This is a good marathon that leaves some things on the table to become great.

Pre-Race Weekend Stuff:

The Twitter presence of this marathon is basically broadcast-only - I had mentioned them in several tweets on BibChat (which garnered no response at all - not even a like) and even sent a question to the race via Twitter that went unanswered. It does look like they use Facebook, but I didn't notice until many weeks after sending my question via Twitter.

The hotel booking service is a joke - after I received an email that said "you have until April 23, 2019 to edit your reservation" and the resulting page said to NOT contact the hotel. Prior to that date, I attempted to change the hotel reservation to add a day, when it reported an error, I contacted the hotel booking company who told me to contact the hotel directly. My recommendation would be to provide a list of known-good hotels (e.g. those with shuttles to the race, etc) rather than utilizing a booking service (in fact, I won't use any sort of these services again).

The race website lacks good answers to some of the basic questions. There is no elevation chart on the website's map (you have to find one via peoples' Strava races), and you have to dig to find out that the Gatorade on the course is lemon-lime (no mention of whether it is the endurance formula), and many of the other basic questions. For a race that claims to be the flattest in the state, I'm shocked by the lack of a simple chart.

Expo:

The expo was congested and busy, but decent. Representation from several northern-Ohio and southern-Michigan races were there, and a few vendors (some running-related, some not). The packet pickup volunteers were nice and there were no lines despite me visiting around the same time as people filing in from Saturday's 5k and 10k. Parking for the expo at that time was a little messy (it seems the traffic cops weren't really considering traffic flow... once you made it into a lot, all was good). Swag consisted of a pullover, which is nice.

Pre-Race:

Arrived via hotel shuttle, which had to wait through the same parking congestion as everyone else (there was a good mile-long backup to turn into S Towerview Blvd), and neither the shuttle bus driver or the volunteer at the mile 25-ish road closure in front of Rocket Hall seemed to know where the shuttle bus should drop off at... perhaps some coordination is necessary there. After being dropped off, I headed towards the "BAG DROP" banners which were not actually at the bag drop. The race did start on time, although the delay from the main start to corral B start seemed much longer than I anticipated.

Race:

The course is mostly flat. There are pockets of spectators sparsely distributed throughout. During the first half, there are aid stations every mile. In some places (miles 1 and 3 stand out), the course gets very narrow due to over-zealous volunteers moving towards the center of the course. After the split, the course gets very sparse of runners, and aid stations go down to one every other mile (which is fine, the race temperature was in the mid-40s and was apparently close to average). After this split, the race uses a bike path (no scenery), the shoulder of some suburban thoroughfares (boring), a subdivision (somewhat boring, but there's some hard-core cheer-ers out there!), and back onto a paved path through a park and onto the paved path. During the latter miles, the paved path seems to drag on forever... You get past mile 24 thinking that the course might "crescendo" at some point, and it's fairly unceremonious through to mile 25. After mile 25, you suddenly find yourself on the University of Toledo campus and is soon after on a downhill finish that IS ceremonious in the Glass Bowl (UT stadium) where your name is announced as you cross the finish line. There is plenty of post-race space in the stadium to stretch or rest, water and Mylar blankets are available, and the finish line volunteers are quite awesome (medals are placed on the runners as opposed to just handing the runners the medal, one actually wrapped a Mylar blanket around me, as opposed to just handing it to me... the person with the water bottles did just hand the bottle to me, but I can't say I would have wanted too much more there :-D ).

During the race, I saw lots of people wearing Boston Marathon jackets cheering for runners. For the race that claims to have a lot of BQs, that is NICE to see! Additionally, despite the sparse pockets of spectators, I'm pretty sure I got more mustache compliments in this race compared to all other races I've done... combined... and probably by a factor of two!

Post-Race:

From the Glass Bowl, there are signs pointing tired runners to a parking lot north of the stadium where runners are immediately handed a glass mug (the mug is quite nice, but trying to hold a Mylar on + getting food made for the want to have a third hand... perhaps the mug pickup could be elsewhere). Runners are then shuffled into a line for some pizza and pasta, and there is a shaded dining tent... I sat outside. At some point during this process I was handed a bag and was able to fill it with some food (orange, banana, cookies or granola or something). The bag drop pickup is nearby but difficult to find (I ended up directing a few runners to it), and it was with little security - I walked INTO the area around MANY bags to pick up mine (I'd recommend taping this area off and allowing ONLY volunteers to pick out bags and hand them to runners). The beers available are the standard boring AB-InBev products (Mich Ultra, Mich Ultra with lime, Shock Top, and one other I don't remember... I did not see any IPAs). Fortunately, the volunteers would fill the glass mug (otherwise we really would have needed that third hand!) There was a band playing and some additional food offerings in the post-race area, and a massage tent I didn't use.

