Rock the Parkway Half Marathon 2023
04/08/2023
Kansas City, MO
Sometimes the running God’s smile upon us. And boy did they ever do that today! What a picture-perfect day for a half marathon. Our buddy Brad over at KC Running Company must have cashed in a lot of favors to the big man upstairs to get such a beautiful day!
Host Kyle and Race Director William got the pleasure of meeting so many of you wonderful folks Friday at the expo. We really had a great time and would like to thank everyone who stopped by the table to say Hello! I can’t speak for William, but it really makes my day when people stop by to tell us how much they like the show. Race Director William and Producer Katy are both so focused on the KC Hustle Run, and we are glad they are! But for me, the podcast is always going to be my first love!
Saturday brought us the best that Midwest weather could offer. At the start of the race, we were nearly 50 degrees at 7:30 am. When you can start a race in early April wearing a t-shirt and shorts, you are living right! The sun was out, the wind was calm, and the birds were chirping! Boom, starting horn and we were off! If you’ve run Rock the Parkway, you know Rock the Parkway. A lot of races change their courses year to year for various reasons. Not RTP. This course is consistent from year in and year out.
Now this is not a flat course by any stretch of the imagination. The hills are there, but they are not steep. They are gradual. Everything evens out though. Even if you have a quarter mile uphill, you’ll get a quarter mile (or more) downhill to make up for it. The give and take on this course is wonderful.
The one unforgiving part is Loose Park. Oh yes. Heading to mile marker seven you are met with the worst hill on the course. The Loose Park Hill next to Pembroke school. Many a runner has been humbled by this hill and it can be quite the shock if you don’t know it’s coming. This speaks back to the consistency though of the course. I know it’s there. I know at the start line that it is out there just waiting for me! This year though, I was mentally ready. While that hill definitely slowed me down for a minute, it did not mentally defeat me as it has in previous years.
After you defeat Loose Park, you get back on Ward Parkway and begin the road home. Anyone out of the area has no idea what Ward Parkway is, so let me tell you. It is a long street with some of the most beautiful houses in the area lining it. Old houses, beautiful lawns, fountains, nice cars, it’s lovely. So the five’ish miles back to the finish line are beautiful miles going down this street on this beautiful Spring Day. It gets no better.
My personal race went well. This was a new course PR for me today. Third best Half Marathon overall. That is a win heading into the Boston Marathon. Next week, we will be IN Boston and running the B.A.A. 5k Saturday morning. We’ll bring you all the highlights of that race!
Until we meet again, have a great week of training!
-Kyle