Ilia Ayzenshtok's Staging Area

I was prepared for the hills and they ended up being not as bad as I thought. If you ran Atlanta or Flying Pig – these aren’t as bad (overall gain around 800ft). As other said, great race production, and if you’re part of the 50 state marathon club or Marathon Maniacs, this is a must race for you. They really go the extra mile to make it special.
Expo was great with awesome swag and samples. Loved the neighborhoods in the beginning, the river part of the university. Did the center of the universe detour and got a special coin for it – there was construction around so I think the detour was only .1 instead of .3. Post party was really chill with some local beer options and not just the normal mich ultra. Overall, highly recommended.

As others mentioned, the fact that it starts and ends in the inner harbor is great. Plenty of hotels, tram stops and subway. I actually thought the expo was cool, having most of the vendors set up shop outside by the waterfront. The course itself is tough – I ran marathons with a higher elevation gain but I think the fact that the hills are bunched up made it really difficult. Two points to consider to make it a great race – 1. start the half marathon at the same time or even before the full. Currently, the half starts 1.5 hours after the full from a different location and joins the full route at mile 3 (around mile 13 of the full). This made the full runners that run around a four-hour pace hit all the half marathon walkers and start passing them for 13 miles – hard, especially with those hills in miles 16-22. 2. More porta potties. There were 1-2 every couple of miles, definitely not enough for sharing the course between half and full – every single one I passed had runners waiting outside. Other than that, love the swag, the volunteers and the after-party!

I highly recommend this race. Scenery was absolutely gorgeous. The terrain was very runnable except in the first few miles and around mile 13-14 (blue lagoon). Make sure you position yourself well based on your expected pace during the short wide path in the beginning – the bottleneck for the first three miles was real!
Aid stations were well stocked and the after-party was great with burriots and beer. Good vibes and good people 🙂

I think the organizers really improved the race, based on the two other past reviews. Registration and packet pickup were easy – Ibirapuera park is beautiful! Good energy on the course from other runners. Plenty of water on the course, as well as two powerade aid stations (full bottles!), gels, peanuts and coke. I had low expectations about the course itself as it didn’t go through or by any major landmark but was pleasantly surprised- the route was mostly along tree-lined streets that provided much needed shade. Also passed by a Capybara sanctuary along the river – super cool! Swag was great with a cool tech shirt and a nice medal. Super cheap compared to US marathons. The only negatives were 1. Not enough bathrooms on the course – one every few miles that always had a line. Had to go in the bushes. And 2. The brutal underpass tunnel about 3 miles to go, the worst hill on the course and without any air. Overall I highly recommend the race!

As others have said, it’s hilly! As a local I enjoyed running a lot of my regular routes on the road instead of the sidewalk. The first half is definitely more scenic, has better crowd support and more roads that are fully closed to traffic. Aid stations were great with water and Poweraid at each one plus plenty of gels, chews and bananas every 5 miles or so. The only segment I would remove is that brutal hill from Memorial to Capitol – crazy steep at mile 23. Did the Ultimate Peach challenge this year (10K in July, 10 Miler in Oct, Thanskgiving Half and the March full) so had a separate tent with plenty of snack and food. Didn’t stay for the beer because I was too cold. Overall highly recommended.

The race directors go above and beyond for the runners. The volunteers were amazing – it rained the entire morning and everyone were still out there smiling for hours. Great on course support with water and gatorade at every stop plus plenty of gels and other snacks. I thought the course was nice, mostly completely closed to traffic. One hilly area that last ~2 miles and the rest is super flat. Highly recommended!

I loved this race.

Pros: packet pickup was super easy – in and out in 4 minutes. Race started on time with perfect temps in the high 40’s. More than half of the entire course is on beautiful trails/boardwalks/paths. Very flat (200ft based on Strava as opposed to the 444ft on the official race site). Great swag.

Cons: nonstop emails from the organizers encouraging you to sign up (after you already did) and tell your friends. Post races party, while generous, could benefit from more fresh/healthy options

Overall I had a great time and recommend this race as a great Delaware option

This was my first VR. I volunteered the day before in the rain and it was a cool experience. Logistics were super easy and smooth. We gor great weather relatively to the area and time of the year – 60’s and foggy almost the entire race. The course itself was pretty scenic during miles 2-9 along the river and the elevation was not as bad as advertised – don’t let the course elevation map scare you. Only issue is that the the first mile was short and the course never corrected itself so overall it was .1 short (confirmed with other runners). Other than that no complaints, all the runners were super friendly and I PR’d! Recommended.