Race Reports

I traveled to Martha's Vineyard, MA for their marathon on Saturday, 19 May. (Although I traveled alone local runners Lisa Deaton and Pat Kotila went up for the half marathon.) We were 2/3 lucky on the weather; temperatures were in the 50s and we only had very light rain, not the heavy stuff that had been forecast earlier. Unfortunately it was windy, especially in the last several miles run along the shore. Martha's Vineyard was much more rural than I expected, and so this marathon featured quite a bit of nice scenery. (Again, the nice scenery frequently coincided with strong wind.) The race organization was not good. Packet pickup was delayed by a requirement that preregistered runners sign another waiver. Runners staying in Edgartown nearly missed the shuttle to the start due to miscommunication about the pickup point. There were only 13 or 14 hydration stations, most had only water, and late in the marathon the last one or two were un-staffed. Nonetheless I recommend doing this marathon, mainly because it is on Martha's Vineyard, which is well worth visiting. If you fly from Boston to Martha's Vineyard please take the opportunity to fly in the co-pilot's seat for the great view. Martha's Vineyard has excellent bus service for getting around the island. I strongly suggest visiting the website http://www.vineyardtransit.com/Pages/index for information before you get there.