Tyranena Half Marathon-November 2012 |

Tyranena Half Barrel Race (13.1 miles)

When I saw this race on http://www.runningintheusa.com, I knew it was perfect for us. It combines two things I love-running and beer! Ryan and I both love trying new beers! Race day turned out to be a cool and refreshing fall day, and one of the last half marathons of the year in Wisconsin. The start was at 11:00, which was different than I’m used to, but it gave the temps time to rise a bit. Packet pickup was a breeze, and we had free beer tickets waiting for us when we were done. I was super excited to try the Painted Lady Pumpkin Spice Ale because I love all things pumpkin. If only they made pumpkin GU!

The race was a smaller race in Lake Mills, which was perfect for the weekend. We lined up near the back and were off. The course was unique, challenging, and scenic. The first mile starts in town and then the course took us around Rock Lake in miles 2-8. This part of the course had rolling hills with views of the lake. Around mile 4 the asphalt turned to gravel and continued for most of the next 6 miles. The trails were scenic and a nice change of pace, but after a while the gravel became quite challenging to run in. By mile 10 my hips were tired and getting soar. Ryan was doing great, but agreed the gravel was an added challenge.

Mile ten gave our muscles a break and we headed back into town. With a few hills to go we were nearing the finish. Both of us felt good about the race, but agreed it was not a flat course. We could feel the hills, but they were worth the unique course, scenic trails, and free local beer at the finish. I would highly recommend this race! Both of us enjoyed the scenic course, organization, and free beer. I envision us doing this race again! It does sell out, so we will have to continue to register early (http://www.tyranena.com/beerrun/).

After the finish, we grabbed our free meal and beer tickets and headed to the heated tent. We had planned to meet one of my high school friends and her husband who also ran that day. We spent the next couple hours eating, trying new beers, and catching up with them. Six packs were on sale if you bought them from the race, but by the time we headed over to the tent, there was only an IPA left. We stopped at the local Kwik Trip before heading out of town and found they carried several of their brews. We bought a few that we had liked including my two favorites Painted Lady Pumpkin Spice Ale and Three Beaches Honey Blonde. Ryan loved the Headless Man Amber Ale, so we purchased some of this too. For more flavors, visit http://www.tyranena.com/.