I was not moving fast but I was moving forward. Each step was another step closer to the finish line. My parents were constantly checking in with me, “How are you feeling? Are you dizzy? Do you need water or food? Do you feel sick? What do you need?”
Mile 20, Chloe, Connie and Nikki are waiting for me at a corner screaming my name and holding up signs but more importantly, Connie was holding a large cup of ice water. All I wanted was ice. I was so hot. I put ice in my sports bra, on my neck and just over my body. Drinking that ice water tasted like liquid gold. Chloe, Connie and Nikki start walking with my parents on the sidewalk while constantly encouraging me to keep moving forward. I’ll be honest, I was walking with my head down, hands on my hips, and still was feeling so defeated. Still not knowing if I was going to finish this.
Mile 21, Chloe, Connie, and Nikki had to leave and kept encouraging me that I could do this. Soon after they leave, I see my college best friend, Meg and her mom, my best friend since fourth grade, Manuela, Ellie’s finance, Garrett all waiting for me on the corner. They are all screaming for me. They hop on the sidewalk and start walking with my parents. I needed that. Seeing some of your closest friends get behind you and start helping you to reach such a massive goal is something I can’t even describe. Unfortunately, my mom has short legs and cannot walk as fast so Garrett and mom hopped on the metro to go see Lauren and Ellie finish. The thing was, my mom had my phone so at this point I had no more communication with Alysha but she knew I had people around me so I was safe. Chloe, Connie, and Nikki had my location and they just see my location move so fast across the city and they assumed that I either got swept or had to DNF.
Mile 22, I am finally starting to feel confident that I will finish this marathon but I spoke to soon. Meg’s mom goes, “Nicole not to make you nervous but I can see the sweeper bus.” I turn my head and the bus is probably a quarter mile behind me. I think to myself, “F***! I can’t get picked up now! I am too close!” My dad saw me turn around and he goes, “Don’t you dare look behind you. It is not going to catch you. Keep your head up and keep moving forward!”
Mile 23, I put some distance between myself and the bus. Still walking, one step at a time with Meg, Meg’s Mom, Manuela, and my dad with me. Just a 5k to go. 3.1 miles then you are done. Its almost noon at this point. The sun is up and its hot (of course this was the hottest day on record in the last ten years).
Mile 24, two more miles. Two more miles until I can sit down and be done. Two miles is about 30 more minutes. 30 minutes left. At this point, the bus was out of view and this is when I knew I was going to finish this race. Lauren and Ellie had already finished.
Mile 25, 1.2 miles to go and thats it! Dad and I are walking so fast. Our last mile was about a 14 minute pace. We were booking it. Manuela ran ahead to go film the finish and to let mom and them know that we were coming. Dad and I were going so fast that we started to pull ahead of Meg and her mom. Also, did I mention that everyone walking on the sidewalk was carry something for me. Meg has a cooler backpack on filled with ice, fuel, and hydration. Manuela had a bag full of dry snacks that I was slowly eating. It was a good thing that they all were their walking shoes because no one thought they’d be walking 5 plus miles that day. Meg yells to me, “Ya I’ll see you soon! Keep the pace and keep moving!”
In typical race day fashion, there was a nice bridge right before mile 26. Quick little leg burner before the finish. My dad goes, “You have to be f***ing kidding me.” We put our heads down and continue to power walk.
Finally I enter the finish chute. I still could not really run. I see mile 26 and began to cry. Holy sh*t. I would not imagine 10 miles ago that I would be seeing the mile 26 sign. My dad is still on the sidewalk, walking stride by stride with me. I’m crying because my dad just walked the last 7 miles with me to make sure I was safe and to help me to keep moving forward. I see Lauren and Ellie.
Lauren and Ellie are holding the “Embrace the Pace” flag and screaming my name. They had asked the race officials if they could finish again with me. The benefit to being in the very back is the race officials did not care. I think there were about 10 runners behind me. I was finishing basically dead last.
I started to slowly jog; Lauren and Ellie jump in behind me. My dad is now cheering for me. I can hear my mom screaming. Manuela is going crazy at the finish line. Garrett is the loudest one there. There were only a handful of people at the finish line and everyone is cheering for me. I hear the announcer yell my name. Thank god I was wearing sunglasses because I was crying so hard. I cannot believe I am looking at the finish line. The hardest finish line I have ever reached.
I am slowly jogging to cross the finish line with my arms up. The announcer goes, “What does that sign say? Embrace the Pace. Below Average Running!” I smiled so big feeling the support of the entire BAR community with me and I cross the finish line, completing my second full marathon.
7 hours and 12 minutes later, I am a two time marathoner.
This marathon was 100 times harder than my first and even though I finished over an hour slower than my first, I am much more proud of this race. Race day doesn’t always go to plan but sometimes you have to pivot.
I may have been the one to cross the finish line and receive the medal but if it was not for Meg, her mom, Manuela, and Garett carrying all the extra fuel/supplies I never would have finished. If it was not for my mom supporting me at mile 19, I never would have finished. If it was not for my dad walking the last 7 miles with me, I never would have finished. If it was not for Lauren and Ellie helping me get to mile 19, I never would have finished. If it was not for the entire BAR community, I never would have even made it to the start line. No body does it alone and without every single person that day, I never would have finished my second marathon.
Written by : Nicole Linn