Time to Read: ~4 minThis was the first half marathon of my 2025 season and a convenient way to get Xander to the Syracuse Amtrak station for his return trip to Boston after spring break. After all, this is how we did it last year, and it worked out so well!
Lodging and Dinner
This year, we opted to stay closer to the OnCenter and booked a two-bedroom suite at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown. We arrived in Syracuse just in time for packet pickup at Fleet Feet and got to the hotel around 4:00 PM. Our room wasn’t ready because the previous guest had a late checkout, but the hotel accommodated us in a special waiting area with drinks and modest snacks.
Packet pick-up
After settling into our room, we played a few rounds of Monopoly Deal before walking about a mile to Francesca’s Cucina. We sat at a spacious table near the front of the main dining room and enjoyed massive helpings of pasta. Since overnight temperatures were expected to stay below freezing, we figured we could safely leave our leftovers in the car—nature’s perfect refrigerator.
Dinner at Francesca's
The wind was really whipping on our walk back to the hotel, so we were relieved that the next morning’s forecast called for calmer conditions. Despite the cold, the predicted sunshine would be a welcome addition. Once back at the hotel, the kids and I returned to the lounge area for the advertised desserts, but it looked like a pack of wolves had raided it—there was hardly anything left! Instead, we made some tea. As we were heading back to our room, I recognized one of the women chatting in a group—it was Amy Mercik, a fellow Geneseo graduate. We had also been in Alpha Phi Omega together, so it was nice to catch up for a bit.
Race Morning
I slept much better than last year, thanks to the absence of drunken revelers outside the hotel. We had toasted peanut butter bagels (yes, I brought a toaster!) and some Ka’Chava protein powder before getting dressed for the race. I opted to run in tights—only the fifth time I’d worn them in winter, the first four being during the FLRC Winter Chill 5K Series at Cass Park. The treadmill had essentially ruined me for outdoor running in the cold unless it was a race scenario. I wore a long-sleeve top with a T-shirt for extra warmth, skipped a hat, and used my RunMitts to keep my hands warm.
The walk to the start line was laughably short—just a few blocks. We arrived mere minutes before the start gun, and Xander and I had to weave through the crowd to find a better spot.
The Race
And we were off! Xander shot down the left side of the course, and while I initially followed his path, I quickly lost sight of him. I settled into a comfortable pace, enjoying the sunshine as I warmed up during the early miles of climbing.
Smiles for uphill miles
In the start corral and on the course, I ran into a few Ithaca-based runners—remarkable given the size of the field. I made a point to walk through every aid station, calmly drinking water before resuming my pace. My only on-course nutrition was a partial package of Honey Stinger chews. At one aid station, I mistakenly grabbed a cup of Gatorade, but I didn’t want to drink it, so unfortunately, it went straight to the ground.
For several miles, I played a game of cat and mouse with another runner—she was strong on the uphills, while I had the advantage on the downhills (thanks, long legs!). Around mile 9, I passed Syracuse’s hasher group, who had a table full of beer. Wasn’t that the same spot where I’d grabbed a beer during the Skunk Cabbage Classic a few years ago? I smiled at the memory and pressed on through the mostly flat remainder of the course.
Trading places
The closing miles were brutal. I struggled to maintain my pace but managed to keep my splits relatively even. With two miles to go, I smiled at the thought that Xander had likely already finished. He had trained so well, and I was sure he had a great race. When I finally crossed the finish line and received my medal, I was immensely grateful to stop running.
Post-Race
Xander found me in the sunlit intersection just beyond the finish line, beaming. He said he had called out to me as I finished, but I was too out of it to notice! He shared his time—just as I suspected, he ran faster than I ever had in a half marathon and set a new PR.
With Xander afterwards
We wandered the expo for a bit, grabbed a slice of pizza, picked up a few snacks for Xander’s train ride, and headed back to the hotel to clean up. When we checked our results, we were surprised to see that we had both placed third in our respective age groups—good enough for a prize! Elizabeth was still at the OnCenter, so I texted her, and she picked up our $20 Fleet Feet gift cards and brought them back to the room.
Before heading to Chipotle to get Xander’s dinner for the train ride home, we all took advantage of the hotel’s complimentary breakfast buffet. A satisfying way to wrap up a great race weekend!
Post-race breakfast
By the Numbers
Time: 1:31:34
M 50-54: 3 of 71
M: 88 of 926
Overall: 101 of 2193