Beautiful trail run! I very much enjoyed this race. Unlike a lot of 10Ks, this one did not just run the 5K course twice. The 10K had its own course winding around McCloud Nature Park with beautiful views at every turn. Just after mile 2, three deer ran across the trail right in front of us. Very cool!

There was plenty of convenient parking inside the park near the Nature Center, and coffee, cider and donuts were available at packet pickup race morning. The race entry fee was only $20. That didn't include t-shirts, although there were some for sale. There were no finisher's medals, either. But the first 300 registrants did receive a very nice winter stocking cap: green, black & white striped with the race logo. I know mine will get a lot of use this winter!

There were no aid stations on the course. Just water, coffee, cider and donuts at the start/finish. That's not unusual for a small trail race, though, so I brought my own. The trails were fairly easy for the most part, but there were two challenging hills. There was a stroller shortcut you could use if you couldn't or didn't want to do the hills, since this was a family-friendly event.

Race management did a really good job. They didn't find out about a road closure requiring a detour to the park until the night before. They sent out emails, but they also delayed the start to give people extra time to get there, and they kept everyone informed by frequent announcements about when they would be getting started.

The biggest draw for this race would have to be the scenery! It really is a beautiful park, and having this in mid-October pretty much ensures you are going to see the leaves at their peak. I would definitely do this race again & recommend it to friends, especially if the price stays so low: it's definitely worth it!

This race is so much fun! It's a run through a corn maze/apple orchard/pumpkin farm and it's really pretty! The course is pretty flat, but the ground is somewhat uneven since it is a farm. Costumes are encouraged and it's always fun to see what everyone's wearing. There is a lot of great scenery for pictures, too.

The parking/packet-pickup issue from last year was greatly improved! Parking is still in the field at the back of the farm, but packet pickup and the start line are now also at the back. The race started in waves, also, which I think definitely helped congestion on the course. This race does draw a lot of people who don't normally run, so there are lots of walkers out there, but this year they were in the later waves so that worked much better.

Race SWAG is a really big draw for this race, and it definitely didn't disappoint. Super cute Halloween short-sleeved tech shirt, finisher's medal for everyone (& very different from last year), a pumpkin & cider for everyone, and a beer for those over 21. Not just any beer, either. Traveler's Jack-O Pumpkin Shandy! One of the best pumpkin beers I've ever tasted.

I enjoyed this race despite the bad weather we got stuck with. It's a 2.2 mile loop along the White River Parkway in downtown Indianapolis. Running the entire marathon solo might get kind of boring, but I did it on a team of 6 runners, so I only ran three laps. The course is really flat, and offers great views of the river, downtown, and the zoo. The volunteers along the course were so friendly & funny. And the other runners - that's the thing I love about racing in laps - the faster runners coming by are always so encouraging to us slowpokes.

Parking is super easy since this is downtown. There are lots of options. Packet pick-up was only race morning, but it went pretty quickly. Everything for our entire team was bagged together so I picked it up all at once and got the relay baton & instructions as well. Swag is minimal but good quality. A nice cotton t-shirt with cute logo and some Gatorade chews for everyone.

There was one aid station, just after the start/finish/transition point, with volunteers handing out water & Gatorade. There was a lot of food offered at the finish area, and some of the best hot chocolate I've ever had. Seriously - it was really rich & tasty.

Finally I have to really compliment race management. Our team finished last, after the posted cutoff time, and after many other teams had surrendered to the cold & wind & rain, and gone home with DNFs. Management/Volunteers packed up most of the finish line, but they kept the timing mat & clock going until we were done so we still got an official finish time (6:33). And they cheered us in & took finish line pictures as well. We all really appreciate them sticking it out with us.

This was a very challenging, hilly trail race in a beautiful part of the state - the Morgan-Monroe State Forest. About 1/4 of the race was gravel forest service roads, but the majority was single-track trail through the forest. Lots of climbing steep hills with switchbacks. I absolutely loved it! The scenery is gorgeous throughout the entire course. The trail was very well-marked. There was never a moment where I couldn't see a trail marker & had to wonder where I was.

There were 5 aid stations, 2 of which we passed twice as the trail looped by a different way. All aid stations had both water and Gatorade, and very friendly volunteers. At the end of the race, we were served hot homemade soup along with the usual post-race snacks of bananas, chips, cookies, etc.

Parking was very easy - as we entered the State Forest we were directed to parking along the road coming in, and it was very close to the start-finish area. SWAG was minimal - no finisher's medal, and the t-shirt was an optional additional purchase - but with a race entry fee of only $20 it's a really great deal.

I would absolutely recommend this race to someone who enjoys challenging trails. It was a lot of fun, and I will be back next year.

This race was a lot of fun! It's part of a series of 3.17 mile races around Indy (317 is the area code here). All the races are on Thursday evenings, all in different neighborhoods and all benefiting different local charities. I registered for the entire series while at an expo for another race earlier last year, so registration was super easy and I received my half-zip tech shirt at registration.

Packet pickup for this race was at a local running store the night before, and was very quick with no lines. While not in the same neighborhood as the race, it was still a very central location, and pickup was quick with plenty of volunteers and no waiting. There's a lot of swag for these races: a pint glass, bumper sticker, coupon for a free Penn Station sub, and 2 beer tickets attached to your race bib.

Pre-race communications were frequent and were very useful. The race is on a Thursday evening in July, and the forecast was calling for high temps and humidity. Pre-race communications warned us about the forecast and explained how green, yellow, red, or black flags would be used on race day, as well as reminding us to bring our IDs if we wanted those free beers.

Race day parking was not an issue for me; I work just a mile away so I left my car at work and walked over. There were ID check stations set up pre-race so you could get your wristband in advance for no waiting post-race. Yellow flags were out due to the high temperatures, and announcements at the starting line reminded us to use caution in the heat. The race course was really flat and ran through some historic and unique residential neighborhoods that are really pretty. Some people did not like that a few streets we ran on were cobblestone, but as I am familiar with the area and used to running on these streets, it didn't bother me. There was one aid station with plenty of cold water. Post race results were available immediately by scanning the QR code on our race bibs, which is pretty cool.

The post race party is one of the best parts of these Run(317) events. Besides the 2 free beers - which are good beers from a local brewer - there is a DJ, plenty of food trucks, and the area stays closed to traffic well into the evening to allow us to just hang out. There are several beer stations so lines never got very long. The race is in a part of town with lots of good local restaurants and bars as well if you want more to eat and drink. I definitely would recommend this and all the Run(317) races, and I will be running them all again in 2016.