2014 marked the second year of the AdventureMax trail runs in Springfield. The fact that it's a new race makes me want to cut them some slack but the organizing body is not new and should have done a much better job.

The course is beautiful. Trees, a small pond. Gorgeous views from the tops of some of the hills. But make no mistake, this race takes place on a mountain bike course, meaning it is rutted and very hard on the feet and ankles. There aren't many spots to right your footing or get a break from constant inversions/eversions of your feet. 13 miles is a long way on a course like that. It is two, 6-ish mile loops. Some people like loops. I don't. Personal preference. Especially when it's as difficult as this place is. My GPS had the course a bit short, others were closer to 13 miles.

The course featured two aid stations, both well stocked. One set of volunteers happened to be especially rude to multiple runners. It's important for race directors to remind their volunteers to be motivating.

No swag to speak of. For a $60+ entry fee, there could have been something. The "tech shirt" was a white t-shirt. I actually like the shirt quite a bit but it was not what was advertised to be and that was disappointing. Also advertised were custom pint glasses. These did not exist. Race management reused pint glasses from other events they had put on throughout the year. I ended up with a pint glass from a cycling event. The post race meal advertised was cans of Hormel chili.

When I finished, there was nobody cheering at the finish line or acknowledging finishers. There were plenty of people behind me. I think that was my biggest disappointment. The emcee was busy talking about who knows what over the microphone, not announcing finishers.

I was extremely disappointed in this event and voiced my concerns to the event staff. I will not be back and would absolutely not recommend this event to anyone. The price was astronomical, the race was meh, the goodies were not good and none of it went to charity.