This was my first ever trail race and I did the half marathon. I was really scared and excited going into this. The RD Donald Stoner and his company Runner's High (love the pun) always do solid work and put on some great races.

Registration - Registration online or on race day. Pretty cheap as far as halves go. I didn't really check the pricing for the other distances.

Expo - I did day of packet pickup but it was simple. No vendors, nothing fancy, just packet pickup.

Photos - Free photos available on Facebook the next day. 1 photographer on a 2 loop course so 2 pictures. No watermark or anything.

Course - This was the scary part! It was all trail through a cow pasture area so lots of manure (hence the name) and mud! There was a stream that was about ankle deep to jump over. Didn't see any wildlife other than some spiders and a few lizards. I was really hoping to see a cow or 2! Course was well-marked with amazing volunteers on course.

Aid Stations - BEST AID STATIONS EVER!!! PB&J sandwiches, water, energy drinks, pretzels, soda, candy, nuts, chips, and more. This was all because there was an ultra going on but man was it good!

Medal and Swag - I loved the logo because it has a steaming pile of poop on it. The tank tops run really small but are comfy. Also the medal is made of wood so that was pretty unique. And a collectible pint glass was pretty awesome too.

Food - Besides the amazing food at the aid stations there was a Cinco de Mayo themed party with pulled pork, pice and beans, and chips and salsa. Also MARGARITAS! It was a fun little party in the woods.

Did I have a blast? Yes. Would I do this again? Maybe the shorter distance since trails aren't my thing but I would totally recommend it.

Ultimate Racing, Inc does it again with another great race! I chose this race to do because the RD company, Ultimate Racing Inc. offers a bonus medal if you do 4 of their races in a calendar year. And since I'm all about the medals, I had to sign up for this one! I ended up doing the 5K instead of the 10K and using it as a shakeout run for a half the next day.

The course is really pretty. It runs through St. Johns Golf and Country Club, which has a lot of really nice houses and pretty flowers to look at. It's really easy and flat with a run post-race area at the Country Club's soccer field.

Post-race there was water, donuts from Dunkin, and granola. Nothing too special. The vendors in the post race area were cool. Orange Theory Fitness was there with foam rollers and coupons for their gym and there were other tents set up with giveaways. There was a chiropractic office doing chair massages which felt amazing.

Parking was fine. I got there 15 minutes before the race started and scored a front row spot.

It was a small race so I placed in my age group which is always fun. However, similar to other Ultimate Races the certificates were pretty generic. I also got $10 to use at Jacksonville Running Company.

The medals were really cute but they didn't say 5K or 10K on them (there were 2 distances) or the date.

Overall I really liked it and will do it again!

This was a race my friend and I decided to do so we could "level up" in Half Fanatics. It was in Clearwater, so about a 3 1/2 hour drive for me. We went down the day before and stayed about 15 minutes from the start line. I was excited this race is put on by the same people that do Ironman so I had some high expectations going into this. Plus I'd never done a women's only event so that seemed fun.

Registration - Pricey for a half.but I was able to google a coupon code for $10 off. Plus I went with a friend so we split gas and the hotel. Register early because the price jumps fairly early on.

Expo - It was outdoors in south Florida in April so it was HOT. Just walking around the expo I got all sweaty. Packet pick up was easy expect they wouldn't let you exchange shirt sizes which was a bummer. Mostly just vendors from other races but nothing spectacular.

Photos - Lots of photos online which was good however the photographers were at weird angles. Small watermark across the center of them.

Course - BRIDGES...SO MANY BRIDGES. So it was an out and back course with 2 HUGE bridges which really meant 4 bridges. Being from Jax bridges don't usually phase me but in Clearwater their bridges are crazy big. But other than those it was along the beach which was beautiful. You could hear and smell the Gulf which I loved. It was really peaceful.

Aid Stations - On the race webpage they said girl scout cookies at one of the aid stations. However, this was not available and there were Jelly Bellies instead. Not cool. But the aid stations were well staffed with great volunteers ready with water and gatorade.

Medal and Swag - The medal was a lot cuter in person than in the pictures. The shirt was a dry fit tee but it was pretty ugly and plain. That's really the only free stuff.

Food - Bananas and water at the end. That's it. There was a food truck but you had to pay for it. Not cool.

Overall it was a fun chance to get out of town. I probably won't do this one again but it's worth it to try it once. Plus the local breweries after the race were tons of fun.

This isn't really a race, it's just an excuse to drink some beer and have some fun with a little bit of running involved. It's a lot like a Color Run, in that there are no official times It's technically a "4K" but my GPS marked 2.1 miles. The course was different from years past but it was still flat. The bib has 4 coupons that you turn in to get your 4 beers.

Registration - really easy online. Price increases fairly early so register early! Also this is usually on Groupon or Living Social to save a few dollars.

Expo - It wasn't an expo at all, just a stop by a bar and pick up your stuff kind of deal.

Photos - Free photos on Jacksonville.com

Course - Flat, a little over 2 miles. Start and finish line were the same so no need to worry about parking at the start or finish.

Medal - It was the same as in years past so nothing special here. It doubles as a bottle opener which is cool. However, this was the 3rd year this race was in Jacksonville and it was the same medal all 3 years. You also get sunglasses, a koozie, a sticker, and a cool tshirt. Again, everything but the shirt was the same as last years.

I would love if this race was earlier in the year or earlier in the day. It was around 80 degrees at the start of the race which was NOT ideal. Also, the beer and water was pretty warm which did not sit well in the stomach. Also in years past they used local breweries beer and this year it was Miller light which was a HUGE letdown.

I will do this run again just because it's something different and fun. But they really need to step their game up and go back to local beer, and get some new designs on the swag.