This was my first ever Dublin Marathon and I was excited to tour my new home city as a marathoner! This year's race sold out with a capacity of 19,500 runners, the largest EVER Dublin Marathon. This was the first year they held the race on a Sunday, rather than Bank Holiday Monday. This schedule change most likely led to many more non-Irish runners flying in from other places to run as they could just make the trip a long weekend.

SWAG: This race series does a great job with runner's swag! In my marathon packet, I received a high-visibility vest and head torch to use for running in the dark. What a fabulous perk for runners as we head into the dark, winter months! We also received a long-sleeve tech finisher's shirt at the finish line. It's well made and a great reward for running a race.

Expo: Expo was fantastic! It would rival any major marathon expo in the States. Not only was there a great diversity of vendors, there were speakers and presentations held on stage throughout the expo. Lots of sample snacks were available and good deals to be had. There were also several Irish running Olympians working the expo! That was a cool bonus.

Parking/Access: Definitely limited, but public transport gets you right where you need to go! The race guide gave plenty of information about transportation prior to the race.

Course: Lovely course through some gorgeous and historic areas of Dublin. While many marathons use a wave start to control traffic of runners, this is especially important in the Dublin Marathon. The infrastructure of the city is hundreds of years old and the roads are very narrow. I spent the first 5 miles or so looking down as to not trip on a curb, cobblestone or someone else's feet! It eventually opens up once you get to Phoenix Park, but it's something to be prepared for going into the race.

Elevation: The course is mostly flat with a few hills throughout. However there is one long drag between miles 21-22 that can break your heart. It's not that it's very steep, it's just very long and gradual and occurs at a point in the race where you might be hanging on for dear life! To add insult to injury, it is followed by a much shorter but much steeper hill less than 1K later.

Aid Stations: I have a real issue with aid stations at a marathon not offering any type of electrolytes until mile 9. This happened to me in the Dublin Half Marathon in September and I read on the website that the set up was the same so I came prepared and ran with my Orange Mud VP1. It saved my race! Then, when the race did offer electrolytes, they were handing out 500mL bottles of Lucozade. Nobody really needs that much at one time, so many people were throwing almost-full bottles to the side of the (narrow) roads. Near the end of the race, I saw more runners vomiting than I have ever seen at a marathon. In my opinion, many runners got into hydration trouble early on in the race due to the lack of electrolytes available to them.

Race Management: To be fair, this was the largest Dublin Marathon in history so I'm not sure the management knew exactly what they might need to change from previous years to accommodate such a large crowd. Corralling runners to the start line was very unorganized. I walked nearly two miles in circles around the city because we kept getting diverted and not allowed to walk down certain roads. It caused a lot of stress for runners trying to drop off bags at bag drop then find a toilet and then get to the corral. Hopefully they will figure out a better plan for next year.

Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend this race. The crowd support was simply amazing! There was never a stretch of time without spectators! The entire country rallies around this race and I would highly recommend it to anyone who's looking for a fun European marathon.

This race was the final race of the SSE Airtricity Race Series in the lead up to the full marathon in October. It is the same location as the Frank Duffy 10 mile race and was organized very well. There was no expo available as they sent your bib to you in the mail.

I highly recommend using public transport or carpooling to get there as parking is quite limited inside the park. There is a complimentary shuttle bus that collects runners from a location just outside the park that is very convenient for participants.

The course is a large loop around the park and has a few hilly parts to it. Even with several thousand runners, it never felt crowded. However, aid stations only appear every 3 to 4 miles and electrolyte drinks were not available until mile 9. Water was provided only in unopened water bottles, which were tricky to navigate on the run. Definitely recommend bringing your own nutrition.

The bag drop was just a couple small tents and while they tried to organize the bags by numbers, it was still quite chaotic to collect belongings. To be fair, the volunteers were doing their best but there was no system for runners to que or any way for volunteers to locate bags quickly.

At the finish, runners received a goody bag with their tech race shirt and a fantastic finisher's medal. The bag included chips, bars, water, electrolyte drink, and water. They also had fruit and rice pudding available separately.

