Latest reviews by Stephanie Dunlap

(2018)
"Fun Evening Course"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

At first, I was just going to run the OakTown half marathon on Sunday. Then, when Oaktown Half announced that they were adding a 5k and participants who ran both the 5k and half marathon would get a challenge medal, I was in! The 5k was at 4pm on Saturday and the half marathon was at 7:30am on Sunday.

At the start of the 5k, some runners were released to begin running, but then suddenly the rest of the pack was told to stop. They announced that there was an issue with a road closure. After about 8 minutes, the rest of the pack was released to go. I didn’t mind this wait because it gave me an opportunity to get a pic with one of the giant Oakland As players. (Don’t ask me who the player was because I don’t watch nor follow any sports.)

Some of the highlights of the 5k were seeing the cool mile markers, the artwork scattered throughout the city, and the post-race celebration that included food trucks, music, and various booths! Oh! And also running into some awesome runnings friends… Pavement Runner and David of FitFam6!

As for my finishing time for the Oaktown Half 5k, I knew going into the race that it wasn’t going to be fast. 1) I haven’t really been training 2) I am over 6 months pregnant 3) It was nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit at race start time! Overall, I am proud of my 5k performance. I ran some, I walked some.

There were no aid stations during the 5k course, but I already knew that since it was posted on the website. It was no big deal to me because 1) it was a short 3.1 miles and 2) I carry my handheld water bottle.

A great race overall and one I'd run again!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.
(2017)
"30th Anniversary"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

Believe it or not, but this was my first time running this race celebrating 30 years in the Davis community! Since I wasn't able to pick up my bib prior to race day, I picked it up race morning. I was able to do so quickly and easily. I was pleased to see so many tents set up of local vendors out to celebrate this community event. I was also pleased to see a plethora of porta potties set up!

Since I arrived an hour before race start time, I headed back to my warm car to wait until the scheduled 8:30am race start time. Sadly, the race ended up not starting until closer to 8:45am since the 5k got a late start. I didn't mind too much though since the sun was now up and warming up the air a bit.

There were a total of 1,072 5k finishers, 573 10k finishes, and 309 half marathon finishers. Yes, it was a small race, but not the smallest race I have participated in.

It was nice to see half marathon pacers for the half marathon. The pacers help to set an even pace and help runners achieve their goals. My training has not been consistent lately to say the least, so I decided to start out with the 2:15 pace group. I stayed with them for the first 8 miles and then slowly dropped back.

The aid stations on course were well stocked with water, Gatorade, and even some mini Lara bars!

As for the finish line, it was more like a finish party! There were a lot of community members out to support this local race, vendors, etc. I would have stuck around longer, but donuts and a shower were calling my name.

All in all, not only would I run this race again, but I'd also recommend this race to others.

Loading Comments...

Login or sign up to leave a comment.
(2017)
"First Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

My first Rock ‘n’ Roll experience was amazing and left me wanting more! It all started Friday, October 13th with a flight from Sacramento, California to Denver, Colorado.

Immediately following work on Friday (I’m a 5th grade teacher), I drove to the airport to catch my flight. It was an uneventful two hour flight. I passed time by watching the movie “Tallulah” on Netflix that I had downloaded the night before. When I arrived in to Denver, my aunt and her friend, Brenda, were waiting for me. We all headed to my aunt’s house, chatted about running for a bit, and then went to bed.

The next morning, I was so excited to participate in my first Rock ‘n’ Roll race! I was glad there was race morning bib pick up since I wasn’t able to attend the expo on Friday. I was also glad that the 5k started at 9am. It was chilly, but manageable since the sun was out.

The 5k on Saturday was relatively small. There were only 961 participants. I went into the race with no expectations. I wasn’t sure how my body would respond to running in the mile high city (5,280 ft. elevation). My hometown’s elevation is 59 feet.

