So far in 2016 I've A.) Ran in the coldest Miami Half Marathon ever B.) Ran in one of the wettest Broad St. Runs in Philadelphia. But what happened in Cleveland in mid-May was the icing on the cake. I'm sure you have already heard about the weather conditions that day (hail, sleet, cold rain, wind, 40 degree temps, etc). But let's talk about and review the entire race weekend.
The expo, which I went to Friday, is located in the Convention Center downtown. There was an Indians game that night so I was able to pick up my bib/shirt and go to the game all in one shot. Very convienient. But 3 issues at the expo.. 1.) I had to look up my bib number in a book at the expo entrance. They could not e-mail me that info beforehand? 2.) The bib itself. Mine was a generic white one as opposed to the color coded one others got. I get that I signed up later than others but still it looked like they created it the nite before. Very poor. 3.) The gear check bag was very small. Knowing what the weather was going to be I made sure to bring a change of clothes for after the race and it was a challenge fitting everything into the bag! However, I did like the fact that Great Lakes Brewing Company was giving out free beer samples there :).
On raceday, if I am running in a city, I try to use mass transit. In Cleveland there is a train that goes to downtown so that's how I got to the start. We started in front of the Q (home of the Cavaliers, good luck to them in the NBA Finals by the way). The first 3 miles were in the city, flat for the most part except going over the bridge leading out of downtown (I forget the name). Then the course goes through the Tremont neighborhood for a couple of miles. The crowd support is usually the most concentrated in that area. In the middle of the race (miles 6-9) the course went thru an area full of warehouses, and not much else. This stretch the race can do without. Very boring and it did not help that I was caught in a hailstorm at that point (really). The end of the race is on the Shoreway. I was expecting a brutal climb around the last mile but it appeared that we got on it after that climb which was a pleasant suprise. I do not think the marathoners were as lucky. This part, which leads back to downtown for the finish, is another part of the race where it is just you and the other runners, very few spectators. The last mile or 2 of a race should be a stretch where there should be many people cheering you on as you finish. Not the case here.
I really could not enjoy the postrace since the weather was so bad I just wanted to get my small gear check bag and change into warm clothes and get out asap. The conditions were just terrible. I know they had beer and your usual postrace foods. The medal, which includes a spinning guitar, was nice but I do believe they need to change it up a bit. It seems like the same one every year.
It seems like there are more negatives than positives here but I will be back next year for the 40th running. I might even do the full marathon! But while I recommend this race for anyone looking for a mid-May long race, there are some changes that should be made for me to continue doing this race every year.