Latest reviews by Henry McLeod

(2019)
"3 Way with extra chese"
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T-Shirts/SWAG
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Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
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I ran the "3 way with extra cheese" which means I ran the 1 mile, 5K, 10K, and half marathon over a three day stretch. The expo was super fun as it was easy to get all 4 of my bibs and had lots of vendors selling things. One of my favorite part of the expo was the display of the first 20 years of the Pig showing all the posters and medals.

The one mile race was flat, easy, and fun! After the race I was awarded a medal with a built in bottle opener, free Skyline cheese coneys, and free beer. It was a very fun event to be at. The next race was the 10K on saturday morning. This race was fun and even crosses the bridge into Kentucky. There were some small hills, but overall it was a fun race. After the 10K i received a medal and snacks. After a short rest, I lined up for the 5K that started 2 hours after the starts of the 10K. The 5K was also a fun race but one that only stayed in Ohio. After the race, I received another medal, more snacks, and then it was time to rest for the half marathon the next day. The half marathon started at 6 AM on Sunday morning, and my legs were not ready. After a slow first couple miles, and a trip to Kentucky and back, my legs started to feel good and miles were flying by. The hardest part was definitely miles 6-8 as you climb from downtown to the top of Eden Park. Once you get to the top of Eden park you run roughly another mile and break away from the full marathon runners. After the break, the is one final hill you go up, and then it is almost all downhill as you have to go from Clifton to downtown. Once I finished the race, I was awarded my half marathon medal and then went to another tent to receive my extra T-shirt and medal for completing the 3 way with extra cheese challenge. Overall, I love the Flying pig and as someone from Cincinnati, I love seeing the whole city rally around this race. The support on the course is absolutely incredible and very fun to see the creativity that some parties of watchers will go to to entertain runners. Finally, it is very fun to see EVERYTHING is somehow pig themed throughout the whole weekend.

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(2019)
"Go! St. Louis First Time"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

This was a good marathon for sure. The communication leading up to the race was not great, and unfortunately the race had to change its course a couple of weeks before the race due to flooding. The expo was small, but easy to navigate. There was a booth for people to get stretched out and it was for nice! The swag was a long sleeve shirt which is very nice, but there was a lack of any other swag for runners. Once race day hit it was clear where to go, and the weather was beautiful. The first 5 miles were in forest park and very pretty. The pacers did a very good job and were even a little fast for the first 15 miles or so. The finish line had people surrounded by it, but the food available afterwards was somewhat disappointing other than ice cream sandwiches. Overall the race was of high quality, but there was not much community support or people cheering you on other than the last 5 miles.

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(2018)
"Running on the boardwalk"
Overall
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This was an overall really good experience. As I'm sure everyone else has mentioned, it was very hot! I believe it was about 75 degrees when the race started, and only got hotter. However, other than the heat, this is a great half marathon. The expo is large and full of free stuff. The race itself is designed very well, but can have long stretches of straightaways that can feel like they last forever. The most notable one being the final quarter or half mile of the race that is on the boardwalk and you can see the finish line, but feels like it never gets closer. Each mile marker is joined by a band rocking out to music and is fun to see. After the race the management team does a great job of getting liquids, cold towels, and food to the runners. The medals also are creative, fun, and anything but boring. Finally, getting to go to the beach right after the race is never a bad thing. Overall, great race and weekend

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(2018)
"Rocking out in Little Rock"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
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Overall this was a very good experience and I really enjoyed my time in Little Rock. The race was mid evil themed and it was very fun. The most impressive part of this race is the MASSIVE medals runners earn when they complete the race. Even the half marathon medal was huge and consistent with the them. The race itself was good, with good scenery, and good water stations. One thing that was disappointing was the lack of people cheering runners on, but the race was solid overall.

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(2017)
"First time out of state"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

This was my first half marathon that was not in Cincinnati and I found it pretty disappointing. The expo was almost nonexistent and the race T-shirt was poorly designed and a ugly green color. The city of Chattanooga is a whole is a city that once I spent time there I asked myself "why is this a city I know of" because there really was not much in this small city. While running, the race was alright at best, but the best part was going over multiple bridges. The two things that soured my opinion of this race was the medal was lame and poorly designed. The major issue I had however was the race was measured wrong and the half was too short and the full was too long. This mistake has stuck with me and feels like the most basic mistake to avoid. The most enjoyable part as this was a smaller race and felt like there were more runners at my pace than at a more elite pace.

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