Born to run is a one of a kind experience. The event takes place on a ranch in Los Olivos, California. Runners camp at the ranch for several days during the event. In the days leading up to the main races there are music, beer races and scavenger hunts and of course food and drinking. There are people selling all kinda of unique running and Born To Run items, a man doing real tattoos and an amazing Mexican food truck. The main event takes place on Saturday. This year was 10 miles, 50K, 100K and 100 miles. For 2015 there will be 10 miles, 30 miles, 60 miles, 100 miles and 200 miles. The course consists of two beautiful 10 mile loops all on the ranch. Both loops lead back into the camping area. Aide stations are accessible every few miles and were fully stocked. The trail was not very technical, completely runnable. There were however plenty of tough elevations, I ended up with about 7500 in ascent over my 100K. The experience and camaraderie were amazing. I only wish I didn't live across the country so I could go every year!
See my full report: http://runningmarathonmom.blogspot.com/2014/05/born-to-run-100k-my-adventure-on.html?m=1

I ran the unofficial/official double Blue Ridge Marathon this year. It was by far the best race experience I have had to date! There are multiple options: 10k, half marathon, full and double. A single time through the full marathon has about 7500 feet in elevations across 3 mountains. The scenery, the volunteers and neighbors are like none other. Free pizza and beer at the end and free race photos. I literally cannot say enough wonderful things about this race!

Read my full race report here!
http://runningmarathonmom.blogspot.com/2014/05/double-blue-ridge-marathon.html?m=1

This year was my second year running the Ocean Drive Marathon. The marathon starts in Cape May, NJ and ends in Sea Isle City, NJ. There are also 10 mile and 5K options. The marathon is a flat point to point course. It's a small, very low key race with not many spectators. I like this race because it's very convenient for me as I have a place down the shore. The race provides buses from multiple points along the shore into the start in Cape May and they bus you back after the race as well. There are a sufficient number of aide stations mostly water and Gatorade with the occasional gels. I also LOVE running along the coast which is the entirety of this race. If you do not like a quiet, peaceful marathon then this one is definitely not for you. The course can be very fast as it is completely flat aside from a few small bridges however there can also be relentless headwinds as there are no turns in a point to point!

Read my full blog post here:http://runningmarathonmom.blogspot.com/2014/04/ocean-drive-marathon-tailwind-vs.html

I think it would pretty much be impossible not to love a race in Key West! It's so beautiful there, literally everywhere you go so there are no bad parts of the race. The weather is also almost always perfect. There is also a 5K that coincides with the half marathon. I loved the race shirts and the wine stopper medals, definitely very unique. The party after the race was awesome! Free food and free drinks (I'm talking the good kind like beer and mimosas!) The course was out and back due to some construction but I didn't feel that was a big deal and should be finished soon. The only negative I encountered was it was difficult to find a good course map anywhere even at the expo and nobody really seemed to be able to explain where exactly the start was which didn't turn out to be a huge deal, I just went to that general area. There was also a lot of confusion at the start which did cause about a 10-12 minute delay in the start of the race but again it wouldn't deter me from running it again. It's a beautiful race and lots of fun during and after!

Read my full report here: http://runningmarathonmom.blogspot.com/2014/01/key-west-half-marathon.html

I ran this race 2 weeks after running NYC marathon which gave me a lot of perspective to compare the two races. Philly was such a breeze as far as easy access to the expo and the race itself. Of course the expo wasn't anything close to the size of NYC but that kind of thing doesn't really matter to me not to mention it was so much easier to get in and out of there. Race day logistics are very simple even with the new heightened security. There was no long waits for anything. Everything is well organized, the volunteers are not only super friendly but are well informed. The first half of the course is awesome through old city and by the zoo. The second half isn't terrible but it is an out and back type which can be a bit annoying to some. But the second half does include a trip down main street manyunk which is always jumping and a chance to grab a beer on your way through. There are a good number of spectators throughout the course, maybe just a bit dull through a few of the middle miles but it picks back up again nicely. At the finish I had food and drinks in hand within 1 minute of finishing which is a huge plus in my book! I may be a bit biased as it is my city but considering this is a large city race with tons of runners it is extremely well organized, well run and they really keep things simple/easy for the runners.

See my full report here: http://runningmarathonmom.blogspot.com/2013/11/philly-marathon-two-marathons-two-weeks.html