A Coastal Race Productions race, this one is a part of their BAM (Big Ass Medals) series and as such, you get a massive finish medal, the longer the distance you complete, the larger the medal and these are huge, huge medals! This year's medal was locket style, you open it up and there's a color pic of Ocean Isle Beach inside. Super cool!

There was no real expo because of Covid, so you pick up your bib at Fleet Feet Myrtle Beach a day or two before the race, wait till race morning to pick it up, or have it mailed to you for free. I'm pretty sure if you register early enough you can have your bib custom named with whatever you choose up to like 20 characters, which is a nice free twist.

Swag wise, CRP rotates their finisher items as we all seem to have so many finisher shirts and for this race it was a killer running hat that you'll actually use for running that had a neat squid on it and was purple/white. Other races the finisher item is often a beach towel, beach blanket, soft cotton t-shirt, and maybe even a full/half zip (depending on the distance you run). They also have extras that you can pre-buy in advance that are race specific so if you want a hat, towel, 1/2 zip blah blah, you can get it all, and they are all reasonably priced.

CRP is family owned and run and volunteer dependent...you'd never know it. Trust me, these folks know how to put on and run a race. There's always lots of parking with folks lit up in the dark directing you where to park, and the after party is always fun as long as weather cooperates. Post-race for this race we were offered donuts from a mom/pop local donut shop, energy bars, bananas, bottled water, 1 beer (Mich Ultra, Landshark Lager) or cider, and pulled pork bbq. Your bib has tags for a beer attached (1 beer tag), and 1 food tag. Lots of people don't use their tags so if you're looking to drink another beer or two or get more bbq, that's easily accomplished.

This race also offers free course photos so they have at least 1 or 2 photographers taking shots of everyone and they post them all on Facebook, usually starting just a few hours after the race. I've walked away with some nice shots of myself/wife/friends all for free.

It's a super flat 5k and if you're looking for a place to register your personal best, this might be the one for you. In 2021 it was in the low 60's with no wind, so it was absolutely perfect for running fast!

They also offer age group awards in 5 year age group increments, so if you're fast, you're likely to come away with another item to take home like a small plaque.

Pro tip: join Coastal Race Production's email list as they email discount codes for all of their races and sometimes for their merch as well and these codes can be very, very significant. I think I paid only 22 bucks and change after sign up fees for this particular 5k. The hat and finisher's medal alone were worth that, but then I also ate a ton of food and had a couple beers, so it was a terrific value and we had a terrific time. I also scored a PR for my 5k, so that was a monster bonus too!

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Massive crowds, obviously. We skipped the Expo due to Covid and had our bibs/t-shirts mailed to us and they arrived about 3 weeks prior to the race. Swag was good, nice multicolored Gildan moisture wicking tee and a nice medal made of actual metal!

This is a race that you need to do your own research on in advance...like where to park for the shuttle and at what time, where to drop off your own bag for what they call the Sweat Shuttle (this is your bag that you will then pick up down the block from the finish line in dowtown after the race), where to catch the shuttle back to your parking lot (and make sure you get on the correct bus as there are at least 3 different shuttle parking lots), what time the last shuttle leaves, etc.

Some surprises for sure here: 1. No post race beer!!!---dude, are you kidding me? I just ran a friggin' steep a$% bridge and am sweating from head to toe; I don't care that it's 9 am, I want a beer! The house band was awesome, but it's hard for me to party down if I don't have a beer or a drinky drink in my hand.
2. The post race shuttle back to our parking lot took 45 minutes. That added a lot of unnecessary time to the logistical side of things and we weren't expecting that. Obviously everyone would rather have a short walk to the car, but we were not expecting 45 minutes on a dang school bus!
3. The post-race park where the band plays and you grab food and water, was way, way, way too small for the crowd. It was totally jammed and was basically a mess. It was not a relaxing park environment because of the size of the crowd compared to the small park.
4. Although there are volunteers all over the place, each of them is assigned a specific task and they pretty much only know about that task...this race needs some information booths set up at start and finish that you can go to and ask questions like where's the shuttle, where's the sweat shuttle set up, is there beer?
5. They don't have water right at the finish line. You finish the race and walk 30 feet to get your medal, but then there's no waters anywhere!!! You gotta walk down the block quite a ways to get a water...like a few minutes walk. I'm not used to that. This is literally the only race I've ever been to that did not have waters available immediately following the finish line. Organizers seriously, seriously, seriously need to fix this. It was the first thing my wife said to me when she finished the race and I totally agreed with her. Instead of being number 5 of my list of surprises, this one should be number 1.

