Latest reviews by Jessica

(2015)
"Hot and Sticky - Well Staffed"
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Well 2015 proved to be another hot one for this race. Fleet Feet is always prepared. They added ice cups to an aid station shortly after 4 miles, wet/cold rags shortly after 11, and a couple cooling fans at other aid stations. They also encouraged unprepared half marathon runners to take the 5k turn if they weren't feeling it. There is no shame! They also made sure runners knew there were cooling vehicles at the aid stations to return them to the finish if today was not their day. Mad props to FF and the race planners for ensuring the safety of the runners.

The course itself is pretty easy. There are a handful of "Chicago" hills, but nothing difficult. It is a cool experience to run down Michigan Ave. The course then runs south on the lake path until a little over 8. I love the return run to the loop from the south end of the path, it is such a great view of the skyline. The problem with the path is the lack of shade, and with the rising temps this can be a huge challenge.

After I registered they announced rather than medals they would be giving out necklaces. I was super bummed and had that been announced prior to me registering I would not have registered. I love my bling and a necklace doesn't cut it for me when I never wear necklaces.

The expo this year was included with the Mag mile promo event. It is fairly close to public transit so it wasn't too difficult to access.

Overall, if you don't mind not getting a medal it is a good race and FF does a great job preparing for their races.

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(2015)
"Scenic, peaceful half marathon"
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This was one of the smaller races I've done. Pre-race communication was great. The week before they sent out several reminders (highlighting the fact that the race was in EST - pretty close to CST time zone). There wasn't an expo for the race, rather you had the option to pick up your bib and t-shirt the night prior at the town block party or day of. I opted for night before just so I was set. The pick up was quick and the block party was pretty busy.

There was ample race parking and it was only about 1/4 mile from the start/finish area. Super easy to find and quick to get to the race. The start line was well marked and for the size of the race it had ample porta pots at the start.

Race pluses:
*Very scenic
*Great for those who like nature, I ran with no headphones and just enjoyed the sounds of nature
*Aid stations about every 1 1/2 miles, including one with GU
*Challenging course, several rolling hills and a solid climb around mile 8
*In addition to the medal at the end they gave out wine glasses
*Wine and beer at the finish

Deltas:
*I didn't see many potties along the course, lots of fields if that works for you
*Little shade, we got lucky with the cloud cover. It could have been a rough one otherwise
*Not a lot of crowd support, if you need that I'd seek out a bigger race
*The roads are not completely closed, but I'm pretty sure there were a max of 5 cars that passed runners on the route
*The start/finish were in a grassy area, a bit uneven which can be scary.

I really liked this race, I love quiet/scenic runs so this was definitely a great experience.

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(2015)
"Not my favorite race"
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I run a lot of races, especially in Chicago, so I know the entry fee can get expensive as the race has to cover their fees. The entry fee for this race was on the higher end (pushing $100). I expected a lot more from the race.

I'll start with the positives... The race course was multiple loops around Central Park. I thought this was pretty cool. The scenery is great and the few hills added a nice challenge. I liked the fact they changed it up and didn't give out tech tees. The race was easy to get to and there were plenty of aid stations along the way. I enjoyed the finish line festival with the music and vendor tents. It was nice to get some free samples of product I'd never heard of.

And for the reasons I would not recommend this race.... Packet pick-up was a nightmare. They had it in the NYRR office, it was hard to get in and out and there was a line of people before it even started. They didn't start pick up until 11:00 am on Saturday, I guess they assumed more people would pick up on Friday. The shirt, while not a tech tee (plus) was pretty plain. It was a simple black top with white lettering, most of which was sponsor logos. There were no shirts available for larger runners. Everything ran small. I'm a smaller runner but my friend is not, she donated her shirt immediately. The medal was a joke, by far the smallest, lightest medal I have received. They did not give out water bottles or gatorade bottles at the finish. All that was available were cups similar to what you would get on the course, this was not ideal as it was a bit warmer by the finish.

This race touted big name sponsors and had an upper entry fee, I expected a lot more than we got. I suppose if you are a local it is worth it, but I feel like there are probably a number of better races in New York for anyone looking to check NY off their states list.

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(2015)
"Awesome Race Director"
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I would absolutely recommend this race to anyone thinking of running in Kentucky. Everything about this race was amazing and that is in large part due to the dedication of the race director and his commitment to the runners.

In 2015, there were shipping issues that resulted in the originally planned for shirts not being shipped. The race team communicated this early and found a solution. Not only did they find a solution they had OPTIONS for the runners. The gave out pretty sweet light weight hoodies. Loved mine. They also ran into issues with the medals being shipped, guess what THEY paid the extra to have them sent via FedEx (no race fee increase).

The expo was conveniently located, easy to get to and easy to park at. I heard (via an email from the race director to all participants) there were issues with shirt sizing. Originally they weren't going to allow swapping, but decided to resulting in some runners not being able to get a right fitting shirt. And again, they went above and beyond asking those individuals to reach out post-race and they got them the right size!

I was not prepared for the hills (I failed to research) - be ware, there are a lot of hills!!! This race touts it is the most beautiful half marathon. I would generally agree if I hadn't been so focused on getting up and down the hills. Driving around the area later, definitely noticed the beauty.

Plenty of aid stations and I was a big fan of the group near mile 11 handing out beer!

If you have an opportunity to do this race, do it. You will not be disappointed.

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(2014)
"Loved this race"
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I heard about this race a few years before I was actually able to do it. But it sounded awesome, and I was not disappointed. It is such a unique experience. My favorite part of the race was the hill near the finish. There are a number of our military members at the hill to help you make it to the top. I remember feeling defeated and starting to walk when I was nearing the top and right away I had a guy beside me encouraging me to keep running and running along side me to the top. It was awesome.

I loved the medal (one of my bigger medals) and the t-shirt was not a tech tee. I get excited when races give out something other than the tech tee. They had a very stocked finish line area with tons of goodies. They even handed out boxes for runners to stock up.

The parking is offsite, but the shuttles are timely and consistent. I didn't feel like I had to wait a long time for a shuttle to the start or the finish. I did race day packet pick-up so I was a little earlier, but it was incredibly smooth and I had no issues.

I'd love to do it again if it was just a little closer to me.

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