Vig-Bay Half Marathon: Hills, Heat & a Hint of Satisfaction
After the City of Trees Marathon last fall, I decided to try getting a little more serious about my speed. So, a few weeks post-marathon, I switched gears from marathon recovery to structured training—with more speed workouts, specific pacing targets, and guidance largely courtesy of a Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2) watch and the associated Garmin Connect app. Spring would be a good time to test the fitness gains, and the logical race choice? Vig-Bay.
The Vig-Bay Half Marathon—from Vigo to Baiona—is a scenic, well-organized, coastal race not far from my home base in Pontevedra. I had done the Minibay version (basically the second half of the course) a few years ago and remembered it as mostly flat, fast, and beautiful.
So when I signed up back in January, I was surprised to hear my friend José from our Intercambio de Idiomas say, “I ran that race a few years ago—and afterward I said, ‘never again.’” (Regardless, he decided to sign up for it again this year.)
The reason? Las cuestas. The hills.
I had glanced at the elevation profile on the race website. Sure, there was a climb from KM 3 to 6, but 55 meters of elevation gain didn’t sound too threatening. (Despite being fluent in Metric, it did not register in my head that the height equates to a significant 180 feet.) What I hadn’t fully appreciated was how many other little climbs were scattered along the route, and that there would be a total of 100 meters (328 feet) of elevation gain.
More than the hills, though, I was wary about the wind and the weather. I’d done several tempo runs going in the southbound direction of that race, and when there’s a headwind, it can be both challenging and demoralizing. Rain was also a concern—the forecast two days before the race actually predicted showers, though only toward the tail end of my expected finish time.
To simplify logistics and avoid a crack-of-dawn commute, I stayed overnight in Vigo. Race morning, I fueled up on two croissants, two bananas, and a coffee. I picked up my bib around 75 minutes before the 10:00 a.m. start at Playa Samil, ditched my warmups at the bag drop (to be sent to Baiona), and texted José. He found me in front of the Museo Verbum.
With 15 minutes to go, we headed to the bathroom line… a bit too late. The queue was long, and with just two minutes until the start, I almost bailed. But I managed to take care of business and line up with only one minute to spare.
The Race Begins
There were 6,600 runners packed into the start chute. I had set a Garmin PacePro target of 1:32—my actual goal was 1:33, but I wanted that extra nudge. Unfortunately, I started too far back. After the race began, the first 500 meters were gridlocked, and the Garmin already showed I was 12–15 seconds off target pace. Still, I stayed calm, completely ignored heart rate, and ran strictly by perceived effort while regularly checking PacePro.
The first 10K was strong. I ran smooth and controlled, and despite the hills, averaged exactly 7:00/mile. I was especially pleased that I’d erased my time deficit and felt great going into the second half. The hill from KM 3–6 was indeed a big climb, but manageable.
The Second Half Strikes Back
Then came the sun.
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and while 16ºC (61ºF) sounds mild, the solar radiation made it much warmer than ideal. I don’t usually take water in a half marathon, but around KM 15 I gratefully accepted a bottle, took a few sips, and dumped the rest over my head. Later, I used damp sponges from the volunteers on at least two occasions to squeeze water on me and cool off as best I could.
Despite my best efforts, my pace slipped in the final 6K. I tried to stay focused, and with 400 meters to go, I managed to surge, sprinting the final 100 meters. My finish time: 1:35:36—about 2.5 minutes off my goal, but under the conditions, it was not too shabby.
Per Strava, if you remove the excess distance from not being able to hit all the tangents due to foot traffic, my time for 13.1 miles (22.1 km) would have been 1:34:47, which sits nicely between my times at the Medio Maratón de Pontevedra in 2021 (1:36:09) and 2022 (1:34:04). I was perfectly happy with those races, and those were run on a flatter course in much better temperatures.
So, while I was not ecstatic with my performance, all things considered—harder course, warmer day, a few years older—I was satisfied.
Post-Race
I lingered at the finish to enjoy the post-race goodies (Powerade, banana, protein bar, biscuits, chocolate wafers—all conveniently packed in a cloth tote), took some photos, and retrieved my bag. Then I boarded one of the shuttle buses back to Vigo.
There, by sheer coincidence, I spotted José on the bus, sitting across the aisle from me in the row ahead.
I called out his name, and he came over to sit by me. We caught up on the race—he also thought it was tough but was pleased with his 1:50, which, like mine, was just five minutes off his personal record. Not bad for someone who only got into running at age 44 six years ago.
We talked smartwatches—he is a fan of the YouTube channel of Desfit’s Des, whose brother is a friend of mine in Fort Collins and who reviews various wrist-worn gadgets for athletes. José wears a Garmin too, and he told me about Suunto and Coros watches, race gear, and even his daughter’s Saucony shoes versus his own Kipruns from Decathlon—with carbon plates and super-foam, but at a much lower price point.
Final Thoughts
Would I do it again? Probably, though I would certainly wish for a cloudier day. The first half showed what I was capable of, and I truly believe that on a flatter course in cooler conditions, I could hit 1:33—or even flirt with 1:32.
The Vig-Bay Half Marathon wasn’t quite the performance I hoped for, but it was a beautiful, well-run event with great local spirit, tough-but-fair terrain, and a good reminder that you can’t control the weather—but you can control your mindset.
Race Data
Official time: 1:35:36 (7:18/mile or 4:32/km)
Overall place: 721 / 4509
Division place: 138 / 519
Official results
