Half de Paris TX Recap

I ran the Half de Paris TX on Saturday, March 3.  In addition to the half marathon, there was also a 5k and a kids 100 yard dash. This is my Half de Paris TX Race Recap.

I took off work early on Friday afternoon for the drive up to Paris.  I rolled into Paris around 5pm and decided to stop and check out the Texas Eiffel Tower before stopping by packet pick-up.

Packet pick-up was a breeze, there was one guy in front of me, so there wasn't much of a wait or fanfare as I got my bib and event shirt.  I then proceeded to check into my hotel, and then to find a Subway... for my pre race dinner.

I lined out my gear and as I counted down when I needed to get up, I was pleasantly surprised at the time of my wake up call (5am versus 3am for most races I have run).



On race day morning my alarm went off at 5:00 am.  Upon realization that there wasn't a coffee pot in my room, I called the lobby and discovered there wouldn't be coffee available until 6 am. Thankfully, there was a Starbucks just down the street that was open at 5:30... needless to say, I made the Starbucks run.

Tour de Paris TX Race Recap

The race started and ended in the charming downtown square.  There was plenty of parking to be had in adjacent lots. At the start they had a line of port-a-cans, and there wasn't much of a line to speak of

Weather conditions that morning were mid 40's and clear with a good amount of wind.   The race began promptly at 7:30.

The Course...

The course was on paved roads and paved trail.  It ran past the Paris Junior College, then we hopped on to the NW Texas Trails for an 4 mile out and back. 

The course them meandered over to the Eiffel Tower and back to the trail for another mile.

We then took a tour through what seemed some very hilly and sketchy neighborhoods.  For the final miles we ran past the train depot, then headed back towards downtown.



As I mentioned before, this course was hilly!  The final stretch of the race was uphill. 

The hills, coupled with the wind, it made for an interesting day.  After mile 6, my hips started tightening up... I don't know if it was the cold, or the long ride in the car from the day before.  I ended up taking many walking breaks in the second half.  I finished with a time of 2:31:55 (my slowest road half yet).



I didn't really have any goals for this race, other than to have fun... and I did! .

At the finish, they handed out the finishers medals and there was water, bananas and bagels.  There wasn't much else to do at the finish, so I headed back to the hotel to stretch and shower.

Before I left Paris, I refueled at Jaxx Burgers, they had a really good meatless burger (whole Portobello on a bun) and browsed through the antique stores and boutiques downtown. 

Final Thoughts

The Half de Paris is a small race... ~160 participants.  The race has the feel of a small town race with the amenities that you would expect from a larger race, like manned aide stations and free race photos. Be warned... there are hills.  I really enjoyed the race and the town of Paris, TX.

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I'm linking up with HoHo Runs and Taking The Long Way Home for the Weekly Wrap; and with MCM Mama Runs, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and My no-guilt life for Tuesdays on the Run