I’m happy to report that I ran the entire time (besides the short walk during the water station at mile 2) and I finished in 30:16. A far cry from my 24:16 5k PR, but I already knew my 5k time wasn’t going to be fast. One of the pieces of motivation I had during the race was knowing my aunt was right beside me. I didn’t want her to see me walk nor give up. I wanted to prove I was strong.

Some of my favorite parts of the expo included checking out the Rock ‘n’ Roll race area (still trying to convince the hubby to let me run RnR Las Vegas… every year it falls on his birthday weekend and he doesn’t want to go to Las Vegas for his birthday), getting a pic of me holding my half marathon bib, and finding the SPIbelt booth.

Finally it was time to head back to the house, shower, and enjoy the rest of our day by visiting the town of Boulder, Colorado. While in Boulder, we walked along Pearl Street, an outdoor shopping mall. We spent about an hour in the Boulder Book Store. It was wonderful to browse the books, relax, and get lost in a few good titles. One book that I picked up was “What Made Maddy Run” by Kate Fagan, the heartbreaking and vital story of college athlete Madison Holleran, whose death by suicide rocked the University of Pennsylvania campus.

We browsed a few other stores and then made our way to Japango for some sushi and wine. This is what everyone eats the night before a half marathon, right?! 😉

It was a full day for us, so once we returned to my aunt’s house, we chatted for a bit and then headed to bed.

The moment I had been waiting for finally had arrived! My first Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon! I was told that the half marathon would be bigger than the 5k and they weren’t joking. The 5k had a little under 1,000 participants and the half marathon & 10k combined had a little under 7,000 participants! The race started at 7am and we arrived to the starting line a little after 6am. I tried staying in the warm car for as long as possible before I had to meet up with my fellow BibRave Pros.

Andrey, Katherine, and I finally all got together at 6:50am, Katherine & I then ran over to the drop bag area to drop our bags off, and then we quickly ran to our corrals. It was 30 degrees at the start of the race and 39 degrees when I finished the race about 2.5 hours later! Needless to say, it was cold! I’m so glad that I decided to wear tights and put my long sleeve shirt on under my BibRave shirt! I couldn’t feel my hands the first 3 miles of the race! Even though it was cold, I still sweated throughout the run. I was glad to have my new Boco Gear visor! (As a local Colorado based company, Boco Gear knows how to make comfortable and versatile headwear. I wore my visor the entire 13.1 miles and was able to easy throw it in the washing machine when I got home.)

Overall, I was pleased with my half marathon performance. I had run a local half marathon two weeks prior with a time of 2:19:34. My Denver finishing time was 2:21:27. (Again, a far cry from my half PR of 1:52:32.) Considering I was running a mile higher than I normally do, I was pleased.

I felt the lack of oxygen in the air more during the 5k than during the half marathon. This was partly due to the fact that I was so cold during the half marathon, my whole body was numb! I couldn’t feel anything! I can’t remember the last time I ran 13.1 miles in a long sleeve shirt and tights! (Can you tell I’m a California girl or what?!)

I had about a hour to enjoy the finisher zone before Brenda and Margie would finish the half marathon. First, I picked up my Remix Challenge medal (a special medal you earn when you participate in both events on Saturday and Sunday), then I headed to pick up my grab bag, and finally, I made my way to the beer garden. I was especially looking forward to the beer garden because I had not one complimentary beer ticket, but three! (Brenda and Margie both gave me their beer tickets. :))

After warming up in the sunshine with three beers and a solar blanket, I walked towards our meetup spot and quickly found Brenda and Margie. We snapped a quick jumping pic, and then drove to the house for me to shower, eat lunch, pack my bags, and then go to the airport.

It was an amazing whirlwind weekend in Denver! I am so thankful for my aunt who opened up her home to me, ran with me, and was a generous hostess. She even made a special, super tasty veggie lasagna since she knew that I am a no meat athlete! Yes, I am blessed!

