Andrew Anderson's Staging Area

I came upon this race because of a few race review sites that placed this in the top 20 races. I’m not far from Indy (about 3 hours) and my wife has friends who live just outside the city, so it was an easy yes for me. The race itself was also a BIG yes. Course support that honestly rivals Flying Pig. The spectators even in the neighborhoods are out in droves giving out halloween candy and ibuprofen (bless you mile 13!), the kids were dressed in costumes, the water stops are well stocked and friendly. This city knows how to welcome runners. Does the crowd taper out a bit in some of the more isolated places, sure, but sometimes it’s nice to just have some music on and run your race. I’m a fan of having some quiet areas, so your mileage may vary (13.1 or 26.2 are pretty consistent though 😉 ). Don’t overlook this race. The past several years have been LUCKY with weather (the day after this race, there was rain and even snow in the evening) we had 40-60 degrees with partial sun, so it couldn’t have been more ideal in my book. Thanks Indianapolis! You showed up and showed out!

If you’ve run anything longer than a 5k in Columbus, especially in the downtown area, you know what you are in for! Schiller park. A trip around German village, a run up high street, etc.

The weather usually doesn’t really cooperate, but the swag afterwards is worth it. So. Much. Booze. I’m talking beer, probably a hard seltzer, maybe a shot of tequila, likely a bit of prosecco or sparkling, maybe a promotional nonsense with bourbon or vodka that they’re testing out in Columbus. Pizza. Probably wings. Drink and eat all the calories back immediately after you finish. Why do they give you the big bag at the expo… for your drinks later!
Course is nothing too hard, but you’ll remember (or learn) that High Street runs uphill towards campus. And you’ll get to run close to the stadium too. Plenty of course support and one of the most festive atmospheres for a Columbus race.

This was fun, more low key than I would have imagined given the international aspect of it, and VERY well put on. The tunnel is unique, the run up over the bridge was AMAZING (to be fair, I tried to time it so I’d be able to see the sun rise as I was crossing the bridge), and the people of Detroit were ready to party! DO WATCH OUT for the trolley tracks around mile 9, they are sneaky when you aren’t looking down!

Endurance alone got me through this one. The course support cannot be faulted at all: the water stops are plentiful and well maintained, and the volunteers are amazing, but the crowd support is practically non-existent for this. Not as much scenery as I had hoped, but the surrounding area is certainly beautiful, as is the view from both of the bridges… if you can make it across them that is! Tough race because of the heat and humidity so make sure you are prepared to deal with that while you are running. The early start time is VERY well thought out, because starting any later at all would possibly have made this a DNF for me with the temps creeping up!

The weather being as bad as weather really could be SHOULD be enough to put a real damper (ha) on any race, but let me tell you, the year I did this (23) even a POURING rain couldn’t distract from how lovely this race was. The swag was amazing, the expo was really lovely, the scenery was out of this world, and the course support (including my German pacer) was exceptional. Big big BIG hills, a real challenge, and a race worth doing if you are up for a bit more of a challenge than you think will be coming your way.

Looking at some of the other reviews of this race, sure, I think I can agree with many of them. Depending on the weather leading up to the race, the course might change. National Park Races, especially in a place like Death Valley, might have some changes with rainfall (as ours did), roads washing out, etc. This is MOST DEFINITELY a trail marathon and half for at least part of your run. The chance to run through some of the canyon areas means that there will be some tricky footing at times. Don’t look for a PR here. I did the half and that meant two outs and backs for me. The marathon group ended up with a 4 out and back route, which was unfortunate for them, although it was still gorgeous scenery. Could the medals and swag have been better? Yeah. Probably. But the race is small, seems like a group with a GENUINE love for the area and for the race, and I am just thrilled to say I’ve done a half in Death Valley. Will I be back for a full. We’ll see. Maybe!

First: This was my first race back from ACL surgery so I was much slower than I had hoped, but also thrilled to be back on the road. Much of the experience is seen through that lens.

Cleveland has a lovely marathon… for the first 13 miles! The weather was not helpful for much of the race as something came in off of the lake and drenched us with rain, dropping temps into the low 50s for the last half of the race. Part of the disappointment there is that the spectators absolutely disappeared from mile 12- through the out and back dog leg into the neighborhoods, and made that part of the course a real challenge for keeping spirits and momentum high. The first 12 miles through the downtown and some of the more colorful parts of the city was amazing, and for a half marathon, I would have been very pleased. I just think there is a bit of a lack of planning with the second half as the out and back leaves a lot to be desired.

Course support was still strong, but the weather just made the finish (almost no one there by the time I crossed) and the recovery area a real bummer.

The Stadium to the Sea course is not always run (I don’t think it has happened since the 2018 race actually) so reviews of this race will likely vary from year to year. EVEN SO… it’s LA, so you know what you are going to get to see. Hollywood, the Hollywood sign, etc. This is a hard race to review because it was my first and I wasn’t actually expecting to finish because I was dealing with a nagging injury from trying to train for a first marathon, so it all felt like a big blur. The course scenery was of COURSE epic, and the start at Dodger Stadium was amazing. As with most LA Marathons, this was a point to point, so I was fortunate to have someone able to drop me off rather than needing to take a bus from somewhere. Logistically, the race was VERY well produced, had GREAT course support and I really loved the medal and the finish area. I look forward to running this again some day, perhaps when they put the finish line back on Santa Monica pier!