This is a small local race that takes place along with Bacon Fest in Easton Pa. with that being said, many of th streets are closed, many of the open streets are on way (both things the race directors cannot control), so parking is very very scarce. There are lots that people charge like $20 to park in or if you get there early - like you should - there is some street parking.

There is no way expo and packet pick up is only the morning of, another reason to get to the race early!

Registration includes your entry fee into Bacon Fest as well as a free beer and free bacon! And everything is better with bacon!

The race starts on th Delaware River on Larry Holmes Drive and winds through the D&L trail for an out and back course. Just beware, the course is narrow and streets remain open so you must stay on the sidewalks. The scenery is georgeous as you run along the river!

The race directors add a little challenge also! Three people dressed as pigs get a 30-60 second head start and if you can pass them during the race you get some extras along with the age group awards!

Overall, a fun small race because again, everything is better with bacon!!!!

The Runner's World Half and Fesitval is truly a weekend Festival! Runner's World knows what they are doing and they do it right!
Let's start with all the pre-race festivities! The expo is by far the best I have ever been to and it is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. They make it extremely easy to navigate as it spans three floors of the Artsquest Building in Bethlehem. The first floor is filled with raffles and the main sponsor Altra was selling shoes and apparel. The second floor is bib pickup and the third floor is swag pick up as well as 15+ other sponsors, businesses, and races selling things and promoting their products. One of my favorites is KT Tape where they offer to tape one body part for free!
In addition to the expo, they offer numerous different FREE seminars. Everything from course strategy, trail running 101, recovery yoga, gear seminars, self defense, running techniques, injury prevention, and much more!
The weekend is comprised of four races. A 3.8 mile trail race Friday, a 5k and 10k Saturday, and a half marathon Sunday. You can run all four (the grand slam), the 5k, 10k, & half (the hat trick), the 5k & 10k (the five and dime), or just one of the four races. And every race has its own medal and all the medals connect.
The courses themselves are beautiful. Bethlehem is beautiful and we are fortunate to have Bart Yasso, the mayor of running, design the courses! If you are looking for a challenge, these are your races. Bethlehem is hilly and the courses do not disappoint on the hills. That being said, many people PR on these courses and I would like to think some of that has to do with the community and volunteers. Most of the course is through residential neighborhoods and the residences along the way are great! They come out to cheer on the runners, making their own aid stations, handing out water and beer, and providing music. The race directors also do an amazing job placing aid stations every mile manned by volunteers with lots of energy cheering on runners. Along with water aid stations, medical tents could be found sporadically along the course as well!
Last but not least, and the most important, is the local law enforcement and first responders! They do such an amazing job keeping the runners safe and on track!!! Every major intersection is covered by a local Police Officer, College security officer, paramedic, or fire fighter. The race directors also do an amazing job marking the course with signs that tell you exactly where to go.
The post race festivities where just as great! It is like a huge party with music, beer, and plenty of food!
If you are looking for a fun running weekend do not miss the Runner's World Half and Festival!

"Reebok Ragnar Pennsylvania begins in the history-rich city of Lancaster, with its preserved architecture and old city charm. Teams will navigate rural roads and gentle rolling hills during this 200-ish mile overnight relay. Runners will breathe in the clean, crisp country air as they run along a sea of corn and wheat fields in Pennsylvania’s Dutch country and farm communities. As the sun sinks below the horizon, stars will inspire a sense of wonder and help each runner find their inner wild. Runners will push north to the finish line in the Poconos Mountain resort area where the route weaves back and forth over the Schuylkill River and through the quaint town of Jim Thorpe".

As the website states, you can run the relay in a group of 12 people in 2 vans or, if you are feeling really ambitious, 6 people in one van. We chose 12 people and had a blast making new friends.

There is no exact expo however Ragnar does a great job putting numerous info sessions together throughout the area on different dates prior to race weekend. It is very helpful because this is like no other race or Relay you have ever run before. Your team runs consistently for two days without any breaks. Every runner will run through the dark and Ragnar is very specific on the safety gear they require. If you are not equipped with the correct safety gear on race morning, your team will be disqualified. They also give you a lot of great advise on what to bring (i.e.: how many pairs of shoes, shorts, shirts, etc) as well as sleeping bags, pillows, and how to organize everything - remembering that you have to fit 6 people plus all their gear, water, and food in a van for two days!

