April Brown's Staging Area

– Production was over all great. No real complaints!! There could have been a few more Port a potties (they were clean!) at the start. But the line moved fairly quickly. There was a hidden lonesome one (not part of the run) a bit down the street so we thought we’d try our luck at that one. I think everyone was taking their morning pre-run poo in that one as the line took forever! The paper towels ran out kind of quick… But that’s common of any run I feel. The org for the run itself was great. There was even a fly over at the start.
– swag was pretty basic to most runs. You got your sweet shirt and medal. And you get a bonus challenge coin if you do a challenge (5K Friday). Lots of sponsor freebies, though. Flashlight, stress ball, reusable bags, water bottle, key chains, etc.

Course was flat and open. Well marked. I take back all the times I complained about the cold! It was hot…. But WIN-D-Y!!! And Not even at your back. Perhaps the CG can coordinate with NOAA next year and get some different weather?
All in all it was a unique run through the CG base.

Pleanty of water and electrolyte stops and 2 gu options during the half.

Post event consisted of free beer, BBQ sandwich, and more swag booths. The USO was out there with massage chairs and leg compression machines (and free candy!). There was a human massage both too. I definitly partook in both.

I wish the pics we free! But I know they’re not always.

Org – over all was good. Some complaints would be the port a potty line was up against the parking entrance…so cars coming in were pretty close to those exiting the bathrooms. Fuel stations consisted of only water and Gatorade…. And if you’re not fast, some of the water stations were out of Gatorade. Along the way some folks hanging out 🍊 slices and bananas. But no gu our other energy. Well supported by the police with great traffic control.
– spectators were good. Nothing overly impressive. But it was good encouragement for sure.
-you had the option of a T-shirt or long sleeve zip up light weight hoodie. No extra cost. Finisher medal was basic- I liked it. Not overly blingy (pic attached) . No extra finisher item like previously mentioned. After support consisted of pizza, granola, water, and oranges.

-Course Difficulty- If you did a half the previous day (like we did), the rating might be a little skewed. Trying to stay subjective, it wasn’t terrible. I uploaded the elevation from my Garmin. Hills for sure, but nothing crazy. The course was all road through neighborhoods and the city. They did a great job of blocking traffic to keep us safe.
-Scenery: neighborhoods (if you like ogling over fancy houses you’ll definitely get the chance!) , with some route that followed the river. Sun was out and nice!
-Race production: race did not start and finish at the same place. While it was only a few blocks away…. They were LONG blocks after you just ran 13 miles. Over all it would have been nice to have a shuttle back to the start. And maybe a route Map at the end that showed road closures. Other complaint was in the middle/ end it seemed like bathrooms were a little more scarce. This could also be because I had an over whelming need to pee so obviously I noticed every step where one didn’t exist!!
-Swag- huge medal. Option of getting a first time one or regular medal. Gear was a white zip up jacket… if you love bath robes, you’d love this! (It really is nice… just reminds me of avid a bath robe). Other than that, great expo- even though we showed up an hr before the end in the second day. Still some good booths even with a chiropractor!
-Do you enjoy a alcohol? This race is for you! Multiple stops with mimosas, fireball, and other soul warming drinks! Of course there’s always the boring water and Gatorade available! No Gu that I saw, but a few Jell-O shot stations!
-The after goodies I thought was a little sparse: oranges, bananas, energy drinks, water, granola bar, and chicken toquitos. Outside was beer and a hydration drink booth. I guess I get spoiled at the smaller local runs that have an array of food options!

-The neighborhood support was great! Folks hanging out donuts, drinks, napkins to blow your nose, candy, and power up signs!
-And if all that isn’t enough, you can definitely find yourself a whole new running wardrobe along the route! Plenty of discarded buffs, gloves, and jackets!

1- overall organization was good. Packet pick up available race day (they will give you your shirt at the end of the run) . The significant downside to this run is it’s one way with no shuttle (very clearly stated on the page though). But plenty of parking options.
Aid stations were mile 4 & 8 which consisted of Gatorade and water.
– Swag is a typical long sleeve running shirt and cool medal…. And a BOGO free Subway tag on your bib. I think very acceptable for the cost.
– the course itself follows the Chester Creek trail to Kincaid. A couple decent inclines, one being at the very end. That was brutal. But the views over the inlet were pretty, and we did spot moose along the way! Fall colors made the stretches through the park beautiful as well. Weather this year was great… Relative for Alaska.
– finish line consisted of pizza, cookies, water, coffee, hot chocolate and was INSIDE which was nice.

Downsides… There was some crazy headwind… Perhaps planners can reschedule that for a different day! (< — kidding).

Over all nice run. Relatively cheap ($50). Not one I would travel to do as my 50 state Alaska one, but if you’re in the area, very much worth doing.

Great race weekend. I did the military mile the day before (which was a bit uncoordinated with conflicting time and locations) as well as the half marathon. The trail was beautiful… Though the course ended with an uphill as most of the runs here do! Moose spotted along the route. No real expo. Just a simple packet pick up. Medal was beautiful and I loved the t-shirt this year!

First off, the website said “sunshine and fun times”… Lies! It was rainy! But I’ll give them a pass. Weather temp was still pretty decent.

-Route had a bit of an incline and ended on a hill (seems like all the Anchorage runs do). But it is Alaska. run started and ended in the same place, so that’s nice.

Swag consistes of the typical medal and short sleeve tech shirt. Also maurten gel was available at packet pickup.

Post race included a beer glass and Double Shovel cider. Also available was a box lunch.

Route was nice, basically a loop repeated. good amount of spectators.
There were traffic volunteers, but some folks were in too much of hurry to wait for runners and there were many close calls with drivers not wanting to stop.
Swag was a tshirt and medal.

Run was relatively flat, (150′ elevation gain approx) and beautiful, because it’s Okinawa!
As for swag, one thing I learned was that the Japanese (at least races in Okinawa) don’t do medals! Instead, you get a certificate with the run info and your time!