Latest reviews by Dudley

(2017)
"James River Scramble"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

Expo and Packet Pick-Up: There is technically no expo in the traditional sense, but Riverrock itself is one GIANT weekend long expo and something you should absolutely take advantage of! As an outdoor festival there are SO many interesting booths and fun demonstrations to check out. The festival runs from Thursday evening through Sunday and I would definitely recommend spending some time wandering around Brown’s Island and checking out everything Riverrock has to offer! While the “expo” is hands down awesome, I only have one qualm about this race, and that is the packet pick-up situation. Packet pick-up is held at the American Civil War Museum at historic Tredegar in downtown Richmond. While the ease of picket pick-up was simple (just find your name and pick up your packet), it’s the parking situation that can make you pull your hair out. I went to grab my packet on Friday after work (pick-up opened at 4:00 PM) and parking was a nightmare. It’s absolutely not Sports Backers fault, but I would love it if packet pick-up were held at the Arthur Ashe Center like with the Monument 10K. I was able to park up in Oregon Hill and avoid having to pay for a lot space, but it’s a bit of a hike down and back up a massive hill coming in and out of Brown’s Island. All things considered, not too big of a deal, but it’s super nice to just be able to swing in and out of packet pick-up and this is not a race for that. If I had to do it over again, I would plan my pick-up for when I had time to actually stay and wander around the festival on Friday evening, but it just wasn’t in the cards for me time-wise this go-round!

Accommodations and Travel: Riverrock is held downtown in Richmond, VA near the James River and the canal. Easily accessible by the interstate and lots of great option for hotels in the Bottom (aka downtown RVA). You can also easily stay in the Fan or West End and get down to the race the day of but I’d definitely recommend staying downtown if you’re traveling in to be within walking distance (lots of great beer trucks and bands, so make sure to walk!). Aside from the Bottom, Oregon Hill is another fun and historic option! With most of my Richmond race reviews I say that there is so much to do in the city and lots to explore. That’s still true, and feel free to explore, but you can also spend the entire weekend at Riverrock! Make sure to catch the bouldering competitions, watch the kayakers hit the rapids of the James River, catch a band Saturday night, and DEFINITELY make sure to check out the Air Dogs… my favorite part of Riverrock!

Course: Like I said before, this course literally kept me smiling the ENTIRE 6.2 miles of the race! You’ll start over on Brown’s Island right near the packet pick-up location at the American Civil War Museum and then begin the race heading towards the canal. From there, it’s trails, trails, trails! Through the Buttermilk Trail, down across the Floodwall and through Belle Island and the new pedestrian bridge to make one big loop! The trails are so much fun and true trails. You’ll be dodging roots, rocks, jumping over streams, across boulders, and straddling pretty decent cliffs. While the trails are a blast, you do need to be careful as the paths are very narrow in some areas and if you’re right behind the runner in front of you, it can be difficult to avoid hazards. Make sure to stay at least a few feet back just in case you need to quickly avoid a giant stump! Honestly, this race felt like a 5K because of how exciting the course was, there were literally ZERO boring areas and it all seemed to go by so quickly! It’s also a very fast and flat course and I was surprised with my (just barely) under one hour finish time despite the rugged terrain. There were also three full water stops along the way which was great since it was a hot and humid morning.

Ease of the Start Line: Start time is 9:00 AM for this race, so no need to get up super early (thank you Lord)… however, you may want to head down a bit earlier than usual to get a parking space. I personally had a TON of things to get accomplished after the race so to save time and avoid having to haul my butt up 2nd Street I Ubered down to the race and Ubered back… BEST. DECISION. EVER! Spent about $14 and was able to avoid trying to find a free street space or pay to park in a lot way up the hill… great idea and definitely something I’ll do next year as well! The start line itself is very relaxed as this is technically a fun run. There were a little over 700 participants and plenty of space to spread out. There were plenty of porta-potties and also large jugs of water with cups available for some pre-race hydration. The race did begin in waves but there were no technical corrals, everyone just lined up based on their estimated pace and they spaced the starts about one minute apart for every 30-40 runners which kept the trail less congested. Overall, awesome and EASY start line!

Swag: No real swag for this one, which is very different from normal Sports Backers productions. At packet pick-up I got a nice cotton t-shirt with this years Riverrock design and my bib, and that was it. This was a fun run though so the lack of a medal or technical tee wasn’t a big deal at all. Honestly, this race was so much damn fun I would have gone without the free t-shirt just to be a part of it!

