New Bedford Half Marathon

This past weekend we all went down to New Bedford for the 32nd running of the New Bedford Half Marathon. This was Heidi’s first New Bedford experience but for Sharon, Mike and Christine this was their second time running. Encouraged by Sharon, last year’s New Bedford Half was Mike’s first half marathon ever and the half marathon that got Christine off her butt and running again. We were joined by a group of friends, including some first time half marathoners! There was also a pretty good turn out of DFMCers running and many were sporting a DFMC running shirt that fellow runner Laurie is selling as a fund raiser. We are anxious to get our hands on one of those snazzy looking shirts!

The weather this year, in contrast to last, was perfect for running. Heidi took advantage of the warm temperatures to demo her new running Skort she is planning on wearing on the Big Day!

Not only was Sunday the anniversary of Mike's first Half Marathon, but it was also this time last year that Mike debuted his favorite post running outfit! The now famous Spidey Pants!!


The course is famous for a couple of notorious features including a monster hill around mile 4 and another big climb just before the finish around mile 12. At the top of the hill there is a McDonalds that Mike took advantage of, taking several minutes off his finish time to purchase a Big Mac. Look for pictures of Mike finishing with his Big Mac in hand when the photos are made available. For the rest of us, the run was topped off by a lunch at Freestone's in New Bedford. They have a room in the back that was perfect for the entire group.

Overall everyone had a great day and it was a nice change of pace from the long runs up and over heartbreak hill in Newton. Mike finished well ahead of the group (even with the stop at the golden arches) and Heidi and Sharon out kicked Christine at the end. Sharon ran her second fastest half marathon ever and Christine bested her personal best by 14 seconds!! Next week we hit the pinnacle of our marathon training as we head out for the big 22 mile run. This will be the longest training run we will do before the marathon! Then it is time to taper and rest for the big day.