After the Pasadena Triathlon, I was really craving one more race that weekend. I dropped off Erik at LA Union Station for his shuttle to Dodger Stadium for the LA Marathon. I was certainly not trained up enough for the full 26.2 miles, so I decided to drive all the way to Long Beach for one more race.
I am so glad I did this because it would turn out to be the very last race before COVID literally shut down all travel and races.
When I arrived for race registration, the sun had not even come up yet. I had a $20 bill and meandered over to the registration tent. They gave me a simple race bib and a few sponsored goodies. A few minutes before the start time, I left the warmth of my car and walked over to the start line.
Yes, this was the start line. It was the smallest I’d ever raced. I loved it! Everyone was super friendly. Most people were there with a friend, except for me. It was nice returning to the city where I was born for one last race before I would be grounded for almost a year.
The course was fairly simple to follow. I usually rely on the crowd to figure out where to go, so I was a little worried when I saw only a handful of people on this run. I felt more tired than anticipated after my triathlon, so I ended up trotting and walking and taking these gorgeous photos.
Again, I was really glad that I opted to drive to this small local race at 5 in the morning. Not only was it a good way to wrap up my birthday weekend, it was also a great last race before the COVID shutdown. After this race, I received cancelation after cancelation…and was even more grateful for this local $20 race to wrap up my season.
Amara in Training 