This is the second time I have done this race having been pretty familiar with the Fox Cities area from my college days. I had first done this race in 2008 and got my first BQ and with a few conversations over beers with some friends in the area who were either doing the half or full, I was headed back.

Overall I am not a fan of the big city mega marathons. Don't like crowds, don't like hassles, so this is a perfect race for me. The marathon is capped at 1200 I believe and there is a half marathon that goes on the same time, but don't do this race if you are looking for the throngs of humanity running at the same time.

Expo is nothing special but is an easy in and out for packet pick up and to view some of the various vendors on site. Parking is abundant and near the start but after leaving a bit later than the first year, I had to park about a quarter mile away or so at a Shopko. The start and finish are at different spots within about 5-10 mins apart and there is shuttle that will take you back to the start area. I typically do not do gear check, but may want to consider if you plan on hanging out after the race for some dry clothes.

Running a bit late, was somewhat hurried to get my gear bag checked,hit the port o let one last time and shimmy over to the starting line. This was all accomplished in about 25 minutes prior to the start, so no huge crowds or panic, just get there reasonable time and get ready to rock.

The course itself winds through a number of small towns in the Fox Cities area (Neehah, Menasha, Kimberly, etc) and it is a very pretty course. Some subdivisions, main country roads, small towns, etc but some great views. I cannot recall the exact number of bridges but think 3 or 4 crossings with some great scenery. Water stations are abundant being well stocked about every .75 to 1.5 miles. In short, I never felt for want, which is critical since I sweat tons. A lot of the stations are shared with the half marathon course towards the end, so some congestion but never anything major. Many of the aid stations have the volunteers rolling with some kind of theme, i.e. Harry Potter, Peanuts, etc which is kind of fun. Decent crowds and energy for a smaller race and helps as you tick through the miles.

The course isn't overly technical but does have some steady climb from mile 10-16 with some rollers. Nothing too nasty, but you need to mind pace a little bit in some points. I also like that the course changes directions a lot, so you typically wont be getting beaten senseless by the same headwind for a long time if you happen to get a windy day. A few country roads where there is little protection, but again, things change a lot and there is often homes or trees to protect you. Not a fan of a few bridges coming into the finish due to inclines but that might be cuz I am typically hurting that late in the race. Depending on when you finish, there may be some half marathon walker traffic which can get annoying due to some folks drifting/not paying attention which is the last thing you want late in a marathon, but I am probably being overly picky.

Post race food is pretty standard- oranges, bananas, bagels, roast beef sammiches but this time they did have chocolate milk which I loved. And just like easy to the start, easy to get back to your car to get on home.

Overall, I really like this race and it is really well done and supported for a smaller town race. Ended up getting my new PR here too and think this course is conducive to a good time. Highly recommend!!!

This is my second year doing Cary and after a pretty solid year last year and a lot of life stuff going on, I probably took the last few weeks a bit lax in training. That, my friends, is something you definitely do not want to do for this race. Cary has a rep as being one of the harder halves in the area and that rep is well earned. As another review mentioned, you will need to find out the day sign up is (typically Dec 31st if memory serves correct), have your credit card ready and scramble to get in as the field is small and this is a perfect pre-season test or hilly tune up for Boston bound folks.

There were a few snags with the sign up this year where a few folks (myself included) were in limbo for a while as after signing up a link to the credit card processor was showing an error, but after going out for a run, luckily I got my email notification.

The event itself has a hometown event kind of feel. Don't expect anything major or fanfare. The start is out of Cary Grove High School and if you get there early enough parking is not an issue. The gym and cafeteria are open to keep you out of the cold. At 835, the gun goes off, not too early, not too late. The weather is all over the map for this event and this year it was cold and windy. Yours truly bundled up a bit too much where the weight and heat probably didn't serve me well.

The race takes you through a about 10 hills, nothing majorly soul crushing, but some good climbs and the last 3 miles they kind of keep coming at ya. You are well served to do some hill work for this event or even better check out the course a few times. Water stations are 2.5 miles apart, borderline distance wise but for a heavy sweater like me, I am taking something along for the ride. Gels are passed out at about 7.5 in as well.

