This year was the 38th annual Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa — an off-road race, which is something of a cross country meets obstacle course fun run. I’ve been told that THIS is the race that I had to do in Fall, and it did not disappoint! For this year's race, winter temperatures returned to Iowa.

Registration and Cost: Advertised as “the best cross country race,” Living History Farms Race cost $44 after fees; there was a $5 discount for being a Capital Striders member. I think the race is capped at 7,000 participants. There are both individual and team registrations.

Expo and Packet Pick-up: Packet pick-up was the evening before race day at the visitor center at Living History Farms (which closed at 8pm); there was also bib pick-up available the morning of the race. Bibs were at one table and t-shirts were in a separate back room. There were a couple extra vendors set up in the hall on the way towards the exit, mostly handing out race discount flyers.

Free Swag: No finishers medals at this race, but there is a wonderful long-sleeve comfy t-shirt!

Parking & Transportation: The organizers said that parking would be limited, so we arrived about 40 minutes before the race and didn’t have any problems; having the police directing traffic made for a speedy entrance into the grounds.

Course: This year, the course changed a bit (though I have no previous experience). Creeks, mud, trenches, hills, cornfields… the course had it all! There is a strong recommendation to not bring your phone or keys, and I did not bring either. For as many people expected to run this race, all the race logistics felt incredibly well organized. I should note that there are NO water or fuel stops along the course, which actually kind of surprised me, given that it would have been difficult on this course to carry along your own hydration. There is an ambulance at the halfway point though, should you need it. There are some points on the course where there is a back-up, mostly at the trenches and creek crossings.

There was a hilarious moment about 5 miles into the race where the course split — with arrows pointing to a marked “shorter and harder” route, and the other “longer and easier.” It seemed everyone was going the harder path.

Start Line: Plenty of Kybos (port o' pots) — though lines were pretty long before the race. There was one big corral and kind of a guess to everyone’s pace. People-watching at the start was great, as there were so many fun costumes!

Finish Line: YAY, I loved that the race had a completely separate “refreshments area” festival just beyond the finish line chute. A post-race meal of hot beef stew was included with entry fee, thanks to Iowa Machine Shed Restaurant and the Iowa Beef Industry Council; there was also pumpkin bars and cider, hot coffee and chocolate milk. And yep, there were doughnuts!

Charity: Proceeds from the race supports Living History Farms and more — giving over $1.1 million over the last 13 years to the Living History Farms (a not-for-profit museum).

This race made good on all its promises of being cold, wet, muddy and dirty — and it was an absolute blast!

The Hillbilly Hike is a race series in south-central Iowa (just a short drive from Des Moines) consisting of a 10k and half marathon distance. Pro Tip: Register early for a GREAT deal on the half marathon!

While not necessarily a themed race, some runners really tapped into the spirit of their inner hillbilly. The Hillbilly Hike half course is a point-to-point race starting in Indianola and ending in Carlisle. The trail is mostly flat, paved… yet net downhill. The race had a really picturesque backdrop — lakes, woods, farms, wetlands and prairie — and running over wooden trail bridges.

There were water stops about every 2 miles — it seemed like Gatorade was at most stops, with the exception of one around Mile 10, I think; and most of the aid stations were volunteered by the Girls Scouts.

Finish Line Celebration: So you know me and post-race food — this race had apple pie, cherry pie, and biscuits and gravy (sadly, none without gluten). The usual chocolate milk and bananas looked sad by comparison. There was also a fun photo booth set up with props.

Panfoto was out taking pics and the Dead Line String Band was playing mid-race on the trail. The fans at the finish line were AMAZING. Volunteers along the trail, amazing. Everyone helping out at the finish line and food tables, amazing. The volunteers TRULY made this event top-notch, and I’m already registered to run this one again next year. It was just a very, very fun event.

I don't have any previous experience with this race and have read that the course for this race is boring. I agree with that, with a few exceptions: Gray's Lake is beautiful — especially so this year, as it was covered in fog — and then there's the mile-long hill at mile 11 in the half marathon that at least brings you a challenge. Heed the warnings of The Hill (as the race likes to say: GET OVER IT).

Pssst: Get a discount on the race by being a Capital Striders member!

Bib pick-up was at the Expo held at Hy-Vee Hall downtown; we didn't feel like driving around and spent $8 to park right next to the arena. There were quite a few vendors to shop and pick up the usual free race swag, or chat with reps from the big shoe brands. There was branded race merch for sale, too.

There was a bag check on race day at Cowles Commons and a TON of Kybos at the start, which was quite smart on behalf of the Race Director. That said, I didn't understand the double start lines and stopped mobs in between.

