Latest reviews by Jessica

(2016)
"Can't go wrong with a major marathon"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

Short story:

I love this course and the crowd support. Having friends at multiple points to cheer me on gives me an extra boost of energy. The expo is huge and a great opportunity to find other races or new gear. Always plenty of fuel on the course and potties at the start. Favorites post race were the pre-bagged food and grab and go ice bags. I'm not a fan of the neon race shirt, good news it will be different next year :) Also, for the bigger races you have to walk what feels like a mile to get out of the exit chute and the volunteers are instructed to keep you moving. It is exhausting after an already exhausting race.

Longer story:

I headed to the expo on Saturday morning via the train. I definitely recommend public transportation to the expo at McCormick place. Both the green line and red line have stops that are reasonably close and it is significantly less stressful than dealing with the car traffic. I was surprised by how many fellow runners were at the expo first thing Saturday. Getting my packet was a breeze, I checked in with one volunteer who confirmed my information then sent me to a numbered table. There I waited a few minutes, behind five or six other runners. They scanned my code and confirmed my information again. Then they sent you to the opposite end of the expo hall to get the t-shirt and goodie bag. I’m sure this setup is intentional to force you to walk through the vendor displays. I had planned on browsing so it wasn’t a big deal. As with most major races, there were tons of vendors from other races to almost any type of gear you could need. I think most major running brands (North Face, Brooks, Nike…) were represented. I stopped and chatted with the folks at the Starved Rock Marathon booth and scored a discount code, same for the Little Rock Marathon. I also grabbed a temporary tattoo with the splits from the Nike pacing team table for my goal finish. I love that they have them available. The other cool booths I saw but didn’t participate in (lines were pretty long) were free KT Taping and a custom printing station.

I was able to upgrade my marathon experience and gain access to the Fleet Feet / Chicago Endurance Sports race day resort. I’m so glad I spent the money on this and highly recommend finding something similar. I had access to indoor facilities, last minute food, smaller scale gear check that didn’t require a special bag, and was a block away from one of the main gates. Post-race they had more food, beer, soda (or pop), free medal engraving, massages/stretching, and early access to the Fleet Feet finishers gear.

I headed over to the starting area around 6:45. I have a pretty nervous bladder so I wanted to have time to visit the porta-pots. Shortly after getting through the security check point, I stopped at the first set that was just north of Congress near both the Wave 1 and 2 corrals. In that area there were a ton of units, I waited maybe 10 minutes to get in. I then wandered my way north to get into Corral D. I wound up in the corral by 7:10 and knew within 20 minutes my nervousness would have me dancing so I jumped in the incredibly long line. They had 20 plus units in an area restricted to runners in corrals C and D. I was through the line and back in the corral area by 7:25.

This is the only major marathon I have completed so I don’t have much else to compare it to on that scale. The course is awesome and gives a great representation of the different areas of the city. On the 26.2-mile course there are 20 aid stations all with Gatorade and water. Several in the back half have bananas and there are two to three with energy gels, this year was Powerade. The crowd support is amazing throughout and the volunteers are superstars. Footing gets sketchy with all the cups but I’ve never had a significant issue.

This must be the time of the neon shirts as this was the third or fourth I’ve gotten in the last year. I’m not a huge fan because I find it challenging to wear the t-shirt length for workouts. So I often use them as weekend running errand shirts and the neon doesn’t pair well, in my opinion. The medal was unique, sporting the Picasso statue.

The one area I struggle with in these large race formats is the finish line. After running 26.2 miles, I’m spent and it takes me some effort to keep moving. With the large format the finish line area is massive and they really push for you to keep moving through the additional three to four blocks. It was probably a solid block before I reached the water bottles and then another block to the Gatorade and food. The one thing I really liked at the finish they had several items pre-bagged which made transporting so much simpler. There was no chocolate milk, but for the drinkers there are beer trucks inside the finish line chute and really you can hang out and get your fill. In addition to the bagged post-race food, I really appreciated the bags of ice before the exit, typically you have to hit the medical tents to get these and it is nice to just be able to grab and go.

Get my full weekend recap over on my blog https://jessicarunsblog.wordpress.com/race-weekend-recaps/chicago-marathon/

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(2016)
"Mostly flat race in Nashville"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

Overall, I think the race management did an excellent job and I would do another of their races and recommend them to friends.

The highlights from the experience were:
1. The medal. It was a Halloween theme and just looked really cool.
2. Plenty of free, nearby parking options.
3. They offer FREE race day packet pick-up (I got mine Friday, but still an awesome perk).
4. They found the flattest 13.1 miles in Nashville for this course.
5. Most importantly, ample portapots at the start. I got in line between a couple runners at 7:10, the line of two was for about 5 units.

