I’ve been bitten by the race bug, so when I was invited to participate in the Reggae Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 10K (as a guest of the Jamaican Tourism Board) I jumped at the chance. Before I touched down in Negril, Jamaica, however, I wasn’t entirely convinced I’d enjoy running a half marathon in Jamaica’s well-known hot weather. Here’s why I was wrong.

Source: Errol Anderson for Reggae Marathon

The simple course: I welcomed the sight of pancake-flat roads gently following alongside Negril’s famous “seven-mile” white sandy beach, and if you are a race newbie, you probably will too. The course is not only flat, it’s also simple; runners start out in a pack and run 3.1 miles before looping around a large traffic roundabout; from there, 10K runners run back to the start area to finish, while half-marathoners and marathoners continue on to complete the 13.1-mile course loop. Full marathoners run the entire race course twice. The simple plan makes it easy to tune out and run without worrying if you’ll miss your turnoff.

The course starts and finishes just steps from the beach, and the views of the sand, sea, and lush greenery are gorgeous, and keep you going when you’re fading. Also motivating are the live reggae bands that set up every few miles, as are the makeshift sound systems and cheers from the locals. As soon as you hit the finish village you can rest, rehydrate, and line up for a free massage – or do what I did, which is walk a few steps and soak my weary feet in the warm Caribbean Sea.

Timing is everything: When I first decided to run the half marathon, my first thoughts turned to the heat – and whether I’d collapse from exhaustion on the course. Temperatures hover in the mid-80s in Negril during December, when the race is held. Living in San Francisco, I’ve become accustomed to temperate weather; when I ran the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in October, for example, I was thankful that the city’s characteristic fog blanketed most of the course. But, luckily, the Reggae Marathon race organizers keep time spent in the sun a minimal. The race begins promptly at 5:15 a.m., giving participants over an hour head start before sunrise. This is a great strategy, and as soon as you’re running the course you definitely don’t begrudge the fact that you had to wake up at 3:30 a.m. to make the gun.

Keep reading for more about what I liked (and didn’t like) about the Reggae Marathon.
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