Carla Zack's Staging Area

This was my 9th Vacation Races production and as usual. they don’t disappoint! The course was so scenic running through the Black Hills National Forest, with at least 3 opportunities to see Mt. Rushmore from a distance. As others have pointed out, it is an extremely hilly course, with switchback hills for the first 8 miles. I mostly walked the hills and just enjoyed the scenery. Course support was great with many aid stations. It is an A to B course, so I took a shuttle to the start from our hotel in Keystone. Medals and t-shirts were top notch, as usual with Vacation Races. The goody box they give at the end had some nice treats!

Definitely make a long weekend out of your trip to South Dakota and enjoy the sites in the surrounding areas – Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer State Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Wind Cave, and just an hour and a half away – the Badlands!

This was my first time to Austin, and I really enjoyed the town as well as the race! Race communication leading up to the race was plentiful – lots of emails to get you excited and keep you fully informed about what you needed to know for packet pick up and race day instructions.
The expo was at the Palmer Events Center, and if you stay downtown, it’s an easy walk across the Congress Ave bridge through the Ladybird Walking Trails. The t-shirts and swag were nice. Lots of vendors at the expo, but not overwhelming. Fun “Austin” displays were set up to take photos.
Race day was chilly this year at 34 degrees, but the starting line was well organized and grouped according to pace. The full and half marathoners all start at 7:00am, and the 5K runners start at 7:45am. There were over 9100 half marathon finishers and about 4000 marathon finishers. Course is entirely paved roads, and it takes you through some scenic and iconic places in Austin, but note it is definitely not flat! There were a lot of rolling hills on this course. Water and aid stations were VERY plentiful along this course. Gels and gel blocks were provided too.
Crowd support was amazing! There were a lot of enthusiastic spectators along this course, holding up clever signs and cheering everyone on with yelling and clapping!
Finish line was at the Capitol building and the medal was pretty solid. (It can be converted into a belt buckle for those who are so inclined.) We received a bag of goodies – chips and pretzels and some granola bars – as well as a bottled water. Walk a few blocks and you eventually end up in the finisher section where a band was playing and you could grab some free beer!
Overall, I was very impressed with the race production of the Austin Marathon. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a well organized race in a very cool town.

With this being my hometown race, I signed up for the half marathon last spring knowing it was the 25th anniversary. Overall the Flying Pig has done an excellent job over the past 25 years, but I was disappointed with the production this year, specifically that for the half and full marathon participants, we received a cotton participant t-shirt instead of a technical shirt that literally has been given out every single year for the past 10+ years or so. A cotton shirt on the 25th anniversary? Epic fail in my book.

The Flying Pig weekend has something for everyone. There are multiple races on Saturday – 10K, 5K, Flying Piglet, Flying Fur, and Pigabilities. Sunday is for the full marathon, half marathon, and 4-person relay. As everyone has already noted in their reviews, Sunday weather was pretty awful. It rained heavily with lightning and thunder a full hour before start time, but we still started on time at 6:30am with the caveat from the race director that everyone has to take personal responsibility for their safety. Anyone looking at the weather radar could see that another band of heavy storms was heading our way. And sure enough, about 1.5 miles into the race, the heavens opened up and continued their downpour. The rain came down so fast I couldn’t wipe the water away from my eyes fast enough. Lightning flashed while we crossed over metal bridges and the puddles were ankle-deep in some places, with no choice to go around but run through. So yeah, it was a wet race! It was only after I finished the race when I looked at my phone that I realized they had issued a shelter in place order. If that was the case, I feel like they should have had a better plan in place for communicating this to runners. But ultimately, we are all adults (except for the poor 7 year old who got dragged along with his horrible family) and are responsible for our own decisions to stop or keep running.

But many many kudos to the volunteers and spectators who came out and enthusiastically supported all of the runners. Their cheering and support really were motivating through this very difficult race. The water and aid stations were staffed well. The goodies at the finish line were nice, and of course, the Flying Pig medal is really top notch. I think the post-race party would have been a lot of fun, but no one wanted to stick around in the rainy weather conditions.

Another great half marathon from Vacation Races! This was our first time visiting Tucson and Saguaro National Park. The race production was smooth! From the race guide emailed out ahead of time and packet pickup the day before, to the course aid stations and finish line, it was a great time! The first 7 miles are on pavement, but there are many hills. Once you hit mile 7, you are all on trail, and this is where it can be technically challenging. Many people chose to walk this section of the trail, but for those of us who wanted to run a bit, it was hard to pass since the trail was so narrow. Lots of rocks so you had to keep your eye on the trail. Cactus on both sides so also had to be careful not to hit those! But the scenery was amazing! Race started just as the sun rose and we had perfect weather – 47 degrees to start, warming up to the low 60’s at the finish. Aid stations were placed about every 2 miles and since this is a cup-free event, you had to bring your own hydration or pull out your re-useable cup for Gnarly or water. Finish line ended in Old Tucson, which was an old movie studio. So much fun! Medals and t-shirts were fantastic (as always with Vacation Races). Would definitely recommend this race to anyone!

