Latest reviews by Scott

(2015)
"The Ultimate Training Run"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

(Note: a copy of this review along with additional pictures may be found at my blog, http://icanrunaminute.com/2015/10/04/race-review-frog-hill-half-marathon/)

This is a slightly smaller local race held in the city of Waynesville, Missouri which is located fairly central in the state of Missouri just north of Highway 44 and about an hour South-Eash of Lake of the Ozarks. I estimate about 200 people participated this past October 3rd, 2015. There are two races to choose from, a 10K and an extremely challenging half marathon.

OVERALL -
This is a well-run race with chip-timing and medals given to all finishers of either the 10K or half marathon.

T-SHIRT/SWAG -
This race is sponsored by the Team 413 Gracerunner Ministries and the 413 refers to a verse in the bible, Philippians 4:13 which says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." That verse, along with www.Team413.org was printed on the back of the green t-shirt and a fun looking frog with the race name was on the front. The t-shirt sizes ran from small, medium, large and extra-large. The rest of the SWAG bag contains papers on various upcoming races in the area and a nice brochure about the historic city of Waynesville, MO which was founded back in 1843.

AID STATIONS -
There are an adequate number of theme based aid stations throughout the out and back course which feature water and Gatoraid. The end of the race was the best. In addition to bottles of water & Gatorade underneath a nearby pavillion were free grilled hot dogs, chips, soda and more Gatorade.

COURSE SCENERY -
This race offers a variety of running surfaces which each have their own unique scenery. There's about 20% asphalt & paved road which starts at the school parking lot then onto nice section of downhill roadway which may lull the newbie Frog Hill runner into thinking they could be getting a PR with this race. That road then turns onto a fairly short stretch of running through the a section of the towns quant downtown before turning off onto the majority of the running surface which consist of a mixture crushed gravel and a dirt road. The race director had commented that there hadn't been rain in a while so the trail type portion of the run may be harder than normal but I found no problems with the surface other than it was very dry and the few times cars drove by they would kick up clouds of dust. There's a nice mixture of trees, rock formations and views of the Roubidoux Creek along this majority portion of the run. The run ends at a point about a mile and a half from the start at a local park which conveniently is hosting the Waynesville Frog Festival so there is plenty to do and see after the run as well.

EXPO QUALITY -
Packet pickup for this race may be done the night before the race at a local VFW or from about 7 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. the day of the race. I believe final registration was also available on race day as well for an additional $10 fee but the already low price of $45 was available online all the way until the night before the race, which is when I finally got around do signing up.
I picked up my race packet on race day and was pleasantly surprised to see complementary donuts, chocolate donuts and coffee available for all the racers. There was also a costumed frog walking around and available to all who wanted pictures.
The pickup was inside East Elementary School which provided some nice relief from the slightly chilly weather outside until the race started.
This race used tri-athlete style ankle timers which contestants were instructed to put on their left ankle. I've never used this type of timing system before but put it on over my sock and never noticed it was there.

ELEVATION DIFFICULTY -
This may be the part I love and hate the most about this run. Just before the 10K turnabout is an aid station where people were dressed up as ghouls, goblins & monsters which ....if you continue past this turnabout point - be forewarned because how those people look is going to be how you feel if you continue ....just beyond that aid station is Superior Hill and you must be MORE superior to conquor and continue! This is no small hill and for me, only the Pikes Peak Ascent in Colorado had a greater incline. This incline in Waynesville, MO goes on for MILES - well, maybe "just" a mile but it's up and up and up .....I thought there was an end to it that I could see so I tried running up the hill but the hill didn't stop ...so I tried speed walking and the hill still didn't stop ....it's formidable to say the least.

This hill could make the Frog Hill Half Marathon the ultimate training run because there is NO WAY I would have pushed myself up this many hills of this magnitude on my own. My quads were lit up and on fire after Superior Hill and there's still 7 or 8 miles miles to go AFTER you've fried your quads on that hill.

PARKING/ACCESS -
Parking was very adequate at the Elementary school parking lot.

RACE MANAGEMENT -
A runner by the name of Melissa Martinez is the current race director and did a superior job. She is very caring and responsive to the needs of the runners.

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(2015)
"High Quality & Unique!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

OVERALL - This is a great race and run very well by the race directors. Starting at midnight the race is unique and can pose an extra challenge if you are traveling a long way to get there. For me, my Friday started out at 4:30 in the morning ...with a short 1 mile run to keep up a running streak and after a 6 hour drive to my hotel in Cookesville, TN my attempts to get even a couple hours sleep before the race did not happen. The packet pick up is from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. that Friday night with the race starting at midnight. by the time I finished the run I'd been up well over 24 hours straight. Getting there a day earlier may be something to consider if traveling a great distance.

