Long Island Half Marathon 2024 Race Recap

I’ve run the Long Island Half Marathon for many years. Most times, I run the LI Half Marathon for fun. It is a big local race weekend and I hate to skip it if I don’t have to. This year was no different. If you haven’t already, I’ve written about why you should take the time to run a half marathon here.

The Course

The course has changed multiple times in my career running it. It was once a marathon/half marathon race run through the surrounding towns, down main streets and highways. I was able to dig up the certified race courses from the past (see the pictures below). The courses always utilized Eisenhower Park and in 3 out of 4 cases Museum Row at Mitchel Field. The course has run south, east, and north from the park area in the different iterations.

The current Long Island Half Marathon course has a similar elevation profile, but contains multiple U-turns, and the full marathon does 2 loops. The crowds seem to have dwindled on the course over the years too. I suspect it is because of the route. Since we run past very limited residential areas limiting spectators to just those cheering on a friend or family member. When you run through residential areas, people will come out and cheer from their driveway. That has been lost on this new course. With some exception, many only cheer for their own runner. As a result, the course is mostly quiet, except for a few tents placed around the course with a live band or DJ. 

Honestly, this course isn’t my favorite. I do appreciate the course layout for a spectator though. Without having to run around the course, they can see me 3 times without moving. I appreciate that for my crew and cheering squad, but it comes at destroying the course with 2 U-turn sections and running through parking lots. For a race that I’m not racing and only having fun, this is ok. However, I wouldn’t like this if I was gunning for a PR or a win.  

Pre-race

I am not trained to run a half marathon. I have been running every day this year. Mostly just 1 mile per day due to many personal time constraints. I also just ran a 50k last month, so my legs have just a bit of distance in them, but definitely no speed. Looking at this race as a fun run for training, I decide to just try and hit an accessible goal: 1:55. 

I ate, and drank (soda), plenty of carbs the night before and I wasn’t nervous since I had essentially no expectation for myself. Normally, I don’t really eat anything the morning of a race because it generally upsets my stomach. I think this is mostly because I’m generally not a morning runner, or eater. Eating that early means putting food into my mouth when I’m not hungry, and my stomach rebels at the idea. So, I packed an energy gel to take during the race at a time when I both need it and might actually eat food on a regular day. 

The Weather

The weather was just right for for marathon weekend. 50-55 degrees and overcast. There was some wind coming from the east which was felt on the sections of the course when you ran directly into it.  Otherwise, it was a perfect day for a long run.

For the spectators, it was a little chilly. No sun and the light wind from the east made it feel like it was in the low 50s or maybe high 40s. So, it was a bit cold for the spectators on the course.

The Race 

The Beginning

My ‘doable’ time of 1:55 still meant I’d have to pull 8:46 miles during a time where my training was high 9min/mi to 11min/mi. I’ve pulled off feats like this before at the Long Island Half Marathon and figured I’d struggle to do it again. They kick off the full marathon runners 5 minutes before the first wave of half marathon runners. This meant that the finish clock was also 5 minutes fast for the half marathoners.

I got in my corral towards the front standing with a friend. But when they walked the half marathon corral to the start line, people cut across the grass. Finding myself at the back, I left my friend and ran toward the front in the last 20 seconds. I turned on my music (which I don’t normally listen to during races) and something in me turned on my competitive edge right as the race started.  

I went out slow, or so I thought, but the faster runners pulled me and I had to force myself to slow down even more. It always hurts letting hundreds of people pass. Seemingly, I was ok with it this time. I kept moving and settled into about 8:30/mi pace. I was a little nervous about this, but I felt good, so why not. It was time to put on cruise control and just keep moving. 

After mile 3 and into mile 4 I found my pace has sped up a little but I still felt comfortable so I decided to stick with it. This meant I’d be running decreasing intervals every 3-4 miles. Following this pattern meant I’d have to run even faster at mile 8ish, or risk hitting the wall and walking. I had this problem 2 years before where I went out too hard and had to slow down at miles 9 and 10. I didn’t want that to happen again. When I saw my family (including MomJogger) again at mile 5.5ish that gave me a big boost. I was feeling really solid. Looking at my watch I knew I’d have a chance at running near 1:50. I felt this way in the past and ended both those races a 1:52. Third times a charm?! 

The Middle

I saw my family again after the two U-turns passing mile 7. As I passed, I yelled to my wife that I’m shooting for 1:50. I ran over the overpass and up the small hill on Merrick Ave. As it leveled off, I started into the next gear again at about mile 8.  

I still felt good here, but also felt myself working a bit more. I was now running numbers in my head to see what time I could pull off. My watch and the course markers were off by nearly .1 miles at this point. Running the numbers on overall times was too complicated because of this, so I just kept running. I crossed mile 10 and knew I had only a 5k left at that point. This meant I could do quick math. A 30 minute 5k would get me to the finish in under 1:50. Once again, I settled into my slightly faster pace and just pushed forward. 

The Finish

I got to the last mile which is on a golf cart path. So it was time to run. This is always the longest mile of this race because you can practically hear and see the runners ahead of you finishing. The final straight for this course is like .25 miles or more, so I could now see the finish line in the distance and was running really hard. I knew I had it in the bag since mile 10. However, I wasn’t going to let a second slip away.

I like to hear finish line screams and announcers, so I turned off my music and took out my headphones. Finally, I saw the family again as I made the ever so slight turn to the finish chute. I gave a smile but couldn’t slow down, found my spot heading to the finish and…quiet. I could hear a pin drop. So I took it upon myself to pump my arms up to get the crowd into it. I got a small burst of a cheer and crossed the finish line.

The endorphins kicked in immediately. I did NOT think I had that in me. I had about 3 minutes of the giggles as I couldn’t believe it. Then grabbed some goodies and met up with the family.  

I finished the race in 1:47:28. I was 196 of 1431 runners! What isn’t there to be proud of in a race result?!

Long Island Half Marathon Post Race

I was very excited with my performance as I performed much better than I thought I would. I attribute that to having trained to run ultra marathons over the last 6 months. Even with minimal recent training, I think I still had a bit of base left in me and my cardiovascular system was still strong. Additionally, During the ultra marathon training, I was running on soft, uneven trail surfaces (read about some benefits here). I think this helped to strengthen parts of my legs for a more easy paved road race.

The nice thing about the Long Island Half Marathon is the post-race activities are really nice. I rarely take advantage of it, and the day wasn’t so nice for spectators (a bit cold to stand around). There were at least 6-8 food trucks, they have a live band, and bouncy houses for the kids. Security is in place, but they aren’t too strict like the big races. This allows my family to come find me and enjoy the post-race amenities with me. This is a nice touch compared to races like NYC. 

When I got home, I took a hot bath, a shower, and used the massage gun on my legs. I ate some peanut butter and had a soda when I got home to help begin the replenishment. My legs, notably my calves were very tight and already sore. I knew this was coming. The next day’s run to keep the streak going was the hardest run. I waited until Thursday and then got a massage to get the last kinks out of my legs.

Overall thoughts 

The race is fun mostly because it is local to me. I don’t appreciate the course all that much, but I know its a pretty good spectator friendly course. If I trained for this race, and performed the way I did, I’d likely have seen a PR yesterday, so I’m a little sad to have left potential on the table. Yet, I’m excited as I beat my goal by minutes, 7ish minutes! 

I’ll be back again next year. 

Check out some of my other race recaps here.