If going to Albuquerque’s famous International Balloon Fiesta is on your bucket list, you will definitely want to include running a half marathon while watching the morning mass ascension as well!

This is a fairly small race that starts in a field and eventually hooks up to a multi-purpose trail. There were only 4 porta-potties at the starting line for all half marathon, 10K, and 5K participants, so just be aware and plan accordingly! The half marathon goes out at 7:00am, followed by the 10K (7:30am) and 5K (8:00am) racers. Race communication prior to the race is pretty sparse; no emails were sent out until the week of the race.

Packet pickup was available on Saturday afternoon as well as 2 hours prior to the race on Sunday morning. The t-shirts (non-technical) were really nice, and the balloon-shaped bib was a nice touch!

Overall, the race is pretty flat, but just know that in order to get to the multi-purpose paved trail (which you will share with many bikers and other runners), you will be doing a trail run and then running on a busy road with cars driving past you at high speeds. Luckily this only lasts for a mile or so. The course is an out and back, with a turnaround at mile 7. Water stops were every 2-3 miles, and they had both water and Gatorade available.

There really aren’t any easy places for spectators to view the course so you have to rely on volunteers to cheer you on. But really, the reason you have this race in the first place is to watch all of the hot air balloons launching in the sky while you are running. It really is a beautiful sight to see!

All race participants (half, 10K, and 5K) received the same medal, which was nice, as well as a special 5 year anniversary cowbell. All race participants also received a general admission ticket to Balloon Fiesta (worth about $15) which could be used at any session. Overall, it was a nice race and I would recommend.

This race is an absolute must for any “Shawshank Redemption” movie fans! The race starts and ends at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, OH where the movie was filmed. It’s an out and back course that gets you into downtown Mansfield where some other non-prison scenes were filmed as well. The race organizers are absolutely amazing. The communication up to the race is outstanding and you can join a Facebook group where all runners post their travel days and fun pictures. I believe this course is limited to 1,500 people in person. Before the start of the race, there is a costume contest as well as “Warden Norton” who shows up on a motorcycle to give a speech. The “warden” runs the race too in his suit! If you arrive on Friday before the race, you can tour the OSR, attend a Q&A with someone involved with the movie production, and then actually watch the “Shawshank Redemption” in the guard room with your fellow runners. The medal is one of the most elaborate (and heavy – 2 lbs!) I’ve ever received. This year’s medal had you opening up the Warden’s safe by turning a safe combination to reveal the Bible where Andy had stored his rockhammer. All runners received a technical shirt. Each participant is assigned to either the “Guard” or “Inmate” team, and the bibs are different according to your team.

The course itself has some hills, and though there is not much crowd support, they do have a water stop at every mile, which is pretty impressive considering it is only 4.6 miles. Race finish goodies include a popsicle, bottled water, banana and granola bar. Your bib contains a ticket for a ride on the carousel so if you are not so concerned about your time and just want to have fun, you can tear off your ticket and ride the carousel in downtown Mansfield while you are doing the race!

Overall, I give this race a huge thumb’s up for fun and Shawshank nostalgia. You’ll love it!

Really enjoyed this flat and fast course along the Atlantic City boardwalk! Race organizers did a fantastic job. Communication up through race day was great – lots of emails to let runners know final details. We stayed at the Showboat hotel which was about 0.3 mile away from packet pick up and the start at the Resorts Casino. Swag included a nice long-sleeve green technical shirt and a great medal with a sparkly jester on it. The start was at 8:00am on Sunday morning on the boardwalk. Since early April in AC is technically their off-season, there wasn’t much going on along the boardwalk, which for a race is actually good! Not many people or spectators, but running on the boardwalk is easier on the knees. After 3 miles on the boardwalk, you dip out onto the streets of AC and then make a turnaround at 6.5 and then just go back the way you came. I never felt crowded, and though it started raining, I didn’t feel like I had to adjust my stride to run on the wet boardwalk. But some people may be hesitant to run on wood when it gets wet, so just be mindful of the terrain. Finish line provisions were good – bottled water, Gatorade, bagels, kettle corn, and bananas, plus a free beer ticket to be redeemed at the Landshark Bar & Grill. A fun race, definitely would recommend.