Post Race Party: I didn’t hang around for the post race party (had to get home and build a patio in my backyard) but trust me, Riverrock is a blast and absolutely worth sticking around for! Your race bib comes with a free beer and if I hadn’t already planned such a busy day, I would have for sure headed over to Brown’s Island to have a beer (or two or three or four) and watch the Air Dogs for the afternoon!! When it comes to a post-race party, Riverrock is the ultimate… and last for four straight days!!

Like I’ve said multiple times throughout this review, this race was SO much fun! Aside from the James River Scramble 10K, Riverrock also hosts the Filthy 5K (a mud run that’s dog friendly) as well as the Bust the Banks Trail Half. I’m undecided if I’ll stick with the Scramble or bump up to the half for next year but I most definitely will be returning to hit the trails at Riverrock 2018!

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(2017)
"Uncorked Half"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

Expo and Packet Pick-Up: Instead of a normal Sports Backers production with a giant expo at the Arthur Ashe Center, this race was much more low key. I’m sure that’s because for this very first year, there were a fraction of the runners that flock to the Monument 10K and Richmond Marathon (I’m talking about 500 for this race… versus 30,000 for Monument!). So the packet pick-up was pretty unassuming and there was not an expo. If you’ve read my other race reviews you’ll know that I’m cool with that. I don’t normally spend too much time wandering around an expo so this one was perfect for me! Packet pick-up was held at Once Upon a Vine on MacArthur in Northside. Good news is that this is my favorite beer and wine store… and it’s less than a mile from my house, so packet pick-up really could not have been easier! There were tastings set up with Sierra Nevada beer and New Kent wines so that was also nice. And with pick-up on Cinco De Mayo, it was the perfect excuse to grab our bibs, and then head to our fav neighborhood restaurant Mi Jaliso for some tacos and margs!

Accommodations and Travel: Just like any Richmond race that I review, there is ALWAYS something going on in my city! This is an awesome weekend to come in for a race with all of the Cinco De Mayo parties around town. In Northside, you can check out En Su Boca’s party on Saturday or any other bars around town. It’s also spring in RVA so definitely a great time of the year to wander through Carytown, check out the museums, or head down to the river for the afternoon. The actual race is held at New Kent Winery in New Kent County just up the road. It took us about 28 minutes to get there from the city and a very easy drive. Parking was also a breeze so no need to get there too early.

Course: I had absolutely no clue what to expect with this course! There wasn’t an elevation profile on the website so that made me a bit nervous going into it (if there are going to be hills, I’d like to know about them in advance, mental preparation is key!). Despite going in a bit blind, the course was fantastic! It started at the vineyard and went out through the roadway. Now keep in mind that we’re in New Kent County, so the roadways are not bustling city streets. In fact, we ran through gorgeous greenery basically the entire time! The roads were lined with huge trees and it was literally like running in the forest, beautiful!

This is definitely a “gently rolling hills” course, with several hills throughout, but nothing too intense… until mile 7.5. At mile 7.5 you turn the corner only to encounter an absolute BEAST of a hill! It seemed to go straight up and last forever (I’m being dramatic… but it was a leg burner for sure). I appreciated the fact that Sports Backers realized how awful the hill was and strategically placed tons of motivating signs with great quotes as well as four or five volunteers to give high fives and cheer, that was awesome and really helped us push to the top! Other than the monster hill, the only thing I would change is the run through the neighborhood. The last roughly 2.5 miles are run through a neighborhood right beside the vineyard. You can hear the music of the after-party the entire time and I would have definitely preferred to have this portion at the beginning, so that you can pop out of the woods and just head straight to the finish line. Definitely not a deal breaker, and I will for sure come back next year to the exact same course, but it’s a bit of a mind tease at the end!

Ease of the Start Line: As I said before, this was a very small race, so the start line wasn’t nearly as intense as a normal Sports Backers event (aka, police officers checking bibs for corral times). Everyone lined up on their own according to pace and off we went! The start line was right in the driveway of the vineyard so there was a ton of open space, which was a nice change from being crammed into a city street. My only qualm (SAT word right there y’all) was the number of porta-potties available. Think about it, it’s a race that includes free wine, so you’re going to have a predominantly female running group… and us chicks love to pee right before the gun goes off, it’s just in our DNA. So combine a race group that’s 98% female with ten porta-potties, and it’s just not enough. The line was about 100 deep at all times and we were able to make it in and out and hit the start line literally 30 seconds before race time. Again, nothing that was a deal breaker, and it’s also the very first time this race has been put on! I’m sure in the coming years, as the event grows, so will the number of potties.

