Chris Lee's Staging Area

This was my third year running this event/Cowtown Challenge. I keep coming back for a reason. Cowtown does a great job running this event from when you get there for the expo to when you finish. The expo is very large and has a ton of vendor, mainly other races and to purchase products. One suggestion is that Cowtown could do more with their race shop. I remember last year’s shop having a ton of awesome products. This year they did not have much and one of the race jackets I purchased ran out Friday afternoon. In addition, I heard that some people had issues with the shuttles from the hotels. I heard this multiple times.

In looking at the race from start to finish they do a great job. Sunday morning you are able to hang out in the building next to the start, which is nice so you do not freeze before the race. There is ample restrooms in the building and a ton of port a johns outside. The starting corrals are very organized and each corral has their own start. I will say since there are a ton of people who run this race the route does get a little crowded. The course showcases the city really well from the stockyards to downtown Fort Worth. The course can be very challenging, especially when you get to mile 9 which is on a hill. The finish is great as it joins up with the other races and you can see the marathon finishers running past if you are running the half. At the finish line you are greeted with volunteers and people from the med. tent to make sure you are okay. Then you are filter out to the open area (after collecting your medal, post food and finisher shirts). I really like the challenge and being able to push yourself over two days.

This year finished the three year challenge, which now my three medals from 2017-2019 fit together. I am excited to see what they bring for next year.

As part of the I-35 challenge this race is the second part of the challenge.
Expo – I wished the expo was opened a little later as it was tough to run the half in KC then head to Des Moines to pick up our packet. I found out later that you could do same day pickup but I like checking out the vendors. Sadly some were packing up with two hours left of the expo. Unfortunately when I went to pick up my packet I ordered a smaller size jacket since I registered months and months ago. I asked to switched and the race committee member said he would like too but he didn’t want to run out for others. I was a little upset as I see many races have a spot to switch sizes. He did end up giving me a beanie as a way to say sorry so I was thankful that he tried to work with me. I really like how the race put all the participating on a big banner where you can take pictures and on a car. Scheel had some cool gear, I would have liked to see more marathon race gear (not sure if it’s because we got there later) but they did offer 40% off close to the end of the expo so I got a jacket.
Race – Free parking was available at the baseball park so that was nice. There was no set corrals so we all had the same start. At the beginning it was a little tough to run as there were a ton of people but after mile one it opened up. The race did a great job with signage, water stops and port a potties. I was very impressed. I was definitely not de hydrated and never had to wait to use the port a potties. The volunteers were amazing and super nice. Some would read your name on the bib and say good job “insert name” and cheer you on. That was a great feeling. The race does follow two running paths so sections were tough to run around people. It was cool to see the top marathoners run past you but the race used motorcycles to pace and certain parts got a little unsafe when they passed you. The course was mostly flat and took you to part of downtown which I liked. I wish I could see more of the town vs the lakes.
Post race – At first I thought they only had pizza and beer but went around the corner and saw more food for runners. I was very impressed on the amount of food they had. I didn’t leave hungry and even had some stuff for later. You will definitely be refueled by the time you leave. There were opportunities to take pictures once you left the finish line. I was dishearten that we couldn’t use our camera to take a picture at the I-35 challenge sign. Marathon photo had to take your picture. Last year at KC we could take pictures for free.
Swag – Jacket is amazing and even says 13.1 on the back. The medal is created by a local artist so it is unique. I like how different the medal were.
Overall – Definitely a race to check out. Just know that the race goes around two lakes so just looking at the runners going around the lake is a little tough. Swag and medal are great and you will feels well supported running.

This was my four time participating but first time in the marathon. As my first marathon I wanted to do it at a race that means a lot and since moving to OKC I figured that this was the race to do it at. Also I know most of the course so I knew what I was getting myself into.

This is a must do race. No matter how much you know about the race or not you will be transformed. This race started to remember the people lost in the bombing and throughout the year it has grown to an incredible race. People from all over the country come to run to remember. Swag is always what people want to know, everyone gets the same participant shirt (which I don’t, as they should have different items for different races). The finishers of the half and full do receive a finisher shirt which is awesome. Full Marathon will receive green finisher shirts and Half marathon will receive yellow, these are the standard colors for those races. The medal has changed over the last ten years and the last couple of years has been a round medal with different designs on it. The expo is good but there could be some improvements to it such as more vendors. You can spend hours at the expo as there are opportunities to shop, register for races, listen to speakers and see the topography map.

Race Day
Weather is unpredictable so pack for any weather haha. One thing I have to warn you is that they do not offer wave starts. I have expressed my concern about it but did not receive a good response that was valid to my concern. Once the race starts everyone goes through the start line thus creates congestion on the course. Depending what corral you are in the more congestion you can get. If you are trying to qualify for Boston I hope you get in one of the first corrals to give you more room. I’m not a fast runner so when we are going up the hill around mile two it is hard to run around people as people are walking up the hill. I was a little annoyed about that. The route is great for the most part, some of the roads are not fully blocked so you have to be careful as some drivers are not paying attention. We had some random person biking on the same trail as we were using during the marathon. I’m glad nothing happened. The volunteers are amazing, they will stay out there for hours cheering you on.

