This was my first year to run The Seabrook Lucky Trails Half Marathon and I was really excited about it because I had heard such good things about it in previous years. This trail race takes place on both Saturday and Sunday of St. Patrick's Day weekend and offers a Relay, Half Marathon and Marathon option. I opted for the Sunday Half Marathon because I had planned to do a 5K with my Dad on Saturday.
The race location is over an hour from my home so I got up extra early on race day to drive out to Seabrook and pick up my packet and get ready to run. When I arrived there were very helpful parking attendants pointing racers in the right direction and there was ample close parking for the race. It was still complete darkness when I arrived to get my race packet but there was a party atmosphere in the pavilion at Rex Meador park. There was lots of music and laughter as everyone got ready to run.
The swag was great for this race. The gender-specific tech tee is going to be one of my favorites. It is green, of course, and features Robby the pelican that is the race mascot. Everyone also received a tech hat, a gym bag with the race logo and a pair of green and black running socks that match the tech tee perfectly. The race bibs were also very festive and were different depending on which race you were participating in.
For the half marathon the course was two loops of the trails and the full marathoners did four loops of the same. Most of the course was narrow trails with two-way runner traffic. I had to stay on my toes to keep from running into other runners and to watch out for the snakes and alligators that signs along the trails warned of. It was a blast! Part of the course ran along the ocean and there is nothing better than running along the water in the morning. It was a very beautiful way to spend a morning.
The aide stations were fantastic and plentiful. The volunteers were all super friendly and helpful. Not only did they have the typical hydration and snacking fare, they also offered one of my race favorites--ice-cold disposable wet towels! Ah, it's like heaven to receive one of these when you are overheated.
Finishers received a very cool rainbow and shamrock race medal and those who participated in both the Saturday and Sunday races could join their medals together to complete the rainbow. Everyone also received a commemorative coin for the 10th anniversary of the race.
The post-race party had great food and music. There was every kind of sweets you could think of, hot dogs, fruit, icecream and (a St. Patrick's Day must) GREEN BEER! This was a fantastic experience and I will definitely do it again next year.
