Empowered Runners Coaching

The Bayshore marathon – the best small town marathon?

I wanted to finally give a recap of my experience at the Bayshore Marathon! Sorry it has taken so long! First, I had so much fun. As with any race day, there was stress but it was so minimal comparatively. I was stressed for maybe 15 minutes because I thought I wouldn’t make it to the port-a-potty before the start, but that’s me at basically every race. 5K’s included. Don’t worry. I made it on time with no accidents! Ok enough of the potty talk.

Location, location, location

For those of you that are not familiar, the Bayshore Marathon takes place in Traverse City, MI. Also known as my hometown! The marathon is put on every year over Memorial Day weekend. It’s a local favorite which is probably why I’ve been sleeping on this one for so long. I did the half as my first ever race in 2017 but never thought I really wanted to do the full. See it once, that’s enough, right? WRONG. This, by far, has been my favorite marathon to date.

Traverse City is in Northern Michigan, a region known for it’s cherries and wine! Also, there’s a relatively prominent food scene there and you can find almost anything that you may be craving. Meaning that this is a fun place to find food after your race! From pizza to Vietnamese fare, there’s something for everyone. I, unfortunately did not have time to eat at every place. I’ll make up for it next year.

Pre-Race

First, in terms of parking. Everything was very well organized and I have to say it felt like there was enough parking for everyone. I will say that I should have left about 20 minutes earlier than I did only because traffic was so heavy. As noted above, I have a very small (and nervous!) bladder so waiting in traffic does me NO favors. From where we parked to the starting area was definitely walkable. One thing that I loved about this race was that you don’t have to be shuttled to the start line! That was a huge plus that I really can’t emphasize enough. Not only is it convenient for the runners, but also for spectators. My mom could park, hang out, walk around to spectate, and still meet me at the end without having to navigate traffic after dropping me off. The insanity of traffic on marathon day is enough…knowing that your loved one doesn’t have to navigate that is priceless, if you ask me.

Second, they had Ali Feller as the race announcer this year (2023) and it was great because you could hear her and she was directing marathoners to the start line. Ali’s the best and I really hope she comes back next year for a 3 peat! Emma Bates was there too and I got to meet her and she is so sweet! Pro athletes…they’re just like us, right? Except she can run a marathon roughly an hour faster than me. Ouch. Anyway, near the starting line there were plenty more port-a-potties available which, I’m pretty sure, is every runners dream.

On Course

The beginning of the race is fun because there are so many spectators there already cheering you on as you leave – its such a positive energy and really makes you feel like, ‘we’re all in this together’. Or maybe that’s me being sappy. Either way, it was something special.

About every 2 miles there was a water station with gatorade as well, along with port-a-potties. I carried my own water bottle and fuel, but I waited for as long as I could to drink my own so I did utilize the water stops. I drink a lot of water when I run, so I actually ended up filling up my bottle 2 or 3 times. I took a gel about every 30 minutes (I used GU), and 2 salt tabs on the same schedule.

Around mile 13, I decided to take out my headphones and listen to my designated playlist. I was feeling it….then the headphones stopped working suddenly after 10 minutes of use. I thought, ok, well, here’s where I start my mind games. What game shall we play? I was making myself chuckle with the funny thoughts in my head when misfortune really struck around miles 16-18. This is around the time I realized I had somehow dropped my salt tabs. Typically, both of those things would have sent me into a negative spiral. But I just went with it though – I let it roll off my back and decided to take the day as it came.

Finish line

I’m having a difficult time putting into words what the last 0.2 miles felt like. Spectators were lining the street and cheering so loud I couldn’t even hear myself think – but I know for sure I was smiling. I wasn’t smiling because I hit a personal best (about 9 minutes off that, in fact) – I was smiling because I just had the most fun I had ever had during a race. I was reminded, over 26.2 miles, why I run. I didn’t race the Bayshore Marathon, and that’s ok. I think I got more out of it than I could have ever imagined. And I know one thing is for certain – I’ll be back.

Final Thoughts

The Bayshore Marathon surprised me in a few ways. First, I didn’t think that I cared much about the scenery of a course. Second, I thought I hated out and back courses. Both of those things I have completely changed by mind about. The majority of this marathon is along the bay and it couldn’t be prettier. Not only that, but the breeze that comes off that water…..chef’s kiss. And with a view like that, how could you NOT want to come back the same way? Also, the out and back is nice in terms of crowd support. I was worried that there would not be a ton of that based on the accessibility of the course, but I was proven very wrong. People showed up and they were not messing around. It was great.