Drew Sheppard's Staging Area

First, I should note that this was a tough race for me–but that was because of an injury I was dealing with. So, my finish time doesn’t reflect my opinion of the race.

This was a three race weekend–a 3 mile (untimed) beer run on Friday night, a 5k race on Saturday, and then the main event (marathon and half marathon) on Sunday. This schedule provided an opportunity for fans of various distances and for families to participate in the events of the weekend. (Baby joggers/strollers were allowed on Friday night and Saturday’s 5k.)

The Missoula area is breathtaking and the area was more “hip” than I had anticipated (big farmer’s market, lots of craft beers, etc). Not easy (or cheap) to get there–took me 2 flights to get there. I’d recommend staying in the downtown area, which is near where the events of the weekend take place.

The expo is outdoors. Race shirts were nice as were the medals. For Sunday’s races, they provided free photos (you could get your picture taken and then they would provide you a printed copy then and there).

It was warm (especially Friday night). I believe they are moving the date up to June next year as they are concerned about forest fires they sometimes have to deal with (luckily none this weekend).

For those runners looking to cross Montana off your list–or those looking for a fun/scenic summer race–I would highly recommend the Missoula Marathon.

This is a mostly flat course. Right before mile 12 is the only significant hill. Other than that, it was pretty much flat. A decent amount of the course is shaded, which helps on a sunny day.

Part of the race goes through Churchill Downs, which is really cool. I wish we had more of an unobstructed view of the track, but it was still pretty amazing.

Plenty of water and aid stops. Lots of nice volunteers and spectators. Several of the mile markers seemed off (I would swear there were two signs for mile 9 and miles 11 was definitely off).

Small-ish expo. Okay shirt. Great medal.

There was a shuttle that ran to/from the expo, which was great. Lots of hotels to choose from. Limited options (in my opinion) for pasta the night before–so the one place (Old Spaghetti House) was quite crowded! Lots of pubs to enjoy a post race beer (or bourbon).

For 50 staters, I would highly recommend this race for Kentucky.

I was signed up to run the 2017 race, which was cancelled due to the weather. It was a good (though I’m sure tough) decision made by the Race Director–the roads were incredibly icy and unsafe to run. The team did a good job of providing options to those of us signed up for 2017.

A new sponsor–Continental–took over this year. I’m glad that the organizers were able to carry on the race. Even though I didn’t get to run last year, I was able to see the finisher jacket and HUGE medal, so I was disappointed this year with the basic white race shirt (long sleeve, though) and a tiny medal.

EXPO: Located in the host hotel, which is convenient if you are staying there. They had live music, which was a bit much for such a small space (hard to hear anyone!).

RACES: There are multiple races that all start at the same time: Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay, Quarter Note, and 5k. The course starts to thin out as each of the shorter distance groups peeled off [some of the distances seemed off–especially the 5k which was definitely closer to 3.5 or more]. The course was narrow at many points, made even more narrow by the rain which caused large puddles everywhere. The Jackson, MS roads have lots of potholes, which filled up with the rain water. The course wasn’t closed to traffic. At parts, there really wasn’t an obvious path for the runners, we just had to hope that the cars would slow and go around us.

I didn’t have a car, but it would have helped to have one. There aren’t a lot of restaurant options for pre-race pasta near the hotels.

I realize the review above slants negative, which is not the intention! Anyone looking to run the 50 states, I would still recommend this race for Mississippi.

My birthday fell on the MLK 3 day weekend this year, and I wanted to go somewhere to run a race. I ran the Rock N Roll Marathon back in 2011 and I liked leaving the NY winter to enjoy the Arizona weather, so I went back for the half marathon. I actually did 3 races this weekend–the 1-miler on Friday night, the 5k on Saturday, and the half on Sunday. It was a great weekend. The courses are almost entirely flat. The weather was perfect.

The expo was smaller than I remembered. I feel like RnR have gone astray with the shirt designs (I think they used to be MUCH better). The medals were fine–not the best RnR, but fine.

I stayed in Tempe which worked out really well–I could walk to the start/finish lines for all 3 races.

This is a flat course. Even though the race starts in the afternoon, it is pretty much dark within the first couple of miles. It is cool to run the Strip–and you get a chance to see a brief glimpse of the old Vegas–but there are parts that are boring. Not a lot of music on the course (considering it is Rock N Roll).

It was a bit of a mess getting to the start. I’m willing to give it a bit of a pass as they had to change things (including the course) because of the horrible shooting a few weeks ago. It was moving to see all of the “Vegas Strong” signs during my weekend in Vegas.

