The Lake Placid Classic is a small half marathon/10K in the historic town of Lake Placid, New York. This race takes runners through the village, and out into the country where the nature is breathtaking. Arriving the morning of the race was effortless. I drove to the start, picked up my bib and swag, and drove about 2 miles to the finish where there was plenty of parking and the shuttles were waiting. The pre-race atmosphere was great, even for a small event of about 500 people. Nothing could have beat warming up by running laps around a former Olympic games speed skating oval with the mountains and home of the “miracle on ice” lurking in the background.
The race course was well laid out. The first 5K was a loop through the village of Lake Placid and around Mirror Lake. The course then went down a steep downhill and headed towards the finish. After another steep downhill going under the ski jumps, it was a flat out and back for the final 8 miles. There were water stops each 2 miles and the scenery was beautiful – especially when coming to a clearing on the return trip and seeing the ski jumps tower above you. After having to scale the one hill under the ski jumps at mile 12, it is smooth sailing to the finish. Aside from the two downhills and one uphill, the race is flat as a pancake.
The hardest part of the race, for me, was the size of the field. If you’re a middle of the pack runner – say 10:00 pace or slower, you were running by yourself for the final 5-6 miles. If you’re someone who likes racing with others around, this isn’t the race for you.
The finish line area was nice but nothing out of the ordinary. The medals were nice, and rather large for the half marathoners. There was typical food/drinks at the finish line. No beer – but a coupon for a $1 beer at a brewery in town was provided.
I was happy with the swag from the race. A long sleeve tech tee was provided, it was a bit large but comfortable. My favorite part was a pint glass with the race’s logo as well as the logo for the Lake Placid Brewery – a local staple. There was a $1 beer coupon, and other race day essentials: deodorant, a toothbrush, advil, a Gu Roctane (none was given on the course), and more.
For $45 dollars (I believe it’s up to $55 now) it was well worth it. It was a beautiful course for a relaxing run. If you wanted to run hard it could very well be a PR race if you save some energy for that last hill. While I’m not sure I would do it again as a slower runner, I would definitely recommend it to others.