Latest reviews by Kelsey Ireland

(2020)
"Awesome Swag For an Awesome Race"
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Race Management
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Virtual Support

This race was great because instead of a short weekend to complete, you had over a month to get your race in. This gives you so much flexibility in your run and if you want to get some serious training in, or wait until you can meet up with friends to run together!

The swag was amazing and so much more than I expected! I've already started the water bottle into my rotation and wore the shirt within about 2 days of receiving it.

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(2019)
"Enjoyable 5k near the beach"
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This race was hosted by The Shore Athletic Club and my second race run by them so far. It was the 16th anniversary of the race and you could tell they have a loyal following because everyone I had spoken to had run it previously, they even showed off some runners in past years t-shirts which were really cool.

Runners had the option to pick up their bib and t-shirt the day before at a local running store or do the morning of pick up (you could also register the morning of). The start was near a park and the lawn area had tents for packet pick up as well as local vendors and sponsors for you to check out before and after the race.

The race course was two loops, with the second loop ending on the boardwalk for the last .25 miles. At the start, they had speakers and were playing music. Right after the 2-mile marker (about a third of a mile into your first loop), there was a spectator who brought his own amp and was playing guitar for the runners. At the water station near mile 1, there was a man playing his trumpet. They also had music playing at the finish. The first 50 male and female finishers received a mug. The first overall male and female finisher received Polar watches and top 5 received cash prizes.

There were no medals for this race but the shirts you received for registering were really nice. There were three different tie-dye option tanks to choose from. At the finish, you had plenty of snacks (water, yogurt, milk, bagels, apples) and a local music academy had students performing. They also had a local Healthcare center tent that offered professional stretching, pain relief exercises, and normatek air compression to try.

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(2019)
"Easy going 10k race"
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I left aid stations, expo quality, and parking neutral as I did not utilize any of these features.

I signed up for the Mini 10k a week prior and picked up my bib the morning of the race. I was pretty nervous about finding the bib pick up and making my way to the start but it was extremely easy. I took an uber to Naumburg Bandshell, where pick up was prior to the race. Pickup was quick and easy and there were stations set up for photos where you could have one of the photographers take a pic of you or have them take it on your phone. I then made my way over to the start.

I got to the race with plenty of time. I arrive in Central Park at 7 and it didn't start until 8. So there was plenty of time for photos prior to the race and time to walk over to the start. My wave didn't start until around ~8:11 ish.

Previously looking at the map I thought the entire course was IN the park, but the first mile or so is actually on the road bordering the park, and then you turn in and do a loop around. The course was beautiful and had spectators as well as people just utilizing the park like every other Saturday. Most of the way the path was split in half keeping runners to one side so anyone else could still used it. There were plenty of volunteers around to keep the path organized and there were extras around intersections and any bends in the course.

The course had a few small hills but nothing that hindered my running/pace too much. There were mile markers and 5k/8k markers along the course, with 400m and 200m count down at the finish. Once you crossed the finish line you recieved your medal and flowers! This was followed by tables with volunteers handing out pink bagels, pears, water, gatorade, and pretzels. You could then make your way back to Naumburg Bandshell where they had more photo ops going on, a meet and greet with some of the pros, water stations, live entertainment, medical, and a foam rolling station.

If you were like me and picked up your bib the morning of, you could go get your singlet AFTER the race (I enjoyed this because I didn't have to bag check anything). So thats when I picked up my race singlet. Runners also had the opportunity to pick up their singlets and bibs Mon-Fri prior to race day.

Overall I really enjoyed this race and look forward to running it again!

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(2018)
"Overall great weekend experiene"
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I signed up for this race last minute and unfortunately, they maxed out their "Nauti Challenge" so I couldn't get the extra medal for doing both races.
Overall, it was a fun race in downtown Norfolk and great to see all over the city. I went in with no expectations of what the course was like. It varied from pavement to cobblestone to dirt path and everything in between, which at points was annoying and risky.
The expo was very small with not a lot going on, a few vendors but nothing stands out.
The post-race festivities were great. It is all right there in the waterside park at the finish. Your start is right by the finish so your checked bags are right there, there are changing tents, beer tents, soup tents and live music.

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(2018)
"Short and Sweet"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
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Course Scenery
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I signed up for this race last weekend and unfortunately, they maxed out their "Nauti Challenge" so I couldn't get the extra medal for doing both the 5k and half.
Overall, it was a fun race in downtown Norfolk and great to see all over the city. It was VERY cold that day, I went in with no expectations of what the course was like. It was short and sweet going through down town and seeing the city. Some of the streets ending up being cobblestone causing people to clog up the sidewalk to avoid it.
The expo was very small with not a lot going on, a few vendors but nothing stands out.
The post-race festivities were great, since it was so cold after the 5k I didn't stay long but I did stay a while the next day after the half marathon and it was a little warmer. It is all right there in the waterside park at the finish. Your start is right by the finish so your checked bags are right there, there are changing tents, beer tents, soup tents and live music.

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