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This was my first time running Freedom's Run, and I loved this small-town race, although it was very challenging! This was my ninth marathon, and it was my slowest one. I'm also not in the shape I was when I ran my first marathon, but this race was very hilly. It was also very well organized and a lot of fun.

The marathon begins in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and ends in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The majority of the course is actually run on the other side of the Potomac River in Maryland. We started out in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, ran in the beautiful Murphy Farm area, made our way down a steep downhill to Lower Town Harpers Ferry and across a bridge onto the C&O Canal Towpath. We then followed that for about 10 miles before heading up the very hilly Millers Sawmill Road. After that, we traveled the beautiful Antietam National Battlefield, which was also very hilly. We went through the town of Sharpsburg and finished on the Shepherd University football field. I was able to pick up the pace in the last three miles.

I rated this course a "5" for elevation difficulty. I live in an extremely flat area, and these steep hills were certainly a challenge. My watch logged 1,417 feet of elevation gain and 1,572 feet of elevation loss. I'm assuming that much of the loss must come from that early downhill, because it felt very uphill.

I also rated the scenery as a "5." This course was beautiful and provided a lot to enjoy along the way. There were few spectators, but the scenery made up for that!

There weren't as many aid stations as you would normally see at a marathon, but I knew that going into it. However, the aid stations weren't always exactly where I thought they would be. I also spent a little longer at each aid station since we were not supposed to litter and there were not usually trash cans after the aid station (a few had this, which I liked).

I really liked the long-sleeve shirt that I received — I love the color! I often wear a medium, but have been ordering a women's large in running shirts recently, so I did that for this race, and it looks like it will be a good size. The medal was beautiful and unique — crafted by Joy Bridy Pottery. We also received a reusable water bottle and a pint glass.

Because I finished somewhat near the end, I actually got a whole pizza from the volunteers. I also enjoyed a beer. The pizza is near the finish line (I didn't realize this at first), but the beer is across the street at the Bavarian Inn.

Parking was extremely easy. I boarded the bus at the Shepherd University Wellness Center early on race day to head to Harpers Ferry for the race, and the parking lot seemed almost empty. This did mean there was a bit of a walk from the Bavarian Inn afterward, but it was very easy to park, and it was free.

There wasn't much of an expo, which was fine with me, as the expo is not super important to me. Packet pickup was extremely easy and quick, and I also stayed for a talk by race director/co-founder and author Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, which was cool. There was also race-morning packet pickup.

Race management was good. I was aware of what I was getting into, I got emails ahead of time, and I really appreciated tips that Cucuzzella gave race morning, including his recommendations of when to walk on the course.

Although this was a difficult course, I thought it was a great race!

Check out my blog recap here: https://sherunsbytheseashore.com/2018/10/13/freedoms-run-marathon-a-literal-uphill-battle-among-beautiful-battlefields/