Other thoughts that didn't make or break my experience but might for others:
1. No bag check, but the lots are pretty close. This would only be a bummer if the weather was much cooler than it was today.
2. Hydration stations were not consistently setup (some water first, others gatorade, one had water on right side and gatorade on left). This is a pet peeve for me.

And more extensive thoughts:
Pre-race communication was on point. I received the race reminders about daily the week of the race. It was nice to have the email handy with key information, like race day parking and packet pick-up times. Packet pick-up started on Thursday and was held both Thursday and Friday at Fleet Feet in Nashville. A couple days prior, the race sent out an email with “expedite packet pickup” as the subject. Super helpful, not deleting that one. You could have someone else pickup your packet. The pre-race swag was a black tech tee with a Halloween theme.

It was advertised packet pick-up would run from 5:15 – 6:15 morning of, for a 7:30 start. There was a line of about 20 runners when I got there around 6:15, but they didn’t seem to be turning people away. They were trying to expedite the process by splitting the 5k & 10k pickup from the half marathon pickup. I was a pacer, so thankfully I was headed to a different tent.

The starting area was a little confusing as GNC set up their truck pretty close to the start line winding up in the middle of the “corral” of sorts. The race started on the road next to Bicentennial Park. The course was almost completely flat. There was one hill about 2.5 miles into the race. There was an out and back around mile 4 (I think this was due to course changes), but normal road traffic was separated by a median, so there was no dual direction running. Shortly after mile 6 the course jumped onto a running/biking path which led to an out and back. There was a short bit right as we entered the path with runners coming back at us, but then it split for a bit. From just before mile 7 for about a mile there were runners in both directions on a regular sized running/bike path. Not ideal conditions but I still felt like there was space to breath. From around mile 8 to about 11.5 the course ran along the Cumberland River which offered a nice Fall view. The rest of the race was back on the streets of Nashville ending back in Bicentennial Park.

At the finish they had bottles of water right handy along with the medals. Outside the “chute” (no physical chute), they had a variety of food and beverage available including Pizza Hut pizza, apples, bananas, candy, trail mix, beer from a local brewery and juices from I’m guessing a local juicer (I can’t find the name and am failing to remember). The medal had the same design as the shirt, I really like the medal.

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(2016)
"Rocking Philly"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

The short and sweet of it. I enjoyed this race and the location. I'd recommend the race to friends and other 50 state chasers.

My top 3 favorites of the race:
1) Chocolate milk at the finish line.
2) Great medal theme, shape of the Liberty Bell
3) Very open course, little congestion.

My top 3 least favorites:
1) The race shirt is neon (yellow or green) which is a little much for me.
2) Next time around I'd look for a hotel closer to the start/finish rather than the expo. The mile and half walk back sweaty wasn't fun.
3) I'm not a big Gatorade fan, I'd love for more races to pick up other hydration products.

More detailed thoughts on the expo, start, finish, and course follow.

Expo. I arrived at the expo around 2:00 on Saturday (last day of expo). There weren’t any lines to pick-up my bib or swag bag. The expo was pretty similar to other RNR events I’ve been to with the larger display for the Brooks race gear and then a large number of vendors throughout.

Race Start. I’m not sure the exact number of corrals, but I’m sure it exceeded 25, maybe 30. I was fortunate to have a Corral 4 placement. Like I mentioned before I did six miles prior to the race start but got back about 10 – 15 minutes before the start. It was super easy to get into the corrals. There were entrances on each side about every two to three “corrals”. They had pacers throughout and it was very easy to spot them in the corral. With the corral 6 start I was out probably within five minutes of the gun start. I didn’t venture over to the gear check area. It was located between the start and finish lines (not the same). But seemed easy to access as it was just behind the start corrals.

Course. I was pleasantly surprised to find the course was very open right out of the start. I was taking it easy so I moved immediately to the right to allow the PR chasers room. I did some minor zigzagging but found that those who started early and were walking kept to the right. The course did a loop toward one end of town and then came back by near the start. We passed some of the later corrals heading out the other side. The course ventured back along the way I had run earlier along the river. There were only a couple hills, nothing I would consider extreme (however I now train in Nashville). The one thing I thought was a little weird was a brief out and back which then required a U-Turn. Fortunately, the course was not crowded so even this part was easy to maneuver. Most hydration stops had both Gatorade and water. There was one station which also had gels. The bands along the course were all upbeat, including one drum line which was awesome. There were also three (that I recall) cheer stations manned by local cheerleading squads. All three were fantastic, my favorite was the group who created a cheer for the run. I wound up at 13.25, but as I mentioned I did some zigzagging and think my watch may have picked up some extra when we were running through the downtown area with taller buildings.

