Latest reviews by Kelly Tyler

(2017)
"A challenging but fun race"
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This was my first time running the hercules on the harbor 10k and i loved it!

Race day bib pickup was a breeze. I got to the start around 8 am and was able to easily find parking near by and then walked over to the pickup table and had my bib and shirt in a few seconds. Near the pick up table there were a few porter potties for the runners to use before the race. There were none on course so it was good that these were at the start.

Once the road was closed they had the runners line up at the start, and at 9:15 the race went off as scheduled. We headed into a residential area, and the hills immediately started. They were pretty consistently rolling us up and down, with a few hard uphills during the first 4 miles. There was plenty of on course entertainment - they had a bunch of musicians through out the course, some were bands and others were people playing string instruments or even bagpipes!

There were several water stops, manned by girl scouts and boyscouts, and they always were ready to hand us runners water as we ran by. Honestly, everyone doing race course support was so friendly.

After the 4th mile marker we transitioned from roads to trails, which was a cool change up. The fall views were beautiful, and we couldn't have asked for better race day weather. After a bit of trails in a forested area, it moved to trails cutting through brush. Through about mile 6 we were in this area, and they still had a few musicians and a water stop set up!

Once we got back to the road there was a little more than a half mile left to the race, and it was mostly downhill to the finish line.

Overall, the hills made this a challenging course, but the race staff and volunteers were amazing, and I will hopefully be back to take on this course again next year!

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(2017)
"A quick course through the bronx"
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I was excited for this race, and when race morning arrived the humidity made for less than perfect weather.

I got dropped off near the start line, since in the race information it said that there was not a lot of parking near the start, and public transportation from Long Island was limited at that hour. The actual start line was a bit of a walk from the area where the bib pick up and porter potties were located, so before the race started I left myself some time to walk down to that area.

When the race was starting, I found the pacer that was in my corral, whose sign said he would be running at an 8:30 pace.

The first few miles are a bit of a blur, as my main focus was to keep up with the pacer. It was more of a struggle than this pace usually is for me, because of the day's weather.

The aid stations along the course all were offering ice, which was amazing. They were well equipped to deal with the weather.

There were a few bands along the course, and plenty of people lined up to cheer. The course was a little bit hilly, but more gradual hills than any real climbs.

At the end of the race, when you turn the last corner its a straight shot to the finish line, and you can see it as you approach it. Once the race is done there were plenty of volunteers waiting with medals, and then directing everyone through the finishers chute. In addition to the regular bag of Gatorade, pretzels, and a bagel, they were handing out cloths soaked in ice water.

I wish the race day weather had been a bit cooler, but it was a fun race all in all.

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(2017)
"A scenic race worth doing"
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Had a great time at this race weekend!

We got into philly in friday night, and a friend had been able to pick up my 5k bib before hand, so we were ready for the next morning.

We went to the expo on saturday after the 5k, and bib pickup for the half was quick and easy. We got our race bibs and shirts, and then were directed into the area of the official race merchandise, which was overall of a nice quality. There was an area sponsored by Brooks, where you could get your running gait analyzed, which was a cool experience. After the official area there was a large selection of other vendors at the expo, many of which had samples of fuel to try. The run rock and roll booth even offered discounts on future races if you signed up at the expo.

After the expo we explored Philly a bit, and got some pizza for dinner. We had an early night so we would be ready for the next mornings race. The race started at Eakins Circle, and we were able to hang out outside of the corrals while we stretched and prepared, then easily got into our corral. The beginning of the race took us through the city, where we saw museums, sky scrapers, and even an old prison. The on course entertainment was great, with so many bands out and lots of people enthusiastically cheering. We eventually ran our way out of the city and onto roads that were along the Schuylkill river, that just had gorgeous views. One of the best cheering areas was near the aid station that handed out gummys, where they had cheerleaders and a inflatable tube man dancing as we ran across a bridge.

I really enjoyed this course, and hope to one day be able to run it again. The scenery was really varied and always interesting to check out, the course was pretty flat, and made for a great race.

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(2017)
"A strong mental game is necessary for the second half of this race"
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Let me start by saying, the only reason I would not recommend this race is because of the second half of the course - it is entirely along a highway, and you often find yourself completely alone on it. It is a mentally hard race to run, even though the elevation is ideal and the aid stations are frequent and friendly.

Bib pickup was a breeze, just like it was when I ran the half in 2016. Several local running stores have booths at the expo, selling great shoes and gear at a discount. I picked up a pair of shoes while there, and the shirts this year were dryfit t-shirts, pink ones for the womens cut and blue for the mens cut. All of the distances that the race offers (10k, half, full) share the same shirt. Like last year a drawstring backpack was also given out, although this one was more standard than the high quality one they gave in 2016.

Race morning i got dropped off near the start line. The weather was nice, cool and a little overcast - perfect for racing. There's no corral system, so runners just group around pace signs at the start, which leads to lots of people being misplaced, and a crowded first mile.

The first half of the course is the same as the half marathon, but when the half marathoners turn to go back into esienhour park, the marathoners go out onto Wantagh parkway. Very few runners do the marathon compared to the half, so as soon as you split the number of people around tou dramatically decreases. There are aid stations every mile of the marathon along the parkway, but it felt like it took forever to get to the turn around point with the never changing scenery. As the race progressed the runners became more and more spread out, and by mile 15 I was basically running alone. I had family waiting at miles 14 and 17, and the were a sight for sore eyes when i saw them cheering. When i finally got off the highway and started heading back to the park, it was almost eerie how empty the town was. On the final stretch in the park there were a few race photographers - there were none along the highway - and eventually I made it into the finish chute and over the finish line. I was very happy to be done at last!

They were handing out snack bags that were great, including a black and white cookie, a muffin, a bagel, fruit, and water.

The porter potties at the finish line were gross...I opted to not use them. It was a long hobble to the car, which was parked on the other side of the park.

Before I did this full, I had a friend warn me how hard the highway section of the race is, and i did not heed her warning. While I could see myself running the half again, it is unlikely that I will run the full again.

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(2016)
"An easy race with good entertainment"
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Rundisney events always involve early mornings, and this race was no exception. The race started with running along the highway, and there were character stops almost immediately. It was a warmer morning than I expected, and my friend and i finished the race before the sun came up. The aid stations and character stops were well done, and it was a very enjoyable race, other than the part where we ran by a building that smelled... maybe next time they should consider a course that avoids that area. The post race reception was great, with snack boxes and drinks like disney always has.

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