Swag: This might be my favorite part of this race… instead of a technical tee you get a super cute technical racerback tank! There is an option for a tee but good Lord I probably have at
least fifty and they never fit right so they end up in the back of my closet… so I was super pumped at packet pick-up to see a really cute, dark blue tank top that fit perfectly! My packet also came with a fun little key chain made from a New Kent wine cork, a fun touch! The medals were also great and double as wine stoppers! Loved the swag with this race.

Post Race Party: So, you run 13.1 miles and then what? Well, if you’ve just finished this race you’re heading to the post race party for free wine and free massages. Yep, that’s right… a glass of wine and a ten minute massage awaits you at the end, and holy moly it was glorious! Wine was provided by New Kent and there were several different ones to choose from. Your free glass comes in a souvenir glass that you also get to take home with you (because you literally can never have too many stemless wine glasses). The massages were also amazing! There was a bit of a wait but with six tables it didn’t take too long, and it was SO worth it! I’m serious when I say that every race should offer massages at the end… it just makes sense!

The rest of the post race party consisted of booths including Sports Backers (where I of course had to buy another tank top… because I’m obsessed with anything related to Richmond and running), Goatacado and Om On Yoga who also provided free post race yoga! Unfortunately it was a bit chilly once the race ended so after we browsed through the booths we headed inside to the winery to warm up… and drink more wine! The tasting room was open and we did a tasting plus each had a glass (or two or three) of our favorites. We even ran into Jo Anna Dombroski, the owner of New Kent Winery! She was a joy to chat with and wanted to hear all about what we thought of the race and the winery (all good things of course). All in all, a perfect post race experience!

One of the other cool things about this race (other than the free massages and wine), is that the vineyard is right beside a fantastic golf course, Viniterra. So while Samantha and I ran and drank wine, Bruce and Brandon were able to tee off at 7:50 AM and play 18 holes! I love that because it was a fun day to then finish up and all get some wine and head to brunch together! I’m so excited that I got to experience the inaugural Uncorked Half and can’t wait to head back to New Kent next year for another wine-filled 13.1 miles!

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(2017)
"Carytown 10K"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

Expo and packet pick-up
: super simple for this race... aka, no expo! Packet pick-up is held at Road Runner in Carytown and while there are a few reps there to chat about different gear and shoes, it's mainly just a walk in, pick up your packet, and leave sort of thing! You do get a coupon for 15% off an item though so that's pretty nice!

Accommodations and travel: This race is held right in the heart of Richmond, VA which plenty of places to stay!

Course: I'm a little biased towards this course because it's an area that I've run more times than I could possible count. You'll start in Carytown near Can Can and head down towards Boulevard, making a left before you get there and coming back up through Grove. It's then all the way down to Libbie and Patterson (with a monster hill right there on your turn) and then back down Patterson the entire way, ending back in Carytown. It's a road race and while there isn't anything remarkable about the scenery, it's a beautiful run through the streets of Richmond and the near West End.

Ease of the start line: This isn't a big race and so there isn't too much trouble getting to the start line and lining up according to pace (no technical corrals). Parking can sometimes be a bit of a pain, especially if the weather is pretty, as Carytown can fill up fairly quickly. There's plenty of free parking available but just make sure to plan accordingly as you may need a bit more time to find a space. I actually had an 11 miler scheduled for this day so I ran to the start line to get 5 miles in before the race, but if have to drive, it's not an issue! Like I said, no corrals, but line up and ease of the start line is simple and very smooth. Also plenty of porta-potties for all of us nervous pee-ers!

Swag: No major swag with this race. You'll get a nice technical tee but other than that it's just your bib! No finisher item or medal.

Post-race party: This is a small race and really more of a fun run in my opinion. There's not really a post-race party per se, but they do keep the parking lot beside Can Can open for relaxing, grabbing a banana and muffin and some water/gatorade... no post race beers!