The good...Porta Johns everywhere both start and finish line (didn't notice any during the race as I was runnin' my skinny butt off). Tons of waters, small Powerades, and fresh fruit available post race, though you gotta walk a few minutes to get to them. Also found a free grilled chicken sausage stand that was all you can eat so many were getting multiples. Another major positive was the massive police presence at start line, all over the entire course, and at the finish line and park area. Major kudos to those in blue and the organizers for having them virtually everywhere. Totally felt safe because of it!

This is a different kind of race and one you should try out to see if you like it. See if you like the massive crowds and all the logistical things involved. It's expensive to stay in Charleston too, so that's a factor for me for future years and I'm told that they NEVER do discount codes or discounts on the race, NEVER (why should they? They get 40k people to sign up without them).
Absolutely 100 percent loved running the bridge (it was the race highlight for me by far), but the long shuttle ride after the race, no beer post race, no water at the finish line, plus all the other logistical things you have to conquer to do this one, well, you gotta want it...and I'm not sure I do want that again. We're going to try the Savannah Bridge Run in Georgia next and see how that compares.

By the way, I trained hard for this race and actually pr'd my 10k best by quite a bit. Although they don't have pacers, you can easily find one to run with to push you to your limit. I was lucky that my previous 10k best time submitted was accepted and organizers put me in a corral at the very front, so I didn't have to navigate any walkers or slow pokes. That...was awesome. If you don't have a good official 10k race time in the last year to submit, you're going to be starting in one of the corrals to the rear, so be prepared to navigate tons of slowies.

Overall, I'd give this race 4 out of 5. They do pretty well in handling such a huge endeavor, but some improvements certainly could be achieved (like cans of cold beer with your bib drink ticket, waters right there at the finish, way faster return shuttle routes, information booths, that kind of thing).

This is a great race in a very popular vacation spot so it's quite well attended. Swag is terrific with nice medals, including nice age group award medals, two shirts, and a decent Expo that in 2019 was held at a Dave and Busters and allowed you to play free video games for hours if you had a bib.

Post race party is absolutely awesome other than they have a tendency to run out of beer before all the marathoners finish. There's also been a Ketel One Vodka tent set up that serves up free samples of various Ketel One flavored vodkas. Bonus!!!

Post race food freebies are the norm like water, bananas, granola bars, but where they step it up is with Krispy Kreme, Mellow Mushroom Pizza, Sun Chips and a couple other things you don't normally see.

Tables for the post race party are difficult to obtain, but if you can get one, the live band is usally really good. You'll also receive free entry and 1 free drink to one of the big bars at Broadway at the Beach if you bring your bib the night of the race.

This event is a lot of fun and is great for meeting people from all over the place, many knocking out their one race in South Carolina on their quest to do all 50 states.

Be aware, the course is very close to the ocean so it can be super, super windy some years. Temps are usually nice for running a marathon...50's with humidity not really affecting.

Packet pickup is downtown and parking and traffic on the Friday before the race can be crazy. Give yourself lots of time and be patient with finding parking, even in the designated garage. Packet pickup once inside is a breeze and it’s a full blown expo with lots of runner supplies available for sale.

Nice shirt giveaway, this year it was a black tech long sleeve. Medals were great, especially if you’re lucky enough to place in the top 3 in your age group (see my photo).

No shuttle needed if you’re doing the 5k and if so, plentiful parking all over the place near the start. Note that all 3 distances start in different locations, but all 3 finish in the same spot. Everyone except 5kers will have to catch the free bus shuttle back to the start (and you’ll be hot and sweaty while doing it!).

5k course is all flat and fast…nothing at all to look at. You run through the warehouse/shipping district and then through a small neighborhood. Nothing to see really. Expect a good crowd of runners.

