Disclaimer: I promoted the Rehoboth Seashore Marathon and Half Marathon as part of being an influencer for The Vibe: A BibRave Network.
For the second year in a row, I paced the Rehoboth Seashore Half Marathon the weekend after I ran a marathon. Is that the smartest decision? Probably not, but this year, I was thinking, “well, I did it last year.” And, once again, I was able to meet my pace goal of 2:45 for the half marathon, finishing in a time of 2:44:32.
I’ve been running this race since 2013 — when I ran my first marathon. After two years of the marathon (which remain both my personal record and second-fastest time), I switched to the half marathon, and this year was my eighth year pacing the half marathon and the 20th half marathon I’ve paced. I was part of the pace team with Beast Pacing.
As a pacer, I wore a neon yellow shirt and held a sign as I ran a consistent pace. As I always explain to runners, my finish time has to match up with the finish line — not what may be on my watch. So, even if I get a little over 13.1 miles on my watch because of missing a tangent or for a GPS error in the woods, I still need to cross the finish line in between 2:44:00 and 2:45:00. So, the average pace on my watch is a little faster than what may be listed (in my case, 12:35/mile is the pace for 13.1 miles, but I usually end up with about 13.2 miles and a slightly faster pace).
My pacing strategy is to do a consistent run, but walk the water stops. I love run-walk intervals, but running consistently as a pacer allows anyone who wants to run straight through or use run-walk intervals to use me as a moving target.
Race morning was cold — not exceptionally cold (Garmin tracked the temperature at 36 degrees), but definitely not warm. I’d thought about doing a short shakeout run the day before the race, but I ended up making this half marathon my first run since the marathon I ran Nov. 30 — the Space Coast Marathon, which was a hot challenge in Florida. The weather in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, was much preferred for me.
I live just over an hour away, so I got up early to make the drive to meet the pace team at 6 a.m. at the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand. This race also offers race-morning packet pickup, which is always appreciated, and I got my packet right before meeting the group. Sometimes, there’s a breathtaking sunrise over the ocean, but this year, it was overcast, so there weren’t any bright colors.
The race began at 7 a.m. Before we took off, I met a few people who were near me. One finished way ahead of me (which is great!). I talked to another runner who I ran with for a few miles who was going for about 2:43, and she finished well ahead of me, too. Early on in the race, someone also recognized me from this blog, which is always fun. I also met Farrah, who was running her first half!
The race starts near the bandstand and heads up Rehoboth Avenue before heading to some residential areas to the left and then onto the boardwalk. After that, half marathoners and marathoners all head up toward Cape Henlopen State Park and the Gordons Pond Trail. Everyone is together for the first 4.5 miles or so of the race, and soon after entering the park, the half marathoners turn around to head back toward town and the marathoners turn right onto the Gordons Pond Trail.
I ran with someone from about Mile 5 through the end of the race (except for a bathroom stop I had to make) that was hoping to beat a time of 4:44:50, and she was able to do that.
I was doing a good job keeping up my pace, but I had to go to the bathroom. I wasn’t sure whether I’d stop, as I’d prefer not to, but there was no line at a porta-potty in Grove Park (during Mile 7), so I decided to make a quick stop there and then run faster to catch back up to my pace. As always, I wore a pace band that told me what cumulative time I should have at each mile marker.
This was the first time I’d stopped for a porta-potty while pacing, and I was able to make up the time within about a mile from stopping. Once I made up the time, I went back to my normal pace. As always, I continued to keep an eye on the times to make sure I was staying on track. After Grove Park, much of the second half of the race is on the Junction & Breakwater Trail — a paved portion, then a crushed stone portion, then back to a paved portion.
On the trail portion (from late in mile eight through most of 12, including a 1.5-mile stretch out and 1.5-mile stretch back in which runners are going opposite directions on the same trail) is when I start to see the marathoners heading the other direction. At this point, the marathoners are already 13.1 miles ahead of us, so it’s impressive to see them speeding past — and several passed me by the time I made it to the finish.
Near the turnaround of the trail portion is Flag Alley, which features numerous flags displayed across the trail, above runners’ heads. This is always a cool part of the course, and when I heard a nearby runner say we probably wouldn’t see spectators for a bit, I’d mentioned Flag Alley was coming up.
I wasn’t worried about hitting my pace, but especially having run the marathon the prior week, it’s always nice to get to those last few miles and still be feeling confident.
Because there are out-and-backs, you can see where other runners are more than once, and I was happy that some people stayed well ahead of me. It’s always tough to have to pass runners, though. I’d seen someone a couple times that had jokingly said I couldn’t pass him, and then I did, probably around 11.5 miles in. Hopefully he will be back next year! I was near several people in the last mile or two, and it seemed they were pushing themselves to stay in front of me — which is great.
I crossed the finish line in 2:44:34, with 13.24 miles on my watch and an average pace of 12:26/mile. Someone even asked for a pic with me afterward as their pacer, which was flattering.
This race always has a fun after-party with a DJ and dancing, and there’s a full food buffet, too. After making another bathroom stop and sticking around to give the pacer signs to the next pacer to come in, I waited in the food line and filled up a plate with items like mac and cheese, meatballs, bacon, waffle sticks, cole slaw and cookies. There was also plenty of Dogfish Head beer; runners could have up to three beers with our wristbands, though I only had one this time.
In addition to the post-race party and scenic, flat course, runners also get a long-sleeve shirt, reusable bag, medal (for finishers, of course) and free photos. There are also huge life preserver awards for overall and masters winners and custom age group awards.
I don’t expect to get the pacing email for several more months, but I hope to be back as the 2:45 pacer for my 13th year at this race in 2026. And, I am not planning to run a fall marathon this year, so I won’t be running a marathon the prior week. If you are interested in signing up for the 2026 Rehoboth Seashore Marathon or Half Marathon, registration opened Sunday, Jan. 4. The race also has an active Facebook group.
Splits
Mile 1: 12:03
Mile 2: 12:11
Mile 3: 12:29
Mile 4: 12:20
Mile 5: 12:50
Mile 6: 12:17
Mile 7: 13:39 (bathroom stop)
Mile 8: 12:01 (catching up from bathroom stop)
Mile 9: 12:15
Mile 10: 12:30
Mile 11: 12:14
Mile 12: 12:34
Mile 13: 12:23
Last bit (watch had .24): 2:42 (11:25 pace)
Finish time: 2:44:32 (12:33/mile pace); time on watch: 2:44:33 (12:26/mile pace)
She Runs by the Seashore 