Most of the events the On ZAP Endurance team has participated in since the beginning of the pandemic have been small, elite-only fields that have been put on by members of the running community trying to create opportunities for athletes. This weekend’s half marathon in Ashland City, TN is another example of such an event, being put on by Dave Milner – who has organized a number events since the pandemic began – but this one is open for registration.
Joanna Thompson and Pardon Ndhlovu are looking forward to capping off their winter training blocks with this racing opportunity. The course is flat and fast and the fields are strong as athletes will compete for a $1,000 first place prize purse. Joanna has spent the fall and winter adjusting to new life in New York City as a graduate student and is eager to return to her home state for her first race since the Olympic Marathon Trials.
Pardon enters this race coming off his 2nd fastest half marathon performance at the Mortgage Network Half Marathon in December where he ran 1:04:39. Pardon’s personal best at the half marathon distance is 1:04:04 from 2018 and he will be taking aim at that mark this weekend.
The elite races begin at 7:00am central time with waves of 3 people going off every 5 seconds to follow. You can find more information about the meet here on the race website.