What a weekend! This race (or all 3 I should say, as there was a 5k, 10k, and half marathon) was well-organized and tons of fun. Kudos to Runners World and DMSE Sports for putting together such a fun, running-filled weekend!

Merrimack College in North Andover was a great, easy location for the races. My mom and I had no problems getting there and parking was a cinch (despite my alarm somehow failing to wake me up Saturday morning so we were a little later than we intended.) We grabbed our bibs and shirts and took a minute to check out the expo. One of my ONLY complaints about the event would be the T-shirts – I love the color, but I was bummed that they were cotton! I’ll still wear it, but it would have been nice if I could have worn it out on runs.

The expo was also very small – I think there were 2 vendors, apart from Runners World! I was super stoked to see Sarah Marie Design Studio there (check out her website if you haven’t heard of her!!) I had actually just ordered one of her “Netflix and Treadmill” tanks, and me and my mom both decided to buy some new running tanks (I got “Positive Vibes, Negative Splits” – love that slogan!)

I was doing the Hat Trick - all 3 races for a total of 22.4 miles and FIVE (!) medals for the weekend. First up on Saturday was the 5k, followed about an hour later by the 10k. I thought DMSE Sports (the event producers) had done a great job adjusting for the hot temperatures that had set in - there were plenty of water stations and they provided runners with cold, water-soaked sponges at the finish. They also seemed to have a LOT of medical staff on standby. The same was true for the half marathon on Sunday - plenty of water stations, well-stocked with both water and Gatorade.

There was a pretty good selection of post-race foods for refueling after all those miles. There was a big selection of chips, granola bars, Stoney Field yogurt, Yasso bars (probably my favorite post-race food!), and Tazo chocolate. The official finisher food was a single hot dog (though you could opt to buy a second one). I’m not a big hot dog person, but it kind of hit the spot after 9.3 miles. You also got a ticket for 1 free beer and they had a choice of Coors Light and Blue Moon.

Saturday also featured a Celebrity Mile Race. The line-up included Runners World editor David Willey, Adrienne Haslet (Boston Marathon bombing survivor), Dick Hoyt (of Team Hoyt), Bill Evans (the Boston police commissioner), and many more. It was really inspiring and heartwarming seeing how far the survivors of the Marathon Bombings had come.

After the Celebrity Mile was over, my mom and I met up with a running friend to check out the seminars. What better way to celebrate spending your whole morning running than to follow it up with afternoon discussions on running?😉 The first seminar was called “Getting the Most from your Machine: How to Become your Fastest and Healthiest Runner”. This one was led by Amby Burfoot, winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon, and Bud Coates, a 2:11 marathoner and 4-time Olympic marathon trials qualifier. This discussion was a little more anecdotal, but it was pretty cool getting to hear these incredible runners describe their experience with running, injuries, and training.

The second seminar was led by 2 physical therapists on how to keep running injury-free. This was another fascinating presentation as we discussed why so many runners get injured, and how the regulations of the health care system contribute to that. I don’t remember the names of these speakers, but both were physical therapists in the Boston area and very engaging speakers. They also stayed around after the talk to answer questions.

The courses themselves were also really great. Most of the course was along shady, tree-lined streets of North Andover, but we also got to run through along their Main Street, where there were a bunch of spectators out cheering. There was some minor congestion at the start of the 5k as we ran through the college campus streets, but not terrible. The races also didn’t have a ton of crowd support, but the folks who were out were very enthusiastic, so they made up for it. :)

Overall, Runners World and DMSE Sports put on a great event - everything seemed extremely smooth, the swag was great, and the post-race party was excellent. I hope they will continue to put on the Runners World Classic in North Andover, because I would DEFINITELY run this one again.I am so glad I did the full hat trick. It’s such a cool challenge to run 3 races in 2 days and I think it would be pretty difficult to replicate outside of a Runners World event.

Maybe I'll see you there in 2017!

This was my first year running the Boston Run to Remember and I LOVED IT! I don't know whether this was a new addition this year, but the race actually consisted of a half marathon and 5-mile option. I had run a marathon 3 weeks earlier, so I decided to opt for the 5-miler.