Overall I would do it again. It was a great accomplishment and great support from the community even when crossing the finish line just after 6 hours.

As a runner you were given a race shirt, I wasn’t much of a fan of it because it was white and the shoulders were tight for some odd reason. The graphics were great and if they had a different color I would be slightly more happy. Anyways I will have to give props to the race organizers. We knew days in advance that there might be thunderstorms and rain. Fortunately they had a plan. We received four emails the night/day before the race talking about weather and the chance of race delay. In addition various posts on their event page and an announcer throughout the morning talking about the delay. Everyone knew it was delay and it was great communication. Well done cowtown. The weather cleared and we were ready to go. The course was the same as the year prior thus it was nice to know when the hills would come. The course is very scenic and you get to run on a cool trail for a little bit. Once we got back to the finish line there were thunderstorms coming in so we were told to go in. Unfortunately we weren’t able to party after the race outside with the other vendors but our safety was first. I would suggest doing the challenge if you are already coming for a race. You won’t be disappointed as the routes are mostly different.

I participated in the 5K last year so I definitely wanted to try out the half marathon. Overall it was a great race, I love the energy of all the runners and the people who put the race on. The jackets were amazing (like always), great and challenging course, expo had a variety of vendors, great supporting during the race. There were a couple of things I would have liked to see improved. I wasn’t impressed with the size of the medals compared to years previous. The medals were a lot bigger and weighed a lot in 2016. In 2016 there was a table at the expo where you could get a lot of snacks, the table did not have any snacks this year. Lastly there was a medical tent (I believe mile 11), there was nobody there. I saw an ice chest, a table and maybe another box but nobody was there. So if someone got hurt they would have to run all the way to the finish line for any assistance. That was not right. Those are just some things I saw but overall great race. I would do it again in a heart beat but I know the race wanted us to write so that they can make the race better. If you haven’t done this race, do it.

I was a little hesitant about corporate races like this but you know I had a ton of fun. The course was nicely laid out and got to see a lot of the city. Some races state that they are in the city but in reality are on the outskirts. I was impressed with the course entertainment and the course support. One thing I really liked are the amounts of port of potties around thus helping with some lines. I really enjoyed the wave start to be able to give people room to get a good stride going. The medal was nice but it was way too small for a half marathon. I do like the design. I would do this again if I lived closer.

One of the cheaper races I have done. I was disappointed in the expo, race website, race swag, the notion of it being a fast half, and the medal. First off their was only one vendor at the race expo. Secondly their website was not user friendly and hard to find any race policies. Third they changed the race jacket to a long sleeve tee which was disappointing. Fourth there were a lot of hills in this race. Lastly the medal was okay, they could have done a better design for this race. There are a lot of runners who run for the bling. I was also disappointed for the winners for the races because they didn’t get a plaque rather a headband and a cup. I have seen 5Ks that do a really good job for their elite runners. I will say if you like a race that is very straight and not many turns, along with running in the country then this would probably be your race. This does go to a good cause so I’m not upset but thought they could have done a slightly better job.

Overall I thought the race was pretty good, it is hard to compare because I have done several Disney races and they are amazing. First off I was a little disappointed that the Expo was only open until about 6pm on Friday, thus for people coming out of state the only other option is to pick up the day off. I hate this option but driving from Oklahoma to Texas is not a short drive, especially when you get off of work at 5pm. We were sent several emails about packet pickup and that you should have someone pick up your bib due to the large amount of runners. They state that the expo doors open at 6am and that you should have your bib 45 min prior to race start which would put you at 6:15am at the latest to have your bib. I got to the expo on Saturday morning for the 10K race at 6am. I was able to pick my 10K bib quickly and decided to get my half marathon during the same time. I’m already there and going to go back to my car to drop the items off so might as well. When I went over to the table that had my specific bib there was nobody to help me with my half marathon bib. I was a little disappointed because there should have been someone there to help, especially if this is a large race and this was their 39th year holding this event. Granted the half marathon race wasn’t until Sunday but most people will pick up both bibs at the same time. I really enjoyed the half marathon course, you got to see a lot of different parts of Fort Worth and some of the iconic sites, such as the stock yards. This race was challenging in that there was large hill during mile 4 and during mile 10. It was definitely challenging to get up both of those hills. The free parking was a nightmare to get to so I ended up paying for both days for convenience. If you want free parking get there earlier. I was a little disappointed in the race snacks after the half marathon because it was not as good as the 5K/10K snacks. When I finished the 10K, there were a ton of snacks for racers and better directions. It felt like we had all the left overs snacks from the day before and less organized. I will definitely be back next year as they had a deal to registered for 2018 at the expo. I would suggest doing the challenge if you are going here because the medal is pretty cool. By the way the 5K medal is super small and the 10K is decent sized.