Latest reviews by Travis

(2015)
"First Major Marathon Experience"
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This was my first experience with an Abbott World Marathon Major and it was amazing. The worst part was driving 10 hours to get there, but that's no fault of the race. We stayed in an hotel about 1 mile from Grant Park and were able to walk everywhere downtown.

Although I secured my entry through the lottery system, I decided to run with Team Up! with Autism Speaks as a charity runner. I really enjoyed the CARA VIP area with our private bag check and massages post race.

The race expo was huge! I loved it. You can find any running item you can imagine.

I started in "B" corral and it was so cool to watch the push rim and elite participants past by us on the way to the start. The course highlights 29 distinct Chicago neighborhoods and is packed with spectators along almost every inch. The course is flat and fast. I set a new PR by over 18 minutes.

The finish line area is a little crowded and they herd you through like cattle. Overall, this race is highly recommended by me and is deserving of the honor of World Marathon Major.

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(2015)
"Beautiful Views"
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I ran the 18.12 challenge- 18.12 miles from Watertown, NY and finishing on the Sackett's Harbor Battlefield. The half marathon also starts in Watertown. The expo is very small-only a few tables. Packet pickup is held the day before but there is morning of pickup available (or a friend can pick it up as long as they have a copy of your ID and a signed release) if you're coming from out of the area. Since it's a point to point race there are busses available from the finish to the start but they need to be signed up for beforehand.
At packet pick up you received your bib, long sleeve tech shirt and a drawstring bag full of samples. I was very impressed with the quality of shirt. There was plenty of other merchandise available for purchase as well- all of it was very high quality and ranged from jackets to pint glasses.

The race started right on time and there were plenty of aid stations (13 total) with 2 serving gels. The course starts on in a residential area before winding out of town with some rolling hills. Overall the course was very flat. The finish is on the 18.12 battlefield at Sackett's Harbor overlooking the water. At the finish you receive a cooling towel as well as plenty of refreshments (bars, fruit, chocolate milk, pizza)

The medals are extremely high quality and have a spinning component to them.

I would definitely recommend this race!

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(2015)
"Well done for a smaller race"
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I ran this race in 2015 for the first time despite being from the Copper Country. The packet pick up is Friday or Saturday morning before the race. There is no real expo, but packet pick up was quick and easy. The race offers a half marathon, 10 mile and 5 mile option. There is a pasta dinner available on Friday evening as well but I did not participate in this as I had just gotten into town.

Parking was easy on Saturday morning and I was able to take a shuttle to the race start as this is a point to point race.
The course itself is gorgeous! The race starts on the highway (the roads are not blocked to traffic but I didn't find it to be a problem) and you work your way towards Hancock running along the canal for quite a while. There are some great views in the morning! It's definitely not a flat course and mostly consists of rolling hills with a few larger hills thrown in the mix.
I felt like there could have been more aid stations along the course, but the ones they did have were well stocked and prepared with water and power Ade.
Brockit offers free race photos from along the course which was definitely a nice perk, especially since the race is very well priced (especially if you register well in advance)
I took 1st place in my age group and received a very nice medal in addition to the awesome finishers medal that half marathon participants receive.
One of my favorite parts of this race was actually the free kids dash. Our 3 year old participated and not only got a free t-shirt but also received a medal at the end of the 1/4 mile. Such a nice touch!

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(2015)
"All around awesome race"
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Packet pickup/expo: Packet pickup was simple. Very short line at expo peak time and we were in and out in about 5 minutes. Same shirt, different color for each race (5k, half, full) nice quality. Expo is decent, not huge in terms of vendors (it's a lot of other races mainly) but they had a few different vendors that had fuel options and last minute necessities.

Course: flat and scenic! First few miles are residential and then it goes out to the water then back downtown for the finish. A TON of crowd support from the community. There were very few spots on the course that didn't have crowds.

Bling: each race has the same medal but different size/color. Bronze=5k silver=half and gold=full. Great quality!

Post race party: free beer for participants, lots of food options!

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(2015)
"Snow doesn't stop this race"
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I have done this race 2 years in a row (2014,2015) and it is awesome. The expo isn't very big- it's at a local Fleet Feet but does have a few extras(photo ops, etc). The swag from this race is amazing. The first year we did it it was a bamboo t-shirt and the second year it was a half zip pull over- not something you normally see included with your race entry! Both shirts are still ones that get worn on a regular basis. The merchandise available for purchase is top notch as well. Top Stitch (they do all of the gear and medals) puts a lot of thought into the products available. Everything is great quality and nicely designed.
Parking for the race is simple and FREE. There's a ton of space outside of the Oncenter in between the lot and parking garage and it it's only steps away from the start line.
I really can't say enough great things about race management for this race. In 2015 Syracuse got hit with some freezing rain and snow the night before the race and the directors took it upon themselves to purchase salt for the course and salt it by hand in the middle of the night to ensure safety for participants. They are awesome!
The course itself is hilly, but not awful. There's a decent size hill in the first mile and after that there's quite a bit of up and down throughout the rest of the race. There's a surprising amount of crowd support for it being March, in Syracuse. Aid stations were every mile and a half and well stocked and gels were given around mile 9.

The post race party is pretty great also. There is a full hot breakfast, pizza, fruit, yogurt, drinks and FREE massage.

We will definitely be back for a 3rd year in 2016 for an extremely well done race!

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