Emerald City Half Marathon
Emerald City Half Marathon
( 3 reviews )-
Dublin,
Ohio,
United States - August
- 13.1 miles/Half Marathon, Other
- Road Race
- Event Website
Jennie Hayes
Columbus, Ohio, United StatesOverall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Fun local race that runs through the suburbs of Dublin and Glacier Ridge Park.
Packet Pickup: Packet pickup is at one of the local running stores. Easy peasy pickup. Entry included a lime green wicking tank. Jury is still out on it.
Parking: Arrive early. The parking is easy to get to from the highway, but I recommend giving yourself extra time to park. It gets backed up from all directions. Its a lot of car traffic and people traffic.
Start: Start line is right near the parking lot. Very easy to get to if you are parked in the right area.
Finish: Water and post race snacks were a little bit aways from the finish line. I think this was to alleviate traffic in the chute.
Post race: Entry includes chips, salsa and a margarita from the Mexican place in the shopping center by the finish. It was a great time. I ended up meeting up with some friends and having lunch. The medal is nice and fits the Irish theme.
Course: The beginning of the race can be quite congested as the start is the same for both the quarter marathon and the half marathon. The race has a lot of open road, so prepare to be in the open sun. It was pretty hot this year, and the sun zapped the energy out of a lot of people. You go through Glacier Ridge Park, which provided some tree coverage, but it can get a little congested on some of the paths. There are a few rollers as well. At about mile 8 gels were provided. Each aid station had water and gatorade. I recommend carrying your own water depending on your pace.
Overall: I had a good time for a local race. I never really felt alone during the race. The finish had nice crowd support and all the major turns had a nice number of people. For those not acclimated to running in the heat, be prepared to have a slower time and also possibly bring hydration.