Ashley C's Staging Area

I knew this race was a challenge, but incredibly worth it. Once I got started running, I anticipated a poor performance of myself. I managed to actually run one of my better times! Weather for this race was a bit cold to start, but given the cool weather for the duration of the race, it made it so much more comfortable to run in. Couldn’t have picked better weather! The production of the race was great. I had learned that the race this year had more than twice as many participants than in previous years and the line to get in the expo was proof of that (including the tight space for the expo at the host hotel). However, the line to the expo/bib pick up went fairly fast. Excellent race!

After reading about other people’s reviews and opinions of this race, I decided to take a chance on it. I think it was a perfect choice for a New Mexico race and preceded my expectations for a small race. This is a flat, out and back course, with the beginning initially being on a packed trail. Very brief. The rest was on a very nice, local pathway mostly surrounded by trees and river. People will mention the pathways being fairly busy at times, but with common courtesy and respectful etiquette, everything can run more smoothly. It was quite peaceful actually, running while looking out at the beautiful view of the hot air balloons floating above the trees and against the Sandia Mountains in the distance during the first weekend of the FAMOUS balloon festival. There were very little spectators on the course, except for volunteers (THANK YOU!), but enjoyed the conversations with runner along the course. The medal is very unique and awesome. After party was cool, especially when witnessing the landing of some hot air balloons. There were vendor tents and trucks on hand that provided local foods and drinks. Very cool! I appreciated the communication and would do this race again!

First of all, I will say the scenery involved in this race was the best part! Very green and beautiful next to the river. There are hilly areas, but not the worst. The spectators and entertainment were fun in some areas. Not a horrible morning for beginning of the race, but heat and humidity made it quite warm by the end of it. Really, no surprise there. I will say that their production to keep this race going as they have it, does work fairly well, but its not really an enjoyable or unique experience.
I would not consider doing this race again. It’s unreasonably expensive to sign up for right away. Their swag is boring and has not changed in YEARS. Not creative or unique. They did make a mistake on their medals this year, but its not a big deal. No apologies anyway for it even though the gesture is appreciated. No expo – only race day pick up and you have to be there incredibly early to pick it up, then sit and wait too long for the race to start (sat for two hours). They were not wrong warning you about their traffic, but it was quite BS when it took 50 MINUTES to get out of the designated parking lot only to drive one mile down the road to my hotel. I was told not to walk there according to the locals, because there was not enough space allotted for pedestrians (and can be dangerous during high traffic times). They were correct. A lot of people in a small place, understandable, but this was just ridiculous. Line for post race beer was entirely too long to wait, also considering the traffic line you have to wait in to get out. Post race snacks were provided, but nothing individually wrapped to grab and go. They were cheap enough to provide majority of large tubs where everybody sticks their nasty, sweaty hands in them for grabs. People are disgusting! No thanks! There are much better races to sign up for in Vermont that are much more worth the money and time spent being there.

REVEL puts on an amazing race and this was their first go for this one in NH! It was downhill, which makes it so much easier to tolerate. I just wish we could have ran down the famous Kancamagus Highway during the changing of the colors in the trees in the fall. This was one of my better times even though I was not putting in much effort. The marathon went on during the half, as well. Some of them got to witness wildlife involving a moose! The scenery was beautiful even though it was gloomy. Before start time, it was a bit cold having to wait, BUT… It made for a very nice, cool temp for running. Having the best company during the race made the time go very quickly, including my running bestie and other fellow runners. Hydration stations were perfectly placed along the route. After party was fun, exciting, comfortable and was able to have conversations with several out of state runners. Swag was awesome and their expo was not bad. Loved this race!

I had such a good time during this race. This was their 60th Anniversary and boy did they represent! They gave out a lot of swag with the bib pick up. The expo was in smaller and crowded room, but they had a lot going on there. The put on a great race before, during and after. Post race party was hopping and fun. The city was beautiful to run through. We ran by some historical sites of Lincoln. That was pretty cool. The parks were absolutely BEAUTIFUL to experience and was one of my favorites about this race. Flowers hadn’t bloomed just yet. So I missed that, as the city is known to be gorgeous during spring blooms. So much to visit there. The weather was perfect for the morning race. No complaints with this race!

It was quite a gloomy and rainy morning during this race, off and on. It was windy at times and walking back to the hotel was pretty cold once I cooled down. That did not stop this party from happening even during the race! I appreciate all of the spectator support even though it wasnt ideal to stand out in at times. Plenty of hydration stations and other “hydration stations” if you know what I mean. Haha. Some of the neighborhoods were gorgeous to run through. They provided well and enjoyed running on the historic Route 66 for part of this. Swag was very nice with a long sleeved shirt included.

The directors and everyone involved with making this small town race happen, were fantastic! They communicate everything to you INCREDIBLY well. They work really hard to satisfy everyone who signed up for this race. They even satisfied everyone who needed to defer their registration to this year (2024) last minute without any question, or push back. It was a cheap race and well worth it. The swag was pretty good for the race when I did it in Nov 2023. Tshirt came with race bib and package at the expo. The expo was small and next to nothing, but made for easy pick up at the host hotel. I am hoping the situation where the next host hotel has a better late check out option for everyone who participated in the race, from here on out. The host hotel last year did not allow late checkout. So, I could not enjoy the awesome after party when I finished before having to rush back to my room and grab my things and leave without even a shower. However, the host hotel was within minutes of walking distance to the start/from the finish line. Finisher medal was awesome. There was one hill, and quite the big, but it was their ONLY HILL. I would actually do this race again.

I am from close by and have only done this race once so far. I plan to run it again, however. The production was well-organized. Bib pick up area was small and uneventful. The after party made up for that though! Lots of spectators and beautiful scenery. The downhill course was helpful and made it a decent run even with the elevation included. Lots of local vendors at the post race. The medals are very nice and creative! This was a good start to getting back in to half marathon shape!

Beautiful scenery along the way. Fairly easy course. Well put together. Aid stations were perfect. The finish line is the best part!! Not many sceneries can top this!

This was one of the races at the top of my list. This race is very well organized and thought out. Great crowd support and one of the bigger races I have ran. I would love to do this race again. The whole weekend was a little bit gloomy, but it made for great running weather. Most of it is along the beach that dips in to a neighborhood for 2-3 miles. Hydration stations were good. I ran my best time here just before COVID ruined everything for everyone. Swag is awesome and they never disappoint!