The corrals were so organized! About 5 separate corrals were laid out parallel to the start line, so the later corrals could see the first groups start out, and corrals were enforced. This meant you couldn’t bump yourself up to a faster corral, but could bump down to a slower one to run with friends. I know this doesn’t seem like a big deal, but its a safety issue. A runner in a too fast corral could very easily be ran over in the herd of runners leaving the very tight start line. The first half mile is always very crowded and it’s easy to run into other runners if your pace isn’t similar.

The first mile was compact and completely downhill. I am terrible about starting out too fast in these big hype, big races, but the downward slope of the first mile didn’t make it seem as fast. Really! The first 5 miles were relatively easy and mostly flat with a few rolling hills. We ran through some parks, and the crowd support was great. Lots of bands and cheering sections along the course.

The Stockyards are the highlight of the race. This area is SO COOL. You run down a hill, take a sharp right and the road becomes brick. Lots of businesses are out and waving. Women dressed as saloon girls, lots of music, and even a longhorn (who seemed very disinterested in the whole thing).

If you’re not from Texas, this is probably the MOST TEXAS you can get during a race. For a vacation race, this one should definitely be on the list. They really embrace the city’s highlights.

Mile 9 starts at the bottom of a bridge that is uphill for about a half mile into downtown. Its beautifully framed with the Tarrant Country Courthouse being directly across the bridge. BUT, you can see this hill FOREVEEEEER. I especially loved the music and the energy at the top of this hill.

After the race, I was pretty irked by the beer tent. They were refusing to serve any beers or seltzers for another hour according to one man at the tent. (And he was rude about it, so I’m guessing runners had been coming by for a bit asking.) It was unusual, and ended up leaving without the finisher’s beer. A first for me, but I’m definitely not letting it ruin an awesome race and and awesome PR.

In Summary
The Cowtown Marathon is definitely a race that I’ll be running again. The course is challenging, but has some awesome sights and a definitely a “Cowtown” feel. Water stops were plentiful and the crowd support was amazing. (And some great swag!)

Packet Pickup: They have packet pickup the day before at the Alamo Brewery. Its kinda out of my way, so I did packet pickup the morning of the race. They're well organized and there is never a wait to get your bib.

The Race: Since there are three distances (20M, 10M, 5k), they have very staggered starts that are about 45 minutes a part. Since I was running the 10 miler, the 20 mile folks had already started by the time I had parked and picked up my packet. I really like this, because I've been to races in the past where the 5kers had finished way earlier and most of the beer and food was gone by the time I finished. These staggered times mean we all finish around the same time (except for some of the 20 milers) They have no time limit for the race, so the 20 mile folks didn't have to feel rushed through their race.

The race started in the parking lot of an apartment complex, then turns a hard corner to go onto the San Antonio Greenway trail system. Beautiful course, but since you're following the river on an out and back course, its going to be slightly downhill the first half, and uphill on your return. On the 10 Mile course, the two water stops were a bit close together at the beginning. This was probably so that both were hit by the 5k, but an additional one at the turnaround point would have been great. I actually took a gel near the turnaround thinking there would be water there. Not a hot day though, so it wasn't a super big deal.

The SWAAAAG: Great tech tshirt (with women's sizing, so it fits me!) and a nice medal. This is actually the fourth race in a series, and if you did all four you received a second medal at the race. Additionally, they post free race photos on facebook after the race. Mine is attached below.