Florian Basier's Staging Area

TLDR: potentially an OK half marathon, and likely to be one of the best marathons in Louisiana but once that state is checked there’s no reason to do it twice.
This is definitively more a half marathon (with a marathon option) than the opposite.
Pre-race felt a bit weird with no communication whatsoever, but packet pickup was easy with no line.
Race itself was mostly flat, with tiny climbs left and right but nothing big or frequent enough to categorize this course hilly. The aid stations were properly spaced and had water and powerade (some of them had GU gels too). There is almost NO porta-potty on the course. Quite a lot were available at Parc Sans Soucis, which is NOT on the course. The road conditions were pretty bad, with a lot of cracks & potholes that were not marked, a few roadkills and even dangerous aggregations of mardi gras beads pearls in some sections (could have been swept out). Course itself was two loops with a lot of turns, with little to no crowd support so that second loop (once the half marathoners finished) felt lonely at times. Race start was at 7am but you know that Southern Sun is going to be out at 10 and hitting HARD, so a 6:30 start would make a huge difference.
Post finish was pretty small with just a bottle of water (not even a banana), which was disappointing.

It’s Dallas, so you know it is going to be overly pretentious: overbuilt start/finish area, multiple fireworks for each corral start, etc.

The course is going to a lake, circling that lake, and coming back. The lake part is flat but the back and forth are extremely hilly. There were no portapotties anywhere near the corrals so a lot of participants were stopping under bridges and other wild spots in the first few miles, which is never a good way to start a race. Around the lake there were multiple (long) pedestrian bridges that are NOT meant for that volume of runners. It just created a lot of resonance and was extremely unsafe to run (or even walk) on.
No comparison with either Houston (5 weeks later) or San Antonio (same week-end), which both are better options if you are looking for a large Texas marathon.

Pretty nice organization with a scenic, flat tour of Indianapolis. Lots of beginners which meant a lot of walkers around just when your brain need to see people running to keep running. Could be improved on some points though, I understand this race grew a lot in size these past 15 years and it just increases logistics:
* Bib customization: some of us did not have customization despite registering way before the deadline
* Gear check bag: by far the smallest bag I’ve ever seen in a race that size. Far from ideal for everyone going straight to the airport after the race
* Corral enforcement: Lots of E-corral runners sneaking in earlier corrals
* Porta-potty strategy: lots of queue on-course forcing us to slalom around queued runners. maybe have more than 4 at a time?
* Aid stations: the first couple of them were just after a turn, creating chaos. At least one station ran out of cups only 2h in.
* Shirt and Medal are really “vanilla”

The course at San Felipe is pretty technical with extremely uneven trails (roots, rocks, holes…) so “running” it at night is far feom easy. The hot weather and the abundance of bugs (try breathing with both mouth and nose closed :D) made for a brutal experience. The course was very well marked, shirt and medal are nice, volunteers were super friendly.

Some ups and downs, lots of turns, unpaved but not too technical trails, but a mental component as you are doing 4 loops (7 if doing the Triple) on narrow trails so it can be tough on the mind. The loop is 8-shaped so you are closed to the starting line every ~1.6mi which allows spectators for nearly constant cheering.

As my first marathon outside of Texas I had a lot of expectations (too many) and running Long Beach seamed a good way to check them. Scenerie is just 6-7 of the 26 miles, otherwise running in a ghost town with no ambiance. bare minimum swag. Medal somehow focused on some skyscrappers instead of the beach, the lighthouse, queen mary… anything recognizable. Course itself has a lot a u-turns and few port-a-potties making for a frustrating experience. Aid stations were OK but very cluttered on the first 10 miles (these 2-3 stations should have been doubled in size)

The heat is no joke, you know it beforehand and prepare for it. But the terrain isn’t either. The trails are used for horse riding so are mostly loose white sands, which adds to the difficulty.
Don’t sign here for a PR or even to race it. It is a race against yourself, knowing, listening to, and pushing your body to its limits.
As always with TROT, great volunteers, you’ll get cheers and ice (lot of both) at each aid station.
This year had major pre-race issues with hours of waiting to retrieve your bib (race day only!) but looking forward for them to be resolved next year.

Sure, it’s a flat race on easy terrain. But the 120% humidity just means you cannot sweat. TROT race means a lot of nice volunteers though so you are taken care of at each aid station.