I ran the Marathon a few years ago and always wanted to come back to Rehoboth Beach. That was the plan for 2016 but hamstring issues curtailed my training so I thankfully switched to the half marathon (which was easy peasy to do). Rehoboth Beach is a small town race with big time race management. Plus it is a nice destination race even in early December. There are plenty of hotels, shops and restaurants open and they have the town dressed up for the Holidays.

We stayed at the Atlantic Sands Hotel (tip - find another hotel!!!) but that is the only downer for this race. The expo is small but does the job. Quick and easy to get your shirt and bib.

The Race
The course starts right on the boardwalk at sunrise (next to the big Christmas tree lighted up for the season). The first mile is cramped but the course quickly opens up and winds through the town and heads towards Gordons pond. There are nice views of the ocean running on paved roads. The course loops back and heads over to the Breakwater Junction trail at around mile 5.5. At this point the half switches to a smooth trail with nice scenery and turns back towards town at the 9 mile mark. This part of the course does get a little crowded with runners coming and going back is manageable to allow you to move up as you pcik up the pace to finish out. Back into town to finish up right near the after party. The course is flat and very fast!! Great for a PR. The only downside is the beach can be windy this time of year and that was the case for 2016. Still a great course.

The After Party
No bagel and banana here! Waffles, burgers, mac n cheese, pulled pork plus beer!! They really know how to fuel a hungry runner.

Overall a great experience and the team at Rehoboth does an excellent job with the race and thinks of what's best for the runner. Highly recommended!!