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Latest reviews by Kim Townsend
Kim Townsend recommends this race
(2019)
"Real Runners of Orange County "
Overall
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This race offers amazing views, fantastic volunteers, an awesome weekend running festival for friends and family of all ages! The course scenery is breathtaking. I loved every second of it! I totally forgot I was in a race because I was taking it all in! The start line was well organized and I loved the 5:30 am start. The volunteers and spectators were awesome and I loved the energy. My only issue was the water. Of all things, water on the course. They served Qure Alkaline water with a pH of 10. I carried my electrolyte drink and relied on the course for water. I have never had alkaline water and at mile 16 began throwing up out of nowhere. I am an experienced long course athlete and nothing like that has every happened-ever. I felt amazing. Then boom. I kept going for a couple miles while getting sick. Then finally slowed and a man in a golf cart came over to check on me and handed me tissues to clean my self up. He must have radioed ahead to people on the next corner that a sick girl was coming through because two men flagged me down to make sure I was ok. I have never gotten sick on a course like that and I am so thankful for the awesome people and their communication! I was like wow! They were checking on me! I kept sipping the water and finally at mile 23 called it a day. An awesome volunteer captain took great care of me. He handed me a bottle of Qure and I was like...ummm have I been drinking this all day? The water was the only outlier and the only thing different about my routine. I registered on the fly and did not think to check the water on the course, only the electrolyte drink. I cannot thank the staff and organizers enough for having such great people out there.
Summary:
Gorgeous course!
Loved the early start!
AMAZING views!
Incredible volunteers!
Loved the weekend festival for all ages and distances!
Fantastic destination race weekend!
So well organized!
Just bring your own water or don't try it new on race day!
I will be back to finish what I started!
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Kim Townsend recommends this race
(2019)
"Majestic Views from the Mountains 2 Beach "
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From a beautiful start in quaint Ojai, California to the stunning finish along the Pacific Ocean, this is a fantastic destination race. The first 7 miles loop around the lovely town of Ojai where orange groves are on your right and mountains to your left. The course has a net downhill so train accordingly. The elevation loss is noticeable but not destroy your legs noticeable. The course takes you on bike paths which are lovely and still scenic. I tried to stay out of a pace group because I do not like them when you have a wide road let alone a path. It worked well for me staying out of a pace group. I loved the course from start to finish. With a field of less than 2000 full marathoners it it perfect for those that like smaller crowds yet having large crowd amenities. The half marathon and full merge and the finish line is narrow so there are a lot of people in your finish pictures. The photos are free which is a nice perk. I cannot comment on any post race activity as I left to go back to the hotel after finishing. I am not one to hang around post race. The race gives you very clear pre-race directions! Follow them! There is great communication from the staff and organizers. The medals are unique and well made but are the same for the half and the full (just the ribbon is different). This does not matter to me one bit but I know some people prefer the difference distances have different medals.
Summary-- beautiful destination race with a potential for a fast course
lovely scenery
well organized
great medals
free photos
fantastic course
LOVED IT!!
Kim Townsend recommends this race
(2017)
"#BeMonumental Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon "
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This was my third consecutive year running the Monumental Half marathon. It has quickly gained a huge following and the marathon has been sold out the past two years! The expo has a wide variety of vendors and packet pick up is well organized. Parking for the expo is easy as there are many garages available that connect to Circle Center Mall that allow for walking access to the convention center. The race management is great and pre race communication is informative. The course is fast and flat which is why it is becoming a huge hit for people trying to BQ. That being said, book a hotel early if you want to stay downtown. By the first of August there were no rooms to be found downtown. The start line is a tad chaotic as people try to push their way into their corrals. I wish there was a better solution to getting people in the proper place before the start. The start corrals are extremely crowded so much that you must be diligent in the first mile to watch out for the crush of people near you. The course winds around the downtown area and takes you by the monuments and by fall creek. Some of the pavement is rough and has pot holes so keeping an eye on the road is key. Around miles 8-9 I remember the pavement being uneven. There was a ton of crowd support this year! It was great to see so many people cheering along the course. The aid stations were well organized and provided ample support. I was a bit disappointed in the t-shirts and the hat is a nice touch at the finish line, but the colors and design are just not to my taste. The medals are unique and well crafted. Unfortunately, I started doing this race three years ago and missed the first year in which they started doing a four year medal series. So I have three pieces of a puzzle. If you completed all four you did get a beautiful display case to put them in. Overall, this is an excellent race. Indianapolis is a great city with food, shopping, museums and more. The race management is organized and the race is fast and fun. I am a repeat racer and plan on making this an annual event. I love the fact that the organization gives so much back to the Indianapolis Public Schools. This is what makes this race extra special! The organization is really making a difference in the schools and it is wonderful seeing children complete their first 5k with their classmates and teachers! I highly recommend this well organized, fast and flat course. Great town, great charity! Book a hotel early if you want to stay downtown. I will be back next year!
