Heart Mini Marathon Recap
One of Cincinnati's oldest races is the Heart Mini-Marathon. In 2010, they made a few changes from 2009. They moved the 15k ahead of the 5k and started it at 8:00 AM instead of 10:00 AM and they expanded the space and times for the Heart Mini Expo. Reviews seemed mixed about both when I asked members of the club, but overall they liked the 15k change as they could be done earlier in the day. I did not run the 15k due to the fact that most members of the Runners' Club run the 15k and I needed to keep watch on the rooms and get members into them(Each year the club gets two rooms at the Westin to allow club members a place to put their stuff, avoid the portolets with 6,000 other runners and walkers, avoid the other restrooms in the Westin with 1,000 other runners, and a chance to socialize with other members and guests).
I believe that the Heart Mini 15k is harder than many half marathons in and around the area due to the undulating hills on Columbia Parkway. Course for the 15k takes you from downtown out on Columbia Parkway where you turnaround on Delta and come back. To get the extra .3 mile, they throw Torrence Parkway into the mix on the way back. Conditions for this year's 15k were better than last year's as 2009 may have been the worst in recent memory. Going out they had to face the wind even though it was a net downhill. Coming back you had the wind at your back(maybe not, it died down for about 10 minutes) plus a net uphill. I was at the finish line for the 15k and headed back up after the top women had finished so I could be in the rooms and get ready for the 15k.
In the 5k, you just go out Columbia Parkway and comeback. This was the 2nd year that I ran the 5k and the interesting thing was that I could see the turnaround from about a half mile away, which I never noticed before. I ran the 5k quite slow as my hamstring, foot and hip were bothering me somewhat today. I did not check out the postrace as much, but it seemed better than in year's past. I got back up the Runners' Club room to enjoy good company, good food and good drink.
Thank you to the Westin Hotel in downtown Cincinnati for being gracious hosts to the Runners' Club of Greater Cincinnati and Tom and Julia Glasscock for helping clean up the rooms afterward.