This was my first time doing this race and my first time in Portland Maine. First off Portland is a great place to visit with tons of restaurants, bars, shops, etc. We even found a great donut shop downtown called Holy Donut which I highly recommend (what runner doesn’t like donuts). I stayed at a hotel downtown in the “old port”. This area is just an exit away from where the race started near University of Southern Maine and made getting to the start very easy in the morning.

There was packet pick up the day before with a small expo. I wasn’t expecting a huge expo given the race is only 3500 runners, but there was actually a good number of companies represented. You also got a nice long sleeve tech shirt (which actually fit me/true to size), as well as a great goodie bag of snacks, first aid stuff, and a can of baked beans.

As far as parking goes there is plenty available across the street from the start at USM in one of their garages. The morning of I was running late and was worried about bag check, bathroom breaks, etc. The bag check was easy to find, had no line, and there were more than enough port-o-potties and I only had to wait a few mins for one.

The course starts out pretty flat for the first 4 miles running along a cove and across a little bridge. There are then rolling hills as you continue on through some pretty neighborhoods, which is where most of the race took place. They had good traffic control and most cars seemed to avoid the roads we were on so I always felt safe. There were water stops about every 2 miles with water/sports drink and sometimes bathroom facilities. The race includes a half marathon and relay so there were designated areas for exchanges. The course is an out and back loop so you get to take in the nice views around the cove on the way back, and you also get to enjoy a few flat miles near the end. After the race there was some pizza, water, and granola bar type snacks available. I was a little let down that there was no beer. They had showers available at USM, but I personally didn’t use them.

Overall I would recommend it as a great race for first time marathoners. It’s not a huge race, but still has nice views, good support, and seemed well organized. The only thing lacking for me was post race swag, but with downtown Portland being so close we just went out for beers after. I really had no complaints.

This race was the 5th race of the Capital Area Race Series (CARS). The race starts at Delta Dental in Concord, and heads straight ahead for an early bottle neck in a tunnel under the road. If you don't get out in front early be prepared to squish up to your neighbor. After this you cross over the highway and into another bottle neck on the bike path leading over the Merrimack River. Here it's pretty much single file until you reach Portsmouth Street in East Concord. From there you head into the conservation area which is wooded and the terrain switches from road to trail for about half a mile. You then retrace your steps going back over the river and finishing at Delta Dental where you started. Overall the course was pretty easy and I'd say mostly flat. I did lose some time at a few of the bottle necks/sharp turns. It wasn't enough to hurt my performance though as I still was able to tie my PR! After the race there was the usual bananas, water, granola bars etc, as well as hot dogs. They offered post race massages too. The money from the race was used to support the humane society, and in your goodie bag you got a Dick's Sporting Goods coupon, as well as a $5 off coupon to Runner's Alley (our local running store). Overall it was not a big fancy race, but a friendly race with lots of familiar faces from the Concord area running community. I would run it again.

This review is only for the 2nd half of the race as I was a part of a two person relay team who ran the last 13.1 miles of the course. (they also have 3-5 person relay teams available)

You couldn't ask for a more perfect place to race than Burlington Vermont! The city is beautiful, the people are friendly, there is plenty of small local restaurants, breweries, and fitness enthusiasts. The second half of the course was great...
You start from Oak Ledge Park and run along part of the bike path next to majestic Lake Champlain. Next you tackle battery park hill at about mile 16, but there is huge crowd support and everyone really helps push you up it. Then it flattens out and you run most of your miles through the local neighborhoods. This was my favorite part because of the support and cheers you get from the spectators. The aid stations for this race were also awesome! They seemed to be almost every mile or two and had water and sports drink at both along with Vaseline if you needed it, and some stations even handed out GU's. The final leg of the race brings you back to the other side of the bike path which is partially shaded and runs along the lake in a slow downhill. The last mile pops you out near the waterfront park and you run along a chute of cheering fans to the finish.

After the race they had chocolate milk, chocolate soy milk, bananas, and water for finishers. There seemed to be some free food from Hannaford Supermarkets, but I didn't indulge in any because I headed straight to the beer tent where I got my 1 free beer.

All in all the highlights for me included the beautiful course, the supportive fans, and being in such a wonderful city. Next year I'm going to tackle the whole 26.2!

I ran this race in 2014 for the first time. The race starts and finishes at the Stonyfield Yogurt Factory in Londonderry NH. Parking was easy, you could park at the factory, or they had a small lot less than a mile away where a shuttle bus was bringing runners back and forth. I chose to park at the lot just because I wasn't sure how easy it would be to exit the factory parking lot after the race, however for others it didn't seem to be an issue.

The race seemed well organized, I picked up my bib and t-shirt on race day with no problems. There were easy to read mile markers and a water/aid station at about half way. The course wasn't anything to write home about. The scenery kind of reminded me of running near an industrial park because we kind of were. It was all paved roads that started out with a nice easy downhill, however coming up the hill during the second half of the race was a little taxing. I ran a slightly slower time than usual because of that. Competition wise there weren't very many elite runners because I placed 2nd in my age group and the guy who beat me was literally 9 steps ahead of me (and I'm not fast).

The best part of the race and the reason I'll go back is the Earth Day Fair they had afterwards. There were around 70 vendors with products or services that were usually green, organic, or local. There was plenty of free food, drinks, and product samples to be had. My small string back was ready to burst by the end. For this reason it may be a fun race to bring a non-running friend to because they would have plenty to entertain themselves with. There was also a nice beer garden with live music and two beers for runners.

I would definitely do this race again because of the no pressure/less competition factor, but most importantly for the great Earth Day Fair afterwards!

I've run this race twice. Once when I was 15 and trying to shake off the winter rust before track season, and most recently in 2014 as the second race in the Capital Area Race Series (C.A.R.S). Not much had changed during 9 years.

The race is very simple without a lot of flare like some of the color runs or obstacle runs out there. It is a local race put on for the last 21 years to raise money for Operation Santa Claus. There is plenty of parking available at the state offices, I parked right outside the Health and Human Services building. Inside they had only one bathroom available so there was a long line, but outside they had about 6 port-o-potties so most of the men were in line outside. The course is as flat as a pancake and starts behind one of the office buildings. You then run a loop around the office complex on Hazen Drive coming back towards where you started. Beware however there is about .2mi left once you get to the start, you have to loop around another parking lot before coming through the finish. I made the mistake of kicking early and lost a little steam. The surface is all pavement since you're kind of running through parking lots. The scenery wasn't the prettiest but the course was fast so it's a great place to just enter "the zone" and crank out a PR. I'd guess most of the racers were part of the C.A.R.S series since I recognized quite a few.

After the race they had tables inside with fruit, bagels, yogurt, and I think pizza. There were some massage therapists there, but I didn't feel the need to use their services since it was only a 5K. They also a few ipads where you could enter your bib number and it would spit out your racing stats/results.

Overall it's nothing fancy, but it supports a good cause and was a nice ego boost since it was a season best for me.