Becky Elliott's Staging Area

This event is a well-organized race by people who love running. They offer a full, a half, and a 4.7-mile run (to honor the fact that New Mexico was the 47th state to join the USA). I ran the half as part of my goal of running a half marathon in all 50 states. The out-and-back course is very flat, but the ending requires a lot of mental stamina… runners have to make two laps of the track (800m) at the end of a long race…. all within view of the spectators who are there to see the finish. It is really hard to run two laps looking happy when you are hurting. The finisher medal is really nice, but the tshirt is meh. I am glad to have participated in this race. There are some great sites to see in the area (White Sands National Park, and Riverbend Hot Springs in Truth or Consequences). It is worth traveling to this race if you are in search of a good race to run in New Mexico!

This was a fun race in Atlantic City. The race starts and ends on the famous Atlantic City Boardwalk. There are a couple bridges & overpasses in the first part of the race that add some slight elevation, but overall, this is a pretty flat course. From mile 7.5 to the end, the race is run on the boardwalk. The view of the ocean as you reach the boardwalk is amazingly beautiful…. especially if you are blessed to run on a sunny morning. However, be careful about your footing on the boardwalk, because there are a few loose boards. Also, the spectators tend to wander into the course because there are no barriers for most of the length of the Boardwalk. The mentally tough part of the race is that runners pass right by the finish line at about mile 9… and you have to keep going! The finisher medal is nice, and the race is well organized. Overall, this race is worth traveling to run.

This is a wonderful event hosted by the delightful town of Havre de Grace, Maryland. Asics sponsors this event. For this race, Deena Kastor (Olympic Marathon Bronze Medalist) was present to cheer on the runners!! It was an honor to meet her. The race itself is a very well organized event. The course is one of the better ones I have run…. runners cross over the Hatem Memorial Bridge (a 1.4-mile, four-lane bridge that spans the Susquehanna on US 40 between Havre de Grace and Perryville in northeast Maryland) and run through the town of Perryville. Sections of the race run on paths next to the Susquehanna River. The finisher medal is very nice, and the finish line celebration is enjoyable. All of the volunteers were great! With about 700 runners in the half marathon, it is a very nice size (and a refreshing change from the monster-sized events hosted by some of the larger cities).

This is a very well-organized race in a lovely location (Richfield, MN). The volunteers and community members are so nice and welcoming; there were many, many people out along the course cheering us runners on (and the sprinklers were much appreciated)! It is not a very big race (just shy of 500 runners in the half marathon), and there is no fancy “bling”, but it is a treasure for those who simply enjoy the thrill of running. The finisher “medal” is a simple wooden medallian that complements the purpose of the race: to support Wood Lake Nature Center’s environmental education partnership with the Richfield Public Schools. Despite the hot and humid conditions on this particular race day, I am very glad that I participated in this event. On a cooler day, this flat course could offer a PR.

If you are from a state with a lower elevation, running this race at about 6500′ will impact your performance (unless you have acclimated). The views are fantastic, and the finisher medals are impressive. Vacation Races does a nice job of organizing the event. This race is “cup-free”, meaning that you have to bring your own water bottle. I originally thought that the hydration stations would be crowded (with runners having to fill up their own bottles/cups), but the organizers did a nice job of making sure there were ample “fill stations” at the hydration stations. Only complaint = they needed more porta potties at the start area. Grand Teton National Park is amazing. I highly recommend staying a few extra days to explore the area.

This half marathon in Newport, RI is a great race with a course that provides breathtakingly gorgeous ocean views. The wind was the biggest issue for me (a runner from Ohio is not used to the constant seaside “breeze”), but nature is not something that race organizers can control. The one thing that can be addressed for future races is the number of porta-johns at the water stations… they provided only ONE at the stated locations. One porta-john at mile 10 of a half and full marathon is NOT sufficient. The finisher medals were nice, and the race shirt was great. Lots of crowd support, and super-nice volunteers. Thanks to Newport for a fun race experience!

The Louisiana Half Marathon is a wonderful race! The course is great (very few elevation challenges), and the scenic route takes the runners through parts of the LSU campus. The volunteers were extremely friendly, and the aid stations were well stocked. The finish line is spectacular, and the race organizers make every finisher feel like a winner! Of the 77 half marathons that I have run, this race is definitely in my top 10!

This is a tough but fun trail race! Even though I have run over 75 half marathons, they have all been road races. This run was my first Trail Half Marathon, and I had a blast! Many of you already know this, but Trail Running is VERY different from Road Running…. especially when the ground is covered in loose leaves that hide treasures below like roots and rocks and patches of mud! I fell down twice within the first two miles. I learned the hard way that watching your footing is a MUST in trail running! This race had a lot of elevation changes, and the downhill sections were more challenging than the uphill sections due to the leaves. The volunteers were great, and the two aid stations along the Half Marathon course were well-stocked and attended to by friendly volunteers. When I finished, I mentioned to a fellow runner that this had been my first trail run. She told me, “there are much easier trail runs to do as your first one!”
For those of you new to trail running, my time was extremely different than my road racing times. It took me a full hour longer to run this trail half than my most recent road race half, but the scenery was amazing and the pure joy involved in running through the woods made this a delightfully enjoyable experience!

