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Latest reviews by Montana Ross
Montana Ross recommends this race
(2018)
"Always a Good Event"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Sarasota 1/2 is consistently a good race and the biggest event in the Sarasota/Bradenton area. The medals are AMAZING which is one reason I continue to do this event year after year. They are always huge and have a dolphin on them...gorgeous! The course can be a little boring once you are done with the Ringling/St. Armand's portion...the first 6 miles are the most scenic, but the last 7 miles are in the neighborhoods and on 41 which is pretty much business buildings and can get a bit monotonous. They did change the course this year which was nice because they added more shaded areas back in the neighborhoods to the route.
There is no "expo," there is only packet pick up at multiple stores in the Sarasota/Bradenton area. While the stores are awesome and packet pick up runs smoothly, I always like race expos because there are vendors there that you don't often get to see outside of expos, so I feel like this is something that this event is lacking. They could easily set up an expo at one of the parks in Sarasota and invite vendors to come out like St. Anthony's Triathlon or other local events do.
The parking was a little confusing this year as there was really no one telling you where you could/couldn't park. I ended up following other runners to a nearby parking lot and just parking there. It didn't say you couldn't park there, but it would have been nice to have some direction as to where to park.
Race management is awesome- they are very nice and helpful and will do almost anything the runners ask them to do. That is one huge plus- they are very accommodating. In 2017, last minute I switched over to the relay because I didn't feel like running the whole event and they didn't charge me an up charge from the regular half price, which was nice. They are helpful like that.
This is one I usually have on my radar if only because it's my hometown race and it's usually a pretty good quality event. It's also usually a pretty last minute addition to my race calendar, but I can't stop getting those amazing medals! :-)
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Montana Ross recommends this race
(2017)
"Flat Southern Charm Race"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Savannah was a fantastic first marathon experience! I traveled there by car from Florida with some friends to run in November 2017. The expo was easy to find and parking wasn't that difficult. Bib pickup went quickly and they had a good amount of vendors there. The official merchandise was a little lackluster, but other than that, they had a good variety of vendors and exhibitors. We were staying at the host hotel which is wonderful. They gave us a runners goody bag when we checked in with some fruit and water and advil in it and also had ice packets for us when we finished. It was less than a mile from the start line so the ability to sleep in a little later and walk right up to the start was nice. Savannah is a walking town and nothing was that far away from anything. We parked our car in one of the downtown garages and didn't move it until we were ready to leave on Sunday morning.
The course was really fun. I went into this race expecting there to be less entertainment on the marathon course as opposed to the half marathon due to other runners reviewing it prior to my arrival. However, there were plenty of bands and aid stations on the back half of the course as well as the front. The weather is always an issue in the south and it did get hot. There were a few parts on the marathon course once you got out of downtown Savannah and the historic district which weren't shaded so that was tough. However, there were plenty of people cheering in the neighborhoods of Savannah and the historic district and there were lots of people out cheering at Savannah State college (around miles 17-19) so that was a nice distraction.
The race is a fast and relatively flat course and I really enjoyed running it. The medal was pretty nice, although a little smaller than some of the half marathon medals I've gotten. I really liked how it incorporated the city- the background of ours shows landscape from Forsyth Park. The finisher jackets are definitely nice to have. I would definitely do it again- or another Rock n Roll race for that matter.
Montana Ross recommends this race
(2017)
"Gasparilla Ultra Amber Challenge...Run All the Miles, Collect All the Medals!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Gasparilla is a Tampa tradition and a very well organized race. There are no shortage of amenities for the runners. The expo is easy to navigate and has lots of booths and options. There are lots of different races you can do, from a 5k to a 1/2 marathon, to challenges with 2-4 races, so there's truly an option for everyone! Parking is pretty easy to navigate in downtown Tampa and the start areas are organized by pace, not corral so you just line up according to your estimated finishing time (unless you are elite then you get a seeded bib and go to the front). There are a lot of people, but the course is pretty wide in most parts and you rarely have to worry about people cutting you off or getting in front of you. February weather in Florida can be a crapshoot so you never know whether it will be hot or cold- if you are traveling for this race I recommend bringing a little of everything to be prepared. The year I did it (2017) it was cool and the weather was really nice, but some years its been pretty hot as well.
Scenery is AMAZING in downtown Tampa. Lots of the race is along the waterways and you can sometimes catch a glimpse of dolphins swimming in the bay in the early hours of the morning. The only thing is that if you do the challenges, it can get a little old running the same course. Each of the races is along Bayshore, so that can get a little boring by the second day. However, its a nice flat course and definitely a good place to attempt a PR if the weather is good enough on race morning.
Logistically this is one of the most organized races I've been at. There are several aid stations, and the runners have directions everywhere. There are plenty of port o potties, the finish chute is well organized in order to get your medals, food, water and there are places everywhere to hang out/reunite with family and friends. The convention center is perfect to host all the runners and there really isn't anywhere that I felt boxed in by other people. On cold days they hand out the mylar blankets at the finish so that was nice the year I did it. There are a lot of photographers on course, so just hang to the left or right and you're bound to get your picture taken by someone. The swag for the challenge races is AWESOME. Definitely do a challenge if you can manage it. The prices are pretty good too (for $200 you get 4 races as opposed to $350 for two races at Disney, so it's a really good bargain if you like to get swag and medals and run multiple events).