Ran the inaugural Canton Balloon Fest Half in Canton, Texas Saturday, May 14th. This was a reasonably challenging race, with several gently rolling hills. The half course went through the town, out into the countryside, and back.
The first miles through town, the road was easy to run. Miles 8-12 traversed some pretty bumpy asphalt. The roads were not closed to traffic, so there were many places where we had to run single file. I sometimes found myself running through weeds on the side of the road either to pass another runner or just to stay on flatter ground.
The big selling point of the race was seeing hot air balloons during the race, but the weatherman missed the forecast. It rained for the first 3 miles or so, then was windy and overcast the rest of the race. The rainy weather turned out to be a good thing for those running the half, as there was almost no shade on the course. Also, I doubt that the aid stations would have been able to meet the demand for water had the day been sunny.
Crossing the finish line, I was dismayed to receive a completely different medal that what was shown on the website. Instead of a 4 color metal medal, finishers received a cheap looking clear acrylic medallion. Also, the finishers’ tech shirts are so thin that you can see right through them. So ok to wear during a training run, but I would never wear the shirt in public.
As I said, this was their inaugural race, so I have high hopes they’ll do better in 2017.
Bottom line: I enjoyed the small-town feel of this race but would hesitate to do the half again because an 8 o’clock start could mean a hot, sunny 13.1 miles over rough asphalt. I would probably choose to run the 10k which turns around at the edge of town. And if you’re really into medals, you have been warned.
Pros:
Plenty of free parking
Parking a short distance from the start/finish line
Real restrooms at the start/finish
Homemade breakfast burritos post-race
Pleasant, friendly volunteers
Quaint area for lunch & shopping post-race
Cons:
Bait & switch medal
Cheap shirt
Understaffed water stations