Race Recap: River City Half-Marathon

River City Half-Marathon race recap, March 7, 2026.

TotsRunsFast

Mar 24, 2026

Race fuel:

3 hours from start:

Water
2 slices of toast with jam
1 scoop of BPN electrolytes (strawberry)

1 hour out:

1 scoop of BPN G.1.M+ Sport (orange)

Miles 3 and 6:

1 BPN Go Gel (mango)
1 caffeinated BPN Go Gel (mixed berry)

Miles 9 and 12:

Not taken; explained below..

Race Recap:

Pre-Race Thoughts:

At the Bear Creek 10 Mile Trail Race, I had the misfortune of learning what trail running provides. Read more about that here:

Race Recap: Bear Creek Lake

TotsRunsFast

Mar 10

Read full story

I took a week off to rehab the sprained ankle. Started back slow walking and biking. My ankle had minimal discomfort, and runs were short during race week. We are showing up to the half-marathon and we’ll see what the race holds.

Luckily I knew some parts of this course from my marathon back in November, which helped with being familiar with the course.

Hydration:

Nathan handheld with 1 scoop of BPN electrolytes (strawberry).

I will take water at aid stations. It’s supposed to be in the 50’s (feels warmer while running), but I’ve been training in lower temperatures so I might take my 600mL Nathan collapsible bottle for insurance.

Race Map:

Miles 1-3:

I used these miles to gauge how the ankle was feeling and determine pacing for good positioning. I had a nice downhill start, pacing with a friend until mile 3.

These miles had a couple up and downs with a straight section from mile 2 heading to mile 4.

Miles 4-8:

Settled in with a group of 3 runners for the miles to follow. If it wasn’t for this pack, I don’t think I would’ve held the pace I did.

I crossed the 10k (6.2 mile) split at 47:08 which would put me just a little over a 1:30:00 overall. I was satisfied with that split with no discomfort in the ankle.

These miles were all mental toughness with the bulk of the hills within these miles. Glad I took my Nathan collapsible for extra hydration.

Miles 9-13:

This is where I threw out my fueling strategy.

I was supposed to take 2 more gels at miles 9 and 12, but my electrolyte gels didn’t settle well in the previous miles so I opted to not use them. I pushed through knowing I had a rolling section before 5k left.

I told myself from miles 7-9, if I can just get to 5k left I’// be in decent position to go for a sub 1:30:00 overall.

After a climb up to mile 9.5, the course was mainly rolling hills with a downhill back onto the University of Richmond campus.

Finishing time…

1:38:41

The Extra Miles:

I’ll take this effort and continue rehabbing my sprained ankle to get ready for the first marathon of the year. Stay tuned for updates!

I need to work on my middle mile race endurance because I come alive later in races.

I didn’t feel the best with how I handled my nutrition and fuel. Everything was off for some odd reason, not sure why, but nothing seemed to settle well in my stomach. I definitely need to dial that in before the next race.