Overall:

This is not a world-class marathon, but it probably is the flattest marathon in the state of Ohio and schedules itself on what is possibly be the best weekend to race a marathon in Ohio. A few fixes are needed like better Twitter presence, better maps on the website, website improvements (e.g. consider adding "Course Amenities" to the Race Details section to include things like what Gatorade and fuel are available on course, where other amenities, like oranges are at, etc). I WOULD consider running this again, although I would not use the hotel booking service, RaceJoy app, or stay at the Radisson University of Toledo (it's clean but has only king side or two double beds... I took my wife and a kid up there and the sleeping arrangements sucked... not the race's fault, ofc!)

Registration is easy, and there is constant communication from the race director via email. The race director is also pretty active on Twitter. The race website is easy to navigate.

The race starts and ends at a mall, so parking is plentiful and convenient - especially for situations like this year where it was extremely cold. Additionally, the mall is open for people to hang out in the warmth, use restrooms, and check bags.

The course begins and ends at an iconic water tower after a very patriotic starting ceremony (this race supports Honor Flight Cincinnati that flies veterans to see memorials in DC). The race began on time, and was led by a motorcycle brigade. The course is rolling hills around a suburban business area and the Airport. There are water+Gatorade stations every 2 miles or so (and port-o-lets every 4 miles or so... give or take), and those water stops were equipped with salt for the road (since race temperature was in the low 20s). There is some crowd support, including Cincinnati the Reds mascots who are out "in uniform" cheering runners on.

The after-party includes plenty of free food and non-alcoholic beverages, and (again) the mall is open for restrooms and bag check. Results are posted live, and a video of the finish is accessible from the results page.

I've run this 3 times, will likely run again.

Registration was easy, although the page was formatted for mobile/tablet which made it somewhat klunky on a desktop computer. Not long after registration, the start/finish line location was moved to an area with limited parking with shuttle service from the prior start/finish line. The announced start time was the same for both 5k and half marathon, which sounded like a mess waiting to happen. The map was linked from the website, but the klunkiness of the website caused me to miss it until I did a search on the page for 'map'.

I arrived early enough that I could park close to the start/finish line, although the parking lot was filling up. I walked past a line of port-o-lets on a hill (odd, usually you'd want those level), and there was no line for them. I then proceeded to warm up and heard them announcing that they would be delaying the start for the 5k (thank God, since we were sharing the first 1.55 miles of the course!).

With about 20 minutes to go, they did a kids race/dash. Then, all of us half marathon runners lined up. As we were moving around talking amongst each other about where to be for certain paces, they announced for all of us to vacate the starting line and line up in pace groups in the parking lot. No sooner did all of us get into the parking lot, we had to move out of the parking lot for a shuttle bus to enter and drop off (those who have seen the end of The New Red Green Show - this is like the 'sit down, sit down... ALL RISE' during the Opossum Club meeting). During this time, I heard another runner claim that one of the shuttle busses got lost. We all decided to line up in rough corrals at the starting line. Forever and a day later (17 minutes late), they started the race.

The course is and out-loop-and-back on a paved multi-use path around an airport bordering some woods, and then across a river and into a nature preserve park. The course is mostly flat with a few hills. The weather was overcast so shade didn't matter, but the portion in the nature preserve park is mostly tree-less and would be very hot if the sun was out (advantage of a race in late November - nobody would have minded the sun). The path was clear of debris, although one area did have some leaves on the course.

There were water+gatorade stations roughly every two miles and were well staffed and they had the trash bins AFTER the station (nice for those of us that drink on the run, we have a chance to toss our cups in the bin). Additionally, all turns and intersections were staffed with at least 2 volunteers with flags actively directing and cheering on runners. The mile markers on the course disagreed with my GPS by usually +/- 0.1 mile, although one was 0.3 miles off. The overall distance was 13.1 miles, so I think it was just the mile markers being misplaced (0.2 - 0.3 is too much to blame it on GPS issues), and this isn't really a major issue anyway. There was one vehicle on the course during the way back (a work truck that didn't appear to be involved with the race and not sure how it got there; he was yielding to runners).

The post-race area was sparse when I got there - the 5k runners had all left (and I didn't see any of them on the course, despite finishing 26th overall and almost expecting to overlap with stragglers/walkers). There were plenty of cinnamon rolls and some Gatorade and water. The timing trailer had two large monitors hanging off the side that were scrolling live results. Since I won my age group, I got an additional medal. I did notice the gun times were all about 20 minutes longer than the chip times.

Despite the starting line disorganization, I would consider running this again. The size of the race and course makes for a fast race, the volunteers were great, and being a few days after Thanksgiving makes it easier to schedule.

