Mark Freund's Staging Area

The Miami Marathon offers an experience that few races in the country can: a warm weather race in the heart of winter. Unfortunately, Mother Nature took it an extra step in 2024. At the gun, it was 74 degrees with 90% humidity, and it really made things difficult on runners as the day went on and it got warmer and warmer. Of course, that’s out of the race’s control, and the race director himself told local media that it was one of the warmest race days in the race’s 22-year history.

The most difficult part of this race, from my perspective, was the sheer amount of people. Miami allows 18,000 entrants, and while I was thankful to get in, it did make for a cramped experience from start to finish. The expo was a total zoo, trying to shop and maneuver was difficult. Then on race day, it was even worse. That many runners means you’re never even remotely alone. It created pinch points in some areas, including right away in the first half-mile. It overwhelmed just about every aid station, which is tough on a warm day. It involved a lot of dodging and weaving around runners, making sure you don’t trip, etc. Ultimately, that required a bunch of extra effort over the course of a half marathon. I ended up running 13.35 miles to the finish, which I would attribute to all that extra movement. All those extra people also made the post-race party a little bit cramped, to the point where my family and I just decided to leave early instead of wait for more and more runners to finish and create longer lines, etc.

The race corralled the runners really well. There were 11 total corrals that left at good intervals. However, I was in corral F, scheduled to leave at 6:15am, and we didn’t actually get going until 6:30. On such a warm day, missing out on those extra minutes of darkness were critical and unfortunate.

The brutal heat and extra effort made things really tough on everyone, and it was my slowest half marathon time ever. But I didn’t really care. I was doing it for the experience — and I will say, Miami was an experience. The course is beautiful, running over two different causeways with a jaunt through Miami Beach sandwiched in the middle. There’s a lot of beauty along the route, and seeing the giant cruise ships at the start of the race was one of my favorite features. The crowd support is phenomenal upon return to Miami to the finish (roughly the final 2 miles of the half). Also, the course support and medical folks did a fantastic job under really tough conditions, and were diligent about helping people that needed medical attention. And the spinner medal is AMAZING! Easily my favorite medal I’ve ever earned. I want to make it clear that I did find a lot of positives in this race, and if you’re a destination race hunter, Miami is certainly a good one to go for.

This is all personal preference, of course, but ultimately I just found it to be too many people to truly enjoy the race as much as I hoped I would. I truly think a 3.5-star rating is the most appropriate, but since it’s whole numbers here, I do think this race was closer to 3 stars than it was to 4. I totally understand why so many people love this race, but personally, I would not run it again. I am glad I experienced it once, however!

As a first-time Portland runner, I could not have asked for a much better weekend. The expo was well-organized and lively, with plenty of good shopping and fun interactive activities for racers.

Race day itself was pretty much perfect. We got a great Portland day, and I mostly enjoyed the half marathon course. The Sellwood and Burnside Bridges were highlights, and the Portland neighborhoods were nice to run through. Spectator support was a little thin in areas, but the people that were out were lively and fun. Plenty of aid stations, including several with Nuun and Gu.

The finish was fantastic, with great crowd support. The medal immediately became one of my favorites in my collection, and also getting a rose at the finish line was a nice touch. The finish area was also very lively, with plenty of space for runners and their supporters, photo opportunities and a free doughnut and beer for finishers.

Start to finish, Portland was a first-time experience I’ll never forget, and I hope I can do it again someday!

There is no better way to kick off Drake Relays week than with this great race through some of the beautiful neighborhoods Des Moines has to offer. Packet pickup is always a breeze, and race day itself generally runs smoothly. I think this race’s biggest strength is its scenery, with most of the course showcasing some beautiful homes and neighborhoods in Des Moines. The fan support is thin most of the way. However, I was impressed with how many Drake students got up early and lined the streets to cheer us on. That gave me a huge boost at the start and near the end.

The half-marathon course features one major downhill at mile 3, followed later by a challenging uphill as you approach mile 10. Otherwise, it’s mostly flat. Aid stations were sufficient and well-stocked with both water and volunteers. And of course, finishing on the Blue Oval is really a fantastic experience, with the stands inside Drake Stadium full of cheering fans.

This isn’t my favorite Des Moines race, but it is one of the best ones we’ve got. It’s a worthy challenge for anyone looking for a rock-solid spring race in the Midwest.

This year (2022) was my second time running the Hillbilly Hike. This race runs almost entirely on the Summerset Trail that connects Indianola, IA and nearby Carlisle, IA. It’s a nice, flat trail with nice scenery, perfect for a smaller race, which this is. Most of the race actually feels like a nice stroll with friends.

This year we ran in a steady rain and cold conditions, but I still had almost as much fun as the first time I did it. The volunteers out on the course were troopers, braving the cold and rain to hand out water or staff the areas where the trail crosses a road. This year’s medal was pretty cool. Those that run in 2021, 2022 and 2023 will get three separate medals that, when pieced together, will form the state of Iowa. Very inventive idea for the medals! The post race is great too, with a photo area and a gazebo with volunteers serving water, chocolate milk, biscuits and gravy and, most importantly, pie!

My one criticism is that it seems the course came up just a little short. I had it as .02 miles short, and I heard that others had run beyond the finish line so their tracking apps could log it to 13.1. But overall, this is a great race. I appreciate the effort that’s put into it, and would recommend to anyone looking for a November race in Iowa.