More Thoughts about Halfmax Myrtle Beach Race

I was pretty upset when I wrote my Halfmax Myrtle Beach Race Report.   I trained hard for that race and I spent a lot of money on race fees and travel costs.  I expected great things out of that day.   And I was sorely disappointed.

On a whim, I just packed up and drove to Wrightsville beach this weekend.    As I gathered up beach supplies for my family, I grabbed the Halfmax beach towel that they handed out at the finish line and unwrapped it.

“Wow”, I thought, “this is a really nice and plush beach towel.”

That got me thinking about the positive things about that race.

• The bike course was fantastic.  I really did enjoy it.  I did not mind the windy conditions.  I was expecting them.  Every flat race I’ve ever done has been windy – there is no such thing as a “flat and fast” bike course in my book!   Prior to the race, I was concerned that two loops and three race distances  would make for a crowded bike course.   But, it was not crowded.   I was also concerned about the point where the long course athletes merge onto the road with the sprinters.    That was no problem at all.
• The race Schwagg was great.  And, I do love that beach towel.
• The level of competition was extremely high.    That really pushed me on the bike course to stay focused and keep moving at a solid pace.  Every time I eased up, some folks who were the same speed as me,  passed, forcing me to ease up more to drop back.     To avoid that, I had to really work it.  I learned alot on that course.
• The swim course looked fantastic.  I wish I could have swam it.  I don’t blame the race organizers for their decision. They handled that well.
• My time, had I run the full course properly, would have been 5 hours, including T1, Bike, T2 and Run.  Adding on the swim of 35-40 minutes, I would have had a great race.  🙂 🙁

I still feel badly about the run, but I just need to let that go.   And, I finally did get my race results removed so that I would not take someone else’s spot at Worlds.   I received a very nice email from S.Y. at Halfmax Events in reply to my not so nice note asking to be removed:

Carol, thanks so much for letting us know about your run.  We take full responsibility for the last minute change to the run course.  Apparently some construction on the original run course was not complete as promised and we had to make a significant change.  In order for the mileage to be correct this course was the result we could provide in the time allotted.

With that said, we pride ourselves on producing top quality events and this event overall (including the run course) did not live up to our own expectations.  I promise you that we worked super hard for a year to get ready for this event, however, we underestimated some of the logistics.  We do plan to come back next year and redeem ourselves.  I would like to send you a coupon for [X]% off your entry fee next year if you would give us another chance.  I don’t have your full address in my database.  If you would send me that I’ll get a coupon off to you right away.

Thanks Carol, we appreciate your comments …

Hmmmm…Do you think I should give them another chance?