Arwin Calix's Staging Area

Flew into BUF for the first time, and it’s an easy airport to travel. Rental car place attached to terminal. Rented a Buick for the first time ever. Drive to Sheraton Hotel in downtown NF was 35 minutes, no traffic at 6pm on a Wednesday. Toured NF on both the Canadian and US side before race. Picked up packet from Crunch Fitness about 15 minutes from downtown. East peasy; swag was a decent red shirt and bib. Damn Buick broke down in the middle of the street at an intersection in downtown Lewiston. Borrowed race cones to direct traffic until tow truck arrived. Rental company assigned us an Uber that reeked of cigarettes to take us all the way back to BUF to get a new rental. Finally made it back to hotel to carbo load for the night. Rode 7:30 complimentary race shuttle to start. A bit early but used it for the bathroom and stretching. Race began on time at 9:15 am and most of the course was downhill with great views of the Niagara River. Last couple of miles were mostly a slight uphill with no shade. Finish line had bagels, water, coffee, fruit, hotdogs, and veggie burgers, beer, and live music. Also about seven booths of local businesses. Grabbed food and enjoyed some live music before heading back to hotel to shower and pack up. Drive to BUF was easy as we came, and so was rental drop off and bag checking and security. On the flight now to connect in ATL. I would definitely recommend this race because the race staff is very helpful, friendly, and responsive to questions. I had to defer this race from previous year due to weather travel delay at JFK. Allison of the race staff graciously took care of me to ensure I made it to this year’s race, along with assisting with other issues that arose since last year. On top of that, the course had magnificent views and motivating crowd support throughout. Water/electrolyte stations were staffed and stocked, and there was even a special stop around mile 8 that offered their famous beer, bagels, and donuts! I highly suggest you sign up for this race if you need to knock out NY, or just want to visit the beautiful Niagara Falls. I’m so glad I chose this race to finish my 50 States goal!

Packet pickup was outside Fleet Feet and easy peasy. Bib got 15% in-store at Fleet Feet. 20-minute drive to race from Fairfield Inn and parking was easy with parking monitors assisting. Only about 8 potties total. Race started on time, but I saw some people were still in line to potty. Ascended first mile, then rolling hills throughout. Race was out and back on mostly one bike path. Walked up a couple of hills, and thankfully the last mile was a descent to the finish line. First race back after two months off, and I felt it. Bagels, popcorn, water, fruit at finish line. Swag was a purple cotton/poly blend that I opted out of. Medal looks the same as previous years, just added Saucony sponsor name to ribbon and medal. Thankfully the weather was overcast and hid the sun. Didn’t stay for awards. Not many spectators but the aid stations were manned and didn’t run out of water/electrolyte drink. Overall, this was a nice small race that fit into my schedule. Maybe there are bigger/better options for VT. Switched to an early AM flight home, and on it now. Hopefully LA traffic won’t be too bad!

Decent sized race for small town

Flew into BDL on SWA credits and picked up rental walking distance from terminal. Easy 40-minute drive down to hotel in Cromwell. Grubbed on some microwave pad Thai from the overpriced lobby snack shack and prepped flat Arwin. Easy 25-min drive down to Cheshire and free parking controlled by volunteers. Short 5-min walk down to packet pickup, and that was a breeze. A good number of booths with free sponsored swag. Race started a minute late, and was a little congested the first half-mile until thinning out until the trail. Ran maybe 7 miles on the trail then through some fancy neighborhoods. Race finished with one lap around the high school track and a name announcement when crossing the finish. The same booths were there for the post race event, plus pizza and beer I think. The medal was a little small, but cute. Green lattice short sleeve shirt was meh. Overall I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by the production and support for this race, and I’d recommend it for anyone needing CT! State 39 down, next up double-race weekend for ME and NH!

Flew into Philly, picked up rental car and drove 40 minutes to Newark. Packet pickup was at Courtyard Marriott and also my hotel for the night. 20-minute walk to race start and it was already raining hard. The rain never stopped. Race began on Univ campus and was out-and-back thru neighborhoods and parks, with some hills but nothing too bad. Couldn’t really enjoy it because of the miserable weather, but the race staff and production was great. The volunteers and police were out there in the rain and cheered us on. Post race party was at Deer Tavern bar, but I walked straight to the hotel in yup, you guessed it, the pouring rain. In summary: production and staff were great, swag was a glitter medal with a visor and yellow long sleeve running shirt, easy race morning parking/exit.

Drove up morning of race from Murrieta and picked up packet. Commute, parking, and bib pickup were easy peasy. Gear check next to packet pickup tent. Race started in time and was a little crowded for the first mile. Ran up the hill to the Citrus State Historic Park, then a short steep downhill toward the orchards. Dirt path through approx 2-3 miles through the orchards which was really neat. Course support was good, and so was crowd support. Perfect weather for running a half, and the swag was above average with a long sleeve tech shirt and awesome citrus-themed medal. Finish line party was ok, but the Mexican food line was super long. I heard it was good though. I left early, but I heard they had live music. I recommend this course if you are in the area! My favorite was seeing the sun rise while running through the orchards.

I recommend this course, especially if they incorporate a few logistical improvements.

Packet pickup was the Thursday before the Saturday race, at a Fleet Feet store no where near the race venue. I flew in from out of state, so I could not attend the Thursday pickup. Instead, I picked up my bib on race morning, and it was at the race location Bohicket Marina on Seabrook Island. I stayed at the Marriott just under a mile away, and it took me 16 minutes to walk to the race. The registration table was properly staffed and worked efficiently, and bag drop was in the same location. The bathroom situation sucked, as it appears there weren’t enough potties. I stood in the Men’s line at the Marina, and the latrine had one urinal and two toilet stalls. It seemed to move alright, and two women even joined our line since it was moving 3x as fast as the women’s line. The men and I did not mind at all. Unfortunately, the race did not start on time at 8am because a few shuttle buses with racers still had not arrived. The race was delayed to 8:15am, and it did meet that start time. The course was not closed to traffic, and we ran on a two-lane road for most of the race. The course had a loop for miles 6-10 I think, and it about 90% shaded by huge trees to help with the heat. There was almost no elevation gain at all, and there were plenty of decent views of marshes, nice big homes, and beautiful trees, so I didn’t mind the loop at all. Unfortunately, the water station at mile 6.75 ran out of fluids, which sucked because I chose not to carry my own water bottle after looking a the course map. Then, the next water station at about mile 9 ran out of cups!! They were holding the jugs of Gatorade over the runners’ heads if they wanted to drink, and of course it spilled all over my face, shirt, and shoes. I needed it though, since I hadn’t had water since about mile 2.5. Fortunately, the Gatorade bath held me over til the next and final water station, where the my were handing out full bottles of water. It was smooth sailing to the finish line from there. Post race food included water, beer, hot dog, chips, snacks, and fruit. The race swag was decent; a long sleeved tech shirt with a pelican on the front,and we also got a canvas bag. The medal was a pelican as well. I hope the RD will add more potties at the start, and also ensure the water stations do not run out of fluids and cups. I’m not sure if there any this they can do about the shuttle situation, as I didn’t use the shuttle. Charleston was a beautiful city to visit, and I enjoyed sightseeing in that area.