I’ve been looking forward to the Publix Savannah Women’s Half Marathon ever since I became an ambassador last year. I signed up for the 5k at the last minute last year and fell in love with this race. I knew I wanted this race to be my first half marathon of 2017.
I traveled with my buddy Jenn from Runs With Pugs and we headed up to Savannah the day before our race. After grabbing a super tasty lunch at Vinny Van Go Go’s (hooray pizza and local beer), we headed back to the Hilton Desoto Savannah to pick up our race packets and check out the New Balance Fashion Fitness Expo.
One of the coolest things about this race is their unique participant gifts. Instead of a shirt year after year, they offer up other super awesome logo’d merchandise. The first two years were a duffel bag and a tote bag, while this year was a beautiful bracelet.
While at the expo I was also able to pick up a Publix Savannah Women’s Half Marathon shirt from the New Balance booth and check out some of the awesome local vendors they had.
After a relaxing dinner we were back to our room and snuggled into bed before the sun went down. Yup, we are THOSE kind of runners. I never sleep well in hotels so I have no problem calling it an early night in hopes of getting some good sleep before the early wake up.
Staying at the host hotel, the Hilton Desoto, meant that we were just a short 10 minute walk from the race start at Forsyth Park. This meant that our wake up time wasn’t QUITE as early as it could have been.
When we arrived at the park we met up with some of the other race ambassadors for a couple quick pictures before making one last run to the porto potties and then heading to the race start. The race is on the smaller side so there aren’t official corrals – you just get near that sign for your anticipated pace. Jenn, Amy, and I decided that this race was all about enjoying ourselves and not worrying about finish times. That was the perfect plan!
We really enjoyed the race course, which is completely different from the Rock N Roll Savannah half marathon in the fall, and had the most perfect weather. We got to see so many different parts of Savannah while catching up on all the stuff that had happened since we last saw each other. As much as I love those races where I get a shiny new PR, I love the ones I spend catching up with friends.
The last two miles were a killer for me as my hips and knees had totally checked out. Add in that you can see/hear the finish line about three times during that distance and I was SO ready to be done. But I was all smiles as we entered Forsyth Park and made our way around that famous fountain towards the finish line. We even got to see Ms. and Mr. Beets at the finish line!
After collecting our medals (WOO HOO!) and taking some pictures, we made our way to the post-race party to enjoy some beer and mimosas. The beautiful weather, great entertainment, and drinks made for a fun post race experience!
We spent the rest of the weekend eating, shopping, and exploring Savannah (more on that later). We were even able to end our weekend with FREE Yoga on the Square that was presented by Dancing Dogs Yoga. It was wonderful to stretch everything out after the race and before getting in the car to head home.
I would definitely recommend this race to anyone that is looking for a beautiful and relaxing racecation with friends. Thanks so much to the Savannah Sports Council for inviting me to be a part of this wonderful event!
So, Will I see you there next year??
*Disclosure: As a Publix Savannah Women’s Half Marathon & 5k ambassador I received a complimentary race registration, as well as other sponsor amenities in exchange for my honest reviews and promotion of the event and affiliated sponsors. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
