Beth F's Staging Area

This is a big race and the city is definitely ready for it. Easy flight to Indianapolis which is a simple airport to navigate. Lyfts were lined up waiting at the curb when I arrived Friday morning. Quick drive to the race hotel which luckily had a room ready at 10am so I could check in. They also offered later checkout to all runners. Had a good meal within a couple of blocks then walked to the bustling, energy-filled expo. Expo was sizable and well organized. Lots of photo opps and signage. Many local and regional races and vendors with lots of giveaways. I did the mega mini challenge (5k and 13.1 in the same day) so got three shirts, two short sleeved and a long sleeved. They were soft, poly-cotton blend, decent quality. – Also, race communication was plentiful and clear throughout all the weeks leading up to the race.

The 5k was an easy start and a quick whip across the bridge and back. Good announcing and DJ at the start. It was sort of close quarters but still very fun.
I finished then had about an hour wait to start the second race. Was able to go back to the hotel for a bit (it is so nice to have everything so close). Hotel had a lot of items out for racers and even opened breakfast early. (Again, can’t say enough about how runner-friendly the hotel was!)

Started the race (again) – it was VERY crowded and honestly mostly walkers in the last wave. I did run/walk intervals throughout and it was sort of hard to negotiate. I did love seeing such a walker-friendly event. There was also construction on the course in the first mile that made for some narrower spots.

My favorite parts of the course were the run around the track (obviously!) But, the main surprise was all the amazing entertainment acts throughout the course. There were dozens of acts from duos with guitars to full on rock and polka bands. In my opinion the course itself wasn’t very interesting (aside from the track and the cute town of Speedway) but the entertainment kept it lively.
The course was flat and well-signed. YAY for the amazing crane-hoisted water / aid station signs and LOTS of aid stations. This was smart (and most aid stops were on both sides of the street as well, which made for less crossover traffic.) Lots of great volunteers too and many many medical staff (which I thankfully did not need!).

The finish line was festive. Many basic snacks – bananas, pretzels, cookies, etc. (I wish there had been hot food or some sort of signature food item, but I always just think that is a nice touch.) The actual finish festival was very crowded in the park. I just made my way to the challenge medal tent, got my stuff, and headed back to the hotel. It seemed like a good time with food trucks and entertainment everywhere. After 16.2 miles, I just wanted to put my feet up.

Medals are well made and attractive. There were some other challenges available, too (not sure how they were organized.)

This is a well organized and executed event! I can see why there are so many who participate. I would do this one again!

This was a great small(ish) race. From the shirts on people at packet pickup and in the race itself, it seems like many people repeat this one. I love that it supports the local community. We did packet pickup the day before at a local multigenerational center. Parking was easy and a few local vendors. It was a quick in and out for us. I wasn’t a fan of the shirt design / color but it was average quality. I saw someone wearing a hoodie from a past year and wish I could have purchased that. I did end up buying a cotton volunteer shirt from the previous year for 5 bucks and will wear that more than the race shirt. Just my preference!

Race day was a cold start but thankfully dry. There were several actual bathrooms in the start area in addition to porta potties. Small race field meant we were off within a minute of the field start. The first mile, with the sun coming up over the mountains, is breathtaking. We slowed down to take many photos. The half marathon course is an out-and-back, long straightaways on two lane streets…there are houses but sort of main thoroughfares in this smaller town. Roads were closed and police were completely controlling all cross streets. I felt very safe. There is one section that has the two directions separated with a middle lane for patrol vehicles and bikes to canvas the field. Most of the roads are smooth and clear except for the section heading up to the turnaround which had a few potholes. The bit of a hill up to the turn around was more than I expected but not too too long or tough. I’d say rolling hills.

Field was friendly. Water stations at pretty much every mile were always full. Lots of local young people who were really encouraging. Most (if not all) also had gatorade and a couple had Gu products. This was great because it was dry and by the end the direct sun had us quite warm. There were a handful of spectators / dogs (mostly marathoner friends and family I think) and no one giving anything away. (Having done races like Little Rock and OKC Memorial where streets were lined with people and unofficial aid stations, just letting you know this is not like that!)

The rider with the lead marathoners was pretty rude to us as he passed. But honestly that was the only negative person we encountered. Medal is beautiful and substantial. The medal design for the full moves down to the half the following year so you can get a sense of what it is like.

