Latest reviews by Ashley

(2017)
"A Great Race that I Can't Wait to Do Again"
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This was my first time doing any of the Detroit races. Starting out the race by running over the Ambassador Bridge was amazing! It was beautiful and exhilarating. Running through Canada was so much fun. The spectators showed up and gave us some momentum. Running through the tunnel wasn't that great. it was kind of creepy for someone who is slightly claustrophobic. Finishing the race running through Detroit was perfect end for this Michigan gal. There were plenty of water stations and the race was extremely well managed.

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(2017)
"Nice Rolling Course with Huge Community Support"
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I'm not even sure where to start with this race because it was such a great fun day. I didn't pick up my packet early because I live an hour and a half early. But the expo was easy to navigate and was open early Saturday morning. I got my bib and shirt in literally a few minutes. The shirt is a medium blue tech shirt with a great design. I can't wait to wear it.

The start was easy. Their pacers were well marked and taking off on the brick street was exhilarating after watching it in tv for years. The course was beautiful. Almost the entire route was rolling. It was challenging without being impossible. The Bradley Hills were by far the most challenging. The course wound through the city, into lushly landscaped neighborhoods and offered beautiful scenery.

Growing up in the mid-Michigan area I always knew The Crim was a huge deal. The community support to watch the runners was more than I imagined. There were people cheering us on everywhere. It kept me inspired and pushed me to a better time than I ever thought possible.

For an August race the weather was cool and perfect. Regardless, there were drink stations every half mile to three-quarters of a mile. If it had been hot and miserable they would have been essential.

This race was my favorite so far and I cannot wait to do it again next year.

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(2017)
"Big 10K was Just Ok"
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My sister has been trying to convince me to do this 10K for years. I decide this year was the year. I had my packet sent to my house since I'm from Michigan. The tech shirt that matched my Big 10 university of my choice is one of my favorites. It's high quality but does run a little smaller than I thought. I sized up two sizes from my normal.

The course was beautiful and fun to run. We ran past the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium and along the shore. The elevation was pretty minimal.

My problem was, the day was so hot. It was oppressngly miserable. Before they sent us off the race management said they had set up more water stations. In a 10K race there were 3 water stations. With it being that hot there weren't nearly enough stations. People were passing out left and right. People were getting sick. It's July in Chicago, I would have thought they would have thought of less experienced runners.

The medal we got at the end was great! It was huge and had a coin that we could put from our favorite university in it. The after party was great as well. There was so much to do. The sponsor tents were fun, the university tents were busy and the band was great.

I would probably do the race again but I won't be running back to it again meet year.

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(2017)
"Well Managed Race"
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This was my first time running the 5/3 River Bank Run and so far, it is the largest race I have run. I ran the 10K but there is also a 5K and a 25K race. The 10K is the largest, which I could tell by how long it took us to cross the start line. The course allowed us to run around several of the big places in downtown Grand Rapids. The water and aid stations were frequent enough and well managed. I do wish they had more bathroom stops later in the race. The hills in the last few miles really were challenging for someone who runs in mostly flat places. The refueling afterward was excellent. The post-race hospitality tent was great. I loved being able to watch the 25K racers. The expo before hand was ok. It had some great vendors like SheFit, but I wished there were more. I would like to have had more shopping. I went in hoping to find some shorts that would work for me, and I didn't find a thing.

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(2017)
"Great Spring Race"
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I did the Irish Double at the Bay City St. Patrick's day Race, which is an 8K and then a 5K. The race route was flat and went through the residential districts of Bay City. Both races ended by running up the main street through Bay City, which was full of historical homes. The race was well managed. There were clear signs, police guarding the route from cars and the management team at Tri-To-Finish and the volunteers were friendly, encouraging and as usual, great to work with. I would highly recommend this race to anyone looking to try out a moderate sized race from a well managed group.

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