The Shamrock 8k is a wonderful race. If the crazy Virginia Beach weather is on your side, it's a great course for a PR attempt. It's flat with few hard turns and easy to take tangents if you're not in the middle of the pack. In 2017 it was host to the USATF Masters 8k Championship. The 8k is Saturday and can be a great warm-up for Sunday's half or full marathon.

Expo - The expo is large but easy to get through. This year the speaker series included Shalane Flannagan and Elyse Kopecky! You get your bib with b-tag timing chip and your race shirt at the expo. It's a cotton long sleeve t for 8k runners, a tech t-shirt for half marathoners and a long sleeve version for marathon runners. It goes on for two days and is in walking distance of many hotels but also has plenty of free parking.

Start - Centered at the Hilton, there are both indoor and outdoor restroom options if you feel like waiting. Gear check is easily accessible and well organized. Parking is free if you're willing to walk a bit and around $10 in garages if you'd like to get closer. Either way there's enough of it for the 7,000+ runners. The start has corrals and they're easy to navigate.

Course - Even with the corrals things can be a little traffic filled early on. A long straightaway welcomes you to a loose u-turn headed north in Mile 3. Another lengthy straightaway then a jog to head one block west puts you another half mile straight north. A final u-turn puts you south on the boardwalk for the last 800 or so meters as you stare down the finish arch. Did I mention it's flat? So incredibly flat.

Course Support - DJs and two water stops dot the course. Because you're running down the main oceanfront drag and then on the boardwalk, crowd support never lacks. A great chance to get your feet wet with a fun race experience.

Finish - After feeling like you'll never get there from staring at it for the last half mile, you finally hit the finish line. You'll receive a nice medal, other goodies including a drawstring backpack, a koozie, water, banana, cookies and chips. You'll also get a finisher photo that you can download for free. All race photos for Shamrock Weekend are free!

After Party - Post race you're heading to the party tent. With four complimentary beer tickets on your bib, you can't say no to the Yuengling. You'll also get a cup of Irish stew and a lively concert from any number of local bands. The tent keeps you warm and dry while loads of port-a-potties just outside are usually line free. Fun is had by all on the beach.

Swag - Great swag. From tech shirts to big medals, the free race photos and complimentary beer, it's some of the best around. Half and full marathoners also get hats, beach towels and two days of partying so it pays to register for the Whale (8k/marathon) or Dolphin (8k/half) Challenges.

All of the Shamrock races are great and definitely worth a visit at least once.

This was my second year running the One City Marathon. It was well done race in 2016 and with some questionable weather in 2017 it was even better. A smaller point to point race, it's a great first marathon or chance to BQ. Here's the nitty gritty:

Expo/Packet Pick Up - Held at the community center there's easy access to the small expo. It carries all of the necessities without being overwhelming. If you don't want to shop, it's a very quick in and out.

Overnight - Because the race is point to point most of the hotels end up being somewhere towards the middle of the course. Special rates are offered and the official race hotels offer shuttles to the start and finish. There are a myriad of options for dinner, including a pasta dinner at one of the race hotels. It's definitely a less expensive hotel stay than many other races which is a nice perk. *Note: daylight saving time starts race morning so you do lose an hour of sleep*

Weather - 2016 was a warmer year with temperatures in the 50s. In 2017 temperatures were in the 30s. Luckily the forecasted snow never happened and the winds were much light than predicted. One thing to note about the Newport News/Hampton Roads area is that if you don't like the weather, all you have to do it wait five minutes. Be prepared for just about anything. Due to the below freezing temperatures, the race really stepped up their game this year. The relay runners were provided buses and buildings were opened to keep people warm while the waited for their hand-offs. Heat lamps and electric blankets were added along the course and at the finish party.

Race Day Parking - There's plentiful parking at the start but no shuttle back after the race. You'll need an Uber or a friend to get your car. The hotels shuttles are a great option and can save you some trouble. Parking at the finish is also plentiful and shuttles will take you from a designated place near the finish to the start before the race. Bonus? It's all free!

Start - The start in Newport News Park is nice. Of course with the lost hour it's still a little dark but getting there is easy and lining up even easier. There are indoor restrooms a bit away from the start line mayhem and loads of port-a-potties only feet away. Gear check is available along with plenty of space to get a good warm up in.

