• North Augusta,
    South Carolina,
    United States
  • November
  • 3 miles/5K, 6 miles/10K, 13.1 miles/Half Marathon
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Andy Allen

Augusta, Georgia, United States
11 5
2020
"Live Racing in the Time of COVID"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Andy Allen's thoughts:

Who would have thought back in March when live racing came to a grinding halt due to the pandemic that we’d get to see a live race before 2020 closed? I can’t quite articulate how great it felt to be able to say “It’s Race Week!” on social media the Monday before this event, but if you’re a runner who thrives on the live racing environment, then you know exactly the emotion, anticipation, and excitement I felt right up through the finish line.

Expo & Packet Pick-Up:

Due to the pandemic and some safety measures that were put in place to limit exposure, there was no pre-race expo this year. I still scored this five stars, however, because I was really impressed with the design, organization, and safety of the packet pick-up process.

The day prior to the race, there was a large window of time from noon to 6 pm when you were able to pick up your race day packet in a drive-thru format in front of SRP Park, the venue where the race would start and finish. Prior to the day of packet pick-up, runners received an email with their BIB #.

Once you got to the front of the drive-thru line, you simply called out your BIB # to a volunteer and they radioed ahead to another group of volunteers who grabbed a bag with all of your race gear already inside and ready to go. Once you got your bag, the last step of the drive-thru was to hold your BIB up for the sensor to ensure your chip worked and showed the correct name on a monitor. I went around 1 pm and the whole pick-up process took less than 5 minutes, including the wait in line.

All volunteers wore a mask, and they asked participants to wear a mask as well while interacting with volunteers and staff in the drive-thru. It was a great experience and I felt safe throughout the process.

Swag:

The race struggled here a bit this year, but let’s be honest, COVID should get most of the blame. I imagine it took a ton of hard work and back-and-forth with city councils, safety boards, etc, to be able to get a permit to hold an in-person event, and by the time those items were secured it probably didn’t allow for the time needed to order the shirts and hoodies we’ve grown accustomed to.

However, typically there is a different piece of swag depending on the distance you run (for example, tee shirt for 5K participants, hoodie for half marathon participants), but this year all runners received the same item; a visor from HeadSweats with the race logo and date on the front. There was also one pack of GU and one tablet of Nuun in the bag received at packet pick-up.

The medal was nice as always, but in years past there has been a different size depending on the distance you ran (half marathoners got the larger medal). This year, everyone got the same medal.

Having the same swag and the same size medal across the board was slightly irritating only because the half-marathon runners paid a higher registration fee and covered more distance, but for the same tangible reward as those who paid less and covered less distance. If swag is what motivates you, it simply didn’t seem like much incentive this year. Again, I’m sure a lot of this was due to delays with COVID, and having some unified items was just logistically easier in 2020. After all, we got to run a live race, so that in and of itself was a huge reward.

Parking on Race Day:

There are a couple different options for parking the morning of the race. You can pay to park in the decks just up from the venue (I believe the cost was $5, and you also have the option to pay this in advance prior to Race Day), or if you’re cheap like me, there is also ample parking in downtown North Augusta about a half mile walk (or warm-up run) away from the starting line.

Either option, the parking decks or the downtown parking, are convenient and hassle-free when leaving the race, as you may only have a couple thousand runners participating overall, and leaving at various times so traffic is a non-issue.

The Race:

First, can I just again say how amazing it was to run an in-person race with other runners (socially distanced, of course)? This route is my favorite and the same route I do most of my long runs on.

The route starts just outside of SRP Park, home to minor league baseball team The Augusta Greenjackets. The route cuts just inside the upscale Hammond’s Ferry residential neighborhood before taking a turn and running along the Savannah River before moving up onto the North Augusta Greenway.

Runners travel on the greenway for about four miles before turning into the Hammond Hills neighborhood, where you are immediately faced with a couple steep hills. Most of the hard work here is done up front, and there is a nice, long downhill reward for the remainder of your time in the subdivision.

As you exit Hammond Hills, you have the task of navigating the Martintown Rd hill, which is not too terribly steep, but a gradual incline for about 0.70 miles. Again, what goes up must come down, and when you reach the top here, you get another nice, long downhill reward of about a mile and a half before bearing slight right, then left onto Georgia Ave, where you leave South Carolina and enter Georgia via bridge over the Savannah River.

The bridge is a great spot to stop and take a selfie before turning left onto Reynolds St and traveling a little over a mile through downtown Augusta, before snaking back toward the bridge via the Augusta Riverwalk. As you cross back into South Carolina, just before the mile 12 marker, you meet your last hill, about a quarter of a mile stretch back up Georgia Ave.

When you reach the top, you travel briefly through a downtown neighborhood before getting back on the greenway, passing a beautiful butterfly garden, and spilling out onto the warning track of SRP Park. That’s right, you finish your race on the field!

On-Course Assistance:

There were several aid stations on the route, though they felt like they were spaced fairly far apart. I self-supported with a hydration vest and my own gels that I train with, but this may have been an issue for other runners.

Aid stations were equipped with individual bottles of water due to the pandemic, and a port-a-potty or two. It felt like these may have been every four miles or so.

The Finish:

I’m not entirely sure if there was a rule against spectators being present, but there were very little friends and family waiting at the finish. However, I was encouraged to see many of the runners who finished early had stayed behind to cheer for other runners who were middle/back of the pack (like myself).

Snacks were presented in a “grab and go” fashion, with your options being a bottle of water, an individual bag of Ritz peanut butter crackers, and an orange. You were also handed your medal by a volunteer wearing a mask.

There was a post-race beverage option, either a beer or a soda. This was another area where I think COVID affected the swag, as last year runners received their beverage in an actual pint glass with the event logo and name, and this year the beverage came in a small plastic cup with event logo/name.

Overall:

Out of all the races I’ve been fortunate enough to run, this one is still one of my two favorites. The volunteers are always amazing and so friendly, people come out on their porches to cheer as you run past their homes, and the route is gorgeous, albeit challenging due to the hills.

The swag took a hit this year with the pandemic, but I will always recommend this race, and will run it every year I’m able.

Out-of-Town Guests:

If you’re traveling from out of town, below are some recommendations for good eats, places to stay, and things to do while you’re in the area.

Eats:

The Whiskey Bar & Kitchen - 1048 Broad St, Augusta, GA 30901
The Boll Weevil Cafe (for dessert) - 10 James Brown Blvd, Augusta, GA 30901
Soy Noodle House - 1032 Broad St, Augusta, GA 30901
Sole Augusta - 1033 Broad St, Augusta, GA 30901
The Pizza Joint - 1245 Broad St, Augusta, GA 30901
Manuel's Bread Cafe - 505 Railroad Ave #100, North Augusta, SC 29841
Rio Cantina - At SRP Park where the start/finish line are, 187 Railroad Ave, North Augusta, SC 29841

Hotel Accommodations:

Crowne Plaza (directly across the street from SRP Park) - 1060 Center St., North Augusta, SC 29841.

Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center (about a mile away) - Two 10th St., Augusta, GA 30901

Hyatt House Augusta/Downtown - 1268 Broad Street, Augusta, GA 30901

Things to Do:

Augusta Museum of History - 560 Reynolds St, Augusta, GA 30901

Augusta Canal Discovery Center & Tours - Blome Lane, Augusta, GA 30901

TopGolf - 437 TopGolf Way, Augusta, GA 30909

Meadow Garden (George Walton Home) - 1320 Independence Dr, Augusta, GA 30901

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