Overall, it's a great race and wonderful way to prepare for the full marathon just a month later.

This race is one of four in the SSE Airtricity Race Series that culminates with the Dublin Marathon in late October. There is a 10K in July, as well as a half marathon in September, all building up to the marathon. The first three races all take place in Phoenix Park, which is about 2 miles from Dublin City Center. With a perimeter of about 6 miles, it is one of the largest walled parks in Europe (think Central Park, NYC).

Parking/Access: It is best to not drive to this race if it can be avoided. Parking is very limited inside the park. Public transport or cycling to the race is highly recommended. A large area to park bicycles is provided near the start/finish line. A large shuttle bus collected runners on Parkgate St near the Frank Sherwin bridge, which is about 200 meters from the Heuston stop of the red line Luas. Driving in from Co. Wicklow, I parked my car at the Red Cow Luas station and rode the train into town. The shuttle bus dropped us about 1K from start/finish area and took us back after the race.

Course/Aid Stations: This race took place on the car paths throughout the park. There were a few long hills but nothing too substantial. There were some speed humps to watch out for and the path was quite crowded for the first 2 miles as runners found their paces. The park provides a very scenic views and takes you through the Dublin Zoo. Aid stations with water only were available every 3 miles. They were completely stocked and volunteers were enthusiastic. A local radio station provided music around each aid station which was very fun!

SWAG: While there were no medals with this race, the finisher's swag bag more than made up for that! Upon crossing the finish line, you pass through the corral with tshirt sizes on the signs. You choose the size you want and a volunteer hands you a bag containing a tech shirt, a warm beanie, and snacks for days! It was a very wet and cold day so the dry shirt and beanie were AMAZING and every runner began to look the same as we all put them on straight away! Both garments were of decent quality as well so very much appreciated.

Race Management: This was a very well organized event and it was apparent that race management had the runners in mind for each detail. There were plenty of toilets for the 5,000+ runners and a marquee was erected to cover baggage drop.

BAG DROP: The ONLY part of this event that needs some improvement was the bag drop area AFTER the race. To be fair, most of the volunteers in this area were adolescent kids who were doing the best they could to get bags to cold, wet, tired runners. And if the weather had not been so bad, runners probably could have gotten to their own bags quicker and easier. But on this day, it took me an HOUR to retrieve my bag of warm clothes, which was extremely frustrating. Hopefully this will be smoother next year.

Overall: I highly recommend this race, whether you are a resident of Ireland or just visiting. So much fun!

This was one of the most organized events I've ever had the pleasure of running! That said, you should know that the half marathon course is extremely difficult. The hills are absolutely relentless and come in all shapes and sizes. The shortest ones are the steepest ones, but long ones are quite steep, too. They are usually followed by a downhill, with very little flat stretches.

BUT, even though the course is tough, the race honors every runner for Conquering the Hill with amazing swag! The medals are gorgeous and if you run any of the Rerun events (5K plus 10k or 1/2 Marathon), you get a total of 3 medals for the accomplishment! Here are some key takeaways about Hospital Hill Run.

WEATHER: Today's race was hot and humid, with temps rising throughout the day. However, I was told that the past few years brought rainy conditions. Best to be prepared for both!

EXPO: Dozens of vendors were present at the expo. Race organizers even provided a large water jug for people to use while browsing, which I greatly appreciated! Lots of great deals were had by all!

VOLUNTEERS: Hundreds of volunteers were cheerfully present at the expo and at both the 5k and 10k/1/2 marathon events. Many were young people who were fully engaged in the events and activities of the race and their energy was contagious.

FOOD: A full BBQ dinner was available to runners after the 5K on Friday night and a huge pancake and pastry breakfast was provided on Saturday morning. Each runner also received a ticket to a craft beer for each race. Both meals were hosted in a shady area with DJ entertainment.

MASSAGE: Free ART massage was offered before and after each race, both on Friday and Saturday. I took full advantage of this feature to prepare and recover from the beating my legs took from all the hills!

