Mount Dora Half Marathon

My fifth running of the Mount Dora Half Marathon is complete. It was an early morning, up at 3:30 a.m. for the almost 2-hour drive. I had plenty of time to enjoy my bacon with a few Eggo Waffles on the ride over and arrived a full hour before race start. I tend to get to this one early so that I can score good parking, and this year, I didn’t know if there would be additional time needed for any extra COVID safety stuff that might be in place.

Considering I put 15 trail miles down the day before, I was quite pleased with my finish time. This race only racks up about 500 feet or so of elevation, nearly all of which comes in the first 6 miles, but those little hills can give you a nice challenge if all you’ve been doing is the usual Florida flat. I did have mixed feelings about the race, though. I have missed racing events just as many others have. I know why large events cannot happen and while I don’t like it one bit, I understand. I know that we’re all tired of talking about it, arguing about it, and hashing out the truth from the pile of informational garbage.

Of course, the race organizers tried to put COVID safety precautions in place… but at the start line at least 30% of the participants didn’t bother to follow them. They didn’t wear masks and any effort at distancing was non-existent for most. Now, as per the moniker on this page, I am a fairly middle-of-the-road kind of person, not only in running but also in the rest of my life. So while I am not paralyzed with fear over COVID, I’m not an idiot either. As evidenced by the lack of the common cold in the students at my school, I can say with certainty that masks are working to some degree (at least against the common cold and probably the cooties, too). I wore my mask before the race and stayed at a distance from others. I felt that I was safe, but only because I made decisions to make it so and practiced precautions correctly. When I initially arrived, I picked up my bib as usual and stayed in my truck until just before race time so as to limit my time hanging around in a crowd.

The end of the race wasn’t much different. So many people were aloof about the procedures the race organizers asked them to follow. I mean, it wasn’t fun to put the damp, sweaty mask that had been in my pants pocket for 13 miles back on my face after crossing the line, but I did it anyway. Because they asked me to. Because I want to enjoy races again. Because, like all of you, I’m ready to move on.

At the finish line, all the post-race goodies, including the medal, were sorted into plastic bags for quick and easy pick up. I took one and kept on cruising, back over to the water’s edge for a picture or two and some fresh air away from the crowd.

As I said before, I was quite satisfied with my run and finish time. I wasn’t sure what to expect out of my legs since it’s been quite awhile since I’ve done 13 road miles. The weather was good and although the aid stations only had small bottles of water, they were there if needed. I had opted to bring my trail pack with my own bottles instead.

I will return again for this race. It really is a nice event, and if you hang around long enough for the shops and cafes to open on a Sunday morning, it’s worth the trip to enjoy more than just a beautiful run through the neighborhood. The historic downtown area is quite lovely, perfect for spending a few hours meandering and exploring.

I hope that all of you are able to find joy, hope, and gratitude this holiday season. It’s out there, we just have to look for it.

Run safe, everyone.