Disclaimer: I received an entry to Run to Escape: Mission Mt. Olympus as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

Run to Escape: Mission Mt. Olympus was a fun, unique experience. It's actually not a race, which I think is important to mention early on. This experience includes six runs, which are each a challenge of a different Greek god. Each run includes audio clues via Runkeeper and a puzzle to solve afterward that allows you to unlock the next run with an access code. The goal is to try to get Atalanta, the Goddess of Running, a spot in the Greek Pantheon.

The experience was well-managed. While at first, the emails were taking a while to come through, this problem was quickly solved so that participants now have the info they need ready to go when they finish the run. To solve each puzzle, you need clues that you hear on each run as well as information in an email.

There is no physical swag for this event, which makes "swag" a hard category to rate. I actually don't mind not having swag because I have so much from other events. I'm really more about the experience when it comes to events, particularly virtual ones. There are discounts from Aftershokz, Knockaround and ParadigmQ, as well as chances to win prizes.

There is a lot of virtual support for this race. The person behind the social media accounts does a good job engaging with runners, and there's also a Slack channel where you can chat about the challenges with fellow participants.

Read more in my blog: https://sherunsbytheseashore.com/2021/05/30/what-do-you-get-when-you-combine-running-and-escape-rooms-run-to-escape-mission-mt-olympus/

This was my fourth time running the Naylor Mill 7K, but this time, it was my first time running a race since March because of all the cancellations because of COVID-19. I had fun and also appreciated the safety precautions that were taken into account. This is a smaller race, and this year, there were 96 finishers.

Before the race, participants had their bib, along with a cloth mask, mailed to them. This meant there was no packet pickup. The masks were themed for the team — Team Bacon or Team Scrapple. Then, at the end, runners received a green T-shirt that had running bacon, scrapple and veggies.

I marked the elevation difficulty as a 5, because this is definitely the toughest course in the Salisbury area. Salisbury is very flat, but this course is mostly singletrack trails with twists and turns in addition to steep uphills and downhills. It is a scenic trail, though!

There was one aid station that offered water bottles (because of COVID). This was definitely adequate for the 7K distance, and the volunteers were friendly. Usually, there is bacon at the aid station, but understandably, there was not this year.

Parking is free and plentiful; I had no problems parking.

Race management was, of course, top notch. The race director, Trent Swanson, puts a lot of care into his races, and this time, he had the added considerations of safety precautions due to COVID-19. There was a health screening, masks required in certain areas (although not while running), a socially distanced race start with a starting curve, and prepackaged food at the end. There's an active Facebook group for this race, and we also received info via email. The course was also well-marked (it's a course that I think is tough to follow if you go out on your own, but it was easy to follow on race day).

Read my full recap here: https://sherunsbytheseashore.com/2020/08/15/i-ran-my-first-in-person-race-since-march-the-naylor-mill-7k/

Disclaimer: I received free entry to the Global 24 Hour Relay as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

The Global 24 Hour Relay was a new event hosted by Rochester Running Co. and held on Global Running Day. I thought it was a fun idea and cool way to celebrate Global Running Day, on the first Wednesday of June. Each person who signed up picked a team (I picked Washington, D.C. - you didn't have to live in the city of the team you chose, and you could run anywhere) and a half-hour time slot on that day. As a BibRave Pro, my time slot was assigned to me based on my availability, but people signing up chose their time slot. You could see who else had signed up for the team.

The race kept in touch via email and I also thought it was cool that the race donated a portion of proceeds from the event to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

You could see who else had signed up for the teams, and right before the event, there were still a decent amount of empty spots, so I was not positive that there were people in every time slot, including right before me (although I did get a text several minutes after my time slot started). I would have liked to have made more of a connection with my team. Luckily, I did know the person running after me, and I sent her a text when it was her time to start running, and we each posed for a photo that I made into a collage.

I received my swag in the mail about a month after the race. Swag was a black T-shirt with the race logo on the left chest and a medal with a pretty logo and fun ribbon. The medal is beautiful and higher-quality than I'd think would be expected for running for half an hour.

I had fun promoting and participating in this event — I just wish the teams would have been more filled out and connected.

Read my race recap here: https://sherunsbytheseashore.com/2020/06/11/i-celebrated-global-running-day-as-part-of-a-virtual-relay-event/

I'm not a big virtual race person, but I had a lot of fun with this event! Participants could choose between 250 miles or 100 miles in 60 days, and could choose to run/walk or bike.

One of the things I liked most was how engaging the social media was. A cyclist actually cycled across Maryland while the rest of us ran, walked or biked virtually, and he stopped across the state, highlighting various local businesses. There were also trivia questions and puzzles. This gave the virtual event more of a community feel.

There were 500 gift cards given away, and I won a $10 gift card, for which I got to pick the location (there was a website with choices). The race also benefited the Maryland Food Bank, and $20,000 was raised for that organization.

I thought the race was managed well, and I received the swag within a week after completing my 250 miles (everyone's swag was sent out on the same day). I was excited that this race offered a tank top, as not too many races do. I also received emails. People who gathered a social team of 10 or more participants (which my team did) could get $10 off per person.

Read my recap here: https://sherunsbytheseashore.com/2020/08/20/the-virtual-race-across-maryland-kept-me-running-through-the-hot-summer/

I absolutely loved this event! Although it is virtual, you do need to live in or around the Salisbury, Maryland, area to participate.

The Tour de Salisbury included 12 different courses to run in the Salisbury area over a two-month period: June and July. These courses, which added up to 75 miles, really showcased the area, provided variety in terrain and were scenic. People could choose any order and any dates/times within June and July to run these courses, which were all Strava segments. Participants logged their segment times via UltraSignup.

These courses were:
Pemberton Park (3.9 miles - Salisbury, MD - trail)
Naylor Mill (3.5 miles - Salisbury, MD - trail)
Salisbury City Park (3 miles - Salisbury, MD - crushed stone trail)
Salisbury Airport Loop (7.3 miles - Salisbury, MD - road)
Trap Pond Loop (4.5 miles - Laurel, DE - trail)
Blackwater Loop (6.6 miles - Cambridge, MD area - road)
Ocean City Boardwalk (4.4 miles - Ocean City, MD - boardwalk)
Cooper Loop Half (13.1 miles - Outside Salisbury/Eden, MD area - road)
Cherry Walk (10 miles - Quantico, MD - road)
Salisbury University (6.2 miles - Salisbury, MD - road)
Blades (5.4 miles - Pocomoke City, MD - trail)
Assateague (7 miles - Berlin, MD area - paved path, beach, roads, trail)

The race was organized by ALQ Ultras, so race management/organization was great. Race Director Trent Swanson is easy to reach with any kind of race questions. Virtual support was also great, because there was a very active Facebook group. Some people even won awards for being the best tour guides. People could run alone or with friends.

Swag was cool — a T-shirt with the logo on the front and names of the courses on the back, a finishers' ticket for those who completed all 12 courses, and stickers. Runners also got a bib with spots to check off all 12 courses, which is a unique addition for a unique race. There were also awards for male and female winners with the fastest total times.

Whether COVID is still an issue in 2021 or not, I hope this race returns next year!

Read my recap on my blog here: https://sherunsbytheseashore.com/2020/08/07/i-ran-12-scenic-delmarva-courses-during-the-tour-de-salisbury/