I'm officially a No Meat Athlete!

I'm proud to say I crossed the finish line at the inaugural Savannah Rock N' Roll Marathon after 6 months of hard work and training on a completely animal-free diet.  I couldn't have done it without the support of my husband, my friends, my family, No Meat Athlete, and Atlanta Triathlon Club.

You can read more about my journey from slob to vegan marathoner on No Meat Athlete!  

The race itself was not really much of what I expected.  I didn't really have much to compare it to... the only other distance races I've ran were 5ks and one half-marathon the month before.  I've thought long and hard about it and I'll say that for a first marathon I would not recommend this particular race.  I've made a list of pro's and con's for those considering Savannah Rock N' Roll next year...


Pro's
-It was only a 4 hour drive to get there
-Flat course
-Hospitable people
-Good music (especially at the start and at mile 19... LOVED that band!)
-Good food, and a few decent vegan options
-Savannah is a fun place to spend a weekend
-Cool historic views for some of the race
-Decent weather
-Cool music
-Runner tracking - my family really liked the text updates they got throughout the race
-The trees were really pretty


Con's
-New race = lots of little logistical problems, primarily with the Expo.  Of course it was my first Expo, and I went very early in the day to soak it all in... But most people arrived Friday afternoon and had to sit in a HUGE line of traffic or wait for a ferry to the island where the convention center was.  Major con.
-Over four miles of interstate running.  Banked, windy, no shade, no cheering.  And it was miles 20-24ish, which were definitely the most painful and mentally challenging anyway... Not a fan of that.
-Almost every stage seemed to be in the middle of a set change while I ran by them.
-Savannah country music - not necessarily the best music to run a marathon to.  I'd suggest more cover bands in the future... and more up-beat tunes.
-The first couple of miles smelled pretty bad, I think we were running by some kind of factory or plant... not the best.
-After the half-marathon was over, most spectators went home and stopped cheering.  I don't think they realized there were two different races going on!  That left us full-marathoners with a very quiet second-half of the course.  I had to REALLY dig deep for inspiration and motivation.

-EXPENSIVE!!  After hotel, meals, and travel costs we ended up spending way more than I had planned.  

All in all... I'm so glad I did this, and of course I wouldn't change a thing about it, but I definitely won't go back to run in Savannah.  However... I WOULD recommend visiting Savannah for a vacation!!  It's a super fun town!  My husband and I love it there!  

Here are some photos from our trip... Enjoy!

My hubs took this photo from the hotel room window as I ran by!  Pretty cool!

If you're a first time marathoner, I would not recommend running a city's inaugural race.  Choose a race that's been around a few years and get some opinions before you commit.

Is anyone thinking about their first race?  What are your considerations?