Latest reviews by Ivie

(2016)
"Better with friends"
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This was my 2nd time running the OC Marathon. The first time I said that I was NEVER going to do the full again! .......but two years later, I did. And I'm SO glad!

Expo:
Parking is $8
It's busy
Tons of vendors, lots of samples, other races offer cheap registration
You can pick up bibs or have your bib picked up by someone else with a copy of an ID and a signed waiver

Race Day:
The bus ride is easy
Parking is $8 (buy your parking at the expo)
15 minute bus to the start
Gear check is super easy

Course:
The half and the full are the same for 11.5 miles. The BEST views are during this part! Great neighborhoods, the ocean, so many pretty things to see.
The half course turns and goes back towards the fairgrounds. The full keeps going and goes to the industrial part of Costa Mesa. There's not much to see...but running with friends this time made it so much better

Finish line:
TON of snacks and post race swag
Free beer (2 if your legacy)
Hoka tent - if you're wearing hokas you get free pizza!

VIP
AWESOME!
All you can eat breakfast. Not just muffins...hot breakfast and an omelet station

I've done the full twice and the half once, I love them both (now).

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(2016)
"Beautiful views for 13.1"
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This was a beautiful race! Traveling to the race is easy! TRAKS started running just after 4:00 am and ran every 10 minutes. It was free for runners and dropped us off right at the starting line. I got on at 5:40 (at the Courthouse Station) and reached the U by 5:50.

The starting line had tons of bathrooms and the track was open for people to warm up. Gear check was also set up next to the info tent and was super easy. *TIP: It was 37 degrees at race start, bringing my own space blanket was a life saver!

The course was great! A few rolling hills, but mostly downhill. The worst hill in the race is mile 7, but not the worst hills I've seen. *TIP: Mile 3 you turn into a canyon and are in the shade. I ditched my throw away at mile 2 and could have used it for a bit longer.

Water stations were every 1.5 miles. There were not mile markers or clock every mile, so if you're running for time make sure you're watching your own pace. There was no 2:15 pacing group for the half (2:10/2:20 only) so I ran with the 4:30 marathon group until the split at mile 9.

The course is primarily residential. A lot of families and the residents come out to cheer. Everyone was SO nice!

The finish line festival was great! TONS of people cheering in the finishers down the finishers chute. Once you received your medal there were water bottles, gatorade, fruit cups, ICE CREAM, annnnnd PANCAKES! There were activities, a kid zone and photo spots as well.

Pricing for the race is pretty cheap and the cost race day is very low with the transportation. I highly recommend this race, especially if you're local. It was a weekend racecation for me and truly enjoyed every moment. (Especially the PR)

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(2016)
"A marathon with Girl Scout Cookies?!"
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This race was AMAZING!

Same day packet pick up, so no need for 2 days and LOTS of parking. It was a $5 donation for your car, but they pretty much make you pay it to park.

We walked up, got our bibs and swag in less then 5 minutes. There were about 80 runners for the full so it was a small race. There were aid stations every 3 miles with 1 potra potty at each stop. Each aid station had plenty of water, Gatorade, candy and girl scout cookies. The volunteers were amazing and some of the BEST people out there. It is 90% trail with a little road along the top of the dam and parking lot, but still wore my road shoes. I ended up enjoying this race SO much more than I was expecting. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to run 26.2.

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(2016)
"LA Marathon - My favorite race even with bad circumstances "
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As I said before LA Marathon was a race I had been looking forward to for a year. My goal was to run a PR and love the race even more. But, not everything can go as planned, especially when SO much of the unexpected happened.

One of the reasons why I loved the race was the course. There is so much to see along the long stretch of 26.2 miles! It's truly the best way to see LA. Plus it takes about the same amount of time running from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica as it would driving in traffic.

As I got up on race day, I was a little worried because I woke up with a fever. I quickly took some ibuprofen and kept getting ready. My hope was to kick my fever early and go along with the marathon. Really I was just trying to pretend like nothing was wrong and everything would be fine.

We arrived at the stadium and waited near gear check for the rest of the running group. The longer we waiting and the more I talked, the worse I was starting to feel. My throat was getting sore and it was getting super dry when I had to talk. Sean could tell I wasn't feeling well, he told me to only respond to things by shaking my head yes or no. Once everyone was together we headed toward the start and started merging into the open corral.

The open corral is CRAZY. It's so hard to try to stay together, but somehow we made it work! Kelley, Sean, Shelley and I were running together. The plan was to run 1:00/:30s. Originally I wanted to PR, so that would have been 5:28 or faster, so 5:25 was the target.