The race organizers do an amazing job marking the course as well. They cannot have people at every turn like most races, so they have large blue Ragnar signs with blinking lights that tell you exactly where to go. One thing people complained about this year is that the race organizers decided to go green and go cupless. There were very few water stations and the water stations they did have just had three large Gatorade coolers full of water with no volunteers and no cups. However, the race directors made it very clear to bring your own water bottle. It was hot out and would have been nice to have more water stations. To combat this, our team would park along the course and make sure we had a cold water bottle waiting for them to run by and grab!

Most exchange points are at local community buildings so parking was no problem at all. And the volunteers at those exchange points were great. As it got late and cold, volunteers were there offering runners free coffee and donuts or a fire pit to sit around for some warmth!

The locals were also amazing! I ran past a restaurant in Lancaster where people were sitting outside eating their meals. As I ran by, they all cheered me on. Also, many of the locals in town wrote encouraging words in sidewalk chalk on the sidewalks.

The end of the race was also great! Every team was given a free large pizza and they had a lot of food to purchase. I know a few people were upset they had to buy a beer but it didn't bother me. The tshirts and medals are top notch also! And one cool thing about the medals - other than the fact that they double as a bottle opener - when you put the 12 together, they spell out "together we ran 200ish miles. Together we can accomplish anything. We are Ragnarians".

I ran my 2nd half marathon in Wildwood at the Wild Half! You have a great choice of races - they offer a 5k on Saturday and an 8k and Half Marathon on Sunday. Or you can choose to run the 5k AND either the 8k or Half and be considered a Weekend Warrior!

I will start with the expo on Saturday. They advertise this race as a fun wild event and unfortunately the expo was anything but that. Check in was super easy and fast. Once in the expo, it was again very fast - they only had maybe 5 tables set up. They included the t-shirt table, a table to get your beer wrist band, an official merchandise table and two other tables selling things at a discounted rate. I was actually very disappointed because there weren't any sponsors or venders at all really :(

I was able to secure a room a block from the start line which was great because I didn't have to worry about trying to find parking. However, even if I did have to find parking, it would have been super easy. The Convention Center opened up their parking lot and all the meters were free for the weekend. Thank you Wildwood!

There definitely weren't as many runners as I thought there would be and I am okay with that. I enjoy smaller races. The start went off without a hitch and the scenery was jaw dropping. We had amazing weather also. You start on the boardwalk for about 2 1/2 miles and then it moves to the street and over two bridges. The entire time, you are running along the ocean which is amazing. I wont lie, I slowed down to take a few pictures - how could you not? It was an up and back course and I feel like every mile there was a water station giving out water, Gatorade, and gels which is a perk because you never know how hot it is going to be at the beach. Unfortunately, because they do not allow cars down many of the roads, and because you run over two bridges that are pretty close to one another, there were no spectators cheering the runners on near the turn around. But the volunteers at the aid stations definitely made up for that - they were great at not only handing out refreshments but also cheering on the runners! Great work volunteers!! we appreciate that! Also, the course was relatively flat - the only "hills" (if you can call them that) were going up onto the two bridges. So if your looking for a PR - this is probably your race to run!

The end of the race finished on the boardwalk and they had a large area giving out lots of free food and massages. I guess what the race lacked at the expo, they made up for in the post race festivities!

The t-shirt is a typical short sleeve race shirt with a cool logo and a nice bright yellow. I plan on running in it when its dark or getting dark. I appreciate the versatility to where it any time! the medal that everyone receives - 5k, 8k, and Half - is also amazing. Its large and in charge. As I mentioned early, you have the opportunity to sign up for two races and when you do, you receive an additional Weekend Warrior medal!

Once I finished the race, I received an email from the race management team offering 50% off any of next years races which I thought was amazing!!! 50% off!!!!! With that said, I am all signed up to run the 5k and 8k next year so that I can call myself a Weekend Warrior!!!

I would recommend this race to anyone looking for a race with a great scenery!