This was the 3rd time I ran this race (I missed last year due to a prior commitment). It's the perfect time to gather up your amazing tribe of women and enjoy a full weekend of events!

One of the best parts of this race, if you are local is the training runs! Beginning in mid July, you have not one, but 2 different options for training runs! You have your choice of either Wednesday or Saturday morning (6am each day) to join up with members of the race staff for organized training runs! These are a great time to meet local women, get in your miles and have some fun!

All of that training leads up to a fantastic race weekend! All of the events (except the post race party) take place at the KI Center, downtown Green Bay. The boutique style expo features a handful of vendors with merchandise for sale (including race merchandise!) as well as local organizations which provide a variety of services for women and families.

Packet pick up is always quick and easy - I've never had to wait more than 2 minutes to pick everything up! Each year, part of the swag is a high quality drawstring bag as well as a long sleeve hoodie. This year was no different and the artwork on the bag was created by a local artist, who also just happens to be a good friend of mine, making it that must more awesome! These are always some of my favorite hoodies because they are lightweight but yet warm enough for fall weather!

After packet pick up, but sure to stick around for the Inspirational dinner and motivational speaker. A pasta dinner with all the fixings and an evening on motivation! This year's quest speaker was Molly Barker, founder of Girls on the Run. Speakers in the past have included Katherine Switzer, Sarah Reinertsen and Colleen Kelly Alexander. All Friday events are included in your half marathon (or half marathon relay) registration. 5k participants have the option to purchase tickets to the event.

Saturday morning you will find yourself back at the KI center for the start of all races. Bag drop is available for half marathon and relay participants inside the building and your bag will be available for you at the finish line for you. Since the weather in Green Bay at the beginning of October can be unpredictable, having a place inside to hang out before the race is always a nice perk! This year started out chilly so I was glad that I could stay inside, do some stretching and relax before heading out to the start line.

The half marathon starts out heading over the river and follows Broadway for the first 5ish miles. This gives everyone plenty of time to fall into their own pace and allows the crowd to thin out a bit before heading into DePere. As you pass the halfway point, you get a nice gradual downhill stretch before you head back over the river. Once you cross the river, you will wind around and find yourself on the Fox River Trail, which follows the Fox River. This year, the trail was definitely my favorite part of the race. Aside from the many sections of the trail that had spectators cheering, the local Mom's Run this Town (MRTT) Chapter had covered a large portion of the trail with motivation quotes and cheers in chalk!! At many times, these messages were exactly what I needed! I also heard from many other people that they loved all the extra motivation from these messages! Many thanks to those ladies for keeping us going!!

The fall colors were bright and vibrant so that made the the morning that much better!

The race finishes on City Deck, downtown Green Bay and features an amazing variety of food for your post race enjoyment! This year it included wraps, cookies, chocolate, strawberry shortcake, water, chocolate milk and more. Each participant also received a ticket on their bib for a free beverage from Hagemeister Park. You can enjoy all your treats while post race awards are giving out right in the middle of the festivities!

Need a little TLC after all those miles, don't forget to stop by and get yourself a free massage! I know that this year, my quads were thankful for the attention when I finished running!

I may not run this event every year, but it will always be one of my favorites!

For my full race recap of my day, click here:
http://ampdwellness.crazyhamster.run/determined-to-push-to-new-levels/