Austin Bierma's Staging Area

This course was one of the best road races I have run yet. I am only 14 with two years of running under my belt. After convincing my dad to train with me, I soon began to get faster and set some goals. I spent some time browsing halves and this one popped up. It lived up to the expectations.

At the start of the race, there were lots of fans to cheer you on. Most road races I have run start like that but the fan numbers slowly fade away. Here I don’t think there was a single mile where I wasn’t getting cheered on by someone along the route. Lots of signs and moral boosting areas. Lots of water and Gatorade stations to fuel up on liquids. On this particular day it was humid so this came in handy.

The scenery along this route was very nice. From mile 1-3 we were running along the river. Lots of trees in this area. 4-5 were surrounded by a few buildings. 5-7 or 8 was along a bike route. This was probably the most hilly part for me. Lots of trees with the occasional view of the river. 8-10 we were surrounded by the city buildings running very close to the interstate. This was one of my favorite parts as I prefer to run in cities rather than the country. 11-12.5 was back along the starting road. Along the river with the great views. 12.5-13.1 This was my favorite part as we got to run along the Stone arch bridge. Lined with American flags and lots of fans, this was a true 4th of July experience. All in all, I give this race a 4.5/5. PS. the finisher medal was awesome.