Last Saturday, I ran this half-marathon in Norfolk, Nebraska for the second time. (I ran it 5 years ago on a tougher, hillier course.) The race is run in conjunction with the timing of Norfolk's Comedy festival (inspired by Johnny Carson who grew up in Norfolk). Hence the title: Laugh and a Half Marathon. The course is much improved since 2011, now running along the Cowboy Trail on the southern outskirts of Norfolk alongside and crossing the Elkhorn River several times. There is a 5k, 10k, and a kids' race for people who wish to race a different distance. The race begins and ends at Ta-Ha-Zouka Park where I played many times as a child who grew up in Norfolk. At first you run east for about a mile loop, then course winds back to the west to just past 7 miles or so, then turning back east to the finish. We crossed over the Elkhorn River at least six times during this race. All the bridges are wooden and one of them is very long. The course is on pavement until mile 4 or so, then I remember being on crushed limestone trail for about 5 miles, then back on pavement for the remainder. The crushed limestone was a wonderful part of the race. The scenery is beautiful and tree lined, birds singing beautifully all the way (especially on the western edge of the course near the final turnaround). The water stops were adequate. Carrying an OrangeMud vest with water, I only needed to stop for water once around mile 12. There is one point where you need to be careful of fast runners returning your directions after a turnaround (mile 1). Also, on the way back after the final turnaround, be careful on the road, there were some vehicles but they were all moving very slowly. There were some wonderful jokes on the course (2-part signs primarily). Some were knee-slapping funny. Kids squirted us with squirt guns on the course, that was fun. Also, someone shot silly string at us at the second water stop so we were all laughing at the surprising nature of that. It was refreshing to me to have plenty of room to maneuver and pass/accelerate, slow down without any bottlenecks in runners/path that I recall. It was a sunny humid day, the humidity presented some challenges but at least half the course was somewhat shaded by trees/buildings so that helped. I was impressed with the volunteers along the way, they were very helpful, offering high-fives, encouragement, support, and water. There was some live music along the way too (guitarists/singers) so I enjoyed that. Skipped the pasta feed the night before so I could eat pasta with my parents at their home (my sister did attend the pasta feed-she said the food there was ok). My sister ran the 10k and (to her surprise), won her age group. My race went very well until mile 9 or so when my Garmin died. Switched to Vivofit2 to calculate remaining mileage. Then I relied upon Vivofit, my phone, and Snapchat speed filters to stay on pace. Somehow that strange combination, combined with a little semi-detached running by feel propelled me to a 1:40:55 finish, 5th in my age group (40-49) and 33rd overall, 25th among men finishers. Although I was a little disappointed I didn't place in my age group, I was very pleased with running my fastest half-marathon in 17 years (ran 1:39 in Lincoln in 1999). The course is fast and mostly flat, some slightly rolling terrain. I'm classifying it as a trail race due to it running along the Cowboy Trail and the amount of crushed limestone portion of the race. I thoroughly enjoyed my race experience and will be writing up a more detailed account with more pictures on my blog (www.RunningGrooveShark.com). I didn't get a T-shirt but I registered past the deadline. They said I might still be able to get one if they had any left over but I forgot to check. There was a lot of joy, happiness and laughter in this race. Although I wasn't laughing when my Garmin died, I was laughing when I saw the finish line and my time. Expect to laugh at unexpected times in this race! It's set up to surprise you with laughter when you least expect it. And laughter helps us relax more which helps us run faster with less effort. The way I describe this race most simply is it provides a bountiful full dose of laughter for the price of a half-marathon (full laughs for the price of half). You will absolutely love the scenery of this course, the new course is gorgeous! And if you're a trail runner, you'll love this race! Thanks to race directors, volunteers, and runners who helped make this a wonderful, special, memorable occasion for me, helping me relax enough to run a speedy half! Photo below is from about mile 12 of the course just past the last water stop if I recall correctly. Enjoy this race! It's a fun family adventure, even for kids and people that want to race shorter distances (5k, 10k, kids race).