Man, this was a deceptively hard race. First, hats off to the race organizer who put this together all the way from Florida - he is a nice man working for a great cause. The race itself was pretty good - if you like scenic runs lined with cheering crowds, this probably isn't the race for you. If you like a challenging run where it is you and the road while fighting the elements, read on. The course itself was unusual and I am glad that I gave it a try. Basically, they take the circuits and grounds of Summit Point Motorsports Park and make it into a loop and it is two laps for the half marathon. Silly me thought that it would be flat because it was a motorsports park, but ha-ha-ha. The day itself was freezing cold, in the low 30s and immediately after the start there was an uphill through a veritable wind tunnel. Miles 1-3 were slightly uphill at times, and winding around lots of turns. Miles 4-6 (and subsequently 10-12) was where it got hard. There was a circuit that was largely uphill and then a very sharp and steep climb up a bridge which was psychotic when it came after mile 12. It was impossible for me to run up the hill so all I could do was keep the legs moving and take it very slow. Outside of the bridge, it was a pretty steady uphill for a large period of time - you can't really tell it from the elevation chart and it wasn't steep, but it was noticeable. Being on the slower side and since the cold meant that the most serious runners showed up, I spent large periods of time running by myself. But even though it was cold and windy and my legs started their usual bark around mile 12, I pressed on to a 2:21 finish, exactly the same time as my last race.

The pros were an unusual and challenging course, I liked the t-shirts and there was pizza at the finish line (for those who are insane enough to eat pepperoni pizza after running 13 miles), also energy gel at mile 8 was extremely appreciated.

Cons - I wish there was a ribbon on the medals and gatorade on the course. Also, the volunteers were pretty brusque at packet pickup.

But all in all, a solid effort from the race director and the race was worth the hour and a half drive.