Living Outside The Lines: Beach To Bay Marathon

Started in 1976, the Beach to Bay Marathon in Corpus Christi is a six-leg relay. Held annually on the third Saturday in May, or Armed Forces Day, the event, boasting an annual registration of…

Becky J Miller | Exclusive to Corridor News

Started in 1976, the Beach to Bay Marathon in Corpus Christi is a six-leg relay. Held annually on the third Saturday in May, or Armed Forces Day, the event, boasting an annual registration of over 2000 teams, it is one of the largest relay marathons in the U.S. The relay attracts not only domestic runners, but also international participants from Kenya, England and Mexico.

The course begins on the sands of North Padre Island, over the John F. Kennedy Memorial Causeway, winds through Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, and ends at McCaughan Park along Shoreline Drive. Each leg is approximately 4.4 miles, some legs more challenging than others. For those runners who prefer running longer distances, in 2016 & 2017 respectively, the event expanded to include an individual marathon entry, and a two-person marathon relay.

Although I am unsure exactly when I discovered the Beach to Bay Marathon, it seems like it’s been on the “to do” list forever. For unknown reasons, I could never find enough people willing
to participate so I could put together my own team,
or find a team that needed runners.

Last year I put my name on a list indicating I was interested in participating, if a team found itself in need of a runner. It felt tantamount to begging, but I had no shame. About two weeks before the race a team contacted me indicating they needed a runner if I was still interested. And I was, until I started to really ponder the situation.

Never having participated in the event, I had no idea all the maneuvering required simply to make sure one is at the designated start gate for his/her portion of the rely. Not to mention the necessary communication with teammates so everyone has an idea where each person is in correlation to their specific leg. Oh, and five of the six members do not complete their legs at the finish line. Plus for several legs no transportation is provided to and from the designated parking areas. The instructions say, “Plan ahead.”

My intention was to arrive early the morning of the race and run. In my experience, that is generally how road racing works. The team who’d invited me to join them suggested I arrive the night before and share their hotel room. Hmmm. Sleep with complete strangers?  I was somewhat leery of the idea, what if they killed me in my sleep? However, my hesitation was overshadowed by the initial excitement over finally having the opportunity to run. Eventually rational thought won and I deferred.

Imagine my enthusiasm this year when finally I found five other people just crazy enough to join me! We ordered team shirts, registered for several 5K’s so the members newer to running could get some racing experience, met to plan race day strategy, and scheduled a group training run. The months leading up to the race were just as fulfilling as race day. I loved the camaraderie of a shared experience, and facilitating the expansion of the community of runners within my circle.

Huge kudos to the Beach to Bay organizers, managing an event of this magnitude is no small undertaking, but it runs like a well-oiled machine. If I have any complaints they would be small; the closing of the race expo was scheduled for 8PM, we arrived around 5:30 but many vendors were either closing down or had already left for the day, and absolutely no email communication went out to runners.

Teams register, teams show up race day. All the specific details teams are left to discover on their own. For novices, it can be overwhelming. Fortunately one member of our team had previously participated, so she was able to provide a lot of insight.

My leg was number six; the last and longest. As the most experienced runner on the team, it seemed only fair that I run the farthest. The distance, five miles, was not troublesome, however, the waiting for my turn and running in the heat of the day were excruciating. The race begins at 7 a.m. I did not receive the team baton hand off until about 11:15 a.m.

This racing season my average pace per mile has steadily decreased to where my 5K pace is a sub nine-minute mile. My Beach to Bay average pace was an abysmal 10:30 per mile. A snap shot of my leg indicates that as temperatures increased my pace decreased. My first mile was completed in 9:04, pretty normal for me, but it was all uphill from there; Mile 2 – 10:22, Mile 3 – 10:50, Mile 4 – 11:00, Mile 5 – 10:26.

The heat was brutal. Runners completing leg five were coming into the chute, handing off the baton and stepping into the grass to puke. The medical tents were packed with dehydrated runners. Before my leg I drank a 32-ounce Yeti full of water, a 16-ounce bottle, plus two 12-ounce cups. Thank God for water stations on the course every half-mile.

Having completed their legs earlier, three of my teammates were at the finish line waiting for me. Not only did they cheer me on, but jumped onto the course and ran across the finish line with me. In that moment all exhaustion left and I felt invigorated!

For a military brat with a spouse who also served, it was a huge bonus for our team to don bracelets and run in honor of a wounded warrior, Alex Rodriguez. It is never a bad day when passions unite. I love running, and I especially love running for a purpose.

A huge shout out to my family for joining me; thank you James, Luis, Orlando, Zhe’anna, and Sam for making my desire a reality.

Until Next Time,
Becky J Miller
“Warrior Princess”

Becky J Miller is a contributor and is exclusive to SM Corridor News. You can read more of Becky’s columns in Lifestyle.