Latest reviews by David

(2016)
"Worth the Trip"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

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!!

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(2016)
"Not Worth the $$$ - Bring Back the Old Course"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

Wow, what a change from the previous year!! (and not for the better) The team behind the Philadelphia Marathon/Half Marathon totally changed things up for 2016. Gone was the Full/Half on the same day and sharing the same course as they moved the Half to Saturday and totally revamped the course. Some quick hits and thoughts on the 2016 Half:

* Packet pickup for half runners has to be a Friday now. Not a fun experience unless you live close to the Expo (PA Convention Center) or have easy access to public transportation. Driving into the city on a Friday is a nightmare. What used to be a quick trip in on a Saturday with time to enjoy the expo became a very LONG commute to and from. Not a positive takeaway there.
* Philly is pricey race to enter and at it's core should be about the city and it's history, landmarks, neighborhoods. The original course took runners past Independence Hall, down along the Delaware, back up to South Street and the roaring crowds of Chestnut through the party of Drexel's campus, down past the zoo and finally back into the city (Art Museum) via the West River Drive. Great course, city landmarks, great crowd support and a natural flow for a loop course.
* Gone! Now the half barely runs into the city (you get a slight glimpse of Independence Hall) and takes you out along the River Drives into Fairmount park. No longer a city race but a park race. Plus the course winds and weaves around as they struggle to find the amount of road for the distance. No flow to it, contrived course, very little crowd support. For the money spent not worth it. One can run in Fairmount park anytime for free! Running in the city with the crowds and support - that is what the $ should pay for.
* Post race food - again for the $ paid is poor. The typical water bottle, energy bar and banana. Plus they give you food and how do you carry it (hmm, a bag would work nice). Ran Rehoboth Beach two weeks later, they know how to feed runners after a race!

Philly has always been my go-to Autumn race (I have run it five years in a row) but I doubt I will run again unless they change back to the old course or make drastic improvements (away from the drastic 2016 changes). What was once a classic race is now a shell of what it once was. I understand the Marathon is the marque event but to make the half a poor stepchild is very sad to see.

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