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Latest reviews by Holly
Holly recommends this race
(2016)
"Great race!!"
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Check out my blog for a full race recap: http://thriftyrunner.blogspot.com/2016/04/credit-union-cherry-blossom-10-miler.html
This was my second time running the race. Despite the adverse conditions (a wind advisory was issued the night before) the organizers still put on a great race. They ended up cancelling the kids race and didn't have any signage on the course, overhead signs and didn't put up all the tents to help keep runners and volunteers safe.
Short, quick lines for the portajohns pre-race which for such a large race is definitely a big deal! (And you can usually find a portajohn with short lines on the course too.)
The course is pretty much flat--super easy! The only downfall to it is Hains Point since there's not much to look at or crowd support since it's a pretty narrow area of the course as a whole. The race overall is pretty crowded, but it becomes even more obvious at this point because it keeps narrowing and widening throughout due to the parking alongside the two lane road.
The course also goes past a lot of monuments so it's a great way to get some sight seeing in! You start at the base of the Washington Monument and run past the Jefferson, Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorials, and under part of the Kennedy Center for the Arts.
One of the pros and cons to the race this year was definitely the cherry blossom blooms being past peak bloom. The first year I ran this race in 2014 the blooms were at their peak and I found that a lot of people stopped in the middle of the course along Hains Point (which if you remember, is already narrow) to get pictures of the trees. So this year thanks to the wind no blooms and fewer selfie driven runners to watch out for!
There's a lottery in December for this race in order to gain entry. You can take your chances and enter, or you can volunteer for the race to bypass the lottery and get in for the following year. That is how I got into this year's race (by chauffeuring an elite athlete in 2015) and I got guaranteed entry into next year's race by helping with packet pickup!
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Holly recommends this race
(2015)
"Love a Christmasy race!!"
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Be sure to check out my blog for my full race recap and see how my costume came together: http://thriftyrunner.blogspot.com/2015/12/jingle-all-way-5k-race-recap-and.html
This was my fourth time in a row running this race. I ran it the two years as an 8k and this was the race's second year as a 5k. (They cut down the distance due to construction, but now I think they might be doing it because people liked the new course so much. At least I definitely do!)
The course is nice and flat so it's really easy. The turnaround point is at the U.S. Capitol building so you get a chance to see the Congressional Christmas tree! It's also easy to get to by metro if you use the Federal Triangle stop it's a short walk to the starting and finishing area. (There are also some parking garages nearby as well, but metro is definitely easiest!) Before and after the race there are impromptu dance parties on Freedom Plaza.
If you do this race, definitely dress up!! My favorite part of getting ready for the race is the costume. I literally spend all year gathering lights and Christmasy anything to get my costume ready. (The attached picture is my costume from 2015.) If you enter the costume contest it definitely needs to be completely over the top. One year the winner of the individual costume contest was a Christmas tree made out of an egg crate mattress pad and spray painted.
Holly recommends this race
(2015)
"Great race with gorgeous views!"
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Check out my blog for my recap of the 2015 race (and a discount code for 2016's race!)
http://thriftyrunner.blogspot.com/2015/11/across-bay-10k-2015-race-recap.html
And the 2014 race!
http://thriftyrunner.blogspot.com/2014/11/across-bay-10k-race-report.html
Full Disclosure: I am a race ambassador for the Across the Bay 10k, and my opinions are completely my own.
I have run this race two years in a row now and I am going to be running it again in November 2016. I really enjoy it and look forward to it every year. The views both years have been fantastic--there's really nothing like seeing the sunrise from the shore of the Annapolis side of the bridge. There are a few logistical things to keep in mind.
This race is huge. There are several thousand runners every year--the first year almost 15,000 and almost 21,000 the second year. Know that and be patient and leave PLENTY of time to get to the race on time. (Allow yourself at least an extra hour because traffic can get backed up getting into the parking lots and to allow yourself time to get onto a shuttle and take that to the actual starting area.) Yes, you have to pay for parking. It's $10 per car and it's meant to encourage runners and spectators to carpool to the race. (There are several lots, but if you take into account how many people are there, it fills up pretty fast!) Take note that there isn't any parking or drop off allowed at the starting area, so you have to take the bus to the starting area and from the finisher's area.
The race has wave starts and you're assigned a wave on your bib. If you have to change waves the organizers recommend you move back a wave rather than move to an earlier time. (The timing chip on your bib starts the second you cross the starting line rather than your assigned time.) The waves start about every 10 minutes. From the last wave at 9:20, you have 2 and a half hours to finish the race. (This is roughly a 15 minute mile.) If you can't finish in that time, they do have sweeper buses to pick you up and take you to the finish line.