After you take on the challenge of the race, one of their signature touches is fresh soft pretzels. They also have bananas, cookies and water. Overall, nothing major on the frills o meter, but solidly supported and a great effort put on by the local Hillstriders group. Check it out if you are looking for a challenge and don't take training lightly or it will put a hurt on ya!!

I am relatively new to the area having grown up in Milwaukee, so tell me where a race is locally and I have no clue just how far it is. Typically, this ends up me being too lazy to check it out and not signing up, especially since I haven't typically done a lot of road races other than marathons or runs tied to triathlons. I will generally see something for a 5 or 10k road race and have little interest (but am coming around) thinking I can get more bang for my buck elsewhere. But then, in my Facebook ads, I clicked on the link for the North Shore Turkey trot and saw the glorious turkey pants that would be the swag for the race. These brown fleece bad boys had me enamored from the get go and this sucker was hooked.

I am fortunate as well to have a daughter that was game to take a shot at her first 10k as well and the pants sealed the deal for her to. Packet pick up was a piece of cake on the Tuesday or Wed before the race (none race day) and parking was ample in downtown Highland Park.

You are able to seed yourself into a starting corral based on time and they have a buffer for the starts as well with corrals going off every two minutes. The course itself winds through residential highland park which has nice wooded areas, a decent amount of rollers and some short hills. As I ran this with my daughter at her pace to help her chug out her first 10k instead of truly racing, I couldn't get a good take on if any lung busters at speed (maybe the last climb to the finish?). There were two water stations over the course just before miles 2 and 4.

Overall, everything seemed to be well run. The course came out about a quarter mile long which is curious in that there was one weird little finger up and down a block that had they omitted would have been pretty close to being right on the money in my estimation. Only worth noting if you would be looking to PR.

After the race, they had water, Gatorade, chocolate milk and in a very nice touch, an individual apple pie for everyone. Nice! Overall, it was a well run race and great experience. I will definitely work to keep the turkey trot a Thanksgiving tradition, seeking out others as well, but sure will do this again, especially if they offer a matching fleece top next year. (Pants so comfy!!)

I came across the McHenry Ultrarunning Dudes and Duddettes (MUDD) page via Facebook looking for local ultra groups and fun places to run. With a plan to take on my first 50 miler in 2013, I was on the fence as to whether to run the 50k or 15M. Well, life happens sometimes so I opted for the shorter race as a way to get in some fun miles on the trails on my way to training for some other events. Not knowing what to expect, I hit up the park, Veteran Acres which links to Stearnes Woods, a beautiful gem that I got to know very well over the summer as it is perfect for training for trail running. The park is amazing and the folks at MUDD take pride in caretaking of the many trails throughout the park. Great people too!

Having had some exposure to what was in store, I showed up on race day with a general idea of what to expect. This is a smaller race put on by the MUDD organization and their respect for the park, the trails and the runners makes for a fun event.

The race was run at the same time of the 50k and shares the 5 mile loops of the 50k. The course winds through a mix of field, moderately hilly technical single track and some gravel paths here and there, enough to keep things interesting the whole time. Overall, the course was somewhat challenging and it is easy to overcook your race if you are not careful. It is highly recommended that you get some practice on rolling climbs and descents so you don't trash the ol quads (though you might anyways!). Support throughout the loop was primarily water stations but at the start/finish of the loop, the aid station was stocked for the needs of an ultra adequately.

The medals were all natural and I was fortunate to place in the 15 miler overall and the award is one of my favorite things from races, made of wood and old recycled license plates. Since the aid station of a 50k has all kinds of food, it was easy to grab some post race food as well and stick around and cheer the folks still churning out loops along.

Low key, well run and beautiful. Whats not to like? They are adding a 5 miler this year as well. Highly recommend if you aren't afraid to get a little bit o mud on those pretty lil shoes of yours!