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Latest reviews by Horacio
Horacio recommends this race
(2016)
"Want to run a hilly half-marathon in eastern Iowa?"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
I registered a day before the race trying to save on on-line fees. Cost of the race was $65 dlls. On the expensive side, but a lot of half marathons are about that price these days. Walk-in registration ran from 5:30 to 7:00 PM on Friday. I got a t-shirt even though I registered in the last minute. Not a bad quality t-shirt.
Race started at 7:00 AM on Saturday. Excellent time to avoid the warm weather. The director did a wonderful job letting runners how much time there was left before the race. There was plenty of parking near the start line.
There were 137 runners for the half-marathon, 65 males and 72 females. There was a 5K race that started at the same time than the half-marathon. There were enough porta-potties near the start line.
First couple of miles were on asphalt. Rest of the race was on gravel roads. Some parts of the road were nice to the feet, but others were too rough (to go barefoot). There is a tough hill in mile seven (from 724 ft to 892 ft). A couple of other hills are also a little bit tough. On mile 10.25 you go down on a steep hill and then gets flat again to the finish line. You can find a map of the race with elevation chart @ http://www.mapmyrun.com/us/fairfax-ia/back-road-half-marathon-route-325368875.
There were enough water tables on the way. Most of them provided runners with water and/or Gatorade. There were volunteers in most of the turns, and not being an elite runner, it was easy to follow the route with other runners.
Results were posted a few hours after the race the same day. http://www.wayzataresults.com/event/show/355387862.
Award ceremony started around 10:00 AM. Socks were given to first three places in each age group. It seems to me there was a mistake, and 60 and + group did not get awards. That was a misfortune because these guys deserved proper recognition. I hope the director pays more attention to this detail.
Medals were given to all finishers. It's not a bad medal, but I have seen better ones. The medal can be used to open Mexican beer!
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Horacio recommends this race
(2016)
"Kewash Nature Trail Half Marathon"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
It's not exactly a road race nor a trail race. Kewash nature trail is very flat with soft land.This is the third year (2016) is organized by local Becky Harkema from Washington, Iowa. Half marathon started at 8:00 AM. First mile is road race in downtown Washington. Then, the course follows on the nature trail which is straight and very flat. There are several water and Gatorade stops during the course. I also saw a porta-potty available close to the trail. A professional photographer takes pictures when runners are passing the famous bridge (that's in about mile three). There is a cone at the middle of the distance and we have to make a u-turn. It is fun to meet the runners ahead of you going to the cone and runners behind you after passing the cone!
The problem is when we get to Main Street. There is nobody there to tell you which is Main Street and which way to go and you are so tired it is easy to make the wrong turn. Everybody who finishes gets a medal and there is plenty of goodies to eat after the race. Awards are given to runners while slow runners are still arriving. Very informal award ceremony. Overall, a good race to run when preparing for a marathon!