I was REALLY excited about doing the Neon Dash. It was to be my first official night race, and I had signed up with friends. The idea behind the race is that you run at night, wearing white, and you get sprayed with various glow in the dark color, which you can see as you run past the various black lights set up around the course. Sounds awesome, right? Even better was the fact that it only cost $20 to sign up!
I suppose I shouldn't have expected much from the swag, but I was disappointed. The generic, shapeless cotton t-shirt was gross, and no one in my group wore it at all. We were also given this weird scarf thing that was just awkward and we weren't really sure what to do with it.
The race was originally supposed to start at 8:30, but a few days before the race we got an email saying they were starting at 9 instead. Around 8:50 we walked to the race start to get in line… and proceeded to stand there for half an hour before we started running (they let tiny groups go every few minutes… but never communicated that to us. We would’ve gotten in the starting shoot much earlier if we had known). This was the first sign of poor management.
The first color station took almost a half mile to come to, and it was a powder station. Then it was almost another half a mile before the next color station. Then there were a few color stations really close together. I really wish they had been more spread out.
They had specifically said multiple times that walkers were to stay to the right, and runners to the left. That obviously didn’t happen, and it was a little annoying. I wasn’t expecting to run fast, as this isn’t a normal race, and I wanted to have fun at the color stations. However, it was really annoying to have to weave around really slow walkers.
There was water once on the course at mile 1.5, and I was looking forward to it. It was hot and humid, and going through powder stations had made my mouth extra dry. We got to the water station and there was a LONG long long line, so we decided it wasn’t worth it to wait the multiple minutes it would’ve taken to get a cup of water. When we passed we realized what the problem was: they were filling tiny cups with a water hose! SERIOUSLY. The entire thing was really inefficient, and I was not so pleased.

Once the race finished, we went in search of water. Again, they were filling tiny cups with water that was not cold or refreshing. They had the Honest Tea company there with samples too. This was cold and refreshing, but only about 2 ounces too. So, at the end of the race, we were given about 4 ounces (MAYBE) of liquid, and that’s it. Not fantastic. The post race party was “meh”, so we headed out pretty quickly. While the idea behind the race was fun, I was not impressed with very many aspects of the race at all. With a few simple changes, they could actually make this race fun for those of us who signed up. As it is right now, I wouldn't recommend it.

For a detailed race report, you can check mine out here: http://www.thelittlethingsblog.com/neon-dash-5k-race-recap/

The first thing I want to mention about this race is that in 2015 they've moved the race date to September, so they shouldn't be dealing with the summer heat the way he did in 2014.
I knew that the heat and humidity were going to be the controlling factors as we drove down to the race start, which happened in Monument Circle. Race start temperature was about 60 degrees with 92% humidity, but we knew the temperature was going to shoot up quickly, but of course this isn't anything that the race officials could control.
We simply lined up by our estimated finish times, and there were pacers who planned to run holding the pace signs throughout the race. It wasn't stressful at all at the race start, and because it is a smaller race, everything went smoothly. The first 5 miles flew by, and the pacer was fantastic.
That's when things started to go south, but only because of the heat. My friend and I had to walk a LOT because it was hot. At one point I looked as far as I could in front of and behind me, and every single person was walking due to the heat. Not great, right?
Around mile 7 there is a BEAST of a hill, and I ended up walking through most of the entire thing.
There were hydration stations almost every mile, which was nice. However, due to the heat, the water was pretty warm the entire second part of the race. I grabbed a cup of water at each station, but only to throw down my back. I gagged trying to keep it down. The powerade remained good throughout the entire race, and I drank that exclusively the entire second half. I had luckily brought a hand held with nuun in it, and I drank that throughout the race too. The heat just felt intolerable at times.
The course was fine, but nothing too exciting. There was very little crowd support along the course, which made keeping up my excitement in the heat just that much more difficult.
Overall I did enjoy the race, and would sign up for it again since it's going to be in the fall. I think I would've ended up enjoying the race much more if it hadn't been so warm.
At the finish line there were all sorts of goodies, including water, cookies, pizza, chips, bananas, etc... I loved it! Because it was an all women's race, there were also men there giving out roses. How sweet, right?

