Latest reviews by Fallon C
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Santa Rosa half boasts 13.1 miles of flat, potentially fast miles along a pretty great running trail.
Race started right on time on a nice, clear morning.
The course involved a couple miles of city streets before heading off the road onto a river path that was part paved and part dirt. I do wish there was more dirt but that’s just my preference.
Aid stations were interspersed every few miles with Nuun, water and wet towels. The wet towels turned out to be a good thing as the morning did warm up. They also had plenty of porta-potties at each station.
The swag was great- nice medal, great full zip jacket, wine tumbler and a bottle of wine from DeLoach Vineyard. Race pictures were also up a few hours after the race. Speedy! Parking was also surprisingly easy.
This is definitely a race I would run again.
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Coeur D’Alene is gorgeous. The lake and the park with the trails is like runner heaven- could that just be plopped down where I am, please?
The race utilized a rolling start from 5:30AM to 11:00AM. You had to register for your start time before race day. McEuen Park was the race start and finish and had plenty of parking available.
The first 3 miles headed out into city streets along the lakeside before looping back to the park. Man, there are some nice houses out there. The next 10 miles were on a paved path called the North Idaho Centennial Trail. This thing is 23 miles long! Again, can I have it please?
The course was awesome, lake views for most of it, dream houses for the other part. Plus, I decided I really like rolling starts. I never felt like I was back of the pack even though I definitely was. I was very warm though so I was questioning the sanity of everyone who started later in the day. I’ve never taken in so much water during a race before in my life. I drank 4 bottles on course. Which brings me to the aid stations. The stations were well equipped with plenty of water, Gatorade and snacks.
Swag was awesome- a great medal and a lightweight hoodie- much better than the usual tech shirt.
This was a great race and one I would love to run again.
Props to race management for a great race .
Overall
Race Management
SWAG
Virtual Support
While I missed running in the scenic roads that make up the Napa Valley Marathon, this was a fun challenge. The Perfect Pairing Challenge offered up a 1 mile, 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon races. All except the marathon had to be run in one run over the course of 40 days or so. The marathon was a Barrell Blend challenge and let your run it in as many runs as needed to hit that 26.2 distance.
Each race you completed earned you another piece of swag. If you completed all the races, you would end up with the cutest charcuterie set. I completed everything but the half marathon as I am not at run 13.1 miles consecutively point in my fitness. Oops.
The race also offered fun, interactive Facebook events about wine and charcuterie . Gave you something to look forward to as the weeks advanced towards the race. It was a fun challenge.
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
I was excited to sign for Hot Chocolate 15K- Phoenix. Somehow, I have never run a Hot Chocolate race before even though I had heard great things. Obviously, I would have preferred to run it in person but 2020. I missed the crowds and I know I missed out on what I hear are amazing aid stations.
My personal race went a little south due to a numb foot but I was looking forward to the great swag as a reward.
Except, my awesome swag was lost in transit (holiday mail)! I watched it literally circle the country according to the transit data. It finally did arrive though and it is really awesome! The sweatshirt is top notch and I’ve already worn it. It will definitely keep me warm through the next few months. Just one ask- how about a milk chocolate cocoa mix??? I think I may be alone in that though.
Overall
Race Management
SWAG
Virtual Support
The downside was not running in San Francisco- upside, I could choose my own course!
I took my Giants Race to the beach and enjoyed some miles in the sand.
The swag for the race is awesome- a tech tee that I actually want to wear again, a new Seal themed gaiter for 2020 and a sweet bobble head. Then there are the medals that were earned- pretty sweet.
Also, as this was my third Giants Race of the year, I will also earn the Turn Two and the Three Bagger series medals. That's 4 medals for the Giant Race San Francisco! Sweet!
I appreciated all the emails from the race organization. They kept us in loop as it changed from a live weekend to a virtual one. They also lined up a lot interactive activities for race week. Like interviews and social posts. They also sent out a printable DIY finish line as well as a downloadable Zoom background for finishers.
All in all, it was a great virtual experience.