This was my first time running Smuttynose, and I had an amazing time! We stayed in Hampton Beach on Saturday and Sunday nights so we didn’t have to worry about driving in on race day. Packet pickup was easy and quick on Saturday afternoon. The 3/4 zip fleece pullover was really nice. They had other merchandise for sale there as well.

We were able to just walk 10 mins to the starting line from our hotel in the morning. As race conditions go, the weather was just perfect. Overcast and 59 degrees with a slight wind. However, I have heard in years past, it can be cold, windy and rainy! The starting line didn’t have any porta-potties, so you either had to walk a few blocks to the finish to go or hold it! We got started right on time at 8am. Though crowded, it wasn’t unmanageable and it thinned out enough to pass runners if you needed to. The mile markers were way off from what my Garmin GPS showed. Mile marker 2 showed up when my watch said 1.66. And then my watch showed 2.73 at mile marker 3. I don’t know what happened there! The first 5 miles or so run through Hampton Beach and then after that you run along the ocean northwards. It’s out and back so the faster runners had to navigate through the large packs of slower runners and there weren’t any cones to separate the runners running in different directions. Aid stations were about every 2 miles so it felt sufficient to me.

The finish line was well organized, with people handing out water and bananas. Food tent lines moved quickly, giving out clam chowder, minestrone soup and lobster rolls. A vegan wrap was also available. We were given 2 beer tickets that could be redeemed at the clam shell stage or at bars across the street.

Highly recommend this race to anyone looking for a fast course and a great party afterwards.

This was my 5th half marathon from Vacation Races, and as usual, they did not disappoint! Vacation Races always produces a top-notch, well organized race. With frequent communications and a comprehensive race guide, they give you all the information you need. We stopped at the expo on Friday afternoon to pick up our bibs and race shirt. The technical shirt is really nice! I did the Moose Double challenge, which included running the 5K on Friday night, followed by the half marathon on Saturday morning. My traveling companions and I walked to downtown Jackson to catch a shuttle to the starting line early Saturday morning and had to wait about an hour to start. They grouped runners into waves, with each wave starting about 10 minutes apart. Weather was absolutely perfect, with a starting temp around 55 and no clouds in the sky. Aid stations were approximately every other mile, offering water and Gnarly. This is a cup free race (as are all of Vacation Races) so you have to bring a hydropouch (free) to rehydrate. Some aid stations offered goo, bananas, and oranges. The course itself runs along a bike path for about the first 5 miles and then you must share the shoulder of a public road, but there’s really not that much traffic so I didn’t have an issue. But having the Tetons to your left as you are running is just breathtaking! Many people stopped to take pictures. The finish is at the Jackson Hole Tennis and Golf Club. A nice box of goodies is given at the finish, along with a beautiful shield medal. With the Moose Double challenge, I had a total of 3 medals – 5K, Half, and Moose Double. We did have to wait in line for the shuttle to take us back to downtown Jackson, but fortunately our wait wasn’t as long as the runners who had to wait for a shuttle to take them back to the starting line. I really can’t say enough great things about the race. Everything was perfect. If you are at all interested, PLAN AHEAD! Lodging and car rentals were scarce this year, and the half marathon did sell out. But a trip to Jackson Hole and visiting the Grand Teton National Park afterwards is well worth it.

In the era of COVID-19, if you’re looking to find an in person race, you get what you get. The people who put on this race (FiveStar NTP) have 5K races practically every weekend somewhere around the Atlanta metropolitan area. So, I feel like the half marathon course was a complete after thought. This race had 5K, 10K and half marathon participants. The first part of the race ran along Peachtree Industrial Blvd, with only cones separating you from cars whizzing past at 45 mph. Part of the race ran through a park, but then once you finished the park, you were supposed to get back on the road, and then run to a car with a green cone, turnaround, and then do the run through the park again, but it was highly confusing as to what exactly you were supposed to do and the poor kid who was at the center of all the mass confusion of cones and arrows looked at me blankly when I asked what I was supposed to do for the half marathon course. So I guess the run on the road (2nd part) after the park was where half marathoners were supposed to get their extra mileage after doing the 10K course again. I don’t know. Somehow I managed to finish with 13.2 miles and someone at the finish scanned the barcode on my bib at the finish line which was already being taken down. The shirts were decent, packet pick up at Indio Brewing the day before was fun, and the medals were cute, but they didn’t have a date or place on them. My friend is on a quest to do 50 half marathons in 50 states, so when we found this half marathon in Georgia, we decided to go for it. But really, after we are all vaccinated and in person races become a thing again, I am absolutely positive there are much more exciting and scenic half marathon courses in Georgia that are better marked and organized. I much prefer half marathon courses that are a part of a full marathon course (or even just a complete half marathon course themselves) rather than a half marathon course just being 2 loops of a 10K course + an extra 0.7 mile. Overall, would not recommend this course.

