I ran the Richmond Marathon back in November, and it was exactly what I needed!

Why This Race Mattered

I wasn’t chasing a PR or trying to qualify for Boston. I’ve been dealing with some glute pain from using a running belt and getting hit by a car, and this race was really about answering one question: Could I cover 26.2 miles again?

My “A” goal was simple – maintain a 6 mph pace and hit 18 miles in 3 hours, and then see what happened.

There’s so much value in racing for other reasons, and this marathon reminded me of that.

So here is my race recap, with a few thoughts that hopefully are helpful to you.

The Expo

This race was really well organized. They had 21,000 people running between the marathon, half marathon, and 8K, and the expo at Richmond Raceway was incredibly efficient. I am an efficiency lover, so I was very impressed!

They sent a QR code to your phone (via email) ahead of time. You got it scanned, and then your bib was assigned right there. So no digging through piles trying to find your specific number (on their part), no hunting for which last-name letter line you needed (on my part). It was so easy. It took maybe 90 seconds to get my bib.

Plus, the swag was great! A long sleeve race shirt, a hat, AND a blanket. You were able to pick up your shirt at the Expo, and then on your bib was a pull tag to pick up a hat and blanket after the race.

Also, shout out to the individuals who were directing traffic! There was a smooth flow of cars coming in and going out, and it was all very quick with no guessing.

Race Day: The Course and Conditions

The weather was ideal. Mid 40’s when we started. It got warmer later in the day, but I weirdly love that!

The course was very well marked. Some marathons can be a bit confusing…looking at you Buffalo and the traffic circles!

Even though I live in Buffalo, the first time I ran the marathon (which was my first marathon) there was a point towards the last few miles where the signage was bad to non-existent. There is a traffic circle with 5 roads spoked off of it. It is in a quieter part of the city, on a mostly residential street. That year, there was only about 1000 marathon runners so for a lot of that marathon you may be the only one around. I had no idea which street to go down, luckily I saw someone way ahead running down one of the streets and I hoped they were part of the race and the street they picked was correct!

It was, thank goodness, because Buffalo is NOT a grid so going down the wrong street takes you…somewhere. You could end up so far off course in just a few blocks.

Always at least read through the course before running a new marathon, and if anything looks like it could be confusing take note.

Back to Richmond!

Some runners will say Richmond isn’t hilly. And technically they’re right, it’s not hilly-hilly…like Charlotte (in my opinion), etc. But there ARE hills. I heard someone behind me complaining about the hills before we even got to the “big one” later that he had heard about. The finish is actually a steep downhill, which was fun in a 4 year old out of control running down a hill way.

Here’s my advice: even if a race isn’t described as hilly, make sure you’re checking the elevation profile and reading several race reports if you’re unfamiliar with the city. Those “rolling hills” can add up.

The marathon website for Richmond shows the course and the elevation gains/losses really well, so take note if you decide to run it.

The Support Was Amazing

Richmond really showed up for this race. It is known as America’s Friendliest Marathon after all! The community support was huge – fueling stops everywhere with water, electrolytes, gels…and these things called Noogs (that I didn’t really like).

There was even a junk food zone! I didn’t take anything, but for people who wanted a break from gels, it would be such a welcome change. At around mile 23 or 24, there was a pickle juice stop. I grabbed one and it actually seemed to help with some slight cramping I was having in my glute and hamstring. The taste was jolting, which gave me a much needed kick and helped me take in another gel…which by then I was good and sick of!

The entertainment was great too – bands along the route, with a marching band that was absolutely the best. Plus the community was blasting music from their houses.

What really impressed me was how spectator-friendly they made it. They had “party zones” along the route with clear directions on how to get to each one. Dave was able to follow me easily and get around without any trouble. If you go and have someone spectating, the guide for them is just as detailed as the guide for the runners.

My Strategy: Breaking It Down

I had a specific mental approach going into this race, and it really helped. I thought of the marathon as:

10 miles of holding back

10 miles of building and going faster (getting to my goal point by mile 18)

Final 10K

This isn’t my own creation by any means. It is a known strategy. I have just never used it before.

This framework was so beneficial. The first 16 miles honestly felt very easy. I kept them that way on purpose, but they flew by. It meant I wasn’t doing constant mental math about how much farther I had to go.

I wanted to not go out fast, so even when I felt good and found my pace creeping faster, I pulled back. I had to do this a bunch of times, which I was also grateful for…my brain felt good knowing my legs wanted (and could) go faster.

For fueling, I took Huma gels every half hour after the first 40 minutes (I’d had one a half hour before the race started).

I walked through every aid station and even stopped to make sure I got my fueling in properly, but I ran the rest of the marathon. I hit my goal. I got to 18 miles in 3 hours, which was 37 minutes faster than my 18-mile long run had been in training.

When It Got Hard

The last 10K was alternately good and not so great. Those last 2 miles were TOUGH.

But I kept smiling at people along the way. It’s good for me, and it also tells the spectators that it’s worth it for them to come out and cheer. They’re giving us their time and energy, so it helps my attitude and it shows them I care that they are there.

Another thing that helped immensely was thinking about a particular client of mine that really gives it his all in every workout and every race. When I wanted to stop running, I tried to gather some of his grit and made the decision to keep on running every time.

The Aftermath

This was the slowest marathon I’ve ever done. But I was satisfied, and dare I say happy, because I did exactly what I set out to do.

This race was about building endurance and proving to myself I could cover the distance again. Now I’m going to incorporate more speed work as I train for the Buffalo Marathon in the spring of 2026.

Final Thoughts

A few more things worth mentioning: the race allows 7 hours to complete, which is nice since a lot of marathons cut off at 6 hours. And there’s a kick butt race party included with pizza and beer. I have yet to be in the mood after a marathon to stay and party, but the atmosphere was really great. It felt like the whole city was there to have some fun.

Richmond Marathon gets a solid recommendation from me. It’s well-organized, the community support is fantastic, and it’s a great race whether you’re chasing a time goal or just proving something to yourself about what you can do.

Sometimes the best races aren’t the fastest ones. Sometimes they’re the ones where you accomplish exactly what you needed to accomplish for yourself.