Kimberly Finnegan's Staging Area

The amount of hydration, fuel, and aid stations, as well as porta pottys, on the course was amazing. In the pandemic era of racing, so many courses have been unstaffed and understocked. Not this one. I brought hydration with me because I was very nervous about the course, and never needed it. I did use the portas, and there was no line– super important when trying to hit a certain finish time. The availability of the YMCA to change clothes and shower was awesome as well. The Expo was cool as it was neat to hear Mr. Galloway speak and there were a good amount of vendor booths to check out. There could have been more vendors, though, but I went on Friday night so I can’t speak to what Saturday was like. The course was extremely well marked and getting off course would have been next to impossible. The crowd was manageable and I never felt pressure to weave in and out of the pack. Pacers could have been better identified, but I was able to find mind and keep him in sight and he gave me some words of encouragement when I needed an extra push at mile 12. The other runners were courteous and friendly. The start was easy to find and parking was a breeze. Being from out of town, I stress about accessing the race site, and there was no difficulty. The race swag was good. Would have preferred a hat or beanie- something other than a pullover, but that was fine and exchanging for a different size at the Expo was a breeze. The only real critique I have is that the course measured long for both my brother and me, and we each ran a different course and used different gps tracking devices. The finish line was awesome! Can’t say enough good things about the crowd and the volunteers. The post race food and drink was great– a variety of options were available. The weather and terrain were extremely manageable and made for a great run. I would recommend this race to beginners as well as professional runners. I hope to be back next year!