All in all a super fun race and I nice change in pace from the insane crowds at the Monument 10K!

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(2017)
"Instant Classic Trail Half"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

Expo and Packet Pick-Up: No expo for this one! This is a very well organized, but “no frills” event and I’m totally cool with it! I’m not a huge expo-goer anyways and always seem to go by the same one or two booths before picking up my packet and heading out, so not having a big expo is A-OK in my book! Packet pick-up was super simple and smooth. Located at Lucky Road in Willow Lawn, I simply walked in Friday afternoon, gave them my name and picked up my bib, shirt and packet, simple as that! I loved that the ladies helping with pick up were engaging in conversation with race participants coming through! It was really refreshing to have someone on the other side of the booth that wasn’t so robotic and was taking the time to answer questions about the course, injuries, etc. Literally took me five minutes and I was back out the door, but I could have stayed and chatted with them for hours!

Travel and Accommodations: Pocahontas State Park is located in Chesterfield, VA and about a 30-35 minutes ride from the City of Richmond. It’s a super easy drive and with a start time for the half of 7:45, you shouldn’t have any issues staying in the city and driving to the race that morning. There are plenty of great spots in Richmond to stay (Air BNB is an awesome option) as well as great restaurants and things to do prior to and after the race! This is a much smaller race than most of the staple races in Richmond (think the Richmond Marathon and Monument 10K which bring in tens of thousands of participants) so you won’t be fighting the crowds getting to the start line parking or finding a great place for brunch afterwards! Keep in mind that you will be a bit outside of the city. I haven’t done too much exploring in Chesterfield, but would definitely recommend coming back to Richmond for your post-race festivities of brunching, shopping, and sight-seeing!

Course: If you’re like Samantha and I and have never run a trail race before… you’re in for a surprise! It’s definitely a LOT different than road racing, but honestly so much fun! I loved this course for our first trail race as I think it was challenging, but not overly difficult… a very nice combination of feeling like a badass trail runner but also not falling down a cliff and breaking my leg in the process! The entire course is through the state park, with only two or three small sections where you’ll be on asphalt running through a parking lot (literally for about 50 feet, if that, each time). You’ll be on all kinds of trails including grass, gravel, mud… and even a little water as there were a few creeks and giant puddles to navigate through (it had rained the night before so I made sure to wear my older pair of shoes because I’m a diva and really didn’t want to ruin my brand new pair of Saucony ISO Triumph 3’s!).

Now for the fun part… elevation! There were hills. Lots of hills. The good news is, you won’t really be up against any long, slow climbs (those are exhausting), but you WILL be taking on multiple quick and steep hills throughout the course. You know, the kind where you turn the corner and it’s straight up and you have that moment of “should I walk it or should I sprint up it?” (always sprint up it, just do it). However, the course does a fantastic job of spacing these hills out and really clustering most of them within the first five miles. There’s a very nice flat stretch in the middle before finishing up with a few more smaller hills, but you’ll be able to get the majority of them out of the way at the start.

Altogether, I REALLY enjoyed this course. It was fun to run through the woods and the course provided a mixture of moderate and easy trails. At some points we were running on the side of cliff-like ledges, at some points we were able to run six wide down a service road! The biggest thing for me was to get over the mental hurdle of trail racing pace vs road racing pace. For the past few 13.1 races, we’ve been well under two hours with a PR of 1:53. My finish time for this race was 2:17… a full minute slower than my very first half marathon! But I placed 33rd out of all female finishers… so I had to take a step back and evaluate what it means to be “fast” on a trail race.

For one, you’re not in the open and there are several sections that are narrow as well as obstacles like creeks to maneuver across which will slow you down. Second, unlike most of the road races we run in, there are hills on a trail course! We trained for hills, but it really does affect your speed when you’re out there! And finally, and what I’d argue is the biggest reason for slower times in trail racing, the course itself and the hazards along the way. A trail through the woods isn’t nicely paved and maintained like a busy city street. There are roots, and stumps, and giant rocks, and big holes, and incredibly large mud puddles, and all kinds of things that could cause you to take a serious fall at any point throughout the race. I wanted to make damn sure that I finished this race injury and incident free (mainly because we leave for Mexico in two weeks and an ankle cast would not look cute on the beach), so I took my time navigating the paths… and I was TOTALLY alright with that!

