The Lake Placid 2018 marathon was a wonderful experience. Running it to cross NY off my state list, I picked a great year as the weather was flawless (sunny, mid-60s). Logistics were a breeze as we stayed at Crowne Plaza hotel which was literally right next to the marathon expo, starting and finishing point. Packet pickup couldn't have been easier...walk down hill to the expo, get race bib, walk back to hotel (haha). Communication leading up to the race was clear as well.

As for the race course itself, the first 3-4 miles take you around Mirror Lake and it is really pretty. Then it is back into town for a few miles before heading downhill past the Olympic Ski Jump area and into the back roads running along a river...which was very nice. However, once you head back into town, you have to run uphill for a good ways which is challenging...but if you are doing the marathon, you have to turn-around, and run back out of town and do it again! The positive is that you get to enjoy the scenic river / woods area again. The course ends with a steep uphill that leads back to the Olympic Speed Skating Oval area (now a track). That last hill is tough, so be forewarned.

I cannot speak to the aide stations as I carried my own hydration / gels...but I remember them being quite stocked full of drinks and food. The finishing medal was really nice, and the after party provided food was great too.

The cool thing about this marathon is you can make a family vacation out of it as Lake Placid is a beautiful area with plenty of things to do...from exploring the main street that goes through town, site-seeing the Olympic areas, to plenty of hikes / outdoor activities close by.

Highly recommended!

The Run for the Red Marathon was a very well organized race. They were very active through email and Facebook constantly providing updates about the race, along with a pace group that provided tips and encouragement in the weeks leading up to race day.

As one review has already stated, the start and finish are both at high schools, so there is plenty of parking. Getting the packet the day before was super easy, and the cool red technical shirt they provided was pretty sweet.

My family and I stayed at the Kalahari Resort, which was only 10 minutes or so from the starting point. The only con to this is that my family planned to see me start the race, go back to the resort, and then meet me at the finish. However the marathon caused several major roads to be closed, preventing people from getting back to the resort until the race was over! While this did not affect me as a runner, it is something to consider if you will have family attending with you.

The course is mostly downhill. While my performance was not good at all (due to improper fueling), looking back the course is quite pace and PR friendly. There are a few small inclines, but they come towards the end of the race. While most of the course is quiet and running on roads in the shade of the woods, there are a few sections where you run along the road with traffic. However I found it to be safe and never saw any instance where a runner was in danger.

The pacing group that took part (MarthonPacing.com) was top notch. The 3:55 pacer was very informative, encouraging, and positive when I ran with that group.

Overall this is a nice race if you want an easy time getting to / from the course with a chance to set a PR as well!

This was my first ever trail marathon and I really enjoyed it. Communication by the race directors leading up to the race was very clear. Packet pickup was in the city of Charlotte, which was sort of a pain, BUT it was easy to get to with a parking garage nearby (it was either free or cheap to use). The hoodie they gave me for registering was really nice!

The race location itself (US National WhiteWater Center) was really cool. I thought being close to Charlotte it would not be very scenic, but it takes place in a large park right by the Catawba River. Parking was plentiful for the race start time of 8 a.m. I stayed in a hotel 10-15 minutes from the park and had no problem getting there.

Now the course itself is TOUGH. For the marathon it is two loops around a mountain bike trail that winds and weaves its way all through the park. You run across fields, into the woods, by the rivers, up a very large dirt hill, and YES you are likely to fall quite a few times.

I carried my own hydration and fuel, which I would highly recommend as the aide stations are spaced out pretty far apart. I can’t speak for what they offered as I did not pay much attention. Upon finishing they had lots of food and goodies from your typical granola bars, power bars, and bean hummus wraps which I particularly enjoyed. Also the finishers medal was nice too!

I would NOT recommend this race for a first time marathon, but I would DEFINITELY recommend this race if you love running on trails, being in the woods, and are seeking a new challenge to add to your list of marathon accomplishments. Your time will be much slower, you will fall, get dirty, and maybe even cut up a bit…but you will enjoy your accomplishment of finishing that much more!

One of the last marathons run in the calendar year, I did this race in 2017 to cross Missouri off my list for state marathons. Leading up to the race their was ample communication from the race organizers via Facebook and through email. They were also prompt to answer questions I had. Packet pickup was a breeze the day before. Parking race day morning was plentiful at Missouri State University (being the college is out for the winter break). In fact we parked very close to the start / finish line! The course itself is easy physically (very flat run around the University and local neighborhood), but challenging mentally in that you do 8 full loops for the marathon. While not like this every year, in 2017 it was freezing cold (18º with wind chills in the single digits), and that added to the challenge of the race. While there is little to no crowd support along the race route (again this could be due to how cold it was in 2017), there was great support at the aide stations though as they fought to keep the water / gatorade unfrozen and also provided plenty of other fuel. One of the best parts of the race that I will always remember was crossing the finish line and provided with a nice hot cup of chicken noodle soup in the post-race aide tent. Yum!

The race is held at the Kernstown Battlefield area just a bit south down Route 11 from the center of Winchester City. The race starts from the battlefield area, runs through a nearby suburb, back through the battlefield on a trail, and then onto the back country roads before returning to the finish at Creekside Station (a local shopping complex).

I picked up my race packet the day before which was held at a facility close to the race location. The swag included a really nice racing athletic shirt and hat along with other goodies. It was one of the best race packets I’ve had the pleasure of receiving.

With a start time of 8 a.m., I arrived early the morning of the race around 6:45 a.m. anticipating parking challenges, however the organizers make TONS of parking available via a nearby field close to the start, so parking was not an issue.

The start of the race is really cool as they shoot off an actual civil war canon instead of using a starter pistol. It was pretty flat at the beginning of the race going through the suburb area and back across the battlefield, but once the course led onto the back roads through Frederick County, there were quite a few significant hills to battle. Each morning when I run I deal with fairly steep hills on my home course so I was thankful for being prepared for that.

Also there is not much crowd support along the race course aside from the volunteers at the various aide stations, so the mental challenge was significant too. I do remember one family sitting outside their home along one of the back roads saying “You are halfway there!” when we were only around mile 5 or so. Tricksters!

This was my first time running this local race and my first time doing a half-marathon distance for time, and I somehow, someway managed to exceed my goals and get a pretty decent time.

Post-race festivities included a finishers medal with music and plenty of the usual refreshments along with pizza. I think this race is one of the best that is offered in the Winchester area and I plan on definitely doing it again next year!