HOTEL/PARKING: I stayed in the host hotel, The Sheridan. It is less than 1/2 mile walk from the start/finish line and is reasonably priced for the amenities. I highly recommend it if you are traveling from out of town for this race. Overnight parking at the hotel was $17. Race day parking was available, but I am not sure if there was a cost.

AID STATIONS: Water and Gatorade were provided in abundance throughout the course. There were volunteers with orange slices around Mile 10 that saved my life! :-D Volunteers were misting runners at several aid stations as well. Bananas, water and cracker sandwiches were provided at the finish line. The pancake breakfast was outside the finishing corral.

Recommendation for future: The only thing I think would be great was for some type of beverage to be available at the pancake breakfast. I had a small water bottle from the finish line but there was nothing available to drink at the breakfast. On a hot day like today, I needed more water!

Bottom Line: Hospital Hill is a fabulous family event, but I highly recommend you train for it! Even the 5K is full of difficult hills.

NOTE: This photo is to dramatize the steepness of the hill at mile 12. No Bibrave Pros actually had to crawl up the hill ;-)

Disclaimer: I received entry to the Bigfoot Trail Run 10K as part of being a BibRave Pro. All opinions are my own.

Although I am an experienced road runner, I have never entered a true trail race. I was thrilled to experience the trails in such an atmosphere at the Bigfoot Trail Run 10K in Lake Geneva, WI this last weekend. Overall, I had a fantastic time and would recommend this race to those looking for a positive trail running experience.

T-Shirts/SWAG
A long-sleeve, polyester/spandex-blend, unisex pull-over with a hood was given to each participant. It's a nice change up from a regular t-shirt.

Aid Stations
There were 2 aid stations stocked with water and gatorade on this course. The course was a 5K loop that the 10K racers ran twice. This enabled 10K runners to have a total of 4 aid stations on the hot course. There was music at each station with friendly volunteers there to help.

Course Scenery
This course has a bit of everything! The terrain varied throughout the run. It included portions of grass, packed-dirt, woodchips and even a little bit of asphalt. There were rolling hills throughout and course markers every 1/2 mile. I never felt crowded as the trail was wide enough to fit a large car. It was well-marked throughout, using cones and signs to show me with path to take. There were some beautiful shady portions of the course, as well as full exposure to the sun for the back part of the loop. It was lovely.

Expo
I picked up my bib the morning of the race at the start line. It was a simple process and there were a few vendors there selling different types of gear, primarily triathlon gear as the main event triathlon was the next day.

Elevation Difficulty
While there were a few rolling hills, it was not a difficult course by any means. It was a perfect introduction to trail running that allowed the runner to get a taste of the trails.

Parking/Access
We were able to park right at the start/finish line inside Big Foot Beach State Park for the cost of $5. However, parking was limited and we had trouble finding the entrance to the park. Alternatively, free parking was available at a local high school 1.5 miles away. There was no shuttle provided to get runners to the start so you would have to walk/run from your car to the start line on the busy highway road.

Race Management
Street signs outside of the park would have been very helpful for out of town runners like myself to know where to go. The main event of the weekend is the triathlon that followed the next day, and you could feel that in the atmosphere. There was an empty beer garden at the finish that looked to be for the next day and there were no finisher medals for participants of either the 5k/10k.

ACCOMMODATIONS
If you are not a local runner, it is important to note that accommodations in the Lake Geneva, WI area in the month of June are very expensive. I only needed a one-night stay and could not find anything available for under $279! In addition, most hotels in that immediate area require a minimum of a 2-night stay. If you are looking to make this a weekend getaway, then go for it! But the cost was a bit much for me. I ended up staying at a Super 8 hotel about 15 minutes from the start in Richmond, IL which cost about $110. This could quickly add up to be a costly weekend race!

Overall, I had a great time and would love to run this again. A couple race perks were that they handed out ice towels and a little goodie bag of food at the finish line (pretzels, small packaged bagel, rice krispy treat and chocolate soy milk). It was a laid back atmosphere that wet my appetite for more trail running in my future!