Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh

Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh

Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh

( 14 reviews )
100% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Raleigh,
    North Carolina,
    United States
  • April
  • 13.1 miles/Half Marathon, 26.2 miles/Marathon
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Stacie

Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
5 3
2016
"Picturesque rolling hills course"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Stacie 's thoughts:

This was my first Rock n Roll series race, and first race in Raleigh after relocating from Chicago. I was prepared for Chicago size crowds and rules, and that it was not. There were only 9,000 participants overall (full & half marathon combined), which made the crowd and access manageable. I arrived way too early prepared for mass traffic congestion and parking difficulty, and didn't experience either, but others I spoke with said they came prepared for conjestion as well based on friends past recommendations. Maybe this was an off year. I should also note that I paid for the VIP upgrade, which included a parking pass, and indoor pre/post race bathrooms, private gear check, pre/post food, and trainers to stretch you afterwards. Having not run a race previously in downtown Raleigh, I wanted to eliminate race day anxiety for this first one. It was worth every penny, especially since it was 29 degrees at the start of the race, and only 32 by the end. Being able to stay indoors, and return to the indoors, plus the post race stretching, made this a much more enjoyable experience. Here are my thoughts overall:

[] the start line threw me. Again I'm used to larger races and kept asking when the start corals close so I knew what time to head outside, and was told they don't, but had a hard time believing this statemeant, but it was the truth. You can walk into your coral at any time, and no one was checking assignments at the coral entrances so people basically entered where they wanted. I was in coral 5 of ~40 and waited last minute to jump in to avoid standing outside in the cold for very long.

[] the course is picturesque and hilly; you run through downtown, NC State, residential neighborhoods, and surrounding parks/near a green way. There are rolling hills thought out, with two steep inclines that cover a greater distance around mile 6 (both 1/2 & full), and mile 11.2 through 12.3 (which is 24.2 - 25.3 for the full). Steep inclines and rolling hills also means lots of downhills, which I felt made a hilly course a decent speed course. If that makes any sense. The course is a loop so you never see the same thing, and it's got lots of bends and curves, which means you rarely see the up hills coming. Personally I liked that. I'd rather not know.

[] plenty of aid stations throughout with water and Gatorade. GLUKOS was the on course gels/chews provider. I've never used them so I carried my own.

[] for a small (in my expereince) race, the on course crowd was better than expected. The race goes through many residential neighborhoods so there are residents out, but lots of larger groups at key spots and when you return to downtown. There were also ~6 or more bands provided by the rock n roll series along the course, and a few local marching bands.

[] the expo was well organized and you were able to move through packet pick up quickly, although I went Friday afternoon right when it opened. Lots of vendors on site.

[] nothing to write home about on the swag. Nice standard participants shirt, and the sizing is pretty true to size, versus running small like many race shirts do. Other than that, a few coupons and a sample of nuts and dried cherries.

[] getting out of downtown post race was a bit of a cluster. The RPD directing traffic had many of us driving in circles by directing us in directions that dead ended into the race course that was still closed. Took some time and lots of turning around, but made it out of there.

[] overall I was very pleased with the course, and organization of this race and would do the half marathon again. The full would definitely be a challenging course given all the hills and the one at the end.

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