DALE BUETTNER's Staging Area

Packet was mailed, so no expo. Course was all on road, although a good portion of it was dirt/gravel road. I was impressed that the party was still happening and all of the special treats still available even for the back of the pack. Swag was a cotton t-shirt and a smaller wooden medal. Can count for either Vermont or Massachusetts for 50 Staters!

This was my 27th state, and I was one of the pacers for the race. I thought the race was very well done, with a good number of aid stations. Temps started off a little bit cold, but warmed up through the race. Gatorade was offered at every station and Gu was available at a number of stations. There was also some real food that individual aid station teams had brought out. Everything from fruit, to Hershey miniatures, and even donuts. I wasn’t that thrilled with the course, especially the profile, which was roughly “V” shaped. (meaning most of the uphill was in the second half of the race) The road portions were primarily residential, but there were also long stretches of paved bike path. The finish line celebration still had plenty of food and alcohol left, even with a slow-ish finish time. I really liked the medal, which was the scarecrow’s hat! It ranks in the top 5 medals that I have and ranks very high for originality.

I was the 5:30 pacer for this event. Easy packet pickup. Great medal, but shirt was cotton and not compelling. Tons of easy parking. 1st mile is on the NASCAR track. The big, banked turns aren’t much fun to navigate. After passing through town, most of the race is rural. There’s an out and back towards the bay, but there’s really not much of a view. Although there were plenty of aid stations, most of the later ones were out of Gatorade. I don’t remember any nutrition being offered on the course, but we were given 2 Hammer gels in our bag from the packet pickup. The only hill in the course was a highway overpass in the final mileof the race. Beer and pizza were both given to runners at the finish. I had a first timer in my group, but most of the runners I met (and myself) were also running Atlantic City the next day. Photos were not free or searchable and were only at the start and finish. Overall, this was a small and logistically easy race. However, if I decide to go back to DE I’ll probably try another race.

This was a “pre-packaged” event from All Community events. Similar events with the same swag were put on in different cities around the country. The exact distances offered depend on the particular race venue. This event was put on in Beckley Creek park on a portion of the Louisville Loop paved bike path. There were pacers provided for the half marathon (and I was one of them). There were a couple of long hills, but most of the route was pretty flat. Water and sports drink were provided in 3 areas along the course 2 of which were passed twice. Free finish line photos were included. There were 480 5k finishers and 228 for the half. The only food I got at the finish was a cup with a few grapes in it. Maybe the 5k took most of the food? Swag: I really liked the tech hoodie, but the medal and the pint glass both seemed pretty cheap. Parking is a potential concern, but I didn’t have any trouble as I arrived early as part of the pace team.

Was rainy and foggy, so we never got a good view of the lake or bridge. Everyone was friendly! Lots of aid stations and porta potties. Beer and pizza were available at some of the later aid stops. Great race director who is an active 50 stater. It’s obvious that the race is put on by someone who has run a lot of races.

Medal and shirt were average for a small town race. The course got boring for the full marathon since there were parts of it we went through 4 times. Aid and community support was pretty good with a number of unofficial aid stations along the course. My biggest problem for the day was the temperature and humidity, which was worse than what previous year averages were.