This race was one that I found to help encourage me to run through the dreaded winter months in Iowa. I found it through a random race search on google, it was hard to find, but with it being in my hometown, I took the opportunity to run on a limestone trail with my high school cross country coach. With the race being in January, I was nervous about the weather, especially with the previous year having 5 inches of fluffy snow the night before the race. This year, however, the weather was a warm 35ish degrees, almost too warm. Snow had melted on the trail throughout the day as it warmed and the trail eventually turned to soup. The race is tough, condition-wise. Also, there was no aid stations along the route. If you wanted water, you had to carry your own bottle. There were volunteers along the course, but they were there to take pictures and point you in the right direction. The Heritage trail, the trail the race is run on, is a beautiful trail however, that winds through the woods and away from the city. The course is an overall fairly flat course, with only one small hill around mile 11ish. The course is also a point-to-point race that you are shuttled out from the expo, then when you finish at a restaurant/bar at the finish, they shuttle you back to the hotel. At the finish, they had a tab open, which you could order whatever you wanted; pop, beer, or even pizza. I enjoyed that fact because some people have different go-tos for after a race, allowing everyone to recover as they want.

For the swag, the medals were different than other ones that I have got from other races. These were pins compared to the lanyard style that you typically see. The shirts were an added cost to the already somewhat expensive race, so I went without one.

Overall this race is tough. Like I said, the conditions can vary from a cool, spring feeling day, or a blustery winter hell. I would recommend this race for anyone looking for a challenge or anyone who enjoys the winter running.

For more info and pictures check out my blog: http://theracecritic.blogspot.com/2015/01/triple-d-race-series-half-marathon.html