Latest reviews by Sarah

(2016)
"All Day 20K = All Day Fun!"
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There are 2 options for the Carlsbad 5000, the 5K or the all day 20K. I chose to run the all day 20K. It sounds confusing, but all it is is running 5K four different times. The 5K race is done in 4 heats, males over 40, women over 40, males & females 30-39 and males & females 29 and under. So you run each of the heats for a total of 20K (about 12.5 miles)

This was my first time ever doing a race like this. It is such a unique and fun experience, you get to cross the finish line 4 times in one day! You feel the adrenaline with each race and you can rack up the miles. The experience and swag is great too! I highly recommend!!! If you don't want to run 20K, then run the 5K. It's a beautiful course, well organized and a wonderful experience.

Parking wasn't too challenging on race day. A TON of people participate in the 5K, so arrive early as you may have to park far away. The all day 20K participants have a tent/area specifically for them. It had port-a-potties, snacks, water bottles, tables and chairs and our own gear check. You were only allowed in if you had the all day 20K bib. It was so great having our own gear check & port-a-potties! We were able to grab our bags in between the races which was great as I kept taking off layers.

Once you crossed the finish line for a race, you could head back to the 20K tent, hang around, or go directly back to the start line. The time between races varied, but I always had some chill time between races. The quickest turn around for me was between races 2 & 3. It all depended on how quickly you ran the 5K.

The race course is beautiful, you run right thru downtown Carlsbad and get a whole mile next to the beach. The views are amazing!! There was one water station on the course. At the finish line they had water, gatorade and lots of snacks. For the all day 20K, we got a 5K medal when we ran with our age group, and a 20K medal once we completed all 4 races.

My only complaint, which isn't even that big of a deal, was people running in the wrong heat. At the start line they would always announce the heat age group, yet many people ran in heats that were not theirs. It is hard to tell peoples ages obviously, but in the males over 40, technically the only females should have been the all day 20K participants. There were lots of people who ran in the wrong heats. It doesn't matter much, other than that they were handing out medals to the top 250 finishers in each age group. I felt that it made things more confusing at the start line. I don't know how to avoid this other than giving each heat their own bib color? This was the only thing that could have been done better. Everything else was amazing!

Each participant got 2 free beers post race if you wished, and the band that was performing, Betamaxx, was awesome! It was a fun post race environment, the expo was amazing, great race swag, lots of snacks post race and everything was well organized. I loved it and I would run the 20K or the 5K again! It's a great excuse to visit SoCal & get some sunshine!

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(2016)
"Great Race, Amazing Swag & Delicious Chocolate! "
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This race is a BLAST! Well organized, lots of chocolate and tons of fun! This was my second year running it, and it was just as good as last year if not better. I had so much fun last year, this year a lot of friends ran with me which made for a great time with lots of chocolate! This is a great race to run alone or with a group of friends.

You must pick up your packet prior to race day, so plan on going to the expo. They do have an option where they can mail your race packet to you if you are coming from out of town or there is no way you can make it to the expo. The expo had different vendors and there was chocolate! Packet pick up was easy and organized.

Race day the parking and access not difficult. The race location (the Seattle Center) is very central and easy to get to. There are road closures which can make it hard to get to the parking garages that the Hot Chocolate race suggested, but if you are flexible with where you park, it is really easy. There is a ton of free parking as well as Seattle does not charge for parking on Sundays!

The 15K course is pretty hilly. It has flat parts and downhill parts that make up for the hills. The hardest part of the race is mile 4.5 to 6.2 miles. Those miles are steady incline hills. Once you hit the turn around, you get a nice downhill break. There is an incline at the finish line, but that makes the finish that much sweeter (no pun intended). There were 4 aid stations and 4 'sweet' stations on the 15K course. All were well stocked and had amazing volunteers.

Upon finishing the race you get your medal as soon as you cross the finish line. There was plenty of water too. The gear check was easy to use, and I was thankful they kept our bags dry. The weather on race day was sun, then rain, then sun, then a downpour. This is nothing you can control, but I was thankful my change of clothes was kept dry while I was out running. I grabbed my bag and went to get my finisher mug, the best part of the WHOLE race! The finisher hoodie is awesome, but the chocolate is the best part!!! This year the hot chocolate was DELICIOUS and so was the fondue. We enjoyed our chocolate with friends.

Fun, well organized and definitely worth running. Looking forward to running this race again next year with even more friends!!!! Highly recommend!

Read more in the race recap on my blog --> http://sweetblondesfitlife.com/the-sweetest-race-hot-chocolate-recap/

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(2016)
"The Best Valentine's Day Race Around!!"
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I loved EVERYTHING about the race. It was extremely well organized. They had literally thought of every detail and had a ton of great amenities. This was the perfect way to celebrate Valentine's Day. There were creative options for everyone. There was a 5K, 10K a half marathon and half marathon relay.

Online registration and website was easy to use. This may not seem like a big deal,but not all race registrations are that easy. I also had a slight issue with registering and contacted the organizers via email. I had an answer back in minutes and they were so helpful it was great.