There is a 5k the night before, which I would recommend (even though it wasn’t scenic at all).

The medals were fun and Las Vegas themed. The shirts weren’t great (though I’ve felt that about most of the Rock N Roll shirts this year).

This was my 10th Rock N Roll event of 2017, so I received the big Gold Record medal at the end, which was cool.

The problems of the 1st year (2015) are long gone. This race now runs as smoothly as a typical Rock N Roll race.

The expo is in Manhattan. Getting to/from the race (in Brooklyn) can be challenging (with subway changes, etc.). This is one of the few Rock N Roll weekends that is a single day–you can do either the half marathon or the 5-miler (both start at the same time). Rock N Roll gives a decent shirt and a fun medal. Finish line area is in Prospect Park–beer garden, finisher concert, hang out on the lawn.

The Berlin Marathon is known for being flat – and it is. This was my 4th of the 6 World Majors. I went through Marathon Tours for this trip and I was very happy with that/them.

The weekend starts with a 6k Breakfast Run on Saturday that was quite fun. It was great to see all the runners wearing their “country flair” and it was a blast to end in the Olympic Stadium. This is a non-timed event and once you get to the stadium everyone is walking. I highly recommend taking part in this fun, low-stress event.

The main event is on Sunday. For those 4:15+, the start time is 10am. I feel like they could have used one additional wave (4:15 and over is quite a mix of paces). While waiting for the start, there were several runners smoking, which was a new experience for me!

The course was flat, but crowded. I’m a back of the pack runner and it wasn’t too bad by me, but I can’t imagine being a 4:30-ish runner. They must have been squished. The course wasn’t as scenic as I had hoped. Nor did it have as many spectators as I was expecting.

The expo was a zoo! We went on Friday and wished we had gone the day before. I pre-ordered the jacket and shirt (which is NOT included in the race fee), which I was glad that I did.

I definitely enjoyed my time in Berlin. I don’t think this will be at the top of my list of my marathons (even my World Major races), but I would still recommend.

This race takes place Labor Day weekend – it is a great way to say celebrate the unofficial end of summer.

This is one of the flatest courses I’ve run (only a bit of a hill-twice-at the bridge). You get to run on the boardwalk by the ocean, which I really enjoyed.

Rock N Roll knows how to suck you in with the promise of medals. If you run San Diego (I didn’t) and this race you get an extra medal. There are 3 races over the weekend, so there is the potential of 4 medals and a pin. I did all 3 races and would recommend doing so.

The 1st up, on Saturday, is the 5k. That is followed by the “Mile on the Sand”. They recommend NOT wearing shoes because it is soft sand [I wore shoes and walked the mile]. Sunday is the Half Marathon.

You get a shirt for each race. I didn’t think they were great designs this year, but I’ve seen other years and think this was just an “off” year.

After the races, the Finisher Zone is on the beach. I enjoyed my post race beer sitting on the sand and listening to the music.

There aren’t too many summer races (for good reasons), but this is one you should check out. I like races in Chicago – the area is relatively flat and the people are great. The weather is always a crap shoot. I found this year (2017) to be pleasant enough for a July race, but days before (and the days ahead) were going to be close to 90, which would have been brutal.

Rock N Roll, in my opinion, excels at the half marathon (they aren’t so great with the fulls). There is a decent size expo, nice shirts and medals. I do think, however, that they are under-delivering on their whole promise of course entertainment. I’m noticing less and less bands along the route. Doesn’t bother me so much, but I have noticed a change.

I did the 5k on Saturday and then the half on Sunday in order to get the “Remix Challenge” extra medal.

It’s never as cheap to fly to Chicago as you think (since when you DON’T want to go to Chicago, you get a layover there, but when you actually WANT to go there, the flights are expensive). There are plenty of hotel options – don’t be limited to just the hotels RnR recommends. Plenty of things to do while you are there, great places to eat. It’s an enjoyable weekend.

The people involved with this race couldn’t have been nicer. They really look out for the runners. There is a nice pasta dinner (same location as the bib pick-up) the night before the race. There is an after party in the afternoon / early evening after the race is over. The finish line had plenty of food, water, and beer regardless of when you finished (which, as a back of the packer, I greatly appreciated – as that is not always the case).

That said – this was probably my least favorite marathon of the 43 that I’ve found so far. The reasons were outside the race coordinators control – the combination of high altitude and high temperatures completely did me in and I was pretty miserable the back half of the race. It was my worst finishing time that didn’t involved slippery ice (Antarctica) or photos with characters (Disney).