The Loonies race is limited to 300 people and a little over an hour East, South/East of Nashville, TN. I signed up rather late since I was scrambling to qualify as a Marathon Maniac so Cookesville, TN was the closest hotel I could get. I stayed at a Best Western/Thunderbird Inn and was very happy with the hotel. The drive was a pretty short 30 minutes to the start of the race.

T-SHIRT/SWAG - Very high quality. Such high quality that I almost felt as if I was relation to a rich little family. Super nice tech t-shirt and a Loonies hat which is very nice and not something usually received. The medal is probably my favorite ever, 2nd only perhaps to the first marathon medal ever received some two plus decades ago.

AID STATIONS - After the initial 1.2 mile loop, there were five 5 mile loops with 3 aid stations which all featured water and gatorade. If you want or need GU, you'll need to bring your own. I finished towards the end and there were about 30 pizzas ready & waiting for consumption as well as an ample amount of snacks and typical post race food.

COURSE SCENERY - The course is ran starting at midnight so there isn't too much to see other than the dark lit town of Livingston, TN which isn't so bad. Along the start of the race we run by each lap there is a row of vehicles - tents, RV's and people cheering on their loved ones running in the race and it's always fun to get a constant influx of cheers and applause every lap. That is a benefit of lap structured marathons. With more typical long route marathons you may see a bunch of support at the beginning and the end but you're pretty much solo in the distant miles.

Another interesting part of the course was the starting point and which had a little loop to run and the farthest portion of the race was a little loop and those two loops were connected by a couple shared miles where you could see other races in an out and back type fashion. Think of two circles connected by a line, that was the course :)

EXPO QUALITY - No expo.

ELEVATION DIFFICULTY - One short area of the race had a bit of a hill but, after a couple laps you barely notice it anymore. Mostly flat terrain. There were 6 people in the 2015 race who qualified for Boston as the race distance is certified.

PARKING/ACCESS - Very easy and ample parking for all - runners and spectators alike.

RACE MANAGEMENT - High Quality. Not only was my experience positive for this 4th Annual race but everybody else I talked with who had run in previous years all had positive comments.

A couple additional pictures may be found on my blog www.icanrunaminute.com at http://icanrunaminute.com/2015/07/20/loonies-midnight-marathon-review/

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(2015)
"One of the Best"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

This was the 16th Annual Hatfield-McCoy marathon and it's come a long way since the first running when the number of runners barely broke into double digits. There are several unique aspects of this race. This race starts in Kentucky but ends in West Virginia so, people who are running for states can count either state and, if you want to count both states there is a double half marathon option where you start the first half marathon in Kentucky at 7 a.m. and the second half marathon (or second half of the full) starts at 10 a.m. in West Virginia. As you can see in the attached picture, these boys don't use horns or pistols to start the race, they've got shotguns!
When a race continues to grow year after year, you know they're doing something right. This year they broke 1,000 runners. Word of warning - if you want a hotel near the race you do need to book about a year in advance. The closest I could get was about 40 miles away. And, another bit of advice, most people from out of town don't get phone connectivity in the Appalachian region so you might want to have some paper maps handy.
For everything you get, this race is an amazing bargain. The highest entry price was only $70 and the perks were rather impressive. There is a pasta dinner that's included and available at the pick up expo then after the race runners are also treated to a meal ticket good for several restaraunts in the area. When I stopped for a meal afterwards I was told I could have anything on the menu and that was included in race fees.
The medals were top notch and each one was specific to which ever one of the five races you participated in. Also, there were more aid stations than any race I'd ever seen before. The first one is at mile 2 then they boasted 25 more after that but many times it seemed like we may have ran only 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile before running into another aid station.
Overall, the entire area is very appreciated of the business the runners bring into town. Several times I felt like a mini celebrity. Oh, in addition to the finisher medals everyone got a mason jar as well. Around mile 18 there is a suspension bridge. In the beginning there is a pretty good incline associated with Blackberry mountain but the downside of that incline seems to go on for 3 times the distance as the incline.
For me, this race required a little over 1,000 miles of driving but, I would do it again.
Another really cool thing was there were signs along the entire marathon welcoming back runners who had ran in the preceding year. Handmade signs - and there were hundreds of them.
Also - there is no time limit for this race and the night before the race there's even a bon-fire and smores from about 7 to 10 p.m.
You'd be hard pressed to find yourself getting treated better at any other race in the country. I highly recommend this race.