Kim Townsend recommends this race
(2017)
"Running the Strip at Night! "
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This was my third Rock and Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon. I was fortunate to have raced the inaugural event in 2009. I like the RnR series because I find the consistency of organized packet pick and fun expos with a wide variety of vendors. The RnR Vegas is so unique since you actually get to run the strip at night! There are nonstop crowds cheering. The course is entertaining as you make your way down the famous strip. Parking is not a problem if you are staying at one of the hotels on the strip. The expo was not as big as I remember in years past, however, it still had a variety of vendors and I enjoyed browsing. I always like the quality of the race expo merchandise. The event shirts were great and one of the few I will actually wear again! The medals for this race are always fun as the glow in the dark! The finish line is literally a half a mile long so plan accordingly where you will meet your party. There was not much food at the finish. Bananas, try moo, pringles and pretzels but it is Vegas so why eat crap when you are surrounded by some of the finest restaurants in the world??? I have not done the full marathon here but I have heard it can be dark and lonely. The half is an absolute blast. It is a great weekend getaway for a fun destination race. So many people corral hopped and that created congestion at the first mile. There was also a lot of course cutting as people stopped to take photos at the famous Las Vegas sign then jumped back onto the course, ignoring the course as it continued up about another half mile. There was a lot of people cutting out that 3/4-1 mile section this year. The race is fun and exciting and there is a lot of excitement at the start line. Tons of cheering and beauty of the strip lit up makes for a memorable event.
Kim Townsend recommends this race
(2017)
"Miami Famous-The World's Third Largest International Marathon & Half "
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This was my first Miami Marathon and it will not be my last. I signed up at the last minute for the half and I still found the email communication before the race very helpful. Since a cold front moved through the day at the expo I decided to switch to the full. The expo was at the Marlins Park which yielded long lines and a lot of congestion. The lines to pick up your t-shirt were lengthy and everyone had to wait in a line to walk single file up the non-moving escalator. If you had a stroller or wheelchair with you, this would have been very difficult. There were so many vendors at the expo but the crush of people going around the baseball stadium made it difficult to navigate and to shop. The people at the solutions counter were helpful in switching my entry from the half to the full. The expo took a long time to for packet pick up having to pass security checks and lengthy lines. I know this was the first year at the Marlins Park which was neat in theory just not conducive to a large crowd of people trying to browse at vendor stations. The Miami Marathon merchandise was great! There was a wide selection of quality items to pick from.
Race morning you had options of taking shuttles to the start line. This was well organized however I was dropped off near the starting area. The route and street closures were well advertised in the athlete guide so the person driving me did not have any issues with drop off and pick up. The corrals were organized and I greatly appreciated the security that checked each participant's bib and corral placement. They did a great job of trying to enforce the safety of the corral seeding for everyone. However, I was dismayed at the behavior of fellow runners that were jumping the fences directly in front of security personnel that was yelling at them to use the proper entrance. Of course the runners hopping the fence were not in the proper corral. Kudos to the lady working corral C who tracked down corral crashers from H, I, J and K! This poses a safety risk when walkers or slower paced runners jump into a faster paced corral. It was frustrating to see runners act in such a manner that defied race security and personnel.
As far as the course goes, it was well marked and aide stations were plentiful and well staffed. I am sure the course was beautiful, it was just raining so hard I kept my head down and focused. After the full/half marathon split it got pretty lonely on the full course. I always greeted the officers and said thank you as they course so well staffed with police. Impressive job by the organizers on having the intersections safe and secure for the runners! The finish line party was large and looked very entertaining! It started pouring so I headed to gear check (again, well organized) and back to the hotel. Athlinks tracking was down for most of the race and times, especially for corrals H, I, J and so forth did not indicate their proper start times. However, the race management worked quickly to resolve the timing issues. My time was accurate as I started in wave C. Some corrals started close to 7 am. There were snacks and more at the after party and the staff was very helpful at directing you to gear check and so forth.
The medals, race shirt and sling bag were great! Thanks to a sponsor, ProAir, you were able to receive FREE race photos. The volunteers were great and they stood out in the cold rain for a long time. Race organization was good and the only thing that needed improvement was the flow of people through the race expo and the efficiency of packet pick up.
Despite the cold rain I was able to BQ! Thanks to the crowd support for cheering-- I needed it! If you are looking for a flat, scenic course that is well supported, Miami Famous is your race! This makes for a great winter destination race! See you in 2018, Miami!