This was my second year in a row running the full marathon at the MO'Cowbell in Saint Charles, MO. This is also my second review for this run. In the first review, I stated how flat the course was, how I ran a marathon PR, and how awesome the race was. Needless to say, you learn more about something the second time you do it. What I've learned is the course is extremely flat.... for the half marathon runners. Miles 15-22 are a beast of an uphill battle. In my opinion, this is the way marathons should be set up... and by that I mean the course should be set up for a bit of a challenge. I think that's the reason for training to run 26.2 miles, is being able to battle yourself and the course physically and mentally. If it wasn't the case, then we would all be able to run marathons. Just know that when this race is advertised as flat, they're not totally lying, but they are mainly talking about the first 13 miles. This year's weather played a big role in my time as well. It started as a foggy, cool morning and stayed that way until about the 12 mile marker when the sun came out. Then it get extremely hot and extremely humid very fast. Luckily, I had trained outside all summer so I was physically prepared for it, but mentally after a brisk morning, it did take a toll. As you can see from the picture below, it looks like I jumped into the river I was running over on the bridge ad that was only at mile 22. Needless to say, I didn't match or beat my personal PR from last year, but I still had the same amount of fun! The race has beautful scenary, a lot of water/medical stations, the people in Saint Charles are so nice both during the race and outside of the race... I honestly just can't say enough. This medal was part of a 4 year medal series in which they all will connect and create the sound booth from the "More Cowbell" skit from Saturday Night Live. The band members in the medal series are depicted as cows... yes, it's awesome. I will be finishing the 4 year medal series and I can't wait to see the finished product. Last year, I also bragged about the quarter zip running pullover that was given as SWAG and this year they even topped that. We all received full zip running jackets that are a bright blue with orange logos. I highly recommend this race for all types of runners. They have all of the running options including 5k, half marathon relay, half marathon, and full marathon. Everything about this race is incredible, even when something like extreme weather change happens, the management team and volunteers still handled it to perfection making the runners feel safe and comfortable. SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!!

This was by far the smallest race I have ever participated in. It was also the coldest race I have ever been a part of. There was probably a total of 25 runners that showed up and I do believe part of that was because it was so cold that morning! It was so small, that an average runner like myself placed 3rd place overall. If you enjoy pretty country scenery and the hills of Indiana farm land then this was a very relaxing race... in normal weather. The race itself had water stations every 2-2.5 miles which was held by volunteers. The "expo" was really a packet pick up where you got a highlighter yellow shirt, which is awesome for future training runs, and a little bag of coupons. Parking was easy because it started/finished at a local park that had a church parking lot. All in all, there wasn't really anything too exciting about this race. The best part about this race and the reason I would recommend it to anyone is because of the foundation that hosts the event. The Travis Burkhart foundation is an incredible local organization that hosts several events in the local community annually. They not only host the events, but they are also great about giving back to the local community and families in need. Sometimes the reason for the run is bigger than the course itself.

This was my first Rock 'N' Roll series marathon, so what better place to run one than the music capital of the world! The entertainment on the course and the scenery of Downtown Nashville was incredible! Seeing the neon lights of the bars and the recording studios with famous musicians faces was great! Having live bands place music everywhere on the course was an awesome distraction as well. That being said, it was all necessary to finish the monster hills of this course. I had read in different blogs in reviews to prepare myself for the hills of Nashville, so I trained for them and felt prepared. Let me tell you, NOTHING can prepare you for them, but they do give you the entertainment to push yourself through. The expo was really awesome and really big in the middle of downtown. You also get a really cool shirt and string backpack with all your free goodies. I did feel the shirt was a little on the low quality for how many racers were running and the parking was miserable! I had to pay $20 to park for the expo because of a hockey game at the arena next to the expo and I paid for parking on race day in which the parking directors did not park me in. They actually sent me in circles of the parking lot several times before I finally gave up and just parked. Besides the parking, the shirt quality, the traffic, and the hills... this race was really, really fun! I just came to the realization that the course was jammed packed because Nashville is jammed packed. Being from a small town that was hard to cope with, but once I did, it really opens your eyes to everything else.. including the really cool, totally Nashville finisher medal!

This race is one of the smaller races that I've taken part in, but it is by far one of the most fun as well. After running this race, I have decided to run it annually and for more reasons than one. For starters, the local community loves this race. Whether it be a volunteer, a race manager, a local store, or a spectator this community treats the racers as if they were all professional athletes. The community support really does make you want to stay and hang out after the race to meet some new people or go shopping down the brick road main street. The course itself is extremely FLAT! If you're looking to set a PR, this is definitely the race for you. The scenery of the course is very cool as well. The first half of the marathon is in town and there are some really cool changes to the run. For example, you're downtown, then all of the sudden you're in a park, then you're in a cornfield, and then a new small town with animal statues in the front yard... it keeps your interest the entire 13.1 miles. For the second half of the run, it turns into a little bit of a trail run, which is nice to mix things up, and you end up over the river crossing a massive bridge. As far as the SWAG goes, the race shirts are hands down some of the highest quality shirts I've received at a race. Their medals are also really cool with this year being the first of a series of 4 meals that connect. Other than the medal and the shirt, your expo bag comes with a race sticker and obviously a cowbell, but other than that there really wasn't much SWAG. The expo was about 20 minutes from downtown, which was kind of out of the way at a local college and honestly there wasn't much there to stick around for. I will probably have my packet mailed for the 2018 race.

Talk about a view! This race is very unique. You start in the early morning by parking your car in downtown Evansville, Indiana. This is great because there is a ton of free downtown parking. You then hop on a shuttle bus that takes you to Henderson, Kentucky! You start the race along the river in Henderson, running through their small historic downtown and local parks along the river. You then get on the major Highway, US 41, that connects Kentucky and Indiana. This means you get to cross over the Ohio River on the giant bridge that connects the 2 states. After driving this bridge for years and years, I knew it was gorgeous, but running it is a much better experience. What was really nice is you finish the race in downtown Evansville, which is where your car is parked! The race course itself was not too difficult and that says a lot considering it poured down rain all day. I did run a personal PR here, coming in 3rd place in my 25-29 year old age division. I really wasn't expecting that at all, but considering it's a small local race there wasn't very many in my group. I don't recall there being very many aid stations and the expo was in a hotel lobby with not very many booths. Other than that, I highly suggest running this race just to run the bridge and cross states! (Due to the construction on the bridge, the next race will be held in 2020)