Christopher Stephens's Staging Area

A flat, flat course along the river, though tailwinds in one direction meant headwinds on the way back (that whole “Oklahoma, where the winds come sweeping down the plain” thing is no joke). A little confusion about number pickup, but nothing major. Small party at the finish, plus free admission to the aquarium!

Well organized, this race sticks mostly to the seawall around Stanley Park. As such, it follows some of the best views of the city. Would that it had not been so rainy when I participated.

This was a small race, mostly flat. Not much in the way of crowd support, and bare minimum in the way of pre-race communication or set up at the start. No bag check (though a sympathetic volunteer let me stash my bag in the race tent). Instead of yet another t-shirt, the giveaway was a substantial fleece-like top.

The organizers take quality _very_ seriously here. The staging area at the race track is beautifully managed (not sure if it will be at the same location in 2024), and they go to great lengths to partner with local establishments (think distillery). It rained heavily on race day, but otherwise I would think you would see plenty of horses in the fields.

Pleasant course with a few miles along the coast, otherwise pleasant roads with few hills and little traffic. Not much in the way of spectators along the way, but super-efficient race organization.

This race highlights Ward Parkway, one of the nicest streets in Kansas City, lined with beautiful homes and churches. The terrain would qualify as “gently rolling”, not exactly flat, but nothing to worry about in terms of hills. The organizational side of things was top notch. I picked up my number the morning of the race (a bit of a scramble for parking, but nothing dire), so I can’t speak to the quality of the race expo. Good crowd support, great volunteers. Well done!

There are several races this weekend, from a full marathon down to chidren’s races; I ran the half, which loops from the top of the town to Point Pleasant Park back to the Citadel. There are hills, but nothing too daunting, and very few distances without some fans cheering on. Everything worked just as the organizers promised, and I would heartily recommend this race to anyone considering it.

The weather for this race is usually a little dicey (they’ve had to cancel and/or make it a “fun run” in previous years). All the same, if you don’t like heat and want to run two loops of Central Park, this is the race for you.