What can I say, I LOVE this race! 2014 was my 4th year in a row running the Wine & Dine Half Marathon.

This race is unique in that it starts at 10pm, runs through 3 out of 4 of the Walt Disney World theme parks (Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios & Epcot) and finishes at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival which is open until 4am for runners and their guests (guests need to purchase a separate party ticket).

This race is well organized and in the past year I think runDisney has done a much better job of dividing up their starting corrals. I remember previous years being quite crowded and the lines for the characters getting very long, very quickly, but this year the course was wide open and I didn't wait in any character lines at all!

Unfortunately this year it downpoured the entire race, but it was still a great time and there were more characters out than I expected in the rain (granted I wish Disney would switch up the characters on the course instead of using the same ones in the same place as last year!). You also get to run through the Osborne lights during this race which is incredible to see any time, let alone running through it on an almost empty street!

I can't recommend this race enough, it makes for a great group trip!

The Falmouth Road Race is a "small" race in a small town on Cape Cod that draws some big names! The race is managed by Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray, so you're guaranteed a good event. This year Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi was there speaking at the expo (and running!) and I had the opportunity to meet him, get a photo & an autograph - most likely not something I'd have been able to do at a bigger race!

One of my favorite things about this race is that their "gift" item is a coffee mug instead of a t-shirt! I don't know about you, but I have more race shirts than I know what to do with, but my Falmouth Road Race mug sits proudly on my desk at work! (Don't worry though, if you're a shirt type of person, there are plenty available for sale!)

The Falmouth Road Race course if gorgeous with coastal views almost the entire way! It starts in picturesque Woods Hole and finishes right outside of downtown Falmouth. The entire town seems to come out for this race to not only cheer on the runners, but to set up their own water stops, play music and hose down hot runners (being in mid-August it's always a hot day!). There are also a few unsuspecting hills (especially one right before the finish line!), so while it's only 7 miles, be sure to pace yourself!

Entry for this race is a lottery though, so be sure to enter while it's open!

You can read my entire Falmouth Road Race Recap here...http://liverungrow.com/2014/08/18/race-recap-2014-falmouth-road-race/

The Heartbreak Hill 10k was an out and back race that went down Heartbreak Hill and the Boston Marathon Newtown hills on the way out and UP them on the way back. The race starts and finishes on the picturesque Boston College campus. It was easy to get in and out of the expo and to the starting areas (I did hear some people had issues getting out from the parking area after the race because of some road closures, but I didn't have an issue.)

It was a particularly hot and humid day and the course didn't offer much shade so it was definitely a difficult race, especially with all of the hills in the second half of the course, so be sure to pace yourself on the downhill portion!

The race was well organized though and it was a great opportunity to experience Heartbreak Hill outside of the Boston marathon - I'd definitely like to try this race again (hopefully not on such a humid day!) when I'm a little better trained for the hills because I definitely struggled!

You can find my full review here: http://liverungrow.com/2014/06/09/race-recap-heartbreak-hill-10k/