I recommend staying at the host hotel. It wasn’t great, but everything is there (expo, pasta dinner, shuttle to start, finish line, and after party). I didn’t find too much to do in Casper, but the people I encountered were all nice.

This is a typical Rock N Roll race:
-LOTS of runners (almost 18k half marathoners plus full marathoners)
-Nice medal
-Good shirt
-Music on the course
-Big expo

With all of the runners (almost 40 corrals), you can go to the start later if you are in one of the back corrals – as they let corrals off every 1 to 2 minutes.

This year (2017) was extremely hot (temperatures over 80 degrees). Officials started to divert the marathoners out of caution.

For me, Nashville was the draw. It was a fun weekend.

Many (30-40%) of the participants walked the whole event. So, if you are going to run (or run/walk), I suggest starting further up than you normally line up.

This was a nice way to shake out the legs before the big race. Also, it was a chance to earn 2 more medals for the weekend (the 5k medal and the Challenge medal for completing events on Saturday and Sunday).

Central Park is a series of rolling hills. This course was 3 loops of the part (2 5-mile loops and 3.1 miles to finish). The shirt was a long sleeve technical shirt (they ran out of sizes during bib pick-up). Medal was small but nice.

The weather for this race can be brutal. It was cancelled last year due to a snow storm, it’s been freezing cold (one year I wore the exact same clothes that I wore to run a marathon on Antartica). This year, though, was mid 40s with high humidity.

The course was changed this year and I don’t think it was for the better. NYRR races are quite crowded and with this year’s change (3 inner loops instead of 2 full loops of the park) there was more bunching up than normal. This was frustrating for both the fast runners and the back of the packers (me).

NYRR does know how to run a race, though. Everything is very efficient. Rather than a shirt, they gave a winter hat. The medal was Fred Lebow’s face.

The course (Central Park) is lots of rolling hills.

The course: 3 loops of Central Park (2 4-mile inner loops 1 5-mile loop). This includes 3 climbs of Cat Hill and 1 climb of Harlem Hill.

Long sleeve shirt and nice medal.

Huge improvement over the inaugural race in 2015.

They changed the expo (moved it to a more convenient location in Manhattan). They improved the start line experience, so it started on time. Though, this is the 1st race I remember going through a metal detector – and there was a LOT of security. I liked the shirt better last year. But Rock N Roll does good medals!

This is a small marathon (less than 150 marathon runners in 2016). You need to be prepared to see very few people – even running solo for miles (no other runners or spectators).

I was affected by the altitude more than I thought I would be. It impacted my breathing as well as creating a feeling of dehydration.

Course: About half of the course is on trails and half on open roads. The trails were, at times, rocky (literally and figuratively). Though they offered some spectacular views. I’m not a fan of open roads, but, luckily, traffic was light.

The medal is quite small.

No expo – it is just a packet pick-up.

I realize it sounds like a lot of criticism above, but it is actually a nice race weekend. The volunteers are all incredibly nice. The gear bag was a potato sack. The pre-race dinner – for just $5 – included pasta and potatoes! In 2016, Ryan and Sara Hall spoke during dinner, which was a nice trip. This was an inexpensive race (~$60 registration fee) and well run. I would recommend to those who are looking to run a marathon in Idaho.

The folks associated with the race are quite nice. Production is fairly decent considering the size of the marathon field (less than 500 marathon runners).

COURSE: Mostly flat. Two half marathon loops. LOTS of turns on the course. I didn’t find them to be adequately signed. And, running at 5:45, some of the volunteers were gone by the time I hit miles 20+. And the run was opened earlier than I believe that they had stated. That, for me, was the deal breaker. I actually had to wait at multiple lights during the last mile.

No real expo. Same t-shirt for all – Marathon, Half-Marathon, and the Marathon Relay teams. Beer glass and hat were added swag.

Finisher medal is nice. The finish line festivities included adequate – and decent – food and beverages (champagne plus beer).

This race is all about the finisher’s medal – it is HUGE!!

The course was hillier than I expected. And the weather (in 2016) was quite warm (in the 70s by the time I finished). Additionally, I wouldn’t call the course scenic.

That being said – the spectators and event volunteers were great. It is well organized.

I recommend running the 5k or 10k the day before the marathon so that you can get 2 additional medals (all great, of course). Also, Little Rock is walkable so no need for a car EXCEPT I couldn’t find a market near my hotel. So, if you have pre-race food that you need, plan in advance.

While you are in Little Rock, you should visit the Clinton Presidential Library.

