Clint Carpenter's Staging Area

My first “Rock n Roll”. The organization had the business side of the marathon down. The expo was full and everything was organized to move you through smoothly. However, the race itself was just “ok”. I liked the live entertainment (which varied widely in quality), but the nature of running by them meant I only ever got snippets of a song.
There were some beautiful miles of the course on parks or river side, but the bulk of it was on city streets. Most of the time the streets were only partially closed so we were running with traffic on one or both sides of our reserved lane. That was a big negative for me.
Aid stations were plentiful, but it felt like the vast majority of the support on the run was from the paid entertainment and aid stations. Nearly no signs or cheering to break the monotony of running through buildings next to traffic.
I will not be seeking out other “Rock n Roll” marathons and instead looking for ones more connected to community or place.

I’d walked a little around Timothy lake before and for some reason thought the majority of the run would be like that section (flat and smooth). In reality, almost all the run is on more traditional trails, complete with the mud, puddles, roots, and rocks I should have expected.
It was pretty (though very wet). Unfortunately I went out way too fast for the conditions and blew my race out.
It really wasn’t that rough for a trail run, just make sure you pace yourself for a trail and not for flat packed gravel.

The OKC run to remember is a fundraiser for the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial. The race starts at the memorial and runs through a town still very impacted by that tragedy. So you feel very connected to the cause.
The community involvement on this race was FANTASTIC. So many spectators and great aid stations (official and otherwise). I felt supported every single mile.

This race covers the most gorgeous trail I have ever been on in 40+ years of hiking. On a clear day you have a 360 view of the Chugach mountain peaks lit red by blooming fireweed. The ridge overlooks the small town of Seward, AK and all of Kenai Fjords National Park. To top it off the race is a fund raiser for Cystic Fibrosis so the entry fee is easy to part with.
The trail does make you earn your views with about 2,000 feet of elevation gain up one side of the ridge and dropping back down the other side, but it is worth every step.