Course - You start in Newport News Park with tree lined streets and plenty of scenery. We even had deer race alongside for a while (no one got run over, luckily). There are small rolling hills throughout the course as it takes you through quiet neighborhoods, down main drags and through the CNU campus that amount to about 250 feet of elevation gain. A short portion of the course before Mile 20 is on the Noland Trail, a paved trail through another set of woods, where you need to be careful of uneven surfaces and pot holes. There are long straight sections and some twisty sections so be prepared to run a little further than 26.2 miles, especially on the main roads. They're four lanes wide and water stations are all the way on the outside. I tried to take tangents but had to run essentially across 8 lanes to get water. An altogether flat and simple course, it's a good one to tackle when you're looking for a test.

Course Support - Water stops every two miles are great. GU at Mile 16 is also nice. Cheer sections give you a push periodically but with the cold weather the neighborhoods were sparsely populated at the early hour. If you're someone who needs lots of cheering, this might not be the race for you. If you like predictable and well stocked water stops with a free re-fill on GU, register today. Police and volunteers are plentiful and did a great job controlling traffic on roads that were only half closed.

Finish - A long straight shot brings you to 26 miles and a right turn dumps you onto the finish line. This is where the biggest crowds are but because of the race's small size the area doesn't feel crowded. I'm a big fan of not staring at the finish line for a long time before I get there and really like that it pops right up after your turn. You'll get a big medal, a banana, a few beverages, some snack bars and two free beers after crossing that finish line. This year they also had extra heat sheets/jackets and heat lamps.

Party Time - With the cold temperatures I didn't hang out for the post race party. Your bib gets you two beers and one serving of food. The party location is right next to the scenic James River and a nice place to recoup a bit from a long run if you're not freezing cold.

Swag - Big shiny medals, long sleep tech shirts and plenty of edible goodies make for solid swag.

I definitely recommend this race for anyone who likes smaller events that are well organized with fast courses.

This was my first time running the Wineglass Half Marathon. In its sixth year, the event had all the kinks ironed out and was a wonderful experience. I didn't have the run I wanted but enjoyed the race and recommend checking it out if you're looking for a fall destination race. The historic area is surrounded by wineries and stunning vistas that present the perfect spot for a fall vacation. For more information on the Wineglass's location, check out New York's Finger Lake area but until then, here are the race details you need.

Expo/Packet Pick Up - Held at the Corning Museum of Glass, pick-up was crowded. There were long lines that moved quickly to get your bib and swag after you had to weave through a packed gift shop trying not to break any of the thousands of pieces of glass. It's a good chance to visit the Museum since you get 50% off admission with your bib. Because it was so crowded, I did not check out the vendors but there was a decent selection and chance to grab anything you forgot.

Overnight - There are lots of places to stay. Few are within walking distance of the point-to-point's finish. Runners are required to shuttle to start anyway so it's not a big deal. Along with the variety of sleeping options, there is a dining choice to satisfy everyone. From local brew pubs to Italian to nation chains, there's no shortage of food. I did not attend the official pre-race pasta dinner but there is one at the host hotel.

Weather - Rain threatened this year and things were a little humid by the time most people were finishing. Otherwise it was a typical cool fall morning with little wind. Temperatures hovered around 60 for the race's duration but warmed up significantly for the marathoners who started 30 minutes later and had twice as far to go.

Race Day Parking - Definitely park at the finish and walk to the shuttle or have someone drop you off and get back early to meet you. The town's parking restrictions are waived on race day but it doesn't create more spots. If you chose to park at the marathon start, shuttles run back most of the afternoon.

Start - After a 15 minute shuttle ride, last one at 6:30am, runners were left to themselves in a middle school gym for around an hour before the races 7:45 start. There were loads of Port-a-Potties outside with lines that were messy but moving. Gear check wasn't the best arrangement and I was surprised to have to wait in line for that as well. The race did go off smoothly exactly on time.

Course - The course if net downhill (40 feet) and has an overall elevation gain of about 150 feet. It's incredibly spacious and easy to take the tangents. You wind towards Corning from 13.1 miles away passing field, stunning mountain views, through parks and neighborhoods. It's a peaceful course that includes roads, a little dirt from some construction this year, and paved park path.

Course Support - The volunteers outnumbered runners by at least 2:1. They were cheerful, helpful and everywhere. Water stops were stocked with GU, water and Gatorade. Potties dotted the course at regular intervals. Traffic was well controlled and the course is very safe.

