Charlie Grisham's Staging Area

As part of the Herrin Festa, this race happens on Memorial Day. Usually quite warm. Don’t expect a full production or great swag…just a nice run on a generally flat rectangle course. 4 aid stations for a 10k. Not a ton of people out, but you are on roads that are coned.

This was my first time running Sharkbite, a nice Central Florida half marathon weekend that isn’t as glitzy as the RunDisney productions but still a nice time produced well.
Parking in NSB is always a bit of a pain, but we found a spot less than a mile from the start. Approaching the start/finish area, there were plenty of portopotties, but the true bonus was super clean beach bathrooms. The highlight of the race for me, as each was an individual bathroom with locking door and the wait wasn’t too bad. You’re not in South Florida here, so the weather can be weird. Last year was rain and cold, this year was wind and cold. We started the race at 36 degrees and a 10+ mph North wind. I did dump a cheap jacket at mile 2 and it was gone by the time I got back to that spot post race. The last 2 miles were straight into the wind along a major road. While these were the ocean view miles, most of us were keeping our heads down to minimize wind resistance. I sported some terrible splits on miles 11/12.
The bling was nice — huge medals and a pint glass (a few people dropped them in unfortunate places). Pizza at the end tasted yum and a free drink was included for those that are inclined to drink bubbly alcohol after running 13 miles.
This will likely be on my rotation for years. If you don’t need fireworks, Disney characters waving at you, want to spend half as much…do this one in lieu of the famous one the week before just down the road.

As other reviewers mention, run this one for the course, not the “experience”. Spectacular route through the best part of St. Louis. You’ll run past the world-famous zoo, the Muny theater, and multiple passes of the amazing Art Museum. The view of the art museum past shimmering fountains on a lovely fall day is worth the price of admission. This is a rolling hill course, so probably not a PR course. I enjoyed this one as a measuring stick on my path to getting back into running shape.
A HUGE thank you to the volunteers that showed up. This isn’t a big race, so you could tell the outreach to find people willing to do water for runners is difficult. I brought my own water/snacks so I didn’t get disappointed as others might. There are no photogs on the course, so if you want a picture of yourself running with a bib through Forest Park, you’ll need to bring a spectator. I tried to take mind pictures of some of the scenes — the aforementioned Art Museum view was one I’ll never forget. Perfect.
This is a small race organized by a small organization. If you have expectations set correctly, you’ll enjoy this. The April race (GO St Louis) is larger and better “experience”, but this wasn’t bad by any measure.

I did the Veterans Day 5K the day before in downtown StL. I intended it as a shake-out, but ran it a wee bit too fast, thus my lackluster HM pace. The support/experience of the 5k on Saturday was much bigger than the HM on Sunday. They weren’t a combined event, just a nice happenstance that I could do a combo weekend. I don’t regret anything from a wonderful weekend running in StL.

Ran the half; first in 5+ years. Check-in was easy, great venue. Beautiful area is a great location for a marathon. Awesome views of one of Southern Illinois’ best lakes along most of the full route. I only did the half, so didn’t get to run across the causeway.
March in Illinois is hit or miss with the weather and 2022 was cold and WINDY. The beginning of the half was a bitter cold headwind that sapped a lot of energy.
A couple of things could be improved: better/more frequent aid stations, especially in the 3rd quarter when people tend to hit the wall. Also, there’s a low water crossing that isn’t dangerous at all, but getting your feet wet 2/3 of the way through a BQM (or any endurance run) is a bad idea.