This race is somehow an incredibly fun distance race.

Prior to the race, communication is primarily via email, although all forms of social media are used (Twitter and Facebook) as well as a decent website. Packet pickup is held in an office building on the Thursday and Friday prior to the race during lunchtime and early evening - I picked up my packet on Thursday evening and was greeted with no line, a very spirited (in a great way) volunteer (complete with a high-five for being one of 19 "Brewmeisters" - people who have run all three beer series races for all six years of it's existence). Early packet pickup is better, since the race includes a shirt, poster, and a shaker pint. Additionally, Brew Hog runners (those that have run all three Beer Series races that year) get an extra item- this year it was a very nice glass beer mug.

Race morning is semi-organized, no corrals, but plenty of last-minute announcements over a speaker (most of which have already been communicated to runners via email). The race began on time, immediately following some quick acknowledgements and the National Anthem.

The race has both 7k and 14k distances, with the split around a half mile into the race. The 14k (what I ran) circles the Cincinnati CBD - the first part is mostly around parking lots, the second part is in the historic Over The Rhine neighborhood, and the last part is in Queensgate (industrial). The course is mostly uphill for the first 2 miles, and has a substantial uphill near mile 4 (and a substantial downhill at around 4.5). Otherwise, it is somewhat rolling.

Aid stations are provided at miles 2, 4, 5, and 7 (give or take, I may have missed one). All aid stations provide water and Gatorade by very good volunteers that call out what they have and are well staffed, so there's usually a ton of people cheering. There is on-course entertainment throughout, which ranges from DJs, one-man bands, a few violinists, and even a bagpipe player. Additionally, a few cheer teams are out on the course cheering on runners. The 7k and 14k routes come back together about 2 miles before the finish line. For the most part this isn't a problem, and the last mile (or so) they keep the two distances split, which creates a nice express lane for 14k runners to pass the 7k walkers.

One of the fun things this race does is a running costume contest with groups in 3 or 6. Many times these are reasonably good runners (and sometimes they're **very** good runners) and it provides some entertainment. Additionally, since this is an odd-distance run, some people are seriously racing, some aren't seriously racing it but are serious runners (so they're great to be around because they respect others that are seriously racing it!). There is some crowd support, although most of it is happenstance - people that are living in working along the course cheering people on.

The race is chip timed, results are posted immediately.

There is a very nice after-party that includes a cheese coney and two cans of beer to wash it down with. The after-party includes a band ("Just Add Beer") that plays mostly rock music (Black Keys, Dave Matthews Band, Bearnaked Ladies, The Ramones, Journey, Simple Minds (Don't You Forget About Me - from the end of The Breakfast Club)). The after-party is also near the Cincinnati Oktoberfest where more beer and food is available for purchase (and the lines are short because it's like 9:30 AM!). Also at the after-party was a free photo booth, with printed pics (and they were also posted to Facebook and download-able from there).

Overall, this is a fun race that I've done 6 times and likely will do a 7th.

This is a local low-frills 5k held mostly in a township park with proceeds benefiting a scholarship for a cross country runner from the local school. I've run this race in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, I finished 7th overall, winning the M30-39 age group.

Prior-to-race communication is entirely by email, no course map was provided. Advance packet pickup is on a Friday during the middle of the day (which I couldn't use), but the wait for packet pickup on raceday was very short. Parking is EXTREMELY convenient to packet pickup and the start/finish line. Early registrants get a free T-shirt (I got it in 2017, it was cotton, I opted not to get it in 2018 and missed the deadline for a free one anyway).

The course is pancake-flat, and they put up several small signs with inspirational and/or funny quotes (see the photo, it's one of my favorites). The course is partly in a township park (around 1.5 of the 3.1 miles), and uses some nearby low-traffic residential streets that are not closed to traffic. The course is monitored by the local police on the residential streets, and by the local high school XC team in others, and the aid station (which I didn't use) is operated by a local church - it seems that it would be accessible at both 1.0 miles and 1.64 miles. There is a short stretch of the course (from ~2.81 to ~2.88) that is narrow and two-way and could become congested for mid-pack runners, however the few runners I saw in this area were very diligent about staying to their right (as was I), so I experienced no issues through here.

The race in 2018 (and 2017, for that matter) started on time, and are chip-timed with results being posted to the race website after about a day. No medal is provided, but age group winners receive a gift certificate to a local running store* and there is a fairly large number of good door prizes (including gift certificates/cards to a local running store, a few local restaurants, a message, and a few other local businesses). The finisher's area includes water, a banana, and some sports drink, and the post-race gathering area (where the awards are and the area surrounding) is in the shade (NICE because it's in the summer).