The Course: Right outside the Seaport World Trade Center (where the expo was held), I lined up at the start with a few of my coworkers who were doing the half marathon (it’s a group start). Right on time at 7 am, we were off! If I had really wanted to race this, I definitely would have needed to line up closer to the front. There was quite a bit of congestion as we wove through Boston’s narrow streets. Luckily, I was taking it pretty easy, so it didn't really bother me. All I wanted to do was run fast enough to warm up since there was a cool breeze coming off the water. The course took us on a great tour of downtown Boston - through the financial district, past Faneuil Hall, to the Boston Common, where the 5-milers split from the half marathon. In the last 2 miles of the course, we ran back into the Seaport District where there were plenty of spectators lining the course and cheering for everyone - it was a great way to end the race! After crossing the finish line, all the runners were funneled back into the Seaport World Trade Center where they had TONS of post-race food, vendors, and bag check. Considering it was such a cool morning, it was kind of nice to be back indoors where it was warm. They had a great variety of food and my absolute favorite – chocolate milk!! There were also a bunch of vendors left over from the expo who were still selling merchandise. I was able to buy a really nice Saucony running longsleeve for 40% off :)
I hung out for a while, and finally checked my results. My official time was 41:25, which comes out to an average pace of 8:17/mile. I was also 31 out of 499 runners in my age group! If I had been 100% uninjured (was dealing with some hamstring issues at the time), I think I could have done better, but even so, I was really happy with this result.

The medals were also really cool at this race – The circular piece in the middle is actually a “coin” that is magnetized to fit into the medal itself. They had different coins to represent Police and Fire.

Overall, this was an awesome race – very well-organized, great expo, and a cool course that did a great job highlighting the city of Boston.

For a more detailed account of my experience, check out my race recap at https://2gensrunning.com/2016/06/01/boston-run-to-remember-5-miler/

As far as races go, the Delaware Marathon was a bit of a mixed bag for me. There were a number of aspects of the race that I really appreciated, but there were also some things that could have been improved upon, at least in my opinion. In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that when I finished the marathon I went straight to the med tent and was later transported to the ER with heat stroke. It was definitely not the way I wanted to celebrate my accomplishment, but I’ve been trying to not let that negatively influence my opinions on the race itself.

The Good Stuff:
Loved the race shirt. Other swag included a pint glass and a Headsweats hat.

The Tubman Garrett Riverfront Park was a really pretty area for the start and finish. It was also only a mile away from the official hotel of the race (the Westin), and was easily walkable along the riverfront. If you’re coming from out of town, I would highly recommend staying at the Westin, as it will also save you the hassle of trying to find a parking spot on raceday.

There were plenty of water stations. Part of this was the fact that we would pass each water station 2-4 times, but still. It was a warm day, so I was happy for them.
Parts of the course wound through shady neighborhoods, which was a pleasant relief as the day got hotter. Brandywine Park was also a beautiful area and probably my favorite part of the course.

I heard the post-race food was good. There was supposed to be a champagne toast for the marathoners, chocolate milk, pulled pork sliders, and pizza, among other things. I was really bummed I missed out on all this.

One of the race organizers was incredibly kind and helpful, picking up our checked bags for us while my mom and I were at the ER, and also our age group trophies (I got third in my age group and my mom got second in hers) and delivering them to the ER for us.

The Bad Stuff:
The expo was tiny. Everything they had fit under a tent in the Tubman-Garrett park. There was some running apparel, but nothing specific to the Delaware Marathon, which was a bummer because I would have loved to have bought a jacket or some other memento of the race.

The Ugly Stuff:
Now here’s my biggest complaint - The course was insanely confusing. The description online made it sound like it was a 13.1 mile loop, so the marathoners would do it twice. Yes, that was sort of true – but there were so many little loops and turns through neighborhoods, that the marathoners ended up in the same area 4 times. I don’t mind hitting the same parts of a course twice generally, but this just felt confusing. The organizers were trying to find 13.1 miles in an area that was just a little too condensed, and all the back-and-forth got really annoying by mile 17.