It was another uneventful flight back home. I was thankful for my Oofos because my feet were ready for some much needed rest and recovery! If given the opportunity to run another Rock ‘n’ Roll race, I would do it in a heartbeat! So, so, SOOO much fun!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.
(2017)
"On a Beer Run"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

As stated on my blog, runstrongrun.com, this was my first time running in San Diego. Going into the race, I had heard from several people to be prepared for the hills. I. however, was still not prepared for the hills! Why was I not prepared for the hills? Well, it was probably from my lack of hill intervals during training, my lack of hills around where I live, and taking a month off of running right before this race. For those who properly train for hills and are running, I'm confident that you'll have no problem crushing this run!

The race expo was held at RoadRunner Sports and was well organized, quick, and easy to pick up my bib and other swag. They were even passing out coupons, so I just had to buy a new shirt! ;)

There was ample parking race morning and it was easy to get to. There were plenty of shuttles to get runners to the starting line. Once at the starting line, there were bathrooms set up along with water.

As for the course, although it wasn't the most scenic, it was safe, well marked, and wasn't a looped course. Yes, there are rolling hills and one major hill at about mile 10, but I'd still say it is a good course and one to be repeated. The aid stations throughout the course were well stocked with water, Nuun, and Honey Stinger products.

Once at the finish line, I was greeted by ice cold beer from Green Flash Brewery. It was SO delicious! There was a whole area outside of Green Flash Brewery set up for those 21 yrs. old and older with bathrooms, games, photo booths, merchandise, and more beer. I could have stayed there all day!

Overall, a fantastic race! I'd highly recommend you check out Craft Classic San Diego and the other Craft Classic races within the series!

Loading Comments...

Login or sign up to leave a comment.
(2017)
"Scenic, Downhill Marathon"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

This was my first time running in Utah and therefore was my first time running the Utah Valley Marathon. "Why did you pick this out-of-state race?" you may be asking. Well, I entered Michelle's giveaway on her blog runningwithattitude.com and I won! After finding a $170 roundtrip flight to Utah, I was in!

This was the Utah Valley Marathon's 10th anniversary and because of that each participant received a race jacket instead of a Tshirt. I still wanted a Tshirt to go along with my jacket, so I bought one at the expo. Speaking of the expo, it was organized, well stocked with great vendors, and had a great line up of speakers!

The Utah Valley Marathon is a point to point course. Participants load up on buses that take them to the starting line. The bus service begins at 3am and the last bus leaves at 4:15am. I ended up getting on a bus at about 3:30am. It took about 45 minutes to arrive to the starting line. Once at the starting line, I was delighted to see fire pits in an open field to huddle around to stay warm. There were probably a total of 20 fire pits scattered around an open field. There were volunteers who walked around to make sure everyone's fires were still lit.

If you're thinking about doing the Utah Valley Marathon, I recommend taking something warm to wear and/or wrap yourself in at the starting line to help you stay warm. I took a blanket with me to the starting line and was glad I did. At about 15 minutes until the race started, I shoved my blanket in my drop bag and handed it over to a race volunteer. At the starting line, there was also water and plenty of porta-potties.

As for the course, it was probably one of the most scenic I've ever ran! Bodies of water (including a waterfall), greenery, mountains, rock faces, etc. With such a wide variety of views, there's bound to be an elevation change! The race started about about 6,200 ft. and ended at about 4,200 ft. My home is located at 60 ft. above sea level. To say that I was not trained to be running at elevation would be an understatement. Next time, I will train more and get some training in at a higher elevation.

Throughout the course, there were plenty of porta-potties, Cliff gels, water, Powerade, and enthusiastic volunteers. There were even frozen Otter Pops at about mile 24. That was the best tasting Otter Pop EVER!

The Utah Valley Marathon's finish line was one of the best I've seen. It was in the middle of University Ave., there were many people cheering, and there were Jamba Juice smoothies waiting for us once we crossed the finish line!

Overall, I'd highly recommend the Utah Valley Marathon. Hmm... I may even have to go back and run the race again sometime.

Loading Comments...

Login or sign up to leave a comment.