After sending out an email questionnaire to see if there was any interest, Vacation Races put this race together in a very relatively short amount of time. But as always, they produce an excellent race experience! Zion at Night was held over Friday and Saturday nights, from 7pm to 7am. You signed up for a particular start time, spaced 1 hour apart, and only 50 people were allowed for each time slot. This was my first trip to Zion and my first trail race. I signed up for 9pm start on Saturday night. There was no Expo, but they had Zion Half Marathon merchandise for sale near the bib and t-shirt pickup tent. The start is kind of anti-climactic, so for those runners who get an adrenaline high waiting around with fellow runners at the starting line, and get excited when the gun goes off… well this is not the race for those types of runners! You pretty much can start when you feel like it! I took off at 8:50pm, even though I signed up for 9pm start. At the starting line, they scanned your bib to start your time, and then you just go! The first 2.5 miles is road/sidewalk and then you start your trail running.

Once it gets dark, you must rely on your headlamp to guide you because even though there was a full moon, it’s not enough light to guide you. Miles 3-6 or so were very near a steep drop-off, so I tried not to look to the right of me while I was running because it was just complete blackness. They used ribbons with reflective tags to mark the trail every 100-200 yards or so. I only took one wrong turn, but realized after a minute or so that I was off so I turned around and got back on course. There were 3 aid stations at around miles 3, 6, and 10. You had to bring your own hydration cups or bottles to fill up on water or Gnarly because there were no paper cups, which is typical for any Vacation Race. Only the second aid station was manned.

There is a lot of darkness and solitude running this course! But very peaceful and quieting to get lost in your own thoughts. The darkness really affected my depth perception and peripheral vision, even with a headlamp, so I had a hard time running, knowing how uneven the trail was. Eventually I took off my headlamp and held it in my hand so I could shine light closer to the ground.

This was definitely my slowest half marathon I’ve ever run, but I really enjoyed the challenge and adventure. I was very happy when I could finally see the finish line! The race communications were first class and full of useful information. I can’t wait to get my medal in a few weeks! (They gave us a Zion keychain at the finish since they were unable to get medals ready in such a short amount of time.) Highly recommend this race and hope that they do it again. Only thing that I would do differently is sign up for a 4 or 5am start so I could start in the dark and appreciate the full moon, but see the sunrise and finish in the light! Thanks Vacation Races for putting on such a great event!

I can’t believe I’m the first person to review this race! It was absolutely the most challenging half marathon I’ve ever run, but also one of the most beautiful races I’ve done too. If you want to truly immerse yourself in a race that is all about wineries and vineyards, this is the race for you. Unlike the Napa to Sonoma race where you run on paved roads that connect the towns of Napa and Sonoma, the Fueled by Fine Wine race stays in the Dundee Hills region and you run past 7-8 wineries and run through their vineyards. Therefore you are doing a lot of trail running on dirt paths and uneven terrain, but you’ve got vineyards on either side of you. There is hardly any flat in this course – if you aren’t running uphill, you’re running downhill, but when you reach uphill you can stop and take a look at 360 degree views of the Willamette Valley. Amazing! The race production was fantastic – nice medal, great technical shirt, and a wine glass at the finish. The post-race wine festival on Stoller property was under a tent where about 40 wineries served unlimited tastings of their wine. Support along the course were water/electrolyte stops every 2 miles or so, but really no spectators to cheer you on except volunteers at the water stops. This was the 10th anniversary of this race, and I heard the current race director is turning over control to a new management company so I hope consecutive races are just as nice. It’s a spectacular race! You will be so glad you did it.

Due to flooding along the river, the course organizers had to change the finish line from the Gateway Arch park to the Soldier’s Memorial park. They had shuttles from downtown to the starting line in Forest Park. Running through Forest Park for the first 5 miles was really beautiful. It’s very scenic running past the art museum and running through Washington University campus. Miles 7-10 weren’t nearly as scenic, and I’m not a fan of running the same roads out and back, but I think the race organizers had to do what they could. The last mile was pretty much all downhill. Medal for the half marathon was pretty nice and ICE CREAM SANDWICHES at the finish! It was perfect for the warm sunny morning. The race swag was great – long sleeve technical shirt for the half. And a nice cotton shirt for the 5K. I did the Go! Short, Go! Long challenge and did both the 5K and the half and got an extra medal as well as a light cotton half zip shirt. Excellent production! Would highly recommend.