Additionally, marathoners and half marathoners all started together, right at 7 am, despite there being barely enough room in the corrals. The course began with a run on a road back in the direction of Frawley Stadium and the hotel, for just under a mile before we turned hard left, and actually ran through a shopping plaza before hopping on the river walk. It felt very strange and the whole area was very tight for the number of runners there were with it being so early in the course.

To add to this, there were some spots on course that could have been marked more clearly or had more volunteers. It was fine on the first loop when there were tons of runners (the half marathoners and marathoners all started together), but there were only 450 people running the full, and so everyone was very spread out after the first 13 miles. My mom was also running the full and almost made a wrong turn at one point. It would not surprise me one bit if there were a few runners who did make a wrong turn out there, which is a horrible nightmare when you’re already running 26.2 miles.

There was also basically no spectator support. I don’t blame the race organizers for this one, but it is kind of a bummer when you feel like you’re out running 26 miles with no one else around you.

So here’s the big question: would I recommend this race? No. I wouldn’t recommend doing the marathon, but I think the half marathon might have been more enjoyable. If the race organizer found a way to extend the course a bit so that racers weren't running through the same areas and neighborhoods so many times, I think it would be a better race.

This was a fantastic, well-organized race and one that I would highly recommend.
My mom and I chose this half marathon because the timing of late February combined with the proximity to relatives in the area worked well for us. Plus, we were ready to cross off another state (bringing us to a total of 10!).

The Augusta University Half Marathon is definitely a small race with registration numbers for the half marathon at just around 800. Even with the small size, race organizers clearly put a lot of effort and attention into the fine details, which is not something you always see! Names were printed on our bibs, the official shirt of the half marathon was a super cute (and cozy) sweatshirt, a sticker with the race logo was included in our packets, and we received a high-quality tote bag with the logo of the local university. This was honestly some of the best swag I've ever received from a race and I have run A LOT of races at this point! :)

The expo itself was on the small size and located at the Julian Smith Casino in Augusta. Many of the vendors seemed to have packed up and left by the time I got there (it was scheduled to close 1 hour later), but there were still a few interesting companies there, including Fleet Feet who was having an awesome sale on winter running apparel, that my mom and I took advantage of (being from Massachusetts, we're pretty much guaranteed a few more cold months of running!)

After a little browsing, we headed back to the host hotel (The Partridge Inn) which was located a convenient 1.7 miles from the start. My mom and I elected to jog down on race morning as our warm-up, and this worked very well. From what I could tell though, there was plenty of parking and not too much traffic as we got closer to start time. The start and finish were located on a scenic bike/jogging trail on Lake Olmstead which gave runners plenty of space to mill around and warm up as we waited for the start. Temps were in the 40s in the morning, but forecasted to climb into the high 60s over the course of the day. Basically, perfect running weather! Porta-potties were plentiful and we didn't have to wait in any lines to use them. My only criticism would be that they could have used more signage directing racers to bag check. We knew bag check was being provided from asking at the expo, but we wandered around for probably 15 minutes before finding someone who was able to point out where it was located.

The course: As with most races, there were parts of this course that were really pretty and others that were not so much. Downtown Augusta has clearly fallen on some hard times, and you could tell running down their main street, that it is not exactly a bustling metropolis. But we also ran past beautiful, old-fashioned colonial mansions. The first 5 miles of the course were mostly flat, which was awesome for warming up and finding my rhythm. Mile 6-7 was the first of 2 REALLY BIG hills. This was definitely the toughest part of the course. You can just see the hill rising up in the distance ahead of you. Then, you reach what you think is the crest, go around a curve and BAM – more uphill. My pace slowed way down on this part, but I had pretty much expected that from seeing the elevation profile of the course, so no biggie. The downhill on the other side provided fantastic and much-needed relief, and my pace dropped down to a speed I usually reserve for 5ks. It was mostly downhill from there until Mile 9, where there was another smaller hill. Then, it was all downhill and flat to the finish :) There was not a whole lot of spectator support along the course, but you were always guaranteed some friendly cheering and support at the water stops, which were every 2 miles. For the temperature and the course, I thought that was the perfect amount.

