This is part of a series of posts from my quest to run a half marathon in all 50 states. South Carolina was my 4th state.
At this point, I still hadn’t set the goal of running a half marathon in all 50 states. The whole reason I was going to Kiawah Island in the first place is because I got a good deal on a place to stay on a condo in the golf course community of Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Of course, I checked to see if there were going to be any half marathons in the area when we’d be there, and (surprise!) there was, so I signed up for the 2004 Kiawah Island Half Marathon.
I knew someone who had ran this race and she said she set a personal record (PR) on the course, so I was excited about the possibility of that for myself. I knew it would be pancake flat and the weather would most likely be good since it was in early December. The biggest unknown factor was the wind, since the course is notorious for strong winds. The winds that day turned out to be extremely brutal, up to 20 mph that morning.
The race course went primarily past huge beach houses in private neighborhoods and was extremely flat. Despite the extremely strong winds, I still set a PR (personal record), breaking the 2 hour barrier that plagues so many runners who want to finish under that time. When I ran it in 2004, there were an estimated 1200 people running the marathon and 2300 running the half marathon.
My finish time for the Kiawah Island Half Marathon was 1:58:54.
Kiawah Island is a small community about 45 minutes from Charleston, South Carolina with huge homes in a private gated community, the Sanctuary Hotel, as well as the Kiawah Island Golf Resort. It is a quiet, relaxing family-friendly place perfect to relax after running a half marathon or marathon.
This area is known for its white sand beaches with palm trees, marshes, and maritime forests. If you’re running the marathon or half marathon, there are packages available with discounted rates on accommodations the weekend of the race. This is a nature-lovers paradise with fishing and paddling tours, bike rentals, a nature program, walking tours and much more.
Kiawah Island Marathon and Half Marathon
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