If you enjoy the outdoors, a flat trail, and relays with great food and beer at the end then this race is for you! Relay races are beginning to pop up throughout Missouri and this was the inaugural running of the Katy 80 Mile Relay, which began near St. Charles, MO and ended in August, MO which is located in the Missouri Rhineland (Highway 94 literally has a vineyard every couple miles). The course is run on the Katy Trail, which is an old railroad line, so it is flat. The roads your team will take inbetween exchanges is NOT flat, but the trail itself is.

Since it was the inaugural year, there were only 22 teams of six runners, but I have no doubt this race will grow in the future. There is a division for everyone: Male, Female, Coed Open, Ultra, First Responders, and Coed Masters. Two vehicles per team are allowed on the course, but we were able to fit into one SUV, which made traveling a lot easier.

A few tips for this relay, and the others using the Katy Trail:
-Bring plenty of beverages and snacks. You never know what the weather will be on any given day in the Midwest and you are running and then in a vehicle all day, going through tiny towns that have no restaurants.
-Gas stations along the course are sparse so fill up before the start.
-Bring a vehicle that you don't mind getting dirty and dusty. Also bring blankets to cover the upholstery on the inside of the vehicle.
-There is water at the exchanges, but you will want Gatorade, maybe even freeze it in advance like my teammate did.
-Pack plenty of sunscreen and bug spray.
-Bring hand sanitizer and wipes for your face.
-There are restrooms at the exchanges but bring extra toilet paper just in case they run out.

If you are interested in running a relay but don't have a full team, be sure to check the race website leading up to race day because teams will often be looking for a single runner to complete their team. On our team, one of the runners got injured so we had to replace her last minute, so always have a back-up plan.

I highly recommend relays because they are not only fun, but it gives you a chance to work as part of a team. The exchanges were fun because you got to cheer on a teammate finishing a leg of the race and then cheer on your next runner. The day flew by and before we knew it, we had our pint glass, beer coupon, and food coupon in hand.

For more pictures along the course, go to: http://willrunforamedal.blogspot.com/2014/06/katy-80-mile-relay-race-recap.html

This was a nice small half marathon on the Illinois side of the St. Louis metro area. They had race day packet pick-up, which was ideal for those coming in from out of town and throughout the metro area. Instead of a t-shirt they gave us what they called a "custom buff" piece which could be used as a headband, scarf, hair tie, etc. The course consisted primarily of local trails so although it was a smaller race, you always saw other runners and bikers on the trail. The water stops were well-placed since the course consisted of multiple out-and-back loops, and the volunteer support was excellent.

Overall I would recommend this race, but bear in mind that when you are paying less for a race your expectations can't be the same as they are for a more expensive race.

For more pictures of the race, check out my blog post: http://www.willrunforamedal.blogspot.com/2014/05/ymca-schoolhouse-rockin-half-marathon.html

The weather for this weekend's race was PERFECT! I was able to get a great parking spot downtown and I made sure that I had plenty of time to kill before the race started at 7 a.m. As I was heading towards my corral, I was able to see the sun rising behind the Arch. Beautiful!

The Go! St. Louis Half and Full Marathon courses give a great view of the city for out-of-towners. You briefly get to run through the Budweiser brewery, but if you are coming from out of town I recommend taking a free tour.

You also get to run by Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals. They also offer tours for a small fee, or you could always try to catch a game.

St. Louis is surprisingly hilly. In fact, there is a portion of the race (feels like an eternity but I think it is around a mile long) called Holy Hill. At the beginning of the hill is a priest that blesses the runners with Holy water as they pass by. You are not only timed for the overall race, but you also get a time for the Holy Hill portion of the race.

Another great thing about this race, the Crown Candy Kitchen chocolate stop.

The finish line food was AMAZING and included local favorites like Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, Pasta House toasted ravioli, pretzels, graham crackers with peanut butter and jelly in addition to your typical fruit in a cup, bananas, and chocolate milk.

For more race pics go to: http://willrunforamedal.blogspot.com/2014/04/go-st-louis-half-marathon_6.html

The half marathon is run along the Ward Parkway, which is a beautiful area on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro area. Kansas City is known for their fountains and we saw beautiful fountains and parks along the course.

Parking access was great. Access to porta potties at the start/finish was great. Medals and shirts were great! My friend was injured so we finished after the three hour mark, so by that point the finish line entertainment was done and the food was scarce. The race packets and brochures do encourage you to finish by the three hour mark though, so I can't fault them for this at all. I would run this race again!

For more race pictures, go to: http://www.willrunforamedal.blogspot.com/2014/04/rock-parkway-half-marathon.html

This is a small half marathon and 5k in Southern Illinois, just across the river from Vincennes, Indiana. I was coming in from out of town, so race day packet pick up was a great option. There was no expo per se, but you got a long sleeve shirt as well as a bag with the race logo on both. I was able to park pretty much right at the start/finish line area due to the smaller size of the race and traffic is not an issue. The 5k course stayed in town while the half marathon course went out into the country. The half marathon course was not particularly scenic. We ran down country roads, by farms, and then on a rock road by oil rigs but there were water stops and volunteers throughout the entire course and they were very vocal and happy to be there, which made it a great race. The finish line is on the junior high/high school track and since the race is fairly small, expect a lot of cheering when you cross and then minutes before you hear cheering for the next runner. I was given food right at the finish but a full breakfast awaited you inside. It was amazing and included: pancakes, sausage, yogurt, biscuits, and gravy. Serving breakfast and cleaning up were more volunteers who wanted to hear your story and why you made the journey to Lawrenceville, IL for a race.

Overall: A small-town race where you are treated like family.

Click here for my full review: http://willrunforamedal.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-tale-of-two-races-and-two-non.html