Latest reviews by Jessica Lyons

(2021)
"Sweeping views, challenging climbs, endless sunflowers"
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This was my first in-person race since the Covid-19 pandemic shut down races globally. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect, but I'll begin with giving kudos to the race organizers - the Methow Valley Trails - for doing a fantastic job with communication.

This race isn't huge to begin with, but this year (2021) was smaller in an effort to keep people safe. There are options for a marathon relay, half marathon, and full marathon. The relay tends to fill rather quickly! I chose the marathon because I wanted the challenge and the full experience of what the Methow Valley had to offer.

This course DID NOT disappoint! It's a point-to-point race from Mazama, WA to Twist, WA. The terrain varied throughout the course, weaving along the rivers, down country roads, across mountains with sweeping views of the Methow Valley and outrageously beautiful sunflowers that were on display.

The elevation was no joke - Strava clocked it as 2,591 ft of gain and 2,951 of loss - but it is 100% doable. The race took me a little over 5 hours to complete. Oh, and the course is more like 27 miles, not a true 26.2.

If you're looking for a medal, this is not your race. You will get a decent cotton shirt with registration, but it's nothing special. Take some beautiful pictures while you're out there and enjoy the journey!

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(2021)
"Virtual comes through! "
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The 2021 Oakland Marathon Running Festival was a fantastic example of how races are creating premium experiences for runners even in a virtual world.

As the race's 12th year running, you could tell they were trying to optimize this experience for everyone as much as possible. They offered a brand new 10K and Marathon Challenge (fun idea!), as well as their 5k, half and full marathon.

They offered a Facebook group that made runners feel connected as much as possible so they could share training and race days together. Speaking of race days - you could either run on March 21st to align with the race, OR you could run anytime, anywhere.

The race shirts were Under Armour brand and a nice quality. I love the look of them. The medal was super unique and inspired by the art of a local Oakland muralist.

I hope to one day get the chance to run in Oakland and experience the true awesomeness of the city!

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(2021)
"Virtually flawless! "
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I had the pleasure of running the Houston virtual 1/2 marathon this year in Seattle, WA. We mapped out a beautiful course new Seward Park. While it wasn't the same as being at the starting line in Houston, the race did a fantastic job of making runners feel as hype as you can leading up to it.

For starters, communication was really well done. They emailed frequently enough to keep you excited and to make sure you started informed. The SWAG for this was so well done and should be something other race directors learn from. The box that it arrived in was beautiful and it had everything from partner items in it to a "RUNHOU" mask and a finish line. Since Brooks Running was their partner they included a SUPER COOL card with Des Linden's voice on it - a Brooks athlete - which to me was MONEY!

They also had an app that seemed to work leading up to race day, but it somehow failed mid-run for me. Thank goodness they had an option to submit times easily through their website.

The race gear for purchase was also really amazing!! Again, Brooks hit it out of the park, especially with the Texas flag Launch!

Can't wait to get my medal!

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(2020)
"Great local half"
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Of the half marathons that run through Seattle, this one is more of the “local fav” for me. It’s smaller in numbers and easier logistically.

It’s also right around Thanksgiving every year which means The weather can be unpredictable, although this years race was BEAUTIFUL and the perfect temperature.

The packet pickup is simple, and over the years the expo has gotten better, but it’s a smaller expo that doesn’t get the big brands at it. (That’s not necessarily a bad thing!) It’s a simple in and out and you can run into a lot of local running store and running group pals.

This year they changed the course. There’s a lot of construction and changes that were happening all over the city, so I don’t think it was necessarily their fault. Logistically this city is challenging. However, both this race and the Seattle RNR run a similar course and it’s getting pretty boring. I think as the more local of the races they could try and find different areas to route us through!

The finish line is another one that’s easy to get through. They offer great post-race items, but again, it’s smaller so don’t expect the “big race” experience.

Would I do it again? Yes!

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(2020)
"Virtual Swag FTW! "
Overall
Race Management
SWAG
Virtual Support

I had mixed feelings about running the virtual Pittsburgh Marathon because running one of the reasons I run races in other cities is to experience them. But, since I had the opportunity I thought I’d give it a go!

The virtual support and hype leading up to the race was fun. It gave me the opportunity to get excited about what I was wearing (black and gold!), the most epic course to keep me rolling along, and to plan the perfect spot for a finish line.

The SWAG from this race was super cool!! The medal is now one of my favs, the race shirt was quality, and I LOVED the sunglasses (thanks Knockaround!).

While I’d much rather run the Burgh in person, this was still a great experience and one that made for a solid COVID memory.

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