One of the coolest things about this race was that I ran without my watch. Now it wasn’t actually on purpose… my watch was just being really wonky and kept cutting off after a few yards. But after two stop and starts I decided to say screw it and turned it off completely. It was incredibly liberating to not be worried about pace the entire time and something I would absolutely recommend for those getting ready to run their first trail race. You will be slower, and it will be completely fine! Not running with your watch can actually help you get over that mental block of “oh my God why am I running so slow?!?!”. And if you’re worried about not knowing what mile marker you’re at along the course, do NOT worry! This course is literally the most well marked course I’ve ever raced on! I’m serious, every single turn there’s a sign saying “Mile 4.68” or “Mile 9.32″… it’s amazing!! And don’t stress about potentially getting lost in the woods and ending up as bear dinner, it’s literally impossible to get lost with all of the course volunteers and signage along the way!

Ease of the Start Line: The start line was super easy. Parking was provided by the race director (normally $5, so that was pretty awesome of her!) and there were plenty of spots right near the start line. Unlike with the bigger Richmond races, you weren’t having to get there an hour early just to make sure you didn’t have to park two miles away, which was a nice change of pace! There were two indoor bathroom facilities at the top of the hill before you walked down to the start line which was nice, but with only three stalls in each facility, it got a little crowded. So make sure to go as soon as you get there as the line can get a little long. There were no corrals or seeded waves for the start, you basically just lined up with the haf-marathoners in front and the full-marathoners behind and off you went! Again, no frills, but incredibly functional.

Swag: For being a smaller race… the swag was AWESOME!! The race shirt was a long sleeve technical jacket (with thumb holes… my favorite) and it was literally better than any race shirt I’ve even received! It’s thin, fits like a glove, and it’s pink! Packets also came with a koozie (as if we didn’t have enough of them already) and some great coupons including $20 off any service at a great spa in the city! The finishers medals were also on point. Large, fun, and great colors. I was thoroughly impressed with the amount of attention to detail the race director put into the finishers items!

Post-Race Party: This isn’t where the Instant Classic shines, but I was definitely impressed with what was available for after the race. They have a shelter reserved at the top of the hill from the finish line (brutal walk up those stairs for sure) with cold beer, hamburgers, hotdogs and grilled sausages available as well as muffins, coffee and water/Gatorade bottles. There are no bands and booths and big parties like at other larger races, but it was really nice to be able to sit down on a picnic bench, have a hotdog and a cider and hit the road back to the city! There’s something to be said about a smaller race without all the hoopla, it’s really nice to get back to what it means to really get out there on a Saturday morning and just run with others who truly love the sport!

Would I run this race again? Absolutely! In fact, I’m going to be making it my new spring race yearly now as a way to give my body a bit of a rest from road racing after the winter! The organization and attention to detail was incredible, swag was great, and the course itself was just so damn FUN!! If you’re an experienced trail runner, or a beginner like we were, this is a race that all skill levels and paces can enjoy!

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(2017)
"Charleston Half Marathon"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

Expo and Packet Pick-Up: We left Richmond early Friday morning (I’m talking the butt-crack of dawn… so early) and made it to Charleston around 1:30 in the afternoon. Instead of going straight to the expo, we decided to get lunch and hit the beach for a few hours. I’m telling you guys, we literally had 2 degree mornings and almost a foot of snow five days earlier, so high seventies and the ocean felt like heaven! By the time we hit the expo, it was close to closing and pretty much winding down. The expo itself was held at the Charleston Convention Center and was alright. I think I’m a little spoiled with Richmond Sportsbackers races because their expos are insane, so I’m not sure my account of this one is super fair. There were a good amount of vendors, but nothing outrageous. There was a band playing inside and was really really loud which made it a bit hard to concentrate at the different booths, but not too terrible. Packet pick-up itself was super easy and bib numbers were sent out a week prior so we just walked up, grabbed our bib and safety pins and kept it moving. Again, we went late in the evening and had absolutely no lines, but I can’t speak to how the crowds were earlier in the day!

