Latest reviews by Amy

(2016)
"Adventure in Bosnia"
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So it's hard to compare a race in Bosnia to a race in the US. But now that some time has passed and others have given opinions, it seems that many of the things that my husband and I thought were not great, others felt the same way. Overall, this race is an awesome idea and brings people together in a country divided. That said, Bosnia is so divided and political that it can be hard to do great things there. As it turns out, it's really hard to have a point to point 80 mile race. We found out afterwards that a few aid stations never happened due to political difficulties. We felt there were some sections that were way too long without aid. We also felt some sections were just not that pretty or scenic. That said Jahorina mountain itself and surrounding area is absolutely gorgeous however we did not get to spend much of the race in this area at all. There were actually 4 distances, we of course did the longest. After the race we realized that a couple of the shorter distance actually had the best views and courses. One even went through the olympic bobsled course and summited the top of Jahorina mountain, why didn't I get to do that for all my hard work?! Now it has been announced that the longer courses will be changed to loops to incorporate the best parts of the shorter course. This is awesome news as not only will it make for a beautiful course but will also alleviate the problems with not having enough aid on such a long point to point course. So even though our experience wasn't all the best, they have learned from these experiences and are making changes for the better which shows great race management.

The long race which is really the only one I can speak for, had seriously challenging terrain. Much of it was not on established trail so lots of bushwhacking involved and climbing all kinds of obstacles. The toughest terrain of course came at night in the dark which also included a crazy scary cliff section. On paper the time cutoffs sound extremely generous and no problem even if you hike a lot however we quickly began to run out of time later in the race due to all these unusual challenges. We ended up stopping around 67-68 miles due to blister problems but we also were about 30 hours into the race. I can't even begin to explain everything that happened so I will post a link to my blog if you would like to read more info. Overall though, I did like it, it was awesome to experience completely different things than normal however there definitely needs to be changes which are already happening so I definitely recommend this race. In fact we will probably do it again in 2017 :-)

http://runningmarathonmom.blogspot.com/2016/09/jahorina-ultra-trail-bosnia.html

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(2016)
"Did you say WINE?!"
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I pretty much enjoyed everything about the Virginia wine country half. I mean what's not to like about running and drinking wine?? The only negative I saw was that it was a bit pricey for a half marathon, about $100 which didn't include the wine tasting after the race. The tasting was an additional $25. It was also $15 to get your bib at the race rather than picking it up somewhere Friday. There were also fees for a race bus from DC and there was some other type of party later in the day at the Doukenie Winery where the race was held. That said, this race has a lot more to offer than your run of the mill half marathon. It's all set around the beautiful Doukenie Winery. It cannot be cheap to stage a race there. They also many touches and details all throughout the winery that help set the ambiance for the day. I think most runners noticed and appreciated the time and effort put into that, I know I did. There was coffee, water, GU brew and various snacks for the runners. There was plenty of port o potties to handle the crowd. We quickly received our medals and water after the race. There was also HUGE camelback coolers around so that we could get extra water which was really nice since it was humid.

The course itself was pretty hilly but definitely very pretty. There was also 4-5 miles of gravel in the middle of the course. There was more than enough aid stations with water and GU brew. There was also a couple with GU gels. All the volunteers were very helpful and energetic.

It was easy for us to get our wine glasses and enter the wine tasting area. Which I should mention, $25 for a wine glass and unlimited tasting is a pretty good deal. There was probably 10 different wineries, all very excited to be there and gave us lots of information about their products. This area also had a PT clinic who was giving massages and letting runners do sessions in the compression pants for recovery. They were AMAZING! They also had many tables, chairs and benches set up for people to sit, relax and enjoy the wine including many around the lake that was there. It was really a perfect finish to a race even for this beer drinker!

You can read more of my personal story here: http://runningmarathonmom.blogspot.com/2016/06/did-you-say-running-and-wine-virginia.html

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(2016)
"Chocolate Rain"
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This was my second year doing the Philly Hot Chocolate. There were LOTs of communications from the race from the time I signed up all the way through race day. They even sent a weekly training plan for beginners for the 15K which was awesome.

I enjoyed the expo last year. I honestly can't remember what the hours were but they must have been later than this year because I took the whole family after work. This year the hours were only until 6 both thursday and Friday which is almost impossible unless you work in the city to make it on time after work. My sister lives in the city so she picked my stuff up with hers which was super easy she said. The jackets were even better this year than last year and completely different which is great for those of us that do the same race more than once.