Post race food was gross (shrimp and grits were so disgusting). I took one bite and spit it out. They do have at least a half dozen food trucks though that you can buy from. Registration gets you a couple can Palmetto Brewing Co. beers and Ketel One had a free tasting station set up (one taste per person). Post race seating is limited, so grab a spot and make some new friends! There is a huge lawn on which you can sit to enjoy the live band, and they are a good party band for sure.

One thing worth noting, they only announce the overall winners for each distance and it’s sorta done at random times. Check in at the info table, but I really think they were just winging it in terms of what times awards would be announced. Strangely, I didn’t even see an awards podium anywhere.

This race is put on by Capstone races…no free photos of you running here. You’ll have to pay some high prices for the pro photos that they take of you, but they do post a Youtube vid of the finish line so you can see yourself cross it.

Bids are customizable as long as you register early enough. Be aware…this race can be on a very, very humid day so train and prepare accordingly.

This is the flagship race for Charleston, an amazing vacation destination with tons of microbreweries, history, and incredible eateries. This is a race I will do every single year for sure. Race is held in January every year and sign up the week after the race for the next year and you get a serious, serious discount…a truly great value if you sign up way early.

They do packet pickup the morning of, super close to race starting line and trust me, they’ll be ready for you no matter how early you arrive to pick up your bib etc. Coastal Race Productions always offers nice swag. This time around it was a nicely ventilated running hat! They also have inexpensive swag purchase options like soft cotton tee shirts for like 15 bucks and beach towels, fleece blankets. Nice tee and hat design. You can pay for these online when you sign up in advance and they’ll have them for you at packet pickup. They always do a packet pickup the day before somewhere local, but it really isn’t an expo…I mean they’ll have a few energy gels, some socks, and handheld water bottles available to buy, but not much really.

This race offers a full marathon (which I believe the free giveaway for running that distance was a long sleeve quarter zip), half marathon, 5k and a 1 mile fun run. You can customize your bib up to 10 letters if you sign up well in advance and post race eats are your choice of 1 cold (though they try and keep it warm) slice of Papa John’s pizza or some pulled pork bbq (get this) with Texas toast, water, and a draft beer (Land Shark and 1 other like Coors Light on tap).
Like most races, happiness is often weather dependent and for 2020 it was a bit windy and in the 30’s at the race’s inception, but once the sun came up, it warmed up and you were good to go without gloves or long sleeves. Post race you’ll want a jacket minimum though because it can get gusty and you’ll be hot and sweaty.
Bring your own gels, though they do have frequent water stops and porta johns along the way.

Halfers run much of the full marathon course (it’s shared at the same time), but it never seemed super crowded except at the start of the race. They have a pro photographer that tries to take pics of every single entrant (I usually get 2 or 3 keepers) that she will post on Facebook a day or two after the race. Just follow the race page on FB and you’ll see all the photos…and there are a lot of them!

Age group awards available for all distances and are grouped in 5 year increments. The medals are indeed very big (hence it’s called BAM—Big Ass Medals), and the longer the distance you complete, the larger your finisher’s medal. They have a dj with music playing and doing announcements, you know, typical race stuff. Lots of porta johns at the start and finish, but get there early to get parking close to the start line.

Volunteers are all over directing traffic and helping out, but this is a small town race so there’s very, very few spectators, especially super early in the morning. No matter…for the full marathon and half marathon distances, you run right past a neat lighthouse. 5k’ers don’t get out that far to see the lighthouse unfortunately. For the most part the beach is hidden by homes, though you do run right alongside the beach much of the 2nd half of the race. And though this is a small town race, I’d say they get 1k entrants across all distances, maybe more.

Overall, this is a fun race that draws a fun crowd, the medals and swag are good, and the CRP (Coastal Race Productions) people definitely know how to organize a race. Follow them on Facebook and look for a discount code on Black Friday that’s usually good for 20 percent off all their future races, but is only good for like 1 or 2 days before expiring. In the Myrtle Beach and southern North Carolina area, CRP puts on the best races for sure. Consistently fun and well organized.