Lynnette Childress's Staging Area

Let’s talk about the swag. The expo was nice. Runners snagged 3 pairs of socks in their bag. Two were super comfortable by Brooks and had the RunWiththeMarines logo on them. The other pair was a thin, white crew sock with 13.1 logo on the side. There were a couple of snack/energy bars, and packs of flower seeds were offered. KT was on hand to tape knees, ankles, shoulders, etc. for race participants. Very thankful to the young lady that taped my knees for this race. My goal was to finish pain-free in under 3 hrs. Thanks to KT tape, I achieved this goal. Multiple apparel and shoe kiosks. You know, the drill.
Outside the expo was a Kodiak food truck. Also, the City of Fredericksburg offered free shuttle rides to the historic downtown area for shopping/dining/sightseeing.

This was a well-organized race from start to finish. The organizers were prepared for the high temps for race day. There were several water stops along the route. The locals along the route showed up and showed out by providing coolers filled with ice, fresh fruit (watermelon, oranges, pineapples, bananas), freeze pops, donuts, and more. Several neighbors had the sprinklers and water hoses going full blast to keep runners cool. It was amazing! Lots of encouragement and support along the way. I saw multiple EMS points along the route as well.
In addition, the Marine soldiers were on hand throughout the route and especially between miles 11-13, with the greatest show of support through the hospital hill portion of the race. Marines lined the street for what seemed like two blocks and offered cheers and encouragement. Some were manning the water station. Fantastic opportunities for pictures.

Post-race nourishment bags were given at the finish line and contained 2 bottles of water, a Gatorade, 2 bananas, a fruit cup, and 2 energy bars. This in addition to the bottle of water and banana handed to you when you after you received your super nice Finishers medal. The Marine Corp Band was on hand for an outdoor concert at the baseball stadium.

Honor and respect to the Marines for their commitment to service and protecting our country. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this awesome run. Great job!! Oorah!!

This was a beautiful race full of rolling hills that coursed through farmland. There were ample water stops throughout along with music entertainment by the locals along the route. The pre and post race meals were ample and filled with delicious homemade goodness.
The Amish do a great job of organizing this race. I highly recommend adding this race to your bucket list for a wonderful experience.