We headed out of Dodger Stadium and after the first mile Kelley and I had to use the bathroom. Total race fail. At the first water stop in China Town there were 3 porta potties and the longest line I've ever seen. We knew we couldn't last another 3 miles, so we had to bite the bullet and had a 20:29 split for mile 3. After, we got back into the groove of things and kept on going.

I was starting to not feel well. I was coughing, but it was so dry, it was more painful than anything. Along with the cough was my fever and was getting dizzy. Around mile 7 Sean recommended that I call AJ and ask him to get me medicine, so that's what I did. The bad thing was I knewI then had to go 11 more miles before I would see him.

Towards Hollywood (mile 12) we came up on my friend, and fellow Team Muscle Maker member, Jenna Costello. She got separated from her group and joined ours!

We stopped at mile 13 to meet Kelley's brother. He refilled our electrolytes and we munched on some peanut butter pretzels.

Around mile 14, as we were running from Sunset to West Hollywood I saw a spectator that looked familiar. As I got closer I realized it was Bob Harper! He's been known to be on the course each year, so I knew to be on the look out. I ran up and asked for a photo, and then awkwardly said something like, "I think your awesome" and ran away. awwwwwwwkward.

We finally reached mile 18.5 where the Team Muscle Makers and #WeRunSocial cheer station was. AJ was ready with medicine and frozen wash cloths. Miles 13-18 were really hard for me and I told Kelley that they could go ahead. I needed to sit for a few minutes at the cheer station and recoup and lower my intervals. Jenna said she would stay back with me and the rest of the crew took off. I got myself together and Jenna and I took off.

We trucked along the course and made a stop at the Galloway tent. The running crew came out to support, and like always, they were amazing. We restocked on cold water and frozen wash cloths and knew we were only 3 miles out.

The last 3 miles of this race are the best because it's downhill towards the ocean. So the run gets easier and the breeze picks up. Jenna and I crossed the finish line and I couldn't have been happier to see Rudy, that meant we were done.

Marathon #2 of 2016 DONE!
The finishers chute is SUUUUPER long. You practically have to run another marathon to get to the dend of it! Jenna found her husband and I kept walking towards the end to meet up with AJ. Once I found AJ we had a long walk back to the car. We passed an ice cream and milkshake stand on the Santa Monica pier, I HAD to have a milkshake, so I did :)

Even though the day did not go as planned, I wasn't bummed out at all. So much happened the day before, and waking up sick was not in the plans either. I'm glad to have such great friends and support, from everyone I saw running, to everyone that I knew spectating, it was a fantastic day.

LA Marathon still holds a special place in my heart, even after a crazy year. I love the city, I love the course, I hate the hill leading to Disney Concert Hall, I love the spectators and love the course entertainment. It is the race I always recommend to anyone looking for a first time marathon. The city and the energy of the course can carry you when you feel like you have nothing left. I honestly feel like that is one of the reasons why I was able to finish this race.

After the marathon I went to the doctor and got diagnosed with Bronchitis and was off of my running game for a bit. But it was worth it :)

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(2016)
"13.1 Magical Miles [as long as you stay positive]"
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Expo: Disney expos are always great, but busy. If you want official merchandise, you have to go early and stand in line 3-4 hours before the expo opens. The vendors are typically the same, but always great. There are water stations throughout the expo to make sure everyone stays hydrated. There are great photo ops with banners, carpets and props, so be camera ready if you want to start your memoires at bib pickup! [Tip: parking in DTD is free for 3 hours, if you're ONLY getting your bib you can park there and save a few bucks. There is no parking at the Disneyland Hotel.]

Course: The course was different this year due to the construction around the park. There were MANY tight turns that it seemed more crowded than usual. There were TONS of water stations and the volunteers were great, like always. Once out of the park there's not much to see as far as the city goes, but there is great on course entertainment from bands, to cheerleaders and my favorite, the Red Hat Society ladies. Seriously 100's of ladies line the streets of Anaheim to cheer, they're awesome!

Other: Bag check is always seamless. First aid was great, the ice wrappers were AWESOME and did a great job wrapping my ankle. The bling is fabulous and the shirts are good quality (not the cutest, but they're nice). Race day parking in the structure is SUPER easy as long as you're there 90 minutes before race start. Once the structure gets backed up it moves pretty slow. ALSO, the structure is the last place you will have access to REAL bathrooms until you enter the parks, so take advantage! And don't forget your costumes!

*Remember* A Disney race does not come with park admission, so if you want to take medal pictures in the park you will also need a park ticket.

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