This is one of my favorite races ever. Doing this race gives me the perfect excuse for a racecation. Charlevoix is a quaint small town about 45 minutes northeast of Traverse City in Michigan.
This is the 5th time I’ve ran the half here, and this year was the 10th anniversary of the race.

I opted to do packet pickup on race morning, which was a piece of cake. In and out in less than 5 minutes! It’s just an outdoor tent by the water where you get a shirt, bib and goodie bag. There is one souvenir tent as well.

Communication leading up to the race was good. They were posting pics of the anniversary medal on facebook, which made me even more excited. Race day parking was a breeze as well.I arrived just under an hour before the race and was able to buy coffee and use a real bathroom, hooray! Oh, and take the views. Holy cow, Charlevoix is gorgeous!

Race day weather was sunny and 60. We lined up just before 7am and after the national anthem, we were off! You run past some pretty sweet homes near the water, and work your way east to the Little Traverse Wheelway, a paved multi-use path. Just before mile 4 you start on the wheelway on the out and back course. Its very scenic and provides a great distraction. Half marathon walkers get to start early, so they were already coming back from the turnaround towards us.

In the last 2 miles, there are a few minor “hills”, but overall it is a pretty flat course. This year's
medal is all about celebrating the 10th anniversary of the race. They incorporated simulated Petoskey Stone pattern on it, which is Michigan’s state stone and native to the area. At the finish they had pizza and fudge (a northern Michigan specialty!) plus some chips and fruit. There is plenty to see and do in the area after the race. I highly recommend it!