Tuesday, November 13, 2007

The Big Debate: Miami vs. Austin

I had originally set my mind on the ING Miami Marathon/Half Marathon on January 27, 2008, but a new challenger has risen from the middle of the country in the 3M Austin Half Marathon.

As with anything, let's do some pros and cons:

Austin - pros: Competitive. Way more competitive than Miami. At Miami, we would all be contenders for top 25 spots. While there are fast times being turned in at South Beach, likely due to its pancake flat nature, it is a little more spread out and I hate racing in no man's land. Austin is net downhill, but a little hillier. However, a 1:15 wouldn't get you in the top 50. cons: A longer flight.

Miami - pros: It's Miami, and we could all do really well placement-wise. cons: We could be running alone and maybe not run as fast.

I've never been to either city, so I would look forward to kicking it in either one. We go to Austin (home of Lance Armstrong) and we can eat BBQ at some of his stomping grounds. We go to Miami (home of Bad Boys, Horatio Caine and Nip Tuck seasons 1-4) and we can party in South Beach for a hot minute. Of course, we're going to be racing, so the likelihood of true relaxation may not occur.

Both are cheap and easy flights on Southwest from Baltimore ($300 r/t to Austin, $200 r/t to Ft. Lauderdale). My guess is that Miami hotels would be a little more expensive, but with all the ridiculous construction and terrible housing market now, maybe we could get some deals.

So I'm open to suggestions, first to see who else is interested, I think so far only Mellow Mike and Mike Zero have expressed any interest, but I'm not counting anyone out. We could take off Friday, get there in the morning, hang out, do pre-race stuff Saturday and hang out, then race Sunday, hang out and come home. That is a nice thing about Miami, the race starts at 6:15 am, so we'd all be done before 8.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What's up? (That's what she said)

In my opinion, you should go to Miami and enjoy a race that highlights one of the coolest cities in the world. You may think you are running alone, but 4,500 marathoners are expected and we have added Community Fun Zones, more cheer groups and a lot more to make Miami the top winter race...plus, where else do you have late night clubbers hitting the streets to cheer you on at 6:45 AM?

Call us at 305-278-8668 if you have any questions. And how big is your group?

kipchirchir said...

I have been to both cities and would definitely consider going back to either of them for a race. You are right, from what I have seen, Miami seemed a little flat and Austin was hilly! I havent looked at past results to be able to compare the races, but you can never really judge from that though since the organizers may "bring" some fast peeps or something. I should probably check past results before making conclusions. Miami has South Beach, Austin has 6th street. You can hang out in the beach all day long but you cant hang out in the street all day long! Just a thought.

Do either races have $$$ How do they deal with bringing elite athletes?

RM said...

First of all, did someone from the race organization really write that first comment, or is it Brian or Jake? I figured they would be the only ones up for that task. Then I saw the Miami area code and thought maybe this is real. Either way...

To answer Kip's question, Miami has money in the marathon but not the half. Last year's winning half time was 1:09. At Austin, which is only a half marathon, I imagine they have lots of dollars on the line, as the winner was 1:01:36. It's also going to be really tough to earn that cash cause there were a ton of people in the 1:02-1:08 range. Austin is net downhill but is rolling, Miami is flat. I'll check into how they handle elites and let you know.

kipchirchir said...

Jake and Brian, come clean.

Jake Marren said...

I am clean, my balls are shiny like flesh colored Christmas ornaments.