I actually did not run this race but my 10 and 11 year old both ran it. I feel bad about not giving this race a good review because the run is for a very good cause. However, the management of the race was very poor this year. My son ran it last year and it was a pretty nice smaller run so I am not sure what happened this year.

We probably should have known that it would be not as good when we could not find any real information about the event on the website.

Again, since it was a small community race, the boys still wanted to do it.

The biggest problem with the race is that there was no lead 'person' to direct the runners or have people on the course directing runner's where to go. The two lead runners were often confused on which direction to go. The other problem was that the course was also short of the 5K distance. I am not sure exactly what happened with that but the course was probably in the 2.8/2.9 range. There was just a lot of confusion on what was going on and no one seemed to have any real answers. My boys still had fun and liked it but I think that had more to do with how with how well they did.

The group that this race benefits make a difference in the lives of individuals with developmental needs. This meant there was also a lot of walkers on the course and people with developmental needs which was really nice.

As I said, the race has a great cause and can be a really nice 5K but they do need to fix a few of the management issues of the event. I am sure my boys will come back again next year. though.

Last year I took part in the Runner's World Festival and it took me over 33 minutes to complete the 5K course. It was that experience that motivated me to get committed to my training and a healthier lifestyle. Being an exactly year to the date of one of the worst days I have had, I felt a major sense of redemption from the race. Growing up in Bethlehem but not living their since high school, it was nostalgic and fun to run through the streets I used to run on during cross country or training for wrestling. I loved all aspects of the course and felt it is quite a pretty peaceful run through some of the best sections of Bethlehem. The entire course is very well manned with plenty of volunteers and aid stations. Every aid station had water and Ultima (I stayed away from this). In addition there was snack stops with pretzels and gummy bears and a Gel Station. Again, I stayed away from these because I had my own nutrition for the race. I know lots of people talk about the hills on this course but I really did not think they were bad at all. I knew were they were located and so I paced myself accordingly in those sections. The course has the advantage of some long and fast downhills that you can clearly make up any time that you might lose on the uphills. The one word of advice I can give anyone is to study the course and really understand it. If you know the course, you can really take advantage of it and run a great time. The course is also set up for a negative split. I had a major negative split doing my first 10K in an 8:32 pace and running the last 7 miles in a 7:35 pace. However, if you go out too hard the course can make you pay with the hills early on. As I said, it is a course that rewards those that are patient and study the course. The last 4 miles are just blazing fast. I actually ran a faster final 5K split than I did on the 5K in day 1. There was great crowds out throughout the entire time and were very encouraging. I loved the end of the course coming back into the Steelstacks area. It was also pretty cool to have Bart Yasso and Deeane Kastor at the finish as well. I ended up finishing the half in a 1:46 which was a 7 minute PR for me and not bad for a guy who took over 33 minutes to do the 5K the year before. Outside of the parking, I am not really sure I could say anything negative about the event. it is first class all the way around.