First Watch Sarasota Half Marathon & Relay
First Watch Sarasota Half Marathon & Relay
( 12 reviews )-
Sarasota,
Florida,
United States - March
- 13.1 miles/Half Marathon, Relay
- Road Race
- Event Website
Krissy
Sarasota, Florida, United StatesOverall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
I ran this race in 2014 - I was so excited to run it, as I had registered for it almost a whole year before!
I enjoyed the ease of packet pickup at Fit2Run; and loved the tent sale even more! I picked up two pairs of Brooks shoes for less than $100! Plus, I liked the participant shirt, bib and nice 'First Watch' water bottle.
As a local, I was delighted to be able to drive to the race early in the morning, and secure a great (free!) parking spot at the Van Wezel. The staging area was well organized, and there were plenty of portapotties before the race started.
The course itself is fantastic - running over the causeway is breathtaking - both in its challenge and beauty! Beside the bridge, however, its a flat and fast course with shade offered on the return back.
There is also a relay option for this race, and although I worried that would cause congestion, it just wasn't the case. Everything went smoothly.
Post race was just as well-organized: great food (First Watch yumminess) and a beer garden! Wish there were more beer options, but free beer always tastes good after 13.1 ;)
The only "con" I had was that the starting area was a little tight - for the race's size, I was surprised that there were no corrals. Even if there weren't corrals, I wish there was an aisle, or even walkway to get through the crowds - I feel like people weren't seeding themselves correctly, which created a little bit of congestion for the first mile of the race.