The post-race food was good, though not very original or exciting. We got pieces of bagel, orange slices, a banana, a cup of trail mix, and a couple of cookies. There had also apparently been Starbucks coffee, but they ran out by the time my mom and I went over to get it, which was a little disappointing, especially since my mom and I were far from the last finishers (she got third in her age group and I got 5th in mine).

Overall, I was very impressed with the quality and organization of this race. If it was local to me, I would 100% run it again, and at only $70, it's very reasonably priced. Props to the Augusta Sports Council for putting on an excellent event!

Almost everything about this race was smooth sailing and definitely reflective of the slogan chosen by the Greater Lowell Road Runners - "A Race for Runners by Runners". The expo is small, but well-organized with plenty of signage directing runners where to go when they reached the hotel that hosted it. I was a little bummed that the shirts were kind of an ugly yellow color, but they were long-sleeved with a flattering cut, so not so bad.

On race morning, we had no problem finding a parking garage in Lowell (which was a blessedly short 15 minute drive away) and then making the short walk to the Tsongas Arena which was packed to the brim with runners. It was awesome that they opened it up to us – we were able to use REAL restrooms and stay out of the cold until the very last minute. This truly was fantastic especially since the first real frost of the winter happened to hit the night before. Even with the real bathrooms, they still had TONS of porta-potties for the runners at the start. There were some lines, but they moved quickly and my mom and I were easily able to get to the starting lines (half marathon for me, marathon for her) in time. My only criticism was that bag check was at a U-haul truck outdoors, whereas the pre-race flyers we picked up at the expo had said that bag check was inside the Tsongas Arena. So a little confusion there, but not too big a deal.

The race was self-seeded and started right on time, which was really great since it minimized the amount of standing around in the freezing cold! Once we were off, the half marathon and marathon stayed together for just about a mile before we split. The race organizers did a great job making sure the marathoners knew to keep left and half marathoners right. Right around mile 9, I passed the speediest of the marathoners going in the opposite direction across one of the bridges the course took us over. They were all looking strong, and the crowd support right at that area was awesome, with people cheering for both marathoners and half marathoners. Most of the course was lacking in spectators (not too surprising given how cold it was), so it was an awesome mental boost as I headed into the final 5K.

From a half marathoner's perspective, I thought the aid stations were well set-up. I only took water at the stations since I was carrying my own gels, but they always had plenty of cups and water and the volunteers working the stations were so enthusiastic and friendly. (I'm pretty sure there was a costume contest among the different volunteer groups at the aid stations, which added to the entertainment factor!)

The course itself is pretty flat for the most part, with only a few minor hills thrown in. Lowell isn't exactly known for how scenic it is, but I still thought there were some really gorgeous Fall views that race organizers managed to take advantage of. Once I finished (running a new half marathon PR, yay!) I quickly reclaimed my checked bag (totally smooth sailing there!) and immediately started adding layers – sweatpants, a sweatshirt, and a fleece on top of that. I knew I was going to cool down fast and I still had a lot of time to kill before my mom would be finishing the marathon. The post-race food was good, although I wish they had had more hot options – they had cold sodas, bananas, chips, PB&J’s, and hot soup. I had the chicken noodle soup which totally hit the spot. While I waited for my mom, I made a quick walk to Dunkin Donuts and got a hot chocolate (<- Best decision ever!) and then I set myself up at a good spot near the finish.

It was honestly so inspiring watching the runners come into the finish of their marathon. I saw so many fly into the finish, with huge smiles on their faces (This is a big race for people looking to qualify for Boston, so that might have had something to do with it.) BQ or not, a marathon is such a huge accomplishment, and I felt weirdly emotional thinking of how proud I was of my mom, out there running her second marathon. Especially when I think back to the days when she told me she would NEVER run a marathon! Oh, how things have changed!

Finally, a couple hours later I watched my mom come around the final bend and into the finish, running a new marathon PR by 30 minutes! My mom and I were both so thrilled with how the weekend went. Both marathon and half marathon were extremely well-organized, and we both ran fantastic. I would definitely recommend this race if you live in the New England area and are looking for a potential BQ at a fall marathon.