Teresa Lawson's Staging Area

Weather was amazing with bright sunshine. Locals advised it’s not always great weather for this race. The greenway is nice with rolling hills but relatively flat. Milwaukee had a lot of rain 2 weeks prior to the race but it cleared just in time and had 1 day of sun to help dry off the greenway. It was a bit drab because the green of spring hadn’t popped out yet, but the views of Lake Michigan and the Milwaukee skyline were awesome. Shirt and buff were nice but wish there was a medal for finishing instead.

Great trail race that has wonderful scenery and a visit to an abandoned mine along the way. Unique and the aid stations have awesome snacks like watermelon, oranges, pretzels, and PB&J rollups! Love this rugged area of TN. The volunteers and race hosts are great and pull off the race as a grass roots labor of love. The pre-race dinner included an informative presentation on the area.

I love all VR produced races. They are well run with great swag in great locations. Rocky Mountain was no exception. Great snack boxes and volunteers. The 5K kickoff to the weekend around the lake is scenic and relatively flat after a good uphill start.

I love all VR produced races. They are well run with great swag in great locations. Mt Rainier was no exception. Friendly people and great snacks!

I really enjoyed the Muddy River race. It’s a smaller number of runners and ran smoothly. The race swag is awesome and the volunteers were friendly and very nice.
A few drawbacks: The course isn’t the most scenic but not horrible. There’s an industrial section at the front that’s not great but otherwise it’s ok. The other drawback is the packet pickup is inside the Century Casino which is filled with smoke. You can’t avoid it. Smoke really bothers me, so I really didn’t like having to go in the casino event center at all.

Pros: flat course, fewer participants compared to other RNR races
Cons: Race shuttle pickup, start line, and finish areas all in a scary part of town; AC casino area and hotels in scary part of town; foggy and rainy weather whole weekend; super tiny expo with only a handful of vendors; course not scenic as 2/3 of it was on a highway and so much fog you couldn’t see anything; last 4 miles on the boardwalk made me dizzy looking at the boards; boardwalk areas were scary and we were hassled by homeless people and push taxi drivers; the whole boardwalk area smelled of pot constantly
I wouldn’t recommend this race or this city to visit. It was dirty, smelly, and scary. I can’t see why RNR picked this location for a race.

Vacation Races are always some of the best organized runs in the most scenic locations. Zion Half was another wonderful event from VR. VR made the best of a cold, rainy event day. The race communication was excellent with great instructions. I loved the medals and the merchandise options. The town of Springdale’s locals were very nice, full of smiles, a great attitude, helpful, and cheering on the runners. The course isn’t as scary uphill as the elevation profile leads you to think. It’s very doable and a gradual uphill. I loved exploring Zion NP after the race. Spectacular event despite the weather.

Yellowstone is a must do in the Vacation Races series. The 5K is a great little starter to get a feel for the first part of the half marathon race course. It follows a short distance thru town and then a gravel road that’s actually a good road for being gravel. Vacation Races always does an excellent job with race organization, communication, and giving helpful detailed info. The swag and race merchandise variety is always great too. The Tetons/Yellowstone races are a definite must do.

Great 5K starter to the Tetons Half weekend. Course runs along road and then a greenway. It’s a good way to get the legs loose for the half marathon the next day. A few hickups on this one in the start/finish but VR organizers are the best at seeing their errors, learning from them, and not repeating them. They are the best!

Great race that I’d do again. Scenery was great and cave finish was unique and well organized. Finish line food, snacks, cave gift shop were all awesome.
Only improvement I’d recommend is more port-a-potties at the start. Lines were way too long to wait.

I adore this race and would run it every year if I could. Participant slots are by a lottery system, but you’re given plenty of time to train if you get in. You’ve got to commit to a good hill training plan to complete this race well. The scenery is absolutely beautiful in November in Percy Warner Park and the fall colors are amazing. I love the small community that runs this race and the race shirts are the best! I love that you get the # of monkeys slayed on the sleeve of your shirt that corresponds to the # of years you’ve completed the race. If you’re lucky enough to get a lottery spot, don’t skip it! Train, train, train and run those hills! Slay that monkey!

Virtual run. Chose location of old railroad made into a trail in Elkmont AL. Nice trail that’s flat with nice locals. Cute center trailhead with historic railway car display.

Ran virtually in 2020. Wish I could’ve been in Boston. Ran instead at Land Between the Lakes in KY. Nice trail with lake view at the end. Was super hot the day I ran and friend had to walk the last 3 miles due to overheating.

The beloved Flying Monkey full marathon added a half marathon in 2019 and I ran the inaugural event. The race course is difficult running through the super scenic Percy Warner park hills. The hills are 100% worth the views. Running through Percy Warner in November when the leaves are golden is one of my favorite things. It’s an amazing experience to savor. Well run event, great people, awesome volunteers.

The TDOC 5K is a must do for history buffs. It’s held on the campus of the historic TN state prison. The prison has been used to as a location for several films including The Green Mile. It’s normally a closed location but they open the campus for some brief looks at the old prison as part of this event. It’s worth doing the 5K just to get to get to hear the history talks and get a look at the old prison. There’s no medal and the race communication is sometimes lacking, but if you get the chance, just go. It’s well worth the time.

I love the Vacation Races produced runs. This is a gem that goes thru the back roads of Townsend TN. It’s rolling hills and flat, making it a very approachable race. The weekend opportunity to explore the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is icing on the cake.

I ran my 6th RnR Nashville in 2018. It’s a great hometown race running through iconic parts of downtown Nashville and music row. The stages with live music along the route make it a unique experience. The 36,000+ runners lined up on race morning as far as the eye can see is amazing to be a part of. The race draws a great number of supporters and roadside cheerers. For those that don’t live in middle TN, the rolling hills can be a challenge but aren’t too terrible. Definitely a unique experience.

This race is wonderful. It’s smaller and run by the Nashville Striders running club. The Striders do a wonderful job with the races they organize. The course has some really great scenery of farmland. Local volunteers are always very nice and full of smiles. The race swag is beyond with an amazing sweatshirt. I love this little race.

Ran thru the Providence neighborhood and shopping area. Basic fun race sponsored by local running store. Mt Juliet is a great city that’s clean and the local Fleet Feet is a great store with nice people. Not meant to have swag or anything fancy. Just a local neighborhood run group 5K.

Ran this race for the 4th time in 2016. It’s a great way to see iconic views of Nashville and the music stages along the race make for a unique experience. It’s a large race with well over 30K runners.

Ran the 19.3 miles (10K + Half) Dumbo Double Dare in 2014. Fun race and got to meet Jeff Galloway. Course is flat from what I remember. Fun weekend.

My first 5k that started years of fun and friendships. Back in 2010, this race was at night before the Christmas Parade and the streets were lined with spectators downtown. It was very fun. Now, it’s not held at night or on the same day as the parade.