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Latest reviews by Carianne
Carianne recommends this race
(2018)
"4 Miles on Super Bowl Sunday"
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a chilly super bowl sunday morning brought about 5,000 of us to the upper east corner of central park -- an interesting starting spot for the four mile run. I'm more used to starting down by Tavern on the Green and think I prefer to tackle Cat Hill when I'm fresher.
After the Lebow Half two weeks prior I was glad to only have Cat Hill - and only once. This course seemed quick and before I knew it we were making the left across the traditional finish on 72nd where running left or right cast our "votes" for the Eagles or the Patriots to win. From there it was Cat Hill and a flat to the finish at 102nd.
A good day, nice selection of snacks at the finish and more water. Only down side:I did not like the shirt for this race. White shirts just don't stay white with the frequency running clothes need washing.
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Carianne recommends this race
(2018)
"My first half marathon was a full on success"
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An unseasonably warm January morning - thank you Mother Nature for making my first half so wonderful. Aside from the usual debate as to whether you should wear race swag on the day of, the giveaway was a ski cap and few needed one that Sunday.
This is 2+ loops of Central Park, including 3x West Side Rollers, 3x Cat Hill and 2x Harlem Hills. Luckily Harlem - the worst of the hills - was home to some great cheering crowds. Overall, the support was fabulous. I ran with the 2:30 pacers for the first five miles and found them wonderful sources of advice. The aid stations were well stocked and frequent.
It's almost impossible to have a bad run in Central Park. The medal was great and the heat blanket wrappers included a sticker so they'd stay on.
Carianne recommends this race
(2017)
"Disorganized, but fun"
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A little all over the place, to be honest.
Bib pickup was easy enough on the Wednesday before, but the shirts were disappointing. Seeing other runners wearing previous years' shirts, it seems like this year was a downgrade. It did however come in handy as a layer as that morning was COLD.
Advisories to arrive an hour early to park were good and flow was well managed. There were no signs to the exact starting area or starting line, so it was a bit of "follow the herd". Same was true for the actual start as it wasn't clear to those of us who hadn't run previously which direction was forward. Eventually we were off.
Miles 1-2 are hilly as you descend from the town of Rockland Lake to the lake and parking area itself. I was glad to need to stop for a wardrobe adjustment to allow myself to get out of the pack a little as it was very crowded with no clear marker between walkers and runners. It was flat from mile 2 to just before the finish as we we followed the lake shore - gorgeous and brisk. The drummers were a nice touch and though crowds were sparse, they were enthusiastic.
Finish was a bit of a mess with being told to get out of the chute, but it was unclear where to go as water/etc. weren't well marked. I think I'm just used to more organized bigger city runs. This is the Trot's 26th year and I feel like it still sees itself as a small fun run rather than a multi thousand runner event. I'd do it again if I were home for it.
Carianne recommends this race
(2017)
"Dancing in the Rain"
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It was a little touch and go as to whether this race was going on as planned due to the weather forecast for New York City today. A text from NYRR yesterday suggested we stay tuned for status and I didn’t sleep a lick last night worrying about whether I was prepared if the race went on, and whether the race would. With no text message when I woke, I checked FB to see all systems go and I… hit snooze. With the rain I knew I was going to Via to the start anyway, so I wasn’t in a huge rush. I also wasn’t in a rush to stand in the damp for the suggested 30-45m, so I was willing to wing it. I'd picked up my shirt and bib earlier in the week, so there was nothing I needed to do on arrival.
I was glad I had a second look at the race info last night because the course was slightly different to the prior 5 mile NYRR run I’d done in that it finished on West Drive instead of the 72nd St. transverse. As a result, those of us toward the back crossed the finish before we crossed the start. I was amazed how quickly they put up the finish line once we were all off. While waiting for the opening ceremonies to wrap, I enjoyed the fussier than normal festivities due to marathon prep. The pavilion is deceptively large and was a nice place to dry off after our miles were done. Luckily the rain held off while we were waiting and the experience was wonderful, as always.
For a while it felt as if we’d never get to run, but we actually crossed the start faster than in the NYRR races earlier this summer. I was watching my footing due to the wet leaves, which they did well to caution us about. I felt as if I was darting around people a lot, but just like June I ran close to the prescribed distance (5.14 to June’s 5.13 miles). I seem to be better at that than I am when running 10K. The water stations were either much better stocked than normal, or I was sticking with the pack amazingly well.
We had a version of a reverse expo, spending time in the marathon pavilion after we were done to warm up, dry out and just people watch.
Carianne recommends this race
(2017)
"A hard course, worthwile cause"
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Running on the warning track at Yankee Stadium - life doesn't get much better than that. With the watch unable to get a GPS signal since the course began inside it was very disorienting so I treated this as a fun run. The stairs in the stadium made it that this wasn't going to be a run for time and frankly, the scenery of the mostly empty stadium was awesome.
Pre-race number and shirt pickup was at a 24 Hour Fitness - made arrival easy and the lineup for the waves (picked at registration, not time graded) was simple. With a quick intro, we were off.
Was a pleasant surprise to see the photographer a few times and the stadium's Great Hall made for a great finish line and festival. A great cause to raise money for.