Monday, June 26, 2017

Banff Half Marathon: Most Beautiful Half I Ever Ran!


Let me start off saying it is hard to express how beautiful the Banff Half Marathon is. I have run countless half marathons in my six years of running, and I have to say the scenery of the Banff half marathon is spectacular from start to the finish. The views of the Vermillion Lake and the mountains along the Bow Valley Parkway are stunning. What a breathtaking experience to be able to run through Canada’s first national park, and celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday!


Banff sits at a high attitude, which makes running a personal best very challenging. And, I have not race in a half marathon since last year. However, with a sight of racing a full marathon in the fall, I decided to make Banff my return to the half marathon distance.


Even though I am unable to get a personal best at the Banff half marathon, it does not mean it is not possible. I ran alongside my friend, Carina, who not only got a personal best, but also second place in her age division. Carina recently got a personal best in the Calgary Half Marathon (1:37), cutting 7 seconds from her New York Half. At the Banff Half, she managed to broke the 97 minutes barrier on a rolling hill course! All of her hard work and training paid off in this race. I am very happy to see how far she has come. Carina had grit and determination when faced with the hills in this race. Regardless of the challenges. she remained positive, and continued a strong push to the finish line. This personal best will certainly build on the momentum for her Chicago Marathon training. I am confident she will continue to improve in this sport of running, and will wish her the very best.


Overall, the race course was well marked. And, the cheering crowds at Central Park motivated the runners to finish strong.


I want to thanks the organizers and volunteers for making this event possible. I want to congratulate all the participants, as crossing the finish line is a celebration of all your hard work it took to get there. I recommend everyone to add this event to their running bucket list! You won’t regret it!


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