Latest reviews by Jennifer

(2017)
""A Festival of Trails""
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Run the Keweenaw: A Festival of Trails has quickly become one of my favorite running experiences! This year I participated in all three races (6K Mt. Baldy Summit Run, 10K Copper Harbor Trails Challenge, 25K Carl Olson Memorial Adventure Run) and have to say I think I am now hooked on trail running. Both the race organizers and the runners who participate in these races have created a fun, welcoming community that will make you want to return year after year.

T-Shirts/SWAG - All race partipants receive the most comfortable t-shirt, and locally-crafted gifts are awarded to the top 3 age-group winners in each race. There are also awards for the overall fastest finishers of all three races, as well as prizes for winners of some other fun categories.

Aid Stations - The 6K is self-supported, the 10K has one aid station, and 25K has three aid stations, all providing water, Gatorade and encouragement from race volunteers!

Course Scenery - These races are the ultimate way to get some of the best views of Lake Superior and the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Expo - Bib Pick-Up/Registration takes place in Copper Harbor's Welcome Center. It's friendly and low-key.

Elevation/Course - Be prepared for some pretty technical trails! The 10K and 25K follow single-track mountain bike trails - you'll come across rocks, roots, switchbacks, creeks, bridges, boards...and luckily just a little relief pavement for us road runners. While the 10K is relatively flat, the 6K and 25K will bring you to the top of some of the best lookout points in the area. *Note about the 6K - the race is technically point-to-point. The course starts in Eagle Harbor and finishes on top of Mt. Baldy. Runners are expected to make the descent back down the hill on their own. There are refreshements (water, Gatorade, coffee, fruit, etc.) when you get back down the hill.

Parking/Access - Parking near the start/finish of all races is easy and close.

Race Management - The entire weekend is low-key but well-organized.

Accommodations/Area Attractions - For the past two years we've camped at Fort Wilkins State Park, about 1 mile from the Copper Harbor Welcome Center. It's a well-maintained campground nestled between Lake Superior and Lake Fanny Hooe. There are also several motel rooms, cabins, and cottages for rent closer to town. Some of our favorite places in the area include: Jamsen's Fish Market and Bakery (fair trade coffee, delicious pastries, smoked fish, and locally-made gifts), The Fitz (waterfront restaurant/bar in Eagle River), Captain Matt's Fish and Chips, Brickside Brewery, and the Jampot Bakery. If you have an extra day or two, I highly recommend walking through the Estivant Pines, making the 6 - 7 mile trek out to High Rock Bay or taking a sunset cruise along the coast of the peninsula. If you are feeling really adventurous, you can take a 3-hour ferry trip to Isle Royale. Overall, I highly recommend this event!

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(2017)
"The Most Beautiful Marathon"
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I am in love with this race! The scenery is unbelievable. I would love to go back if I get the chance.

The Expo is tight - I would get there early. Also don't forget to pick up your ticket for the start line bus while you are there. (This wasn't clear in emails leading up to race day.)

We drove the course the day beforehand and I was glad to get some pictures so I wouldn't feel like I had to stop during the race. We also spent some time at the beach in Carmel-by-the-Sea, which I recommend! We missed 17 Mile Drive - a scenic drive that's on my list for next time! We had a great pre-race dinner at Palucca Trattoria in Monterrey.

Race Day! We had perfect weather - 60s and sunny, but I know this isn't always the case. The bus to the start area is early but if you're coming from the Central or Eastern time zones, it's not that bad. I had heard that waiting around at the start would be cold and miserable, but you can wait until the last minute to toss throwaways and/or toss your bag into the gear check truck, so it was fine. There is a staggered start based on pace - the waves are not assigned ahead of time, so look for the pace signs. I didn't realize this and missed out on running with/near a pace group. The first 5 - 6 miles are fairly flat and then it just gets hillier and hillier from there :) There are definitely not as many spectators as big city races, but the great aid station volunteers and musicians, not to mention the scenery, are enough to keep you motivated! Although not as long as the hills in the first half of the race, the hills in the last 6 miles were the toughest for me, so don't let your guard down too soon. You'll also start coming up on the 10.6 Mile runners and walkers - I had to do a little bit more weaving than my tired legs were up for at that point in the race. Other than that, the race is incredible.