The race itself is so much fun. The first couple miles are a gradual incline but after that it is mostly a lovely decline that is not quite as steep. There are also a couple of short hills towards the end, but nothing in comparison to that first incline. The views are amazing since if you start early enough you basically get to see the sunrise from the bridge itself. (In 2015 we got to watch a cruise ship pass underneath and that was also kind of exciting to watch!)
The race has plenty of support--at the starting area there are ample portajohns where the buses let you off as well as the other side of the building, portajohns and water fountains (no cups!) and portajohns on the bridge and more portajohns and water on the other side of the bridge as well. After I got my medal (which connects to the 2014 medal and will connect to 2016's medal) I got a bag of snacks--a bagel and banana. (There were lots of complaints about bagels since a lot of them were moldy and volunteers had to inspect every bagel before handing a runner a bag.) Then in the finisher's area there are lots of different vendors to check out and the chance to buy finisher's gear. (In 2015 you had the opportunity to buy it at the expo which was nice since in 2014 the lines were ridiculously long!) There are also raffles and bands playing throughout the morning in the finisher's area.
Once you're done exploring the finisher's area, it's easy to find your bus thanks to all the signage and the volunteers posted at each of the buses. Each bus is assigned to take runners to a specific lot so pay attention to where you park and which bus you board!
Holly recommends this race
(2015)
"Fantastic Race! Worth it."
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Be sure to check out my blog for a full race recap: http://thriftyrunner.blogspot.com/2015/09/charles-street-12-race-review.html
This was a great race! The time of year though is usually pretty questionable for the weather since this race is held during Labor Day weekend. At gun time it was kinda cloudy and cool, but humid.
Packet pickup was a breeze since Charm City Run has plenty of chances to get your bib and shirt at their different store locations around Maryland. It's also a great time to pick up any last minute necessities like body glide, your choice of race fuel and socks.
Part of your race fee goes towards using a shuttle bus that leaves from Power Plant Live in the Inner Harbor (be sure to get there early!) that takes you to a mini mall in Towson and then you essentially run back to Power Plant Live through Towson and Baltimore. There's plenty of pre-race portajohns available and even a real bathroom in the mini mall! (I opted to use the portajohn and then go inside to wash my hands. No lines for the sinks!)
The course itself is pretty hilly and semi-scenic. It takes you past a few of the local colleges like Towson and Loyola and once you get to downtown Baltimore you get a great look at the Washington Monument!
I think my only criticism for this race is that the water stops weren't spaced out very well--there was one point where they were only a mile apart and then nothing for 3 miles. By the time the race started it was feeling pretty warm out. Thankfully this happened in the first half of the race. (If it had happened in the second half I wouldn't have been very happy!)
Holly recommends this race
(2015)
"First trail race and I'm in *LOVE*!"
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Be sure to check out my race recap on my blog: http://thriftyrunner.blogspot.com/2016/01/wrapping-up-2015.html
This was my first trail race ever and it has me absolutely hooked. It's held on Kent Island at Terrapin Beach Nature Park which is a left from the first exit off the Bay Bridge and on the left within about a quarter of a mile. (If you've run the Across the Bay 10k you'll recognize the area as where they have the post-race party!)
For the course, you start (and end) on pavement then run through a wooded area (watch out for roots!) leading to a dirt path. You also end up running through sand and on a little wooden bridge as well, so you get a wide range of terrains in this race. Slightly difficult but kinda fun to think about how to change your stride as you hit a new terrain. Otherwise the terrain is totally flat. (I gave the elevation difficulty 2 stars due to the change in terrains.)
The t-shirt you get for registering was super cute, but not really a tech shirt like you seem to get at a lot of races. It's more of a shirt that you would wear casually than for racing or training. The picture on it was a blue heron wearing a sombrero and holding maracas.
The race was organized very well. You could pick up your bib and shirt at the Charm City Run in Annapolis or wait until race morning to get it. It's also a very small race (less than 200 people) so it wasn't too crowded and you really don't need to get there too early before the race unless you're picking up your packet. Post-race snacks were bananas and clif bars. There was the option to go to the Jetty for a free drink, but I didn't take them up on the offer.
I had a fun morning running the race and then afterwards my husband and I drove over to a parking area closer to the beach and spent some time there before heading home. Totally worth the 45 minute drive from Columbia!