The Run for the Red Marathon was a very well organized race. They were very active through email and Facebook constantly providing updates about the race, along with a pace group that provided tips and encouragement in the weeks leading up to race day.

As one review has already stated, the start and finish are both at high schools, so there is plenty of parking. Getting the packet the day before was super easy, and the cool red technical shirt they provided was pretty sweet.

My family and I stayed at the Kalahari Resort, which was only 10 minutes or so from the starting point. The only con to this is that my family planned to see me start the race, go back to the resort, and then meet me at the finish. However the marathon caused several major roads to be closed, preventing people from getting back to the resort until the race was over! While this did not affect me as a runner, it is something to consider if you will have family attending with you.

The course is mostly downhill. While my performance was not good at all (due to improper fueling), looking back the course is quite pace and PR friendly. There are a few small inclines, but they come towards the end of the race. While most of the course is quiet and running on roads in the shade of the woods, there are a few sections where you run along the road with traffic. However I found it to be safe and never saw any instance where a runner was in danger.

The pacing group that took part (MarthonPacing.com) was top notch. The 3:55 pacer was very informative, encouraging, and positive when I ran with that group.

Overall this is a nice race if you want an easy time getting to / from the course with a chance to set a PR as well!