Frances M Akin's Staging Area

Sedona is beautiful no doubt about it and that makes this race well worth it. My thoughts:

Packet pick up: Parking was unorganized and in short supply. Waited in line close to 45 minutes to get into the Marriott.

Swag: a purple t-shirt and decent medal. Nothing to write home about. There was a booth after the race that had some nice Sedona stuff but not a lot of options for race swag to buy.

Race: again, parking was a mess, the volunteers appeared to be winging it. We ended up parking on the street (at the direction of the volunteers). The start was very confusing. No communication at all. The line starts moving forward and we moved with it to be put through the shoot and then over the starting line. As mentioned, Sedona is very pretty but the out and back made us feel cheated. There are hills that are significant but doable. There was one water station at mile 1 (which was mile 5 coming back). I was really stunned at this.

Overall, a bit disappointed. If you liked this race, highly recommend the Garden of the gods race in Colorado Springs. That race has a different view around every corner and is a loop.

Definitely glad I did this race, but not sure I’ll be back. Just feel like for the price it would have been a smoother experience with greater value.

Traveled into Tennessee to knock out the state and a national park run. The expo was better than expected but make sure you wear bug spray as the flys are vicious. Lots of fun stuff to purchase. Announcer was pumping up the crowd for the 5K. Parking was easy for both races. 5K is down the side of the main road and back in a neighborhood and back to the start. You have to cross the main road to get to the start. The half marathon has the first 9 miles along a road with traffic coming at you (sometimes behind you). We never got a feeling of being in a national park – more like just running back roads of Tennessee. You run along the river for a good portion of it which was pretty. It was hot, humid and buggy; and a significant amount of uphill or on a slant. The race production was good and shuttle to the start of the half marathon was smooth. The swag was just a t-shirt and a trucker hat for both races. The medals are nice, but the bear one was not so cute. Overall, not a bad race, but not one I will come back to.

Second year to run this. Great weather this year – especially for August! It was nice and cool – 60s with shade. Love that about this race, that there’s lots of shade. This is a smaller race, less than 600 people total. The vibe is very low key. It’s quiet, it’s flat, it’s shady. Good and ample parking. Decently supported. Race shirt is a tech shirt and that’s the extent of the swag. No complaints production wise, except there was no last minute email with final instructions. I guess that’s because everything you needed to know is on the web site. It’s a nice little race.

It’s been a while since I ran this race. However, I ran the sister race, the Queen Bee, in the fall and loved it! I was expecting the same, if not better experience and was really disappointed. My daughter came in to do her first full marathon and I had talked it up A LOT.

First off, the expo. SO disappointing. They said it was because they had to move the venue, however, the Queen Bee expo was in the same spot and it was awesome. There was no excuse for there being bare bones there. I like to buy stuff and there was nothing to buy. We were told later there was stuff on the second floor however we missed that as there were no signs or indication of anything else. In addition, you had to sign up for slots to go to the expo (which was silly) and by the time we got there and found a place to park, the person on the loud speaker told us repeatedly that we have FIFTEEN MINUTES until the expo closed. So disappointing. The swag was really disappointing, ugly red cotton shirt and I honestly cannot remember the other stuff, it was that bad. The vibe at the expo was just bad. I found the volunteers to be on the grumpy side, with several just lying on the floor looking at their phones. They seemed worn out. No one was pleasant and pretty much just threw your stuff at you.

We were dropped off at the race. It was raining a bit, but no big deal, helped cool things off. Dropping off and picking up at the drop station was easy. It’s a huge race, so getting it started takes a bit and can be confusing.

As always the people of Cincinnati come out to support this race very well (but not as well as the Queen Bee). There are tons of stations to get snacks, water, gatorade, gels, beer! The course does a great job of highlighting Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati neighborhoods. It’s hilly, it’s Cincinnati. My friend and I just took it easy and enjoyed taking it all in which was fun.

The after party had a ton of potential – free pizza, beer etc. However, it was a mug bog with all the rain. My shoes were ruined. It’s also very crowded but there are tons of tents and food options.

The race communications are confusing to me. There is a website, app, emails, etc. But it seems the basic information you need is lacking at times.

Overall, I was disappointed at this race, as I had hyped it up so much for my daughter and wanted her first marathon to be an amazing experience. She had fun and was glad she did it, but it wasn’t everything I said it would be, starting off with the expo. They need to bring their game back if they want this to be called the number one marathon again.

My daughter and I did this race in 2023 and returned in 2024. She ran all four races and I ran two. It is such a very fun, very festive weekend. Very well run. It’s so easy to stay downtown and get everywhere you need to be. The expo is well stocked. The swag is amble and fun. The race course is along the water. You can be as aggressive or laid back as you want to be. It’s the perfect weekend – we’re signed up for 2026!

This is another race in a series. It’s on a path, same course as the Spooky Sprint. The sweatshirt was different and decent. But other than that, it’s a poorly organized, boring race. The course is a walking path. There is little to no course support. It doesn’t start on time. I won’t run it again.

This race was a disaster from the start. They were begging for volunteers the night before. When we got there for packet pick up, they weren’t set up and were scrambling to get set up. The swag is a bad ugly t-shirt that I gave away and they also ran out of.

The race did not start on time. The start is for everyone so you are running dodging, the 5K walkers – kids, strollers, etc. on a pathway. It doesn’t clear out until the 10K peels off and the 5K group turns around. It’s poorly marked so it’s hard to tell which way to go. It’s basically a trail that has no scenery. You go through a parking lot at some point. There is NO support – if you have any medical issue you are on your own. The snacks at the end were totally random – think bad candy and twinkies and not much of them. It’s just a super boring, poorly executed race for no cause.

This is a corporate race and needs a lot of work. I did the same race – the Thanksgiving race a month later, same course, same everything, but a little better organized. I won’t do either again.

Having lived in the area, had always wanted to run this race. My daughter ran the half, I did the 10k. The expo was disappointing with not much left on Friday night. We stayed at a hotel not far from the base. Finding the entrance we were allowed to go in was a challenge, found it on the third try. Instructions on the email were useless. We were not alone in this as we saw other cars turning around with us. The walk from the parking lot wasn’t bad. Ample parking which was nice. Lots of porta potties. The race itself is just, well, boring. They are wise to have the parachute team and other cool planes and helicopters as this is the only distraction from the concrete. But, to be expected as it is an Air Force base. The finish line is cool as you come in under the wings of many awesome AF jets. That was great. The beer at the end was cold and refreshing. Lots of tables around and options to buy food. It was very hot. It’s definitely a bucket list race I’m glad I did, but will be choosing others in the future.

I recommend this race to everyone I know. It’s just stunning. You can’t describe how pretty it is. It is challenging, especially if you’re not acclimated, but it’s very walker friendly. Race packet pickup is easy at Fleet Feet. They are very friendly. The swag has a lot to be desired but it’s not too bad, just a cotton tshirt.

The first year I did this race, it was a smidge disorganized at the start and they got started late due to the traffic. They worked it out the next year. Make sure you get here early as traffic can be a lot. There’s plenty of parking. They have a lot of port of potties at the finish line area but only a few at the start which makes it a bit tough.

As mentioned, it’s challenging, the start is straight up hill. It is fairly well marked. I almost went the wrong way at one turn, but figured it out. Lots of great race support with local cross country and track teams encouraging runners on.

The only disappointment is the end as I was surprised that you come back down to the parking lot and then go back into an area with that has livestock and it’s pungent. That is the only downside to the course.

The after party is crowded with long lines so we usually pass.

Put this race on your list. You can’t describe how pretty the scenery is.