Greg Deivert's Staging Area

Beautiful well marked trail race in Central PA. The weather was perfect and bib pick p was seamless. We started out 15 minutes after the 5K runners and ran uphill for the first mile of the race. At Mile 5 there is a steep climb thathad to be hiked because it was so steep. At about mile 6 I tripped and faceplanted on a rock splitting my nose open. I had to run a half mile back to an aid station to get some bangdages so I could continue the race. It killed my time, but I was able to finish and I was not dead last. Well run race, good post race food and a music. Definately would do this one again.

This was only my second trail race and the day before the race we got several inches of rain which impacted the trail in some interestig ways.
The bib pick up was easy on race day and there were porta potties and a real bathroom available to runners. It was in the high 30’s at race time and partly cloudy for the 500 or so racers.
We started out on a paved section before being funneled into a single trail through the first of many deep puddles. There was no escaping the foot deep frigid water so we had to embrace the suck and splash through it. The trail was very rocky in sections and in others root bound and muddy. There was also one stream crossing and many, many puddles. A woman in front of me went down twice on a downhill with wet leaves. Choosing your footing wisely was a must on this trail.
Elevation gain for this race was 1100 feet and if you chose the 30 or 50 K you got to do the 9 mile loop again.
Overall it was a very well managed race. The food was adequate and I got a nice tech long sleeved shirt as part of registration. I finished 191 out of 302 in the 15K so I am happy with my results on a technical and tough course.

The temperature was 32 degrees and it was a little windy, but 10,000 brave souls showed up for the annual Rocky Run. I participated in the Italian Stallion Challenge which is a 5K followed immediatley by a 10 mile run. I ran with a group and we took it easy on the course and just enjoyed ourselves. There were hundreds of runners in Rocky’s traditional grey sweatsuits and many others running in boxing robes and gloves.
The course starts at the Art Museum near the Rocky steps, and traverses Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. The run is all on a paved roadway and the roads were closed to facilitate the runners. There were sufficient water/gatorade stops and plenty of snacks at the end. The Italian Stallion challenge finishers get three medals and they are big and heavy! I would definately do this race again.

This was my first full Marathon so I have nothing to compare it to. I have done 15 halfs this year and those were my refernce point for this race.
The packet pickup was over three days, the last two of which were held at Bally’s on the Boardwalk. Packet pickup was easy and well organized. The expo was small but had some quality vendors and i bought a few things as well as sampled some products.
On Saturday 10/21/2018 I ran the 5K. There were options when registering to run a 5K or a 10K to earn an extra medal for the King Neptune Challenge. The 5K course was easy and flat and all of it was on the Boardwalk. I took it easy because i was running the full the next day and finished in 28:30.
Race day the weather had deteriorated and there were winds of 20-30mph. The start was crowded but smooth and we ran out to the AC Expressway and through a tunnel for the first 5 miles or so. There were a few inclines but nothing major. Tracking was done at the 5K , 10K and 19 Mile. My friends told me later they had a hard time with the app which was not updating very quickly.
At mile 8 we returned to the Boardwalk and ran past the start line and south on the penninsula. There was great traffic control at all intersections, and the course was ,marked very well.
After leaving the Boarwalk we ran on some major avenues and eventually side streets before completing Mile 22 and heading back to the Boarwalk for the finish.
All the water stops had water and gatorade. there was plenty of help and several stops handed out GU. The finish was in front of Bally’s so there was some congestion with tourists on the Boardwalk, but I thought it was manageable.
I had a good experience and will probably do this race again. The medals were well made and the finish line had plenty of food and water as well as a medic tent with massages available.