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(2015)
"Inexperienced Race Directors"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

Like a previous reviewer, I got picked up by a bus at mile 12 after trudging through 2 miles of pouring down rain. We were told... there were lightning strikes along the course and that the race was CANCELLED ...we were told the aid stations were being shut down and the bus driver also told runners that the finishing clock was turned off.
Unfortunately - none of that was true. during our 1.5 hour drive back to the finish the first thing I noticed was that NO aid stations were closed down. I never encountered any lightning myself during my run and the race clock was still ticking along as if nothing happened.
We heard there was some "misinformation" regarding the bus pick ups. What was really striking was the newspaper articles the Starved Rock marathon event touted on their facebook page, it was as if the race was never cancelled in the first place and tried to make it seem as if the runners had an option as whether or not to get on that bus but when you have 14 miles to go in a run and are told there are no more aid stations and the race is cancelled...
The published finisher results for the race are about as bogus as you can get. At least half the people on the bus I was in got off at mile 21 to finish up the race and they were all listed as finishing the entire race. This was the last race I needed to qualify as a marathon maniac and I couldn't very well skip 9 miles of the race and count it.
T-Shirts/SWAG - there was a finisher t-shirt at the end of the race in addition to the traditional packet pickup t-shirt and I thought that was pretty cool and something I had not encountered before. The medal for finishing however .....the 1/2 marathon and full marathon medals were exactly the same - no difference whatsoever. The only difference was in the ribbon attached to the medal.
Aid Stations - most volunteers at aid stations are great and this race was no exception.
Course Scenery - The map of the race sure made it look like a nice scenic run but the reality was a bit disappointing, just your basic asphalt road and minimal views of any lakes.
Expo Quality - definitely the smallest expo I've ever attended. put it this way - the entry fee was $100 and the expo was more of the $35-$40 variety.
Elevation Difficulty - granted, mile 10 had a hill but I've been in the Pikes Peak Ascent so, there wasn't anything particularly alarming about the elevation at least in terms of distance above sea level.
Parking/Access - very easy and well within walking distance to the start of the race
Race Management - this was the 2nd annual running of this race and I learned from associates with the race that the number of runners dropped about 300 people from the first year. For me this was my 2nd full marathon in 7 days and was supposed to be the final run I needed for joining the Marathon Maniacs (MM). They may have offered free entries to next years race but, when you have 7 hours of driving and hotel stays involved the entry fee is only about a third of the cost.
Being denied a finish at this race, I've had to sign up for two other races to fulfill the MM requirements including one I just finished last weekend - the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon (highly recommended) and another one on July 18th.
I'm currently signed up for runs through May of 2016 including many big Rock n Roll events and none of them are as expensive as this $100 wasted entry fee.

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(2015)
"Fantastic New Course!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

I'm local to the area and have done runs in St Louis since my first full marathon back in '94 and this years GO! St Louis 1/2 marathon is the best course they've ever put out. The run starts out in downtown St Louis and you spend the first mile heading directly towards a bridge which brings you over to the Illinois side of the river then you come back over a 2nd bridge bringing you back into Missouri & St Louis. The two bridges actually make up a race within the race called the 3.5 mile Bridge Challenge which is separately timed and has it's own set of awards after the run.
The last 6 miles consist of an out and back course which goes to the historic Anheuser Busch Brewery which always includes a Clydesdale horse or two. The nice thing about the out and back aspect of the second half of the race was being able to see all the runners ahead of you which, this year included my brother going for his first sub 2 hour half :)

T-Shirt/SWAG - There was a very nice short sleeved tech t-shirt and classy looking medal commemorating the 15th anniversary of the run.

Aid Stations - standard, friendly nice people with GU around mile 8 or 9

Course Scenery - well, it's a city but if you've never been to St Louis before the skyline view when running back over into St Louis on the MLK bridge is pretty impressive and definitely worth the price of admission.

Expo Quality - Large Expo and very fun. There was a green screen near the entrance where people could get free photos of themselves either in front of the arch or the start of the race holding a medal or whatever they wanted. I posted one of these pics and mentioned I was in front of a green screen but, several people still congratulated me on the run.
Another booth had Ultra Sound where we could see the blood flow in our calves. The St Louis Track Club had all kinds of running shirts available 3/$10. It was a very well run expo and definitely on par with nationally franchised running events.

Elevation - I guess I just don't notice these hills as much as others so you'll have to consult other views & reviews on the hills. I thought it was all pretty reasonable.

Parking Access - for a race that commands 15,000 or more runners, I've never had a problem finding a parking spot. Either down on the river front or usually along Washington avenue I'm always within a few blocks of the start. No issues here.

Race Management - 15 years in the business and the GO! organization has several other runs they do throughout the year, from the GO! All American 5K (one of the best 5K's around) to the GO! Halloween Marathon, these people simply know what they are doing.

If interested in a more detailed review with additional pictures check out my blog review at http://icanrunaminute.com/2015/04/12/15th-annual-go-st-louis-half-marathon-review/

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