Finish line. There was chocolate milk. This may be the most important thing to me. You can keep the Gatorade but I need my chocolate milk. I think most RNR races now have this at the finish which just rocks. Other goodies included Power Bars, baked chips, bananas, bottled water, bottled Gatorade, and cold towels. This year’s finishers medal featured the Liberty Bell. Which of course I took with me when I went to visit. I was drenched and since I hadn’t brought any gear, I headed back to my hotel and passed on the post-race festivities.

See my full weekend recap on my blog -- https://jessicarunsblog.wordpress.com/race-weekend-recaps/rock-roll-philadelphia/

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(2016)
"All about the community"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

This race is unique in that it is more about the community of women runners than about individual achievements. And I absolutely loved that about the race. This race partners with the Fellow Flowers group which is an awesome community of women athletes. They (we) make up a large part of the runners, but no one should (or will ever) feel like they aren't part of the group. That said, this group of women make sure there is support and cheering until the last runner crosses the finish line including a tunnel for the last ladies to run through. They also provide the options for ladies who prefer a walk to start early. There is start one hour prior to the regular start of the half marathon.

Pre-race - you can opt into a weekend experience which provides access to a Friday night cocktail party, Saturday morning fun run, and yoga. I loved the cocktail party, there was a DJ and lots of dancing. The packet pick-up and mini expo were at the Concourse hotel. This was the "sponsored" hotel which made it super convenient for out of towners that were taking part in the whole weekend. There was also a race day shuttle to/from the hotel.

Course - the race starts and finishes in an outdoor mall area. This meant there were a couple indoor facilities. There are two moderate to difficult hills on the course and a number of rolling hills throughout. The course also runs along one of the lakes in the area providing a very scenic view for a bit.

Support - There was a water / sport drink station every 1.5 - 2 miles. Definitely plenty to get you through.

Swag - Another tech tee, but the design was cute. The medal was quality and fit with the theme of the race.

Finish line - bottles of water, cookies, CHOCOLATE MILK!, gatorade, fruit, and bagels were all covered. There was also the option to get a free drink but you had to navigate yourself to the pub in the mall, it was part of the post-race area (not a turn off for me since I rarely drink mine).

Race Management - this team was faced with a nasty blow from mother nature race morning. Storms rolled through overnight and into the early morning hours. When the storms came into the forecast the director sent out an email and posted on social media the game plan, just in case. I was impressed with the proactive approach. In the morning, the team was out setting up as soon as the lightning passed, but it was still pouring rain. Amazing volunteers! They delayed the walk start 15 minutes but were able to start as originally planned for the other morning starts.

There aren't many out of town races that I duplicate unless I really like the area. I would definitely do this race again simply to be able to get more interactions with the amazing women I met.

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(2016)
"Small, scenic, and a good challenging hill"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

The more races I run, the more I really enjoy adding the small races into the mix. Not only does it give me as a "front of the middle" runner a chance at placing, but they are so incredibly peaceful and just give me the opportunity to run without the drama.

I am very happy I decided to add this one to my agenda this year. It starts and finishes in downtown Ottawa (Illinois) but you get a great opportunity to run through Starved Rock State Park and along the Illinois River. The scenery was my favorite part. Plus it was so peaceful. Most of the run I was alone enjoying the sounds of nature. Enough of the sappy... what did I think of the important stuff.

Expo: Small and simple as expected for a small race. Pick up was easy and there was ample parking.
Swag: It isn't a tech-tee so I call it a win. It is a tee so not a 5 star swag bag.
Course: There is 1 major uphill, a couple solid downhills, and a few other rollers. According to Garmin I had about 633 elevation gain and about the same loss. Super scenic through the state park and along the river.
Safety: Most of the roads are only partially closed so they recommend against music. I saw a lot of runners with headphones. I opted against it, but there really was not much traffic. At major intersections there were cops or traffic management ensuring runner safety.
Aid stations: I believe they said there were 16. Each had gatorade (red), water, and a potty. There was also at least one station with some form of GU (I carry my own so not sure what it was). The volunteers at every aid station were ready for you and cheering you on. I thought this was great because there were gaps between runners so volunteers could start to "space out".
Crowd support: You won't get a lot of this out on the course.
Finish: They get a 5 from me because they were making peanut butter on bagel sandwiches! WINNING!! They also had glasses of water and gatorade, bananas, and oranges.
Medal: I like that they theme the medal toward the area. This year it was focused on the bald eagle.
Winner swag: Ok, so I somehow managed to take 1st place woman. Scored a hat, banner and nice plaque.

This isn't far from Chicago (especially the south/west burbs). I highly recommend it for a veteran runner that doesn't require the high crowd energy for a successful race. I'll definitely try to do this one again.

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