I am training for the Walt Disney World Marathon in January and in order to motivate myself to get in my long runs I signed up for this race. I have already ran the Historic Half in Fredericksburg two years ago so I was prepared for this course, which made the race much more appealing. I say prepared because in Fredericksburg they have a large hill that they love to put near the end of their races. This hill, nicknamed Hospital Hill because it is home to the city hospital and because one runner had a heart attack (and survived) on this hill during the Historic Half a few years ago, climbs over 200 feet in less than a mile and is quickly followed by a steep yet short climb to cross the interstate. These back to back hills are tough and coming where they did, between miles 11.5 and 12.2, make them a rude awakening for many runners who are not prepared for them mentally and physically.

This race is not the Chicago Marathon so you cannot expect the perks and the organization that goes along with that race, which is the charm of this race. I registered the morning of, got a discount since I didn't get a shirt, for an affordable rate ($55) and still got some perks of the race. They had food afterwards including pizza, chili, Krispy Kreme Donuts and hot chocolate. This race also included a small, but unique medal that will proudly go on my medal rack since I got a PR at this race.

A couple of the bad aspects of this race include the lack of scenery. The Historic Half takes you through the old town Fredericksburg area including getting to see many old buildings, and Mary Washington University where this course relied heavily on the bike path along the river for many of the miles and the out and back course did not take you through any of the historic areas of the town. The aid stations left something to be desired. I appreciate the aid station volunteers, I have volunteered at two races in DC where it was really cold, but these stations only had 1 table, passing out Gatorade and water. Multiple times I had to stop to wait for a cup of water or Gatorade and twice the Gatorade powder was not even dissolved in the cup that I was given. I know this is a small race, but I would like to see a better showing from the aid stations in the future.

Overall this race is exactly what I wanted, it provided me with a great place to get in some training miles during the cold days of winter. It would not be a goal race for me but for anyone looking to race in December, this race doesn't disappoint.