Finish - You finish with about 400M to go on Corning's main street. It's lined with cheering spectators and you can see the line from all the way out. Coming through you're fed water, sports drink, medals, heat sheets, bananas, pizza, bagels, muffins and chocolate milk. Luckily they stock bags so you aren't dropping things all over (LOVED this!).

Party Time - Post race there are complimentary massages, a wine down party, museums offering deals, free wine tastings and more to celebrate your race for the rest of the day.

Swag - The swag is amazing. A sturdy, high quality drawstring backpack is filled with local gift cards and coupons. A half zip tech shirt features the race's logo along with a petite Wineglass wine glass and half split of Wineglass emblazoned sparkling wine. Finisher medals are glass coasters and gorgeous.

In its second year, the Morgantown Thirteener is run on a weekend full of races in Morgantown, WV. Saturday features the Mountain Mama 8k with the Marathon and Thirteener on Sunday. Great mountain scenery also provides plenty of ups and downs as the small race rocks through the quiet West Virginia University town. I paced the 2:00 group to a few PRs and had a blast. Here are my thoughts on the important things:

Expo/Packet Pick Up - The expo is small but more than adequate with lots of parking. Since the race is small, you can breeze right through grabbing your number and long sleeve tech shirt. We also received four lottery tickets compliments of the West Virginia Lottery and I won $1! Hey, free money.

Overnight - The University had plots of goings on happening on race weekend even though the football team was away. Since there are tons of hotels, it wasn't a problem getting a room in spite of the activities. Prices are reasonable and they don't make you stay longer than you want.

Weather - The mountains in September can be rainy, humid, hot or cool. This year was cloudy after rain had poured down the night before but dry and somewhat humid. The temperatures in the low 70s kept things from getting too warm or painful.

Race Day Parking - There is no parking at the Start/Finish. You can be dropped off there or take the shuttle from the baseball stadium a few miles away. It's a roughly 10 minute ride to the start so be sure to take that into account in your race morning plans. The shuttles run constantly and brought me back after the race with only one other passenger on board. It definitely didn't feel like any inconvenience as they sometimes can.

Start - Plenty of Port-a-Potties with gear check and walk up registration. There's lots of room to warm-up in the Coliseum's massive empty parking lots (safety!). Especially with the clouds it was a bit dark but the post lights have a far enough reach that I was easily able to get a mile in with going too far from the Start. There aren't any corrals but with roughly 600 runners across both races we seeded ourselves pretty close to correctly. We went off right on time.

Course - The thirteener course is a big out and back square essentially. Great for spectators who can hang in the middle and see runners numerous times, it also means plenty of water stops and as much crowd support as you'd expect in a college town on a Sunday morning. There aren't a ton of turns but there are lots of rolling hills with a few short steep climbs (elevation gain 511 ft.). The full is "mountainous" and very challenging from what I heard, covering an entirely different path after the races split at Mile 6.5.

Course Support - With the out-and-back-ness of the course there are plenty of water stops. I noticed a few Port-a-Potties out there but not at each one. Two stops had snacks and there were CarbBoom gels at Mile 8ish. There were also sour gummy worms, oranges and animal crackers to snack on. Something for everyone. Volunteers were friendly and stops were well staffed. The police, fire and EMS did a great job directing traffic and keeping the runners safe. Crowd support was sparse, mostly families hanging out with their kids and friends of runners bouncing around to different points.

Finish - The course was long. I had 12.05 at Mile 12 and 13.31 when I crossed the finish. Rounding the Coliseum you don't see the Finish line until you're on top of it which can be a little demoralizing when you realize you have to run an extra hundred or more meters. I did take some turns wide since I was pacing and wanted my runners to be able to take the tangents but several other pacers had similar outcomes. Coming through the chute you get a nice medal, the middle spins, bottled water, bananas and Powerade. Continuing on, you have pizza, Panera, fruit and beer.

Party Time - I was antsy to get back on the road home so I didn't hang out long. It was easy to retrieve my checked gear, use a Port-a-Potty and grab a snack. You get two free drinks with your entry and I gave mine to a grateful runner.

The weather held out for a beautiful morning and I had a great time at the Morgantown Thirteener. It's a well organized race with a challenging course, great swag and good food.