You’re in Maui… I mean, it doesn’t get any better than that! The half marathon course starts and finishes in Ka’anapali (not sure where the full starts; all I know is you have to be bused there and I didn’t do it!) it’s a little dark when you start at 5:30am, but once the sun comes up, you are treated to amazing ocean views and volcanic mountains. The half marathon course runs through the town of Lahaina, and then after 6.5 miles, it turns around so you run back the same way you came. At some point the full marathoners merge in with you. The course is entirely flat, no hills at all. Very minimal spectators on the streets to cheer you on, but MANY aid stations, practically every mile I think, with water and Gatorade to choose from. The finish line is nice, and they call out your name as you cross. There are virtually no post-race goodies, save for some sliced up bananas and pineapple, so you’ll have to rely on your own post-race refueling. The medal was cool! The Expo the day before was in a small banquet hall of the Westin. Get there early when it opens up at 9:00am if you want to purchase some Maui Marathon swag, because after about an hour, most sizes are gone. The shirts that come with the registration are not technical, but they are nicely designed and durable. I’d highly recommend this race, because I mean, you’re in Maui! While your other friends are bundled up for their fall marathons, you can send back pics of you with your medal in front of the ocean. It just doesn’t get any better than that!

Kudos to all who participated as marathoners for the 20th anniversary! I only did the half marathon, but it was still quite an event. The expo was filled with tons of vendors, but I didn’t stand in line for 30 mins to get my free P&G samples. (Why don’t they put free samples in your goody bag anymore?) The technical shirts were nice. It took me almost 30 mins to get to the starting line because of my corral placement, but the course was good. Water and aid stops were frequent and plentiful. Finish “Swine” was a little tight, but overall, I was really glad to be a part of the 20th anniversary celebration!

The half marathon was so much fun! It was sort of a windy, chilly day when we ran, but that didn’t take away the enjoyment. The course starts off running down Duval street then takes a detour past the southernmost point (where all the tourists are!) and then runs along the ocean for the majority of time. It’s an out and back course, so you run the same portion of the course again, but it’s very scenic and very flat. Key West as a destination is a challenge to get to, but well worth the effort. The swag is fantastic! A long sleeve, technical shirt with Key West-inspired design, and the medal had the lighthouse on it which actually blinked. Would highly recommend this race as a destination race!

While certainly not as well know as the other MDI race that starts in Bar Harbor and runs along the coast, the Bar Harbor Bank and Trust YMCA half marathon was very well run and included some nice running on the carriage paths through Acadia National Park, along Eagle Lake. Unfortunately it was pretty foggy that day (it’s foggy in Maine a lot!) so we couldn’t see the lake as we were running around it, but the terrain was good. There was a very big hill coming out of the park as you head towards a finish line, along some busy roads, but most of the course goes through the Park. If you are a slow runner (like me!) or walker, they let you start an hour before everyone else, so you all sort of finish around the same time. The technical shirts weren’t anything extraordinary, but the medal was made of wood in the shape of Mount Desert Island, which was really cool and unique. This was our first trip to Maine and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there and hiking through Acadia. You get an individual hiker pass included as part of your swag (worth $12), so if you and another person are staying extra days around Acadia, you can exchange your 2 passes for a single car pass (worth $25). Great race! Would definitely recommend.

Now in its 17th year of running, the Hyde Park Blast is a favorite of many for the 4-mile course through the neighborhood of Hyde Park. In years past, they gave out high quality Brooks technical running shirts, but for the past 2 years, they have given out the cotton fleecy shirts, which is a disappointment. The course is nice and fairly flat, but you have to be on the lookout for people running with strollers at every step. The Stroller Brigade weaves in and out of narrow but crowded streets, which I found to be a huge pain. I’ve never seen so many strollers in a race! The Kids Fun run is a great opportunity for the young ones to participate. Last year, they gave out medals to just the kids, but this year they only gave out a cookie and milk. Disappointing to my 6-year old daughter who was really looking forward to getting a medal!

This was my first time running the Arizona RnR half marathon, and it was a great experience! The course was pretty flat, not many inclines or hills. Mostly ran through the streets of Tempe and Scottsdale. There was a little bit of scenery the last half of the race. Weather was unseasonably cool – in the mid 50’s and overcast/cloudy. Ideal running conditions! I ran the 5K the day before so in addition to the 5K medal, I got a Remix medal for running both the 5K and the half. Shirts were just average, no thought put into the design. But they were Brooks technical shirts, so I’ll wear the shirts for weekly workouts. I’d recommend this race to anyone!