As a Charleston resident, I've always heard about the Kiawah Island Marathon but was never able to run it in years past. In 2017, I ran the half and saw what the fuss was about. It was 100% worth it!

The Kiawah Island Marathon is one of the best organized races I've run. I signed up early and got a great rate. Since so many locals run this, Kiawah Island Marathon hosted an early packet pick up in Mt. Pleasant, which I took advantage of, so I didn't have to drive to the island the days before the race. You can pick up your packet the day of the race, though, which is great if you are travelling into town on a late flight or morning of. The shirt is excellent- gender specific and hooded.

Race day brought an early wake-up call. If you're not staying on the island, you must take a shuttle. We had to park in a muddy field, but the shuttles were the best of any race I've run- chartered bus instead of school buses. I did have to go to the car wash and spend $6 after the race to wash my car. When you get off the shuttle, it is about 1/4 mile walk to the conference center, where you can stretch and stay warm until time for the race. If you pick your packet up on race day, this is where you'll do it.

The course was great. The half and full run together. If you are a faster runner, you can submit a time to enter the high performance corral, too. There are pacers for popular distances and adequate aid stations with very cheerful volunteers. Aside from a short sandy area of the course that were slightly damp/muddy from the rain, the course is all paved and flat and fast.

The race calls your name as you finish, which is a fun touch, and the after party and medal were wonderful. The after party had some of the best post-race food, not just bananas and water. There was coffee, hot chocolate, tons of desserts, and warm soup and cornbread, as well as pastas. Awards were beer growlers for the age groupers and Patagonia backpacks for overall placing finishers. The staff kept the food and beer stocked up so that no one missed out no matter what time they finished.

While I ran the half this year, I plan to return next year. If I do run a full marathon, I would probably opt for this one because of its proximity to my home and how well organized the race was.