I ran this marathon on a whim, signing up last minute and driving the 7 hours down to Kiawah from Virginia on my last day of student teaching. I've been to Kiawah many times in my life, growing up in SC, so I knew it would be a beautiful run. It was a great opportunity to cross SC off my 50 states list and I'm glad it chose to run it.

I hit the expo at about 8:30pm Friday night and didn't spend a whole lot of time there, but it was pretty hoppin'. The t-shirt was long sleeve, not bad, but the cool thing is that if you are or were military, you got a special bib with the American flag on it, a nice touch. I checked in to my hotel right after that and went to bed since the race was the next morning. If you can stay on Kiawah, it's awesome. Rent a cottage or house, or stay at the Sanctuary ($$$$ but cheaper in December than any other time of year; it's just beautiful, decorated for Christmas. If you stay on the island, it's pretty easy to get to the start. I think if you are off the island, you can drive and park outside the gate and get shuttled there.

It was cold on race morning but crisp and sunny. The start was organized and went off smoothly. This race is pretty much pancake flat, and is very shaded. You don't run on or even that close to the beach, but somehow that doesn't matter. It meanders through the beautiful neighborhoods (these houses...wow) and the marshland and lagoons and golf courses that cover the area. It really is lovely, and the weather was just perfect. There was also one house where three or four ladies were drinking mimosas and dressed in long evening gowns and pearls, cheering for the runners. So awesome!

The majority of runners seemed to be in the half, so after we split it got much more spread out, but again, it just seemed like a lovely run on a beautiful morning. You also run on some bike paths/sidewalks and across some footbridges (look for gators!) before you end up at the finish area. The medal was pretty cool I thought, and was a nice end to the marathon. I really enjoyed this low-key, well-organized marathon, and highly recommend it. Don't do it if you want nonstop crowds or a crazy beach vibe though; do it for the beauty and scenery of the area, and top notch organization of the event.