Joellen Shendy's Staging Area

This was my first Brazen race but definitely won’t be my last.

Communication was pretty good up until race day. Bib pickup was easy and I like it when it is at a running store in case I have last minute needs. Day of it was easy to find the location and there was plenty of parking. There was also restrooms available at the start which was a huge plus. I wasn’t as fond of starting in the cold grass but that’s preference.

The course was very flat (very!) and there was some scenery but there were also times when it was a bit mundane. I do like water and hills for views and hadn’t been to this park so it was just fine for me overall.

I loved that the aid stations were more ultra and less like a typical half. There was potato chips, M&M, trail mix, fig newton’s, etc and I strongly prefer that to just one type of gel.

The after food was also excellent like above with a ton of options – far beyond what you would normally get. Sweet breads, muffins, etc were plentiful. But you could still get plenty of fruit and bagels and such. Probably top 5 of races for me for the last 10 years in food.

One of the biggest things for me as a slower runner is that there was plenty of food left even after 3 hours and that people were still around then. They seem to treat all levels of runners with respect and appreciation – which is actually somewhat rare. Usually if you run more than 10 minute miles you are left w/o food or support towards the end and I’ve run in to the finish line being packed up even an hour before the official cut off time. So big hats off here to understanding its the journey that counts and not the time punch on the clock!

Also the medal is so incredibly fun! Super creative and very unique.

I’m very impressed by Brazen and will be seeking out other races.