This race was the second in a series of two Half Marathons. I signed up for the series so I would get the advertised double medal. The original race literature advertised a 7:30 am start time, and I live 2.5 hours away so I planned on getting a 4:30 am start and arriving at 7:00.
Two days before the race I received a pre race email that had the start time set at 7:00. So, I left my house at 4:00 am and arrived at 6:15 am Registration was not set up, there were no start line area or timing mats up yet and runners were milling around waiting to get their bibs.
I used one of the 4 porta potties available and then went to wait in line while the organizers set up the registration tent. I had my Bib by 6:35 and stood around talking to other runners. At about 7:05 the RD gave instructions for 10K and Half Marathon Route, We finally got started at about 7:10 am Both the 10K and the Half started together.
The first four mildes are some pretty good fills all run against traffic on occupied roadways.
Miles 5-10 were smaller hills, and 10-13.1 were challenging hills.
The route went through neighborhoods and there were four cul de sacs we raced down. It was confusing and at times I wondered if I had gone the correct way.
There were police officers and volunteers along the route for safety. Water stops were at 2.5, 4,5. 6.5, 8.5 and 10.5. The humidity was 95% and 77 degrees at race time, but thankfully there was some cloud cover.
This is a challenging route and the weather made it even tougher. Don’t expect a PR on this one.
At the finish line, they ran out of bottled water before all of the runners came in. They also ran out of bananas and watermelon. There were some pretzels and cookies plus water in cups still available.
I will not be doing this race again next year.

I ran this race because a friend signed up for it and it looked like fun. I had never done a night Half Marathin before so I thought it would be interesting. The race for the Half Marathoners started at 8:30pm and the course was scheduled to close in Two Hours and 50 Minutes. At 9:30 a 10K and 5K started along the same route.
The course started and finished in Welcome Stadium which was nice but there were very few spectators. We started on a paved road, crossed a bridge then ran a paved river trail. The course is relatively flat and runs adjacent to a river and some marsh areas. The water stops were sparse for the high humidity on race day. They were at mile 1.5, 3.8, 6.55, 9.2 and 11.6. One f the 10K runners told me the only water stop they had was at 4.7.
This was an out and back race so in the way back I began to encounter 10K and 5K runners and walkers. It was hard to navigate due to the number of runners going in opposite directions on the path. Many of the 5K participants had children and strollers etc so I had to weave my way around them the last three miles of the race.
At the finish line we had to wait in a long line to receive finisher medals. I don’t know why they did not pass them out at the finish line becasue the medal was the same for all three races.
There was no medical tent but I did spot an ambulance parked in the parking lot. I saw several runners in obvious distress with cramping and hydration issues, but no staff was assisting them. Fortunately they had friends to help.
Overall I was disappointed and will not be running this race again.

I live about an hour from this race site so I did the race day packet pickup which began at 4:45 am. The race started at 6:00 for the Marathon and 6:15 am for the Half. Bathrooms were located in the YMCA and the only criticism I have is there were not nearly enough of them to handle the racers.
The starting line was in front of the YMCA and we traveled on city streets for under a mile before we entered the groomed rail trail. There were water stops at least every two miles and they also had gatorade at several.
The humidity was 100% so most runners were slowing it down to cope with the amount of fluid they were losing. I stopped at every water stop and still didn’t feel adeqautely hydrated. Next year I will bring hydration with me if the humidity is high.
The swag was good. They gave a nice shirt, a bag and a beautiful medal. I was fortunate enough to place first in my AG so I got a nice plaque too. I highly recommend this race. It is a fast course and a BQ!

Packet pickup was a breeze the day before and was held at the Gateway Movie Theater complex. The same complex is used for starting line bathrooms on race day and start and finish are right outside of the theater.
There were just shy of 500 starters for the Half Marathon and a smaller number who ran the full. Both Half and Full start at the same time and then split up later on the course.
About 5 minutes prior to the start of the race, the diasabled racers began. The only criticism I have of this race is that they were coming back through the course as runners were outbound and there was not much room for them to navigate on the narrow country roads. Runners had to move over for them to avoid colliding as they doubled back toward the finish line.
The support on the course was good and offered Gatorade and Water. There were also porta potties at Mile 2 and 4. Since this was a double back route, they were also available at mile 9 and 11.
The race shirt and medal were nice, and the bib had tickets for 2 free beers as well as a commemorative glass. This was a PR for me so I was happy with the race and the sunny but cool conditions. i was an AG winner so I also got a great little Apple Pie.

This was my second year running Chambersburg. It is not a very big race, but has a lot of support on the route and great volunteers. Rolling and callenging hills on a road open to traffic.
No headphones, or animals allowed in this race due to the narrow roadways.
I already registered for next year…the cost is $25.00 if you sign up on race weekend.