3M Half Marathon

3M Half Marathon

3M Half Marathon

( 14 reviews )
92% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Austin,
    Texas,
    United States
  • January
  • 13.1 miles/Half Marathon
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Courtney Nikolay

Madison, Wisconsin, United States
1 3
2018
"Downhill to Downtown - Didn't feel so downhill! "
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Courtney Nikolay's thoughts:

A year prior to moving to Austin, TX from Milwaukee, WI, I set a goal to run a half marathon in every state. So, when I got to check off Wisconsin (Door County Half), I was excited to be able to easily check off Texas with the 3M Half Marathon now that I was living in Austin. I'd heard over and over how the race slogan was Downhill to Downtown and was a net negative elevation race. After training for my first half, which was super hilly, I definitely didn't train as much as I did for the 3M thinking it would feel a lot easier.

I was wrong.

Although it is downhill, there are still plenty of hills (Austin is actually pretty dang hilly). Add the city's typical heat and humidity, running in Austin can be pretty challenging. However, since it was a January race I wasn't sure what to expect with the weather since it was my first January living there. It ended up raining at the beginning followed by humid swamp-like conditions. It was gross and I struggled hard.

I found myself comparing this race to my first half, which took place in a beautiful state park. This course was not especially beautiful or scenic in any way. We parked our car in a strip mall parking lot and the start line was across the street from a Panera and REI, so not especially breathtaking. We ran along a busy interstate, down lots of busy residential streets, and then through busy downtown streets. It was pretty typical views for a city half, but they weren't impressive enough to keep my mind occupied and I just wanted it to be over from the minute it started.

On a positive note, the water stations, volunteers, and cheering stations along the course were awesome. Lots of families set up tents in front of their houses and cheered on runners all day and many of them even offered different food and drink options as we ran past. The spinning medal was super fun and the finisher tech t-shirt was nice quality. The Austin running scene is unlike any other that I've been a part of, so it was fun to run around a city with so many people that I know and recognizing faces in the cheering crowds. Because it is such a running community, race expos are always great with a ton to look at and learn about and this one was no exception. Also, since it is sponsored by 3M, the swag bags are AWESOME. So much good 3m goodies in one bag - I'm still trying to use everything they gave us!

I probably wouldn't do this race again as I prefer something a bit more scenic, and January weather in Austin is really unpredictable, but it is a popular race among Austinites, so maybe I'm not in the majority with this review!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Latest reviews

Loading Reviews...