> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://kudithipudi.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# First half marathon of 2008
- URL: https://kudithipudi.org/first-half-marathon-of-2008/
- Published: 2008-10-26T15:54:50.000Z
- Updated: 2008-10-26T15:54:50.000Z
- Description: I succesfully completed my first half marathon of 2008 yesterday. And to top it off, it was my first official cross country trail race. Although I...
- Author: admin
- Tags: Running, Sports, Uncategorized, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-23 02:32

I succesfully completed my first [half marathon](https://kudithipudi.org/content/files/www2-thenorthface-com/endurancechallenge/races/2008/mdw%5Foverview.html) of 2008 yesterday. And to top it off, it was my first official cross country trail race. Although I signed up for multiple half marathons this year, as part of training for the Chicago Marathon, I was not able to run any of them due to conflicts with work.

Sri and I signed up for the North Face Endurance Challenge on a whim a couple of months ago. Looking back, it sounds crazy :-). Why would anyone want to run a half marathon, 2 weeks after running a marathon and that too in the woods. But I am so glad we did it and that I got to finish it.

Sri, Hafsa and Joy came along with me to cheer me on during race. We took off at \~6:00 AM in the morning and had breakfast at a small diner along the way. The drive to [Kettle Moraine state Forest](http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/parks/specific/kms/?ref=kudithipudi.org), where the race was held, was senic. Esp with the fall colors. I never realized that Wisconsin was such a beautiful state. I guess that is what happens, when the only places you visit in a state are the touristy places (Wisconsin Dells).

The weather was perfect for the run (\~40 degrees) and I got time before the run to warm up. Joy ran the first 1.7 miles with me to the first aid station. The first mile had a killer hill. We had to elevate \~1000 feet in a matter of 200 meters. We started off strong up the hill, but then got our senses and walked the second half of the hill :-).

The race had two loops of \~4.9 miles. The first loop was not as hilly as I expected (or maybe I wasn’t as tired 🙂 ), but was slushy and had a lot of barriers. The second loop was a lot more hilly. I never trained in the trails or hills this year. So this was a new experience. But the beautiful scenery around me kept me distracted and moving forward.

Joy joined me again for the last mile. I switched to “[Supreme Hero.. Sweet Heart](https://kudithipudi.org/?p=365)” 🙂 for the last half mile on my iPod and sprinted to the final. It was a photo finish ..

![](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3223/2974058420_81d98cbd32.jpg "I am done...")

Some pictures from the race

Warm up

![](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3228/2973872542_6710388c1d.jpg "Warm up..")

Take Off

![](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3214/2973046937_19a7fe6e60.jpg "Start Strong")

The easy part of the trail

![](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/2974010900_0dbac1fb18.jpg "Trail")

Fall Colors

![](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/2973194947_7478c47a06.jpg "Fall Colors")

More pictures can be found [here](http://www.flickr.com/photos/kudithipudi/sets/72157608376845295/?ref=kudithipudi.org) ([http://www.flickr.com/photos/kudithipudi/sets/72157608376845295/](http://www.flickr.com/photos/kudithipudi/sets/72157608376845295/?ref=kudithipudi.org))

**P.S** : I came first in the race. i.e. in the desi category :-).