stephanie francis's Staging Area

I’ve run at least a half marathon in all fifty states so I’ve done the research for you! For road marathons, this is THE BEST. The expo is great, the aid stations are ALWAYS there and plentiful, the food at the end is great and there until the marathoners are done, and spectators—- they rock the whole course and are they’re there literally rain or shine. Sign up in May and you can get the full with some other distances (4 way) for less than you’ll spend on just a half marathon with other races.

I arrived at the race registered to run the second half. I quickly and very easily upgraded to the full Marathon at packet pick-up. After packet pickup we visited a very small Expo and then was treated to a free and very delicious spaghetti dinner.I ran this race with two other friends who drove from northern Minnesota to the race with me. We stayed in the fire station the night before the Race. The cots were very comfortable and the hospitality was top notch. All they ask for is a donation and that was a cause very worthy of giving to. We would stay there again. We stayed together throughout the entire full marathon and had an absolute blast. Each aid station was stocked like a typical trail run would be stocked with real foods, loads of fresh fruit and personal items that you do not find at any other Road Race I’ve been too. I’ve now run my 34th state with West Virginia being the most recent. This is quite possibly my favorite of all of the events I’ve ever done. The aid stations are quite frequent and next time I run I will not carry any liquid with me. Even though this race is historically known to be a hot one the aid stations provide ample support. In addition they are manned by wonderful local people who are excited to have you in their towns. Local law enforcement Patrol the route as needed and area medical professionals were at various points along the course. The event is clearly managed very well with all aspects being covered completely. Some Aid stations even went with the theme and it was fun to stop and take pictures and visit with the locals. One such aid station squirted us with squirt guns and then gave us the squirt guns to take with us as we left. There are photographers on the course and they charge a nominal fee it is not marathonfoto pricing 🙂 at the Finish you are greeted by Hatfield n McCoy and receive a medal and a mason jar with Hatfield and McCoy label which is really cute and suitable for your own moonshine 🙂 the final racer came in after 7 hours and was escorted by event directors, law enforcement and medical professionals. They were all walking in with her and very excited. The fun) support did not stop before the last finisher came through as you often find, unfortunately, with other marathons. My friends and I drove 16 hours to get to this event, one way. We will absolutely be back

I started running at 40 and I’m trying to visit as many different states and FUN races as possible. This, however, would be one that I would run again and again! Vacation Races offers exceptionally fun races in BEAUTIFUL places! I had never visited Zion NP before so I was so excited when the race date fell during my spring break. My husband and I planned a trip to Vegas (first visit there, too) and I worked the race into our itinerary! Frankly, it was my favorite part of the trip! Entering Zion after being in Vegas a couple of days is LITERALLY a breath of fresh air!! This would be my first race of 2015 and I had been training in the FREEZING winter of MN for the previous 3 months. So, I followed the AMAZING training plan that is sent out from Vacation Races partners. I ran the race very prepared because of that plan which was specific to the course and FREE!!!! Packet pickup is a breeze and since it’s a cupless race they provide “cups” if you need. I love that they make the effort to keep the parks and the region around the parks clean! We were able to explore a wonderful area of the country before and after the race. My husband and I volunteered the night before the race because each person that volunteers for a Vacation Races event can get 50% off the next race—and they even let you transfer that to someone else if you’re not a runner and you choose to volunteer!! How cool is that!? They give honor to military members with discounts, too. At the end of the race, you are handed a medal as big as your face! Then, you can participate in extra challenges which can earn you extra swag and bragging rights. These challenges take you into the park where you can see natural wonders while getting in an additional hike! Another friend, from MN, joined me on this race and we both look forward to running another Vacation Races event together in the future. Hope to see you out there while we Run America!!