Richmond Marathon (sub 2:45 goal)

I ran Richmond in 2017- it was my second marathon, and I think I went out a little too fast and struggled beyond mile 17-18. There's a good downhill around mile 6, as you cross to the south side of the river. Enjoy this, but don't let it trick you into going too much faster than your goal pace. Looking at the elevation, there are a few hills at 10 and 12, but I don't remember those making a big impression, that must have been early enough that I was still feeling good. It's also a lot more wooded and less urban in that part of the course than the sections that overlap with the half.

You cross back over the river around 16, and I remember some strong winds out on that bridge. If it's a cold day, it might be a good idea to find a pack going at about your pace and stick with them at least this far to shield each other from the wind. I think the hill around mile 17 is what killed me. Looking at the course map, you should hit that same hill around mile 2 of the half, so you'll have seen it before, just not when you were tired. Nothing too bad beyond that, so hopefully you can just focus on maintaining your pace over the last 1/3 and cruise downhill to the finish.

Good luck chasing 2:45!

Runn3rgirl123 wrote:

Good morning,

I am planning to run the Richmond marathon next month... Shooting for sub 2:45 the OT standard. Has anyone ran the marathon course? I ran the half a few years back and I remember it was rolling hills with a huge downhill finish. Where are the hills in the full? What's the best way to execute? Any tips?

Thank you!

I ran it a while ago, maybe 2007. My mentality was to run the race like it was a 25 mile race, then lean forward and let gravity take me downhill that last mile to the finish. My pace was around 7:30/mi with a 6:45 last mile.

That downhill finish is a gift!

I have run it several times. The hardest part is the bridge shortly after the halfway point. As memory serves it is about 3/4 of a mile and typically right into the wind. You are totally exposed to the elements on that thing. 16 to 20 or so are also slightly uphill but after 20 it is pretty easy. Last mile is downhill and the last quarter mile extremely downhill. Beware of cramping muscles on that thing.

The female leaders always go out too fast and then struggle big time. Always catch them around mile 20 and beat them to the finish by several minutes. Typical poor pacing by females though.

Do you suggest going out right on pace or even slightly conservative? How fast do they go out?

I've run 2:40 and 2:44 there. I ran even splits for the 2:40 and over a minute negative split for the 2:44. It's not a difficult course. I would call this course more flat than hilly. Do not be intimidated by those big valleys you see on the elevation profile, they are not that bad. But I understand people's definition of hills varies depending on what terrain they are used to running on. The first 9 is flat or downhill. There's a small climb coming up from the river around mile 10 and a few rises after that, the worst of which I believe is a bridge overpass around mile 20. The last 6 are flat and then that nice downhill. The biggest risks, IMO, are a hot weather day(which has happened there occassionally) and headwinds on some of the exposed sections of the 2nd half. You will not have a lot of company if you're running 2:45. For the 2:40, I was completely alone the last 10K. And there's little to no crowd support the last 2-3 miles until you get near the finish. But definitely a course you can run a fast time on if you're fit and pace it right. Good luck!

Awesome, I am not too worried about the heat. It will not be worse than Texas, what I have been training in. My last M.P workout was 85 degrees w/ 95 percent humidity. It was awful!

Last time I ran Richmond the weather was perfect!

Runn3rgirl123 wrote:

Do you suggest going out right on pace or even slightly conservative? How fast do they go out?

Oh, and do you know how to run tangents well? If you don't you'll run 26.8 miles; lots of long winding curves.

Richmond is a nice rolling course

very gentle (actually up, but so gradual you won't notice) the first few miles then a screaming downhill in mile 7 as you head down to the river

one very short steep uphill in mile 11 after you leave the road directly beside the river

some gentle rollers then the Lee Bridge, which is wide open to the wind and slightly uphill all the way into town

15 to 18 is a long climb - easy to lose time here if you're not careful

then it's easy all the way home, a couple of rollers and the long down hill to the finish

the wind can be an ugly factor if it's coming out of the North - on the Lee Bridge and on Boulevard between 18 and 21

I'm a female who ran 2:40 at Richmond in 2014 and would echo what others have said. For the most part I loved the course and I think the weather is almost always conducive to fast times (actually the year I ran it happened to coincide with a polar vortex and I believe it was upper 20s at the start, which is unseasonably cold). My paces were pretty consistent other than that steep downhill mile early on (I think I split 5:45ish) and the section on the bridge. As others have said, the course changes direction while simultaneously going up an overpass and it was incredibly windy. I had 3-4 miles in a row where I went from clicking off 6-6:10s to 6:25-35s and feeling discouraged by my effort not being commensurate with the numbers on my watch. The key during that section is to not panic or stress too much about splits and keep in mind that the last 4-5 miles of the race changes direction again and is flat to downhill all the way to the finish (with an incredibly steep downhill the last quarter mile, as has been mentioned). If you can keep your effort consistent and stay poised during the windy/hilly section, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to get back on pace and finish strong. Good luck and hope this helps!

How did it go yesterday?