For a more detailed race report, click here: http://www.thelittlethingsblog.com/indianapolis-womens-half-marathon-2014-race-recap/

This was a race that changed my life. The expo was convenient (free parking, easy location) and I enjoyed the swag we got (I really love my shirt, and especially love that they had a women's cut). The corrals were nice and smooth, and I immediately found the pacer for my group. I talked with her and discovered they would be doing a run:walk pattern through the race, which was ideal because that's how I train and race. I thought this might be the day I set a new PR!

The race started right on time, and I immediately fell into a great rhythm. Less than a mile in, I started talking to a girl named Melissa, and we ended up not only talking through the entire race, but became great friends, and she's now my running buddy. The pacers were fantastic, and were very encouraging throughout the race. They told funny stories when the course got rough, and were great leaders through the 13.1 miles. There were water and powerade stations almost every mile, and everything was cold when we ran through, which is a fantastic! I hate drinking hot water mid-race.
Starting at mile 3 we started to climb little hills. I really don’t remember at what miles the biggest of the hills were, but I remember them being there. I had worried a bit about the hills before the race, but people had made comments about it being flat so I tried to put those worries aside. Well- I train on almost completely flat roads, so to me, this course had HILLS (of course if you train on a really hilly route, they would likely seem like very little hills to you- all about what you’re used to). Our pace group walked up a few of the bigger ones which was helpful because there’s no way I could’ve run up all of them. I know I lost time on the hills, and I wouldn’t have lost as much time if it had been completely flat (like the monumental course). Running these hills was yet another new experience.
Around mile 9 we hit a trail which helped to break things up a bit. There was shade, which was definitely pretty nice at this point. There were other people out on their normal Saturday morning runs, so it was sort of weird to race next to others who weren’t racing. We were only on it for maybe a mile before popping back out on the main road. The last 2-ish miles were through Carmel, and it was fun to see all the little shops, statues, and fountains. I loved that the route was as scenic as it was, but I really missed having lots of crowd support. I ended up missing my PR by about 30 seconds, which was definitely disappointing, but I ran the race so well that I was on a very happy post-race high anyways!
The food afterwords was great, and they even had pizza sitting out at the finish line.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this race. The course was great, it was well organized and everything went smoothly, and the pacers were fantastic. Plus, who knows- maybe you'll meet your running buddy on the course as well!

To read a full race recap, check out my blog: http://www.thelittlethingsblog.com/carmel-half-marathon-race-recap-2014/

I've completed the Indy monumental half marathon twice now (and am signed up for 2014 as well), and it is honestly my favorite race course!

On race morning they open the Indy convention center, so there's a warm place to hang out and flushing toilets to use before the race. People go out about 15 minutes before the race start and line up next to pacers with estimated finishing times. There is absolutely no stress in this process, and this immediately makes me like the race! As the name suggests, the race runs past various monuments throughout Indianapolis, and I really enjoy that! Before you hit mile 3, you'll run through monument circle (it's beautiful as the sun is rising) and past Lucas Oil Stadium.
There are hydration stations almost every mile, and most (if not all) have both water and Gatorade. These are efficient, and I've never had to stand around waiting for either, as I have in other races. The middle of the race winds through various neighborhoods, and I love the crowd support here. While it isn't packed with crowds, there are quite a few people standing and cheering, and I never get bored.
At mile 7 the half marathoners and marathoners split, and the half marathoners start winding their way home.
During the final mile in, the crowds start thickening, and you can feel the energy from the finish line. The finish itself is right in front of the Capitol, and post race they usually have good food. I think my first year they had subs and chili for free at the finish line.
Honestly, I like every single thing about this race, and haven't really found a complaint in the two years that I've done the race. I would absolutely suggest signing up if you live anywhere within a few hours of the race! The course is almost completely flat, which means it is FAST. The race also happens at the beginning of November, which tends to yield ideal racing weather.

If you're interested in reading my actual race recaps, here they are:
2013: http://www.thelittlethingsblog.com/indianapolis-monumental-half-marathon-recap-2013/
2012: http://www.thelittlethingsblog.com/indianapolis-monumental-half-marathon-recap/