The race organizers literally thought of every single detail. This was a Valentine's Day race, and it truly was. This was more than just your average Valentine's Day dash. There was a tunnel of LOVE on the course. It was right before the aid station and it was adorable. There were balloons, a fog machine and Valentine's day candy. When you registered, you could pay extra to write a love note to someone that would be put on the course. They were so fun to read and I loved that was even an option! The best part, if you got a love note, you could take it home with you after the race!
They had candy hearts in the tunnel of love, but these were not your average candy heart! They were personalized with runner sayings for valentines day like 'worth the case' 'sole mate' 'UR my PR' etc. How cute is that?!?!?

There were also hilarious categories to pick from when you registered. You could register as 'Lovers', 'Besties', "Bromance", or 'Lonley Hearts'. If you were in the lonely heart category, you could designate what you were seeking, 'love' 'fun' or 'chaos'. The race swag was amazing. You got a super nice long sleeve quarter zip running pull over, post race goodies and a super cool magnetic medal.

There was no expo but there was an option to pick up the packet a day before the race at a local running store. I took advantage of that option, but you certainly could have picked it up race morning no problem. The half marathon/relay started first. There was no corrals and the self seeding/self start worked out fine. There was no congestion. The race route was around a park on Lake Washington. Beautiful scenery, calm and flat. The half marathon was 5 laps around. In some ways this was a little boring scenery wise, but I also really enjoyed it because you knew exactly where the bathrooms ad the aid station was. Because it was a loop, we passed the aid station 5 times. It was well stocked each time we passed.

There were free race photos which was awesome! We ran by several photographers unlike other races where they have free photos and you don't see a photographer the whole race. We crossed the finish line, got our medals and headed to the post race food. They had a nice tent that was covered and had 'walls' to shield from the rain and wind. There was a catering company that brought hot soup and they had a bunch of valentines day treats as well. There was a also a backdrop with the race logo where you could take pics. I loved that because everyone needs a race day pic!

Appreciated the tent at start/finish line and the thoughtfulness put into the race details. It was a total blast! The swag was amazing and everyone was very, very friendly. I can't wait to run this race again!

See more pics & details on my full blog review: http://sweetblondesfitlife.com/my-better-half-marathon-recap/

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(2016)
"6 Magical Miles! "
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This was my first Disney race and now I understand why so many people love them. They are magical and so much fun! Between running thru Epcot and the character picture opps, these 6 miles went by so FAST! Before I knew it, I was running by mile marker 6 and I was done! The fireworks at the start line were amazing too! They definitely pull out all the stops for these runs.

Running is the best way to see a new place, and that is true at Disney World as well! I had never been to Epcot before running thru it, it was a great way to see everything. Because the races start SO early (5:30am), you are running thru as the sun is starting to come up, so everything was lit up like it is at night. It was beautiful!

The character stops were a fun way to grab a breather. There were lines for some of the characters, but they move VERY fast. The Disney races are not ones you run for time, you run them for fun.

Disney is very very organized. Everything from the expo & packet pick up to race morning was organized and ran very smoothly. The worst part about the races is the wake up call, but honestly it is so worth it. We stayed on Disney property, but not a Disney hotel, so I was unable to use the race day shuttles. We gave ourselves extra time to drive in and park. We did not have a problem. If you are driving in, just be sure to give yourself plenty of time and don't arrive last minute.

This race is SUPER FUN for new runners or seasoned runners. I now understand why RunDisney has so many fans. I highly recommend!!!!

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(2016)
"13 Magical Miles!"
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The Princess Half Marathon weekend was my first Run Disney experience. I participated in the Glass Slipper Challenge, so I ran the 10K Saturday & the Half on Sunday. I had a very pleasant experience with Run Disney and would run one of their races again.

Half Marathon morning started early. With the race starting at 5:30am and their being warnings of lots of traffic and cut off times for shuttles, I woke up insanely early to be sure to make it to the race on time. I did not stay at a Disney hotel, so while I was on WDW property, i was not eligible to be shuttled to the start line. We drove over in the morning and had very little traffic and very little issues parking.

Disney is a pro at crowd management and organizing large amounts of people. This made for a very smooth race morning & really a very smooth weekend. What I was not expecting was having to walk so far to the start line/corrals. It was at least half a mile if not more.

What makes this half marathon so special is running thru the theme parks. This was my first time at WDW, and my first time seeing the Magic Kingdom Castle was on this course. It literally took my breath away! Such a fun surprise, so beautiful and so magical! The character stops really make this race fun too! Definitely run this race for fun and enjoy every minute of it!

There are a few hills on the course, but nothing too bad. It started to get warm toward the end of the race, but overall the weather was great.

Disney had an amazing finish line. You got your medal, go sprinkled with pixie dust, and then headed into the recovery chute. There was a fun after party with a DJ and more photo opps and some food trucks with food for purchase.

I now understand why Disney races are so well loved. The swag and medals are great, expo is fun and race is well organized. I recommend picking a Disney race that is something that you really love. I love the princesses, so this weekend was perfect for me. If you love Tinkerbell or Starwars, then pick one of those race weekends :)

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