Location: Huntington Beach, CA
Time: 1:59:16
Ah 2008, my very first Surf City Half Marathon and the year that Surf City was renamed "Soak City". Oh it rained that year. Boy, did it rain! It was windy and cold and dumped rain the entire race. I almost mailed it in. I remember standing in line to get on a bus to the starting line with A Case of the Runs from one of the beach lots way the heck out there and it was already starting to sprinkle. Luckily, I had brought my LA Marathon rain poncho with me but I was seriously under-dressed because I was freezing the entire time. It rained so hard that at one point after I past the turn around point and was on that last 3 miles stretch to the finish that the slanted sheet of rain and wind almost blew me over. I stepped in so many puddles and my clothes and shoes were completely soaked.
Check me out in the photo below. I don't know why I am smiling there because I was miserable in that cold rain.
I remember feeling so hardcore after I finished that race because I ran in the rain for 13 miles. The weather was bad but I guess it was memorable enough in my mind that I come back every year to run this race. I was so thrilled to get this medal at the time. I was also thrilled to sign up to be a legacy club runner as this was the first year they revamped the race/course and introduced it as an inaugural event.
