After having run the Shrimp and Grits 5k a few times and cheered on hubs at the finish of the Full I've wanted to run this race for a while now. I was a bit undertrained but having the race on my calendar kept me a wee bit more honest during the holiday season.
I went down on Thursday evening before the race and went to the expo to pick up our stuff (I NEVER go to expos but who says no to extra days in Charleston in January?). The expo was walkable from our downtown location and well organized. I must say I enjoyed picking up a few extra race items (maybe this is why I don't go to expos?)....
Race day (which was a Saturday...a big plus for me!) started early and while we could have walked to the start (about 2 miles) we decided to drive. Streets were a bit congested but we did find parking pretty easily. I believe the route might have been changed a bit and this year we ran through the campus of the Citadel, which was very pretty, although I would have liked running along the Battery as well. Going up King Street gave us plenty to look at (wish there'd been a few more spectators but the weather wasn't great. Fine for the runners, but to be standing still? Not so much.) There was definitely a lull in the action the last few miles as we ran through a fairly industrial area to get to the North Charleston finish line.
The finish line area wasn't the same as the years I ran the 5k, and tbh by the time I finished (remember, undertrained!) I wasn't in the mood to hang around. It did seem like others were enjoying their beers and food etc. Plus I got a very nice shot of hubs and I (possibly the only one I've ever purchased!) at the finish line (I did cross first...just sayin...) and getting back to our car was really seamless.
The course was very flat (they don't call it the Lowcountry for nothing) and I've heard tell that some use the Full to try to get a BQ. There was one small hill around mile 11 that was just hard in the timing of it and not really the incline.
I would recommend this race, if only for the excuse to come to Charleston, and we've already registered for next year, so if you decide to run you might see us there!