Emelia Pitlick's Staging Area

Overall, the race was a good size, well organized and gave good swag. The cons were the weather (uncontrollable), the hill we had to climb for the last .5 mile, and a few slow water stops. That said, the volunteers were super friendly and helpful. The course itself had several rolling hills, the biggest one around mile 9. The reward at the top was shots of fireball. LOL

The course was pancake flat and weaved through tree-lined neighborhoods. Tiny parts were on sand/gravel and there weren’t any ocean views. Organizers advised us several times to arrive early. We got there really early (around 5:30 am) and had zero issues, but others weren’t so lucky. The conference center is open so we just hung out in one of the ballrooms until it was time to start. One of the water stops was a bit behind in pouring water, otherwise they were adequate. If you’re one of the super speedy runners, having to merge with all the slow (and some oblivious) slow runners might be annoying. Overall, a great race with a nice long-sleeve tech shirt!

The organizers were responsive, volunteers were great and the course was gorgeous! Small, point-to-point (free shuttle), very flat race, almost exclusivity on a paved bike path. Water stops every ~3 miles. If you’re not used to running at elevation (like me), that might be an issue but it allowed for many walk breaks to take photos. 🙂

The half was a tiny out & back and then 4 loops around the park. There were tiny hills near the end of the loop that provided just enough elevation variation to keep my legs happy. The organizers were super friendly (even singing happy birthday to a runner) and had great post-race snacks. The race is very friendly for 50-staters and walkers.

The first half of the route was in scenic downtown Charleston, then it snaked up into industrial North Charleston. There were cheer squads along the route, but it was very boring. The water and aid stations were as advertised and fully stocked. The weather wasn’t great, cold and very windy. But at the finish line they had stocking hats – which was a lifesaver. Especially for having to wait in line 35+ minutes of bag check! With a few adjustments this could be a great race.

I was on a relay team and completed the bike and run. The swim was downriver and my teammate cut nearly 10 minutes off his time. The bike was rolling hills with lots of aid stations and a few spectators. The run was flat and partially shaded, but the temps hit 88- making it a steamy run! Great aid stations and volunteers though!

The volunteers and organization were great for a small race. Age category winners received recognition and medals. The course was an out and back, first a short downhill, then a 6-mile climb. I felt like we were never going to stop climbing until we did. Then it felt like we were sailing downhill. The last little climb to the finish line was challenging. Overall, a great race that I would recommend!

Temps were in the teens with a wicked wind, but I still had a great experience. I found a great pace group that helped me get to the finish line. The hills weren’t as bad as they appear- coming from Cincinnati/NKY I’m used to climbing. Loved running around the lake and finishing with a green beer.

The race is for a great cause! Lots of red, white & blue and people proudly carrying the flag. The course had rolling hills throughout, with the steepest one near the end. Water stops (no gatorade) every 2ish miles. Very few spectators, which is understandable because it was so cold! There is literally nothing to see on the course except chain restaurants and stores. Organizers were good at communicating, but unfortunately they weren’t able to get the medals in time. (We will still be able to pick them up when they do arrive.) Not a big deal to me. The skyline at the end hit the spot!

The theme this year was Where’s Waldo? but it should have been Where’s the Bourbon? LOL. Many of our Boubon stops were re-routed due to a host of reasons (not Ragnar’s fault). I was runner 4 and had very easy legs, but others had harder and longer routes. The party at the end was great- it’s so fun to finish as a team and celebrate together. 🙂

The packed gravel was what I expected, but did make it a bit more difficult. The race was out and back, which was sort of nice to see everyone, but also was a little narrow in places. One of the water stations ran out of water, but luckily I had my water bottle. (I’m slow. LOL) The announcer at the end was AMAZING! He called out everyone as they crossed the finish line. The food and drinks at the end were fantastic. We didn’t see any elk. 🙁

So nice to be back racing! I finished my half only minutes before the full marathon winner came in. The course was a bit of rolling hills, but nothing crazy. The post-race food/drinks were great! The t-shirt is a little cheap, but at least it wasn’t cotton. Perfect race to start back racing in-person again.

The full marathon did mostly two loops, which I found sort of boring. It was flat, but a bit industrial with little to no spectators for long stretches. The race organization was good, but I was a little disappointed in the sweatshirt. I was looking forward to nice Brooks jackets and the sweatshirt we got was a no-name cheaper fleece material. Would do the half again. Maybe.

The full is hard – lots of hills! The weather was good in 2019 but I hit a terrible wall at 17. The crowd thins out a little bit after that, but once I got on Eastern I turned my attitude around. Swag is great, the organization itself is amazing.

The course was very very flat and gave me a marathon PR! The swag included the ugliest shirt though. The rest of the race production was good. Fall is a great time of year and the city of Indianapolis is nice (and relatively cheap) to visit.

Part of the swag was a bottle of wine! #winning I traveled to this race with three friends and we had the best time together. The scenes during the run were fantastics- lots of stopping for photos. It wasn’t very hilly, but just enough to change things up.

Other than the crappy shirt (the screen printing on mine was off), this was the perfect first half marathon. Weather was perfect and the finish in the park was great! I’ll always have a soft spot for this race since it was my first half marathon plus I did it with my mom!