This race is typically run in September. It was moved to Halloween due to the Pope’s visit to Philly. This is good race for travelers – hotel, expo, and start/finish lines all within walking distance of city hotels and 30th Street (train) Station.

Similar to other Rock ‘n’ Roll races, there are a lot of people. For runners in the later corrals (this race went above 30 corrals), it takes a long time to cross the start line. Less bands than other RnR races. Decent shirt and nice medal. I ran the RnR Brooklyn half three weeks ago and received a free hoodie for running both RnR races – a nice bonus! The course is mostly flat. Nice fall foliage. Ran along the Schuylkill River and Boathouse Row.

This is a beautiful downhill point-to-point race. The race starts in 40 degree weather at the top of the hill and ends in 70 degree (but no humidity) at the end. I was concerned about the altitude, but it didn’t bother me. Only time I noticed it was the one minor uphill early in the race. This race is traditionally a lottery, but everyone who applied to the lottery in 2015 got into the race. The medal is unique and stands out from other medals. There was a problem with the official race shirt this year, but the organizers have addressed and are sending replacement shirts. Very nice people on the course and off. St. George should be on your list of marathons to run!

The 4-Way Challenge includes the running of 3 races over the course of the weekend. On Saturday, you run the 10k at 8am and then the 5k at 10am. Sunday is marathon day.

The race organizers fully commit to the “pig” theme! There are no corrals, instead there are “pig pens.” You don’t run to the finish line, but the “finish swine.” There were thousands of enthusiastic volunteers, who are great.

EXPO/SWAG:
It is a good size expo with lots of options for runners who like to shop. The shirts this year (2015) weren’t great. This year Cincinnati is hosting the All Stars game, so that theme was carried to the t-shirts (so no pig on the front of the shirt). Lots of disappointment. This might have just been an “off” year. The medals for the full marathon and for completing the 4-Way Challenge were nice medals. The 10k and 5k medals are only slightly bigger than a quarter.

COURSE/WEATHER:
The course is hilly. It is not a race for a PR (in my opinion). The weather this year was quite hot (60s/70s), but that varies by year. There were LOTS of spectators. There were plenty of water stations and they had a good amount of port-a-potties as well. Signage on the course was adequate. Lots of people on bikes keeping an eye on runners (especially towards to the end).

RACE SPECIFIC COMMENTS:
If you run both the 10K and 5K on Saturday, you’ll need to check a bag. You need to wear different bibs, which is slightly annoying. The baggage drop-off/pick-up was probably the least smooth thing all weekend. The 10K seemed more polished – runners lined up in the correct pig pens and followed traditional running etiquette. The 5K was more chaotic. Most people seemed to ignore the suggested starting pig pen for their projected time. Lots of strollers and kids. People walked 4 and 5 across. Despite all of that, I would still suggest participating. It will keep your pace slow, which isn’t a bad thing if you are running 3 races during the weekend.

Marathon – In addition to the official water stations, there were lots of unofficial aid stations (especially during the 2nd half). Spectators giving out lots of different foods (including bacon) and beer. Be aware of where the half and full marathon split (just before mile 9).

FINISH LINE/POST RACE CELEBRATION:
The finish swine (especially on Saturday) could use some improving. They need to do a better job of getting people through the post finish area quicker AND they need to figure out a way to make that area wider or longer or something to relieve some of the congestion. The beer tent (if that is important to you) is the farthest spot away from the finish area – you have to walk through the finish area tents, past the band, and then you reach the beer tent. Only full marathoners receive a beer ticket (half marathoners don’t get one – which seems unfair).

ONE ADDITIONAL SUGGESTION FOR THE RACE ORGANIZERS:
As stated above, the volunteers are great. And when I walked through the finish area, I did find volunteers holding “INFO” signs. Could have used some of them at the start line (if they were there, I didn’t see them). There could have been more signage to the bag check, start, help, etc.

All in all, I really enjoyed the race weekend. And I recommend completing the 4-Way Challenge.

If you’ve ever run a Disney race before you already know two things – the races start VERY early and they give out great medals! And the more races you do, the more bonus medals you can receive.

With Disneyland, it is easier to get to the start (compared to Disney World) so you can sleep in A BIT more. Unlike Disney World, there aren’t a lot of characters out for picture taking.

Because it is so early, it is quite dark out. Some spots (backlot mostly) that are surprisingly poorly lite, so watch your step!

Highly recommend doing the challenge (10k on Saturday, Half Marathon on Sunday)

While there weren’t a ton of crowds, the entire course went through beautiful areas – no industrial parts. Smallish race (less than 1,000 runners) which is nice.