Finishing bag was a bagel, a bar of some kind, water, a banana, and chips. Kind of sparse compared to some other races but there were many food trucks with some good choices for purchase and a couple of beverage give aways. I tried to buy the volunteer shirt that they wore this year but was told they won’t be sold until next year. While I enjoyed this race, I wouldn’t go out of my way to do it again. If I happened to be in Phoenix at this time, I might give it another go, or try Mesa which was Saturday of this same weekend. Finally, reserve your hotel early. The front desk attendant said that this was high season and from the rates, I believe it! We did have a great weekend but ended up staying about a half hour away.

Excellent communication from the race directors with extremely detailed directions for parking and traffic. If you read it all, you’ll be all set.

Did this race as the second half of a back-to-back weekend. Salina (KS) Crossroads Half was Saturday. As we drove back to Lincoln, the temperature plummeted. We made it to the expo in the last hour. Parking was pretty congested but not impossible. We had joined a team so we had earned LOTS of swag (hat, race charms, etc.) Loved the branding and big feeling of this expo. There were local racing stores there if you forgot race day essentials. It was a reasonable size expo for the race and city size. Some good photo opps, etc.

We stayed in the race hotel in Haymarket which was great aside from the lack of a breakfast buffet….I would have chosen one that had an open breakfast in the future. Our hotel had a starbucks / bistro but we didn’t have time to wait in line. We took the race day transportation shuttles and those were great. Our shuttle was almost empty…but they were telling people they couldn’t take a shuttle without their ticket. It was so cold, I think many people dropped to the virtual option which may have changed their planning. Traffic getting in to the high school / start line was a lot.

Thank goodness the high school was open to wait for the start. It was flurries and wind which was very tough conditions. We used the restroom and waited inside as long as we could. We went out to the starting chute about 15 minutes before the race was scheduled to begin. According to the race guide, they have strict cut times at every mile. Granted, it is like 17/18 minutes give per mile from the time the last finisher crosses, but as back of the pack people who were doing their second half marathon in 2 days, I was still nervous. We followed the advice of the race guide and moved up in the self-seeding chute to give ourselves more of a buffer.

The race did not start until about 10 minutes after the scheduled time. They didn’t have clearance from police that the course was secure. We finally got started and my friend and I crossed about 5 minutes after the first runner. There were parts of the course that had cheer stations, but much of it was just winding through the city and local neighborhoods. I didn’t take many photos – I was mainly just trying to keep moving and stay warm. Basic aid stations were fine – water and sometimes gatorade. Just one with gels around mile 8. All of this was consistent with the race guide. Good, supportive volunteers and there were medical people on bikes pretty often patrolling the route.

I liked the last few miles on the bike path. I know not everyone would agree. As a back of the pack person it didn’t bother me that the course narrowed since there aren’t many people of my pace. I liked the Kool Aid guy on the course, passing the Nebraska sports facilities, and seeing the capitol (although from afar!) I loved the pedestrian bridge and the beautiful downhill finish. Wish there was a way to get the amazing chalk art in a photo but it was like 20 feet before the finish line.

I was sort of disappointed in the finish line experience. I DID appreciate the mylar blanket. (Ive been at races where they ran out for the later finishers.) Medal is good and I like the branding. Snacks were just fairly average…if I had known that chocolate chip cookies were the one thing that didn’t come from a package (oh and the banana), I would have grabbed a half dozen. I must have misinterpreted previous reviews that said there was hot food offered. This seems small but as I travel around the 50 states, it seems that most larger races have a signature food item at the finish (Flying Pig’s Pizza, Oklahoma City Memorial’s ice cream, etc.) I asked at the info tent near the finish line and was met with scorn…I can only imagine that this person had been standing out in the bitter cold for hours and didn’t love my question about was there any other hot food available as part of our registration. In that vein, because of the weather (still hovering around freezing at noon), most finishers had already cleared out so there wasn’t much party left. But I can imagine in other years people hang out and enjoy the beer, music etc.

Thankfully it was not hard to find a good cheeseburger in the haymarket district after we cleaned up. Overall, I am glad I did this race but probably wouldn’t travel to do it again. I’m chalking it up to the tough conditions. Happy to check off another state.