The Jax Marine Corps Half is an annual race that has become a tradition here in Jacksonville. There is a Half Marathon and a 5K. I ran the half marathon this year (2014).

The course for the half is "famous" for going over the Main Street and Acosta Bridges. Since I'm training for the NYC Marathon, I figured the bridges would be a great way to train. I registered way in advance, since I tend to have "only me" issues when it comes to registering later for 1st Place Sports events (the site doesn't work, store doesn't take credit, etc. etc.), plus registering early saved me money.

About 2 weeks ago they announced that the course would be changing, due to construction on the MSB. I understood this (I don't want to run through a construction zone!), but I was really miffed that they told us so close to the date of the race.

But...that's really the only con I have! Here are some of the notable "features" you should consider:

-Parking: Parking is a CINCH. Since the race starts AND finishes in the same area (Metropolitan Park), there is free parking at EverBank Field. I got there really early to do a warmup, but even those who arrived closer to the start time didn't have much of a walk to the start line.

-Aid Stations: Aid stations are located about every mile or so. Water, Gatorade (hurray blue!), and gel (only at Mile 10). Since the race goes through neighborhoods, there were a few extra "volunteers" who were giving out things like ice pops, tootsie rolls, and extra water. My only complaint was after the last big "hill" (on the River Walk), there was no water stop - just the ice pop volunteers. I was really needing a drink at that point, but there was a water fountain along the way that I stopped at.

-Course: The course was pretty challenging even without the bridges! For the new route this year, we went from the stadium down to Riverside, then back through the River Walk. Tired legs running up the hill thing (If you live in Jax you know what I'm talking about) by the Main Street bridge = OW. It poured about 30 minutes before the race, so when we hit Metropolitan Park for the last .1 miles, it was a finish through the mud.

-Bathrooms: Bathrooms seemed to be fine. I saw some portapotties but I don't know if they were there because of the race or because of the stadium. I used a bathroom in Metropolitan Park that I maybe waited 3 minutes in line for. I saw a bunch of portapotties along the route, but I didn't have to stop to use them.

-Shirts and stuff: The RACE SWAG is awesome! During packet pickup you receive a long sleeve shirt made of tech material, 2 Marine stickers (one with the 13.1 for your car), a Marine Rubber Duck (so cute!), and a keychain with a little flashlight. You also have a decorative race bib with the date and race logo on it. AFTER you finish, you get a big medal and a beer glass with the race logo on it.

-Expo: There's no expo for this race, but packet pickup is really easy. Head to your chosen 1st Place Sports store in the two days before the race, OR get to the race earlier to get your stuff!

-Corrals: The Half Marathon and 5K start at the same time and split off after a little bit (maybe a mile?). Even though we all started together, I didn't notice a typical bottle neck like I usually do when there's a lot of people. It was nice to not run INTO each other. We started a few minutes late, mostly due to the delay from a random TORRENTIAL downpour 30 minutes before the race was supposed to start.

-Crowd Support: OF COURSE I have to mention the MARINES. There were Marines all throughout the course, and it was really awesome/inspiring to see them as we were running. They were also manning one of the water stops towards the end of the course, which gave me a little more energy to finish strong. After the race, you received a medal from one of the Marines.

-Post-Race: This race does what every race should do for the post race - there is not a lot of space between finishing, getting your medal, and having access to water and bananas. Some races I've run, I've had to walk for 5 minutes or so (Yes, NYC will probably be worse) to get a bottle of water. There are a LOT of booths set up, including a Marine one where you can test your strength with a chin-up challenge!

To sum up: Despite having a late course change, this race was executed nearly flawlessly. I'll definitely be back to run it again next year, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a great half marathon!