I ran the inaugural Every Woman’s Marathon in Savannah, Georgia on Saturday, November 16. It was an incredible experience and I’m so excited to share it with you. Not only did I have a magical race day where all the pieces of the puzzle came together perfectly for a PR and my best feeling marathon ever, but the whole weekend was really special. I would highly recommend this race to anyone looking for a feel-good full marathon that celebrates the power and strength of women. It was insanely well-organized and very focused on providing runners of all ages and abilities an inclusive and top-notch experience. It was also a fabulous destination race given its location in historic and charming Savannah.
THE EVERY WOMAN’S MARATHON
This was my third full marathon but first in 14 years. My last marathon was the Marine Corps Marathon in October 2010. After that race I was pretty certain my marathon days were behind me. Well, never say never because when the Every Woman’s Marathon came knocking on my door earlier this spring, I couldn’t say no. I was offered a sponsorship to join Team Milk and partner with PET Dairy. It was a really cool opportunity all around.
I was so scared and unsure if I could do it but there was part of me that really wanted to try. I am in a completely different place now with my body and my running than I was in my 20s so I committed to putting one foot in front of the other and seeing how it went. I figured at worst, I could run the first 13-15 and walk the second half of the race thanks to its generous cut-off time of 7 hours and 45 minutes.
I wrote an 18 week training plan based on what I know about my body and how it runs best. My training plan consisted of 3-4 running days per week (4 most weeks), 2 full body strength training days (continuing to lift heavy weights) and 1 yoga/walk/rest/miscellaneous day. I would say that I followed my plan with 95% adherence. It worked REALLY well for me and I made it through the whole training cycle uninjured and felt extremely prepared on race day. If you’re interested in following my plan, it’s available on my app.
The result of my 18 weeks of hard work was a 28 minute PR and a race that felt REALLY GOOD to run. I never hit the wall or fell apart, which was my greatest fear for race day. Honestly, my number one goal going into the race was not to be on a death march for the last six miles because that’s definitely what I experienced in my first two. I felt properly trained and like I finally understood how to fuel my body.
Let’s jump into the full race recap! I’ll share more about the carb load, the expo and my time in Savannah in another post.
MARATHON MORNING
As I expected, I didn’t sleep great the night before the race. I had a hard time falling asleep and slept pretty fitfully. My Oura ring says I got 5 hours and 26 minutes of sleep so it could have been worse.
My alarm was set for 4:30a. I wanted to have plenty of time to eat breakfast, get ready and walk to the start. Breakfast was a toasted bagel (the whole thing, not just this half) with butter, honey and sea salt, a cup of black coffee and 26 ounces of water with a packet of Tailwind Endurance Fuel in it. Fun story: I ordered a single serve toaster from Amazon and packed it in my checked bag so that I didn’t have to eat a cold, gummy bagel on race morning. 🙂
I took a hot shower (an absolute must for me on race mornings to feel awake, fresh and get my muscles warm) and then started getting dressed. Here’s what I wore and carried.
- Saucony Endorphin Pro running shoes
- Feetures graduated compression socks
- On Sprinter shorts (discontinued, this is the replacement) – I chose these shorts because they have two big side pockets and three waist pockets so I couldn’t carry everything I needed with me without having to wear a vest or a belt
- lululemon longline Energy bra
- NOBULL lightweight long sleeve
- Every Woman’s Marathon hat
- Garmin Venu 3s watch
- Tifosi running sunglasses
- Apple AirPods 4
- 5x Maurten Gel 100
- 2x Huma Gel (one was double electrolyte)
All dressed and ready to walk to the starting line! I wore a throw away hoodie to walk and tossed it before we took off.
STARTING LINE
I met up with fellow Charlotte runner Lauren in the lobby at 6:30a and we walked the 15 minutes to the start together. She won my Instagram giveaway earlier this year for an all expenses paid trip to run the Every Woman’s Marathon! How fun!
We said goodbye and good luck and took off to line up in our corrals. You were asked to self corral based on your anticipated pace/finish time.
I took a deep breath and stepped into corral number 1. I had a big personal goal of going sub-4 but whether it would actually happen was a big question mark.
I was in my corral around 6:45a for the 7a start. Those 15 minutes flew by with a pep talk from Katherine Switzer (the first woman to officially compete in the Boston Marathon), the reading of a very inspirational poem and the national anthem. Before I knew it, we were off!
FIRST 10K
The race began promptly at 7a. I was in good company but the course never felt overcrowded. The weather was great – low 50s at the start, sunny and not too humid.
The crowd support was awesome and there were several points throughout this race where we passed other participants and that was actually fun! Everyone was cheering each other on.
My main concern in the first 10K was getting settled in. I was having some wardrobe issues – one corner of my number ripped out of the safety pin and was bothering me, my water bottle wouldn’t stay in my pocket despite running like that in every single training run (ugh!) and I shed a layer and put my sunglasses on. I was also trying to get settled into my pace. I did NOT want to go out too fast and I was worried that I was doing that. I really tried to pull back.
Also, I had planned to put my music in at the half but ended up listening to it for the entire duration of the race. That was a good thing for me because it kept me focused and steady. Here’s my playlist on Spotify – it was so fun!
The first half of the course was pretty scenic with a lot of winding through downtown Savannah. Lots of shade from trees!