Back to the course, there were nice pockets of crowd support — at several corners, there were people out aiding the runners with extra water, ice cubes (thank you!!!), Halloween candy, signs… banging pots & pans — and aid stations set up every 2-3 miles. There were also kybos available throughout the course, as we repeated a lot of stretches. I really appreciated the ladies on bikes traveling with the packs along the course with basically any needed item.

Also, this is where I tell you about the fan stop just past the mid-point on the course:

THERE WAS BACON AT MILE 7. Yes, bacon. (#thanksiowa)

The experience was incredible — and not at all overwhelming like I find other crowded “city” races to be.

At the Finish Line, there was so much food. (And, like, a dozen massage tables… but FOOD): Pizza in the finish line chute, chocolate milk, and additional food vendors in the athletes-only area in Cowles Commons. AND each finisher received a snack box filled with, well, snacks.

There after party was a definite highlight, sponsored by Sam Adams — each runner got a free drink (yay, for hard cider AND wine spritzers options!). There was an additional beer garden over by the Royal Mile, where you could trade in your free drink ticket and grab some race-branded beads and beer koozies. There was live music, too.

Extra bonus: There was a media tent that printed out individual race results! I never saw this and thought it was a really cool race feature.

Due to Capitol Hill (and the race announced it WOULD be back for the 2017 course), I won't likely race this one again. But count me in for a fun run next year (and highly considering the I-35 challenge).

This is my review for the Half Marathon race part of the series; half and full runners start together. Also, note: this year's race was the first weekend in October. I registered a week before the race, so this was quite an expensive race entry for me. Pro tip: register early! This race starts near the river in downtown at Lewis & Clark landing; the expo was not in downtown, so there was a drive to the OTHER convention center in Omaha (host hotel) to pick up packets. If you stayed at the host hotel, they offered shuttle service to the start line (uncertain if shuttle service was provided back).

It was a typical small race expo that had a few vendors; there was no race day packet pick-up. Very cool that Olympic runner Frank Shorter was a guest speaker at the Expo! Race registration included a long-sleeve tech tee and a beer koozie (!!!) with the race logo on it (the joke was that you carry it on the course, and that was how they knew to give you beer instead of water).

The start time on race day was 7am, it was DARK! Thankfully, the race director thought ahead and provided plenty of lighting, and I LOVED the pre-race mini festival at the start line (there was fresh hot coffee, hello!). There was also a bag check at the start line, but it wasn't referenced in the race day communication or on the website.

The course navigates two states (Nebraska and Iowa), which is a very cool race highlight! Pacers were also provided through the Running Club. The first three miles of the course had a few unexpected hills; after you cross into Iowa, there is a lot of time spent on the trails, but it was flat and tolerable. The coolest experience, of course, is running across the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge — where you cross the border from Iowa back to Nebraska — and is the last mile approach to the finish line (though running along the river makes that finish line feel like it's MILES away).

Chocolate milk at the finish line sealed the deal for me — this was one of my favorite races this year. The post-race party had a TON of food: bananas, orange wedges, snack bars, cookies, pastries, chips, coffee. I would take a road trip back to run this race again next year.

This race is held annually — for the last 34 years — and is perfect timing leading up to the IMT Des Moines Half Marathon (if you're signed up for that; and if not, it's still a great race to add to your calendar!). I heard rumors that this was a fast course, and it was! I really enjoyed running through downtown and around the Drake and Ingersoll neighborhoods. The sprint down Locust at the finish was awesome. A portion of the race proceeds assist Iowa Kidstrong, Inc. — promoting healthy, active lifestyles among children. Some of the students and their mentors were also out racing the 10-miler.

Cost: Super inexpensive for a 10-mile race; Capital Striders members can save $5 on registration.

No Expo for this race, but bib pick-up was at Fitness Sports in Clive the day before the race; there was also an option to pick up on race day. No bag check or transportation for Capital Pursuit.

Swag: Long-sleeved blue tech shirt with the Capital Pursuit logo.

Start Line: Kybos & a DJ. Runners lined up at Locust & 15th Street at Western Gateway Park, heading straight into the city. The weather wasn't perfect this year, thanks to the humidity.

Finish Line: The announcers call out the finisher names when they approach the finish line, which I LOVE. There's also medals! Back toward Western Gateway Park was a tent set up with a BUNCH of post-race snacks — the usual bananas, chocolate milk, and an additional spread of bagels and orange slices and more. There was an after party with, supposedly, a bunch of food and free drinks for participants at Exile Brewing, but it didn't start until 10:30am.

I LOVED this race, and I will definitely run it again.