Accommodations and Travel: Charleston is just one of the most beautiful cities in the South. It’s historical, charming, and when it comes to food and drink, this place is overflowing with amazing restaurants and rooftop bars galore! Getting to Charleston from Richmond isn’t tough, it’s a pretty straight shot down 95 and took us about six hours without stops (although we made hella stops, because when you know you’ll be running a race in mid-70 degree weather the next morning, you drink a LOT of water and you make a LOT of bathroom stops). We stayed at a super cute Air BnB right across the bridge from downtown. I HIGHLY recommend browsing Air BNB or VRBO before you go because you can find some amazing deals on cute apartments and even entire houses for so much less than the cost of a dingy hotel! We each paid about $120/person for four days, three nights in a two bedroom, one bath condo with a full kitchen and living room, can’t beat that!

Course: This course is fun, but can be a little boring in some parts and a little tight in others. The course starts near the Citadel and begins heading south towards the Battery and King St. The first two miles are on the main road and under bridges near the water. For the third mile you’re right on the water in the historical park area with memorials all around. The scenery is beautiful and it’s really fun to look at all of the amazing houses that are on the water, but this section of the course is TIGHT. Really, the first four miles in general are pretty jam-packed with people. The marathon and the half start at the same time from the same place and don’t split until mile ten so you’re neck and neck with your fellow runners for the majority of your race, and for those first four miles the streets are very narrow. We even saw one runner get extremely claustrophobic and have to get off the course. Just make sure that you’re prepared for this part of the course and if you need to, stay to the right where the sidewalk keeps things more open. At mile four, you take a left and head into downtown Charleston on King St. It’s beautiful and there are so many fans cheering along the way! Running by all of the shops and restaurants is really fun and also gives you time to check out where you might want to go spend some money later on! However, once you get past the main parts of King, the course gets a little boring. You run through mainly industrial areas on back paved roads. Still very flat and very fast, but just not as much scenery to take in. The final part takes you through a nice wooded area of trails and finally finishes near North Charleston High School. Overall, the course has zero hills (save for a tiny bridge or two), lots of fan fare (although not as much as Richmond or Monument), and some really fun things to see along the way!

Ease of the Start Line: The start line is very unassuming with very little commotion… which I love! Like I said, the half and full marathons both start together, but the Shrimp and Grits 5K starts at another section. The 5K brings a LOT of participants, so it’s nice that all three don’t begin in the same place. Near the Citadel is a large open field beside what I think is a high school football field. There were plenty of porta-potties and parking was very easy (although keep in mind that this is a point to point race, so if you park at the start line, you’ll need to hitch a shuttle 13 miles back to your car once you finish). While the start line doesn’t have a ton of fan-fare and hoopla, it’s east to get to, easy to get around and not overwhelmingly crowded. One big difference with this race than with others I’ve run is that there aren’t technically start waves. Instead, you simply pile in based on your pace and go for it. With the number of runners, I think it’s fine, but with races like Richmond and Shamrock, designated corrals based on qualifying pace are crucial.

Swag: Nothing too out of the ordinary for this race in terms of swag, but it doesn’t disappoint! Every participant gets a medal at the finish line (5k, half and full marathon) and they are really fun. Runners also get a long sleeve tech shirt with the same design that’s on the medal. This year it was a tortoise and a hare with a man and woman running above. The shirt was light blue for the half and super cute! No hats, towels or blankets but for the cost of this race (we signed up at the Richmond Expo for less than $60), totally great!

Post-Race Party: This is were the Charleston Half Marathon really shines… the post-race party! Once you cross the finish line it’s a non-stop jam complete wih free food and drinks (for participants and for purchase for non-runners) as well as booths and lots of bands! It’s not the called the “Shrimp and Grits 5K” for nothing… every finisher gets a giant bowl of home cooked grits topped with plump, perfectly cooked shrimp, complete with a bar of toppings from hot sauces galore to alllll the cheese!! Literally the BEST shrimp and grits I’ve ever had… ever. Aside from free shrimp and grits, you can choose between beer OR delicious mimosas. Let’s be real, a post-race beer is awesome, but a post-race mimosa is like heaven in a glass! And I’m not talking a little baby pour… these are full size, heavy on the champagne and light on the OJ! There are also vendors walking around with free coffee for everyone, which is really nice for spectators waiting for their loved ones to cross the finish line. This was for sure the best post-race party I’ve ever seen and was an absolute blast!!

So there you have it, an unbiased, honest review of a great race in the southern sunshine! While we had beautiful weather, I did learn that two years prior it was frigid and windy… so it sounds like it’s not a race that you can guarantee you’ll be running in a tank top! I would definitely go back again and have another go, the experience was great!

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