MILES 7-HALF MARATHON
These are the miles where I really had to get my mental game right. I had all the thoughts about how far I still had left to go, why did I decided to do this, what if I can’t do it, what if I just stop, etc. Virginia texted and said I was on pace for a 3:47. I replied, “well that would be a dream but there are a lot of miles left to run. But it’s a good feeling to know that even if I slow down considerably that a sub-four is possible.” (I was voice texting her with Siri)
I loved that this race offered a live tracker so my friends and family could see where I was in real time!
Oh and let me tell you what is not super fun – passing the finishing chute at mile 9 and knowing it’s 17 more miles until you get there. Haha.
At mile 10 we hit the Girl Scout Mile. That made me smile because I was involved in Girl Scouts for a very long time.
HALF MARATHON-MILE 20
My half marathon split was 1:53:45 and I was feeling solid and strong. The miles ticked by and at mile 17 we did a fun lap around the track at Savannah State University. That was fun and they had the marching band in the stands playing for us.
I did need to pee at this point. I kept telling myself next porta potty but never ended up stopping. I just did not want to break the momentum. I was worried about getting my legs going again if I did stop.
At mile 19 I set a personal mantra for the duration of the race.
For my brother.
For my mom.
For my grandmother.
I get so in my feels during distance races. So much gratitude and grief moves through me.
MILES 20-26.2
Oh man. Miles 20-26.2 were interesting. First, the course was just not scenic for most of these miles.
We ran almost two miles on a highway in full sun with hardly any crowd support. They did have a rocking DJ but it was definitely put your head down and power through time.
I think many of us were in a bit of a dark place on that highway. Mile 22 is when my legs really started to feel fatigued but with only four miles to go – I knew I could make it to the finish.
I called my grandmother at mile 24 to say hi and to hear a word of encouragement. And then my mom called a few minutes later with more encouragement. It was the boost I needed to power through to 26.
I passed mile 25 and the final mile was one huge blur. I seriously can’t tell you one thing about it.
But the look on my face in this photo says that I was pushing hard.
THE FINISH!
I found myself in the final 0.2 mile stretch running my heart out to the finish line. I soaked up the loud cheers of the crowd and my name being called out by the announcer.
I was in absolute shock to cross the finish line with not only a sub-4 hour finish but a 3:51!!!!!
I grabbed my medal and a bottle of chocolate milk and did my best to keep moving. It was a completely different experience from my first two marathons where I crossed the finish line and dissolved into tears and couldn’t move for quite some time. I honestly can’t believe I didn’t cry once during or after the race. I was so over the moon about the race I ran.
I walked a few blocks to get a latte, sat on a curb to share the good news over on Instagram and then lined up at the finishing chute to cheer on two Charlotte friends. I spent about 30 minutes at the finish line and it was incredibly moving to watch so many women crossing the finish.
I synced up with Sabrina to celebrate her FIRST marathon finish! We hung out at the finish festival for a while.
I decided to call it around 2:30p and walked back to my hotel for a much needed shower.
I stopped into the hotel coffee shop and asked if they had a water with bubbles. I was craving one so badly. They did not but mega came through for me when they went back into the kitchen of the restaurant to get me a whole liter of cold carbonated spring water. It tasted like heaven in a bottle!
HOW I FUELED DURING THE RACE
It seemed too complicated to try and intersperse my fueling into the earlier part of the post so here’s a summary. I fueled every 30 minutes and took 7 gels total. Between the carb load, pre-race breakfast and race fueling, I never felt depleted. I am so proud of myself for nailing my nutrition.
- 30 mins – Maurten 100
- 60 mins – Maurten 100
- 1 hour, 30 mins – Huma
- 2 hours – Maurten
- 2 hours, 30 minutes – Huma double electrolyte
- 2 hours, 55 minutes – Maurten 100
- 3 hours, 20 minutes – Maurten 100
I pushed the timing of the last two gels up to 25 minutes because I was getting tired and knew the finish time I was on pace for.
I took in a total of about 50 ounces of water during the race. I carried 500 ml bottles and took water from a few water stops.
THE SPLITS
I think these are the most even splits that I’ve ever run for a distance effort. I walked a few steps through some water stops to grab water but other than that, I ran the entire way.
Here’s a chart of my paces and heart rate. I was a little surprised that my heart rate was as high as it was for the duration of the race but I’m sure it was the adrenaline of race day. It had been more 130s-40s for this pace during the last few weeks of my training.
ELEVATION CHART
All things considered, this was a very flat course. I train hills living in Charlotte so I wasn’t sure how flat would feel for 26 miles but I have zero complaints haha. Sign me up for another.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Never did I ever think this kind of race was possible for me. Everything about the 18 weeks I spent training and the race weekend was a huge personal accomplishment. I am really proud of myself!
And for the Every Woman’s Marathon – they have announced that it is BACK for a second year in 2025. I highly recommend it whether you’re a beginner first time marathoner, pack of the packer, looking to PR or just wanting to run and have fun!
I have some (really) big running things coming up next summer but I’m currently trying to decide if I’ll add a spring marathon into the mix. (Spoiler alert: 98% sure it’s happening.) Stay tuned!
Let me know if you have any questions, suggestions, thoughts, stories to share, etc! Thank you for reading and following along for my marathon comeback!