As advertised, this is an extremely flat course. The majority of the course takes place out on the airport runway, and as a result, there isn’t much in the way of interesting scenery nor on-course “pizzazz”. In fact, the race can become a bit monotonous (a real challenge for one’s mind). If you are thinking about doing this race, you will need to decide if the benefits of a flat course are enough of a draw to outweigh the “blah-ness” of the race. On the plus side, the race was well organized, the participant jacket and finisher medal were nice. One suggestion: Add more porta-johns on the course – especially out along the runway.

This was a wonderful, small-town race in Battle Creek, MI. It was extremely well-organized, and the atmosphere was phenomenal. As the race started, the hot air balloons were launching into the air, creating a magical display of color! It was an exciting way to start a half marathon! The course led us out onto the airport runways, then through the nearby neighborhoods. Support along the course was great (lots of fluids and porta-potties), and the finisher medals were quite nice. Additional bonus: Runners received admission tickets to the FIELD OF FLIGHT Air Show & Balloon Festival. Overall, this was a delightful experience! This Ohio runner gives this Michigan race two thumbs up!

The Urban Bourbon is a great half marathon! The course is fun (except for the whirly-whirl curvy ramp that seems to go on and up forever, leading up to the ‘walking bridge’ that crosses the Ohio River into Indiana!). The volunteers are friendly, the finisher medals are top quality, and the celebration bash afterwards has a FANTASTIC band! The only drawbacks are as follows: the packet pick-up process was not as organized as other races I have run, and they did not begin the race with the National Anthem.

This event is organized by the same group (M3S Sports) that arranges the Capital City Half Marathon in Columbus, OH (and the previously held Emerald City Half in Dublin, OH). The event offers two race distances: a Quarter Marathon (6.55 Miles) and a 5k. The start and finish is located in the Grandview Yard, which is a newly developed section of Grandview Heights. Overall, the race was great. The course is a mixture of road running and bike trail running. The climb “up” from the bike path to Goodale Blvd just before mile 6 is a bit challenging for tiring legs.
Unfortunately for more competitive runners, finishing stats are tallied by the race for which the entrant registered, not which event the person actually ran. As a result, participants who registered for the Quarter, but ended up only running the 5k, were credited with finishing the Quarter, leaving the age group finishing order details in a bit of disarray. An additional timing strip for the Quarter Marathon might have helped to eliminate that issue.
Other than that, this race has some nice perks which include free race photos and a nice finisher medal.

This race is so FUN!
The race organizers do a fantastic job! It is a non-traditional race distance (4.6 miles), but there is a valid reason for that… the course takes runners around Mansfield, OH to visit the filming locations for the movie, “Shawshank Redemption”. The race starts and finishes at the “prison” (aka Ohio Reformatory). All racers are assigned either “Guard” or “Inmate”. The Warden runs the race as well. The theme is great! The organization is FANTASTIC! Runners are treated to a private showing of the movie INSIDE the prison the night before the race. Also, the finisher medals are THE BEST I HAVE EVER SEEN!! The entire experience is top notch!!

This is an extremely well-organized event hosted by a wonderful city (Carmel, IN). There is a great finisher’s medal, a nice race-expo and packet pick-up, and supportive volunteers! The first half of the race is primarily downhill. I would love to run this race again in better weather.
However, on race day in 2022, it was snowing & sleeting!! It was an unusually COLD day in Indiana! I am not a fan of miserable weather. But, this race experience was made better by one fellow runner who encouraged me by saying, “Don’t think of it as snow…. think of it as confetti from heaven!”
Runners are wonderful people!!

2010 was the last year that this race was run as a 20K. It is a sister race to the Parkersburg News & Sentinel Half Marathon. Both races are held in WV.
Ogden is held in Wheeling, WV at the end of May.
Parkersburg is held in Parkersburg, WV in August.
If a person runs both races in the same calendar year, they receive a special t-shirt. Having run Parkersburg many times, I decided that I wanted to run Ogden so that I could earn that extra shirt. So, I registered for the 2010 race. Ogden ended up being the most DIFFICULT race I have ever run (and I have run over 60 half marathons!!) There is a KILLER hill. It keeps going for over 2 miles, and gains 650′ elevation!! It is located in the first few miles of the race!! This Hill (which others may describe more like a mountain) demands respect.
By the way, the race organizers changed this race to a Half Marathon in 2011, and it has been a Half Marathon since. But the Hill remains a challenge on the course!