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(2015)
"I'd rather pay for ZooLights."
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This was my second time running the Run for the Zoo 10K. I ran a few years ago just for fun with some friends, but this year I was hoping to get in a good 10K time before starting marathon training. This race is a fundraiser for the Lincoln Park Zoo and since I'm a big fan of ZooLights, I was happy to support the cause. However, I was disappointed with race management overall.

Packet pick-up took place on Friday from 11:00 - 6:00 pm and Saturday from 9:00 - 1:00 pm. I wasn't able to get there by 6:00 on Friday so I had to change my Saturday plans in order to get my packet at 9:00. I arrived at the New Balance store shortly after 9:00 and the line was already wrapped around inside of the store, out the door and down the sidewalk. The packets were not prepared ahead of time and there were only a few people looking up names, finding bib numbers, and finding shirts. It was a much slower process than I've seen at other races.

On race day, I was able to warm-up to the starting area so I didn't have to worry about parking or transportation. There were markers for pace groups, but it was evident once the race started that not many people followed them. I had to swerve around several strollers even though I lined up towards the front. The weather forecast was calling for storms, so they made an announcement that the race would go on if it was raining, but once lightening was spotted, they would "turn everyone around." The race started in the rain, and it did thunder a few times by the time I reached the turnaround point just past mile 2. Apparently they started making people turn back early around mile 1.5. However, these people took up the entire width of the path (it would have been helpful if they were advised to stay to the right). The course looped back towards the zoo entrance and was supposed to make another loop south of the zoo, but everyone was stopped as they passed the zoo entrance and told to walk even though it didn't seem like it was thundering any more at that point. Because the 10K was cut short, the zoo was inundated with both 5K and 10K runners all at once, and I chose not to wait in very long lines get post-race refreshments. Unfortunately, the gear-check was poorly organized and I had to wait in line for 45 minutes to get my bag. So, three things I'd like to see improve before I do this race again: packet pick-up, gear check, and weather contingency plan.

Despite a disappointing morning, it made me smile when another rain-drenched runner walked over to his son (who had been waiting patiently under a tree for his dad to get his gear) and enthusiastically said, "Let's go see some animals!" I guess that's what it's all about!

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(2014)
"Great Fall Marathon!"
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If you are looking for a new fall marathon to try, the Philadelphia Marathon is a great choice. I was really happy with my experience and will hopefully do it again!

We flew to Philadelphia on Friday night, and with a little research ahead of time, it was easy to take public transportation from the airport to Center City. Hotel options were a little more expensive than I hoped, but our hotel was within walking distance of a train station, the expo, and the start/finish area. On Saturday, we walked to the expo, which was located in the convention center near Reading Terminal. The expo was pretty standard but there wasn't as wide of a selection of Philadelphia Marathon gear as I expected. There are some great lunch options in the area (we really enjoyed Jake's Sandwich Board). We were also able to walk to Independence National Park, but didn't go on any tours (we should have reserved tickets in advance). We had dinner at a great Italian restaurant known for spontaneous opera performances from the staff (Victor Cafe).

Now, on to race day! I was worried about the weather since the race takes place mid-November, but it was perfect (sunny and 40s at the start, and warmed up to 50s). For gear check, they immediately loaded your bag into one of several UPS trucks which were clearly labeled and easy to find after the race. There were starting corrals based on time, but I noticed they weren't closely monitored and I had to do some swerving in the first few miles. There was a lot of crowd support during the first half of the course, which went through downtown towards the Delaware River, around Independence Hall and back through downtown towards University City and around the Philadelphia Zoo area. The half-marathon and full-marathon runners start together, so it was definitely obvious when the half-marathoners split off towards the finish. The second half of the marathon course was an out-and-back along the Schuylkill River. The scenery was beautiful but crowd support was minimal for a few miles and I remember wishing I had music. Overall, the course is hillier than Chicago but it wasn't as tough as I anticipated. The Clif Bar Pace Team leaders were super helpful and provided advice about upcoming turns and hills throughout the race.

Finally, if I had to choose, I would say the best part was definitely the post-race soft pretzels!

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