First-timer! Last corral info - and retreat?

[stairstepmom]

Hi! I'm signed up for the Fairytale Challenge and based on my bib number it looks like I'm in the last corral. This is my first race. I had hoped to do a local race in time to submit a POT but that didn't happen LOL!

I'm a little bummed and nervous about being in the last corral. I'm not fast by any means, but right now my 10K time in training is under 12 min/mile and my longer runs is 13.5 min/mile. Will I be able to do a 11.5 to 13 min/mile pace in the last corral or do you kinda get stuck walking?

Also, with the late start do you think the race retreat is worth the money? I won't be arriving early enough on Thursday to use the early expo hours, but I'm thinking about the long bathroom lines while waiting to start. The retreat gives you access to private bathrooms and you can hang out inside, right? Being in the last corral, do you think I'd appreciate the retreat more?

Thank you!!

 

[LdyStormy76]

At your current pace you should have no issues in the last corral as long as you are not planning on stopping for every single possible photo. I am slower than you, started in the last corral and managed to finish with a 13:28 average pace. There will be places that you will be reduced to a fast walk due to the narrowness of the course. Plan on having to pass lots of people which also has an impact on your pace.

As for race retreat, yes, I thought it was worth it simply to have someplace to sit for an hour before the corrals opened instead of standing. If I were doing it over I would have spent longer at the retreat, used the portopotties there and not headed to the corral until at least 5. Yes, this would have put me farther back in the corral, but would have only spent 1 hour standing instead of 2. It is a solid 20 minute walk from retreat to corral H, so plan your time accordingly.

 

[DopeyBadger]

I'm a little bummed and nervous about being in the last corral. I'm not fast by any means, but right now my 10K time in training is under 12 min/mile and my longer runs is 13.5 min/mile. Will I be able to do a 11.5 to 13 min/mile pace in the last corral or do you kinda get stuck walking?

This is a screen shot of a small sample of results from Princess HM 2017. The left column is "clock time" and the right column "net time". The last corral has about a 60 min differential (like 3:44 clock vs 2:50 net). So, when scanning results for a similar finishing time to your own I see plenty of examples (even in this small sample set) that show running a 12:00-13:00 min/mile from the last corral is definitely possible.

The key is to try and stay with the tangents of the course (shortest distance to completion). If that means there are a few times you're forced to slow down, then you're likely still saving some time versus running extra distance weaving and burning valuable energy surging and slowing down to pass. Rule #1 is stay positive and you'll have a great experience! Have fun!

 

[Dopeyintraining]

Based on our experience at the 2018 Marathon Weekend, you should have a decent buffer with a pace of 13 min per mile. My daughter started the half in H and actually was stood next to the balloon ladies in the corral at the start. Her pace was more like 14 min/mile. Her net time was 3 hrs 9 and her clock time was 4hrs 14.

As for the race retreat, they asked runners to leave at around 4:45 for the 5:30 start (corral A). As you can see from my daughter's clock time she started over an hour after A, so if you can hang back in the retreat, I definitely would. The private bathrooms were portaloos. There were plenty of portaloos along the way to the corrals and it was about 20 mins away.

One complaint about the retreat is after the half marathon, they closed the tent ten minutes after we got there bearing in mind my daughter went straight to the retreat after she finished. There wasn't much food left and there was no chocolate milk. We only just managed to grab a plate of potatoes and only just got our gift as they were moving the gear bags to the entrance. There were plenty of people who hadn't finished. Not great. I think they realised this was unfair to the people in the last few corrals as the retreat stayed open until 2 for the marathon.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I was in the last corral for Dark Side and finished in 3:27 with a quite a few photo stops during the race. While I am slower than you I never felt like I was consistently being forced to run slower than I wanted to due to course crowding.

 

[rootbeerkid]

Trust @DopeyBadger data. This may not be exactly apples to apples because this experience is for the half on Marathon weekend. I started in the last corral with 16000 people in the previous corrals and finished at ~2:12 or just about 10:00 min/mile. The best advice I received was to be patient to avoid frustration, pick open/wide spots where you can quicken your pace, and enjoy the journey.

I found it difficult to do tangents as many of the turns were crowded areas and the runners were just packed - so where ever I was in the pack that's where I tended to stay during the turns.