Race day was fun but rainy (nobody but mother nature's fault!). They had corrals again which is great since there are over 6000 that do the 15K. There were tons of potties so utilizing those pre-race was easy and quick. The course is nice as it heads towards city hall for about a half mile before turning back around to head down MLK drive and finishes in front of the Art Musuem. There were many well stocked, well manned aid stations with water and Nuun. Only one aid station had marshmallows, we did not see chocolate anywhere on the course.

We received our awesome medal and water immediately upon finishing and it was easy to find my sister and her bf. We claimed our chocolate goodies in no time at all. They have more than enough stations so that it doesn't take long. The weather was unfortunate as we didn't feel like standing around and hanging out much to enjoy any festivities but we still had a great morning at the race.

You can check out more of my personal experience here: http://runningmarathonmom.blogspot.com/2016/04/who-doesnt-love-chocolate.html

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(2016)
"I RAN 100 MILES!!!!!!!!!"
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I know you are probably thinking that this review of C & O Canal 100 will be amazing only because it was my first 100 mile finish and that everyone LOVES their first 100 finish and always treasures that race. And while that is totally true, that is not the only reason this race is so wonderful. This race is managed so well by RD Lance. He has everything covered to make sure runners are safe and have whatever they need. The aid stations were beyond amazing. They were so well stocked with all the typical ultra foods plus way more. They had tons of hot food, Tailwind on tap, you name it, you could probably find it. The volunteers were among the best I've ever encountered. They were taking the pack off me as I entered, emptying my trash, restocking my gels and chomps because they already had my drop bag in hand, offering to lube me up, telling the other crews to cheer me on. Just so uplifting every singe time I got into a station. My husband was part of my crew and one of my pacers. He said they even had batteries and he saw a volunteer give a runner who was cold the sweatshirt off his back. When I finished, another runner was totally hypothermic from running through the rain through the night and they all went right to work to take care of him.

The course itself is 99% flat and on the towpath. This is great for newbies like me but it can be super challenging as well since there are no climbs to break up the running. My quads literally just gave out after about 65-70 miles of running because I didn't take any walk breaks. There is part when you leave the start/finish area where it is actually very steep and somewhat technical with a tricky stream crossing. It's only about .5 mile if that but it's challenging especially because you have to climb up it at mile 59 and again mile 99, not easy when you have been on flat for so many miles.

The buckle obviously is awesome but there was also the option for a Patagonia jacket which is AMAZING!

It's just such a great race. I literally cannot say enough wonderful things about it! I definitely would not hesitate to run it again or recommend it to anyone looking for a good hundo.

to see more pictures and details of my personal race, go here: http://runningmarathonmom.blogspot.com/2016/05/c-o-canal-100.html

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(2016)
"Blue Route Adventure"
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I ended up taking on 4 legs of the United Relay for the Blue Team. I started at 8:30 at night and ran until about 3:30 am and ended up with 37 miles. I love the whole relay concept from the money going to different charities, raising awareness for serious issues and just tons of athletes joining together to form one big relay across the country. Some of my Bibrave friends ran a couple weeks before me in Iowa and Illinois. It was so cool to all be a part of something together yet we were all doing our own thing. I also enjoyed watching the journey of the 3 different routes on social media. It was exciting to see the progress.

I, myself, LOVED the chance to run at night especially that kind of mileage as it was excellent ultra training. That said, my situation was not safe. The Blue Team support met me at the beginning of my route and said they would meet me at the finish. I ran in the middle of the night completely alone. I don't blame the support crew. It was only two of them for the entire length of the relay and they had started in Santa Monica, CA about 25 days before they reached me. They also were biking some of the legs themselves as there were not enough runners/bikers signed up. I think in the future, they should either consolidate to one route so that all the support people are together and can share the duties or each route needs to have more people. That way they can take turns be on/off of support duties and when they are on they can fully support the runners/bikers. The red route seemed to have a bit more resources and those runners had more support during their legs which is definitely what is needed for safety.

The other recommendation I make is for them to start promoting this WAY in advance. I think that would really help boost the numbers and get more legs filled.

That said, I do think it was a good first year and a good start. If they can make a few of these changes, I think it could really take off and be a very popular event. I definitely enjoyed being a part of something so big.

you can check out more details of my adventure here: http://runningmarathonmom.blogspot.com/2016/06/united-relay-of-america-my-blue-route.html

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