john dollus's Staging Area

Ran this as part of the 3 race series in 2024. Of the 3, this was my favorite course. The start line location is near parking and retail which makes it very convenient. The course itself is flat apart from the intercoastal bridge but the Ocean Isle bridge just didn’t seem as bad as Sunset or Oak Island.
Shiny bling and great shirt design!

this was a point to point course in 2024. The buses lined up at the finish location in the early hours and dropped everyone off ‘near’ the start in a state park. From the dropoff to the actual start was between .5-.75 miles of walking with the portapottys only located at the bus location and not at the start line so there were some grumpy people. The public restrooms at the park were closed. Once the race started, it was a downhill run into the city along the Boise river on a 2 lane bike/walk path and a short section of sidewalk.
I enjoyed the views but, as a back of the pack runner, there were parts near the end where I wasn’t certain where to go. The after-race had vendor booths and not much nutrition/swag but it does finish at a local brewery if that’s your jam.

Mostly flat course with one large bridge near mile 22 going over the intercoastal waterway as the course elevation map indicates. traffic is open during portions of the course and one section of sidewalk running for the marathon so keep alert.
Not much community support along the course but maybe due to most homes being summer houses?
Nice, small town vibe with good restaurants and fun places to explore.

With multiple distances starting within 15 mins of each other and no corrals, the start line can get a little crazy but once you get going, it thins out quickly. After the first few miles on city streets, the course moves onto a paved hike/bike trail following a stream. This can make it difficult for spectators to come out so keep your personal cheering section closer to the start/finish.

storm conditions this year added another level of difficulty for sure but certainly can’t hold weather against the organizers! They did a great job managing around the weather and the course/community support was still strong. Finish line support was well stocked and I felt well taken care of throughout all races. May go back again just for the weekend events!

The marathon course is front end loaded with the hills which can burn you out if you aren’t ready for them. The back half is more gentle rolling through residential and older commercial areas but the course and community support is pretty good. The end is a series of turns which will make you second guess if it will ever end but you will be rewarded with a very nice finish line area by the art museum and sculpture garden.

This race is pretty well known for having unpredictable weather. this year, we had tornado sirens and hail around oklahoma city the night before the race but pretty great weather the day of the race. Plan for everything from sleet to full sun! Course was pretty great and the community support was truly among the best. Plenty of official and un-official snack and hydration stops along the way and lots of cheering. I parked in between the start and finish areas in the Arts garage. It made for an uncomfortable walk afterward but not too bad. Friends asked afterward if it was sad running by the memorial and, ya know, it wasn’t. It was respectful. 168 seconds of silence at the beginning, 168 flags along the course and banners of the 168 lined the finish approach. Great community and great race.

To start with: this was a covid-time race so future or past experiences may differ quite a bit.

I loved this race. The organizers did a good job of adhering to health dept guidelines required for holding the event. The start line had us all lined up in numerical order and spaced out with a rolling start about 5 secs apart. I was concerned this single file method would be congested with a narrow lane but it wasn’t an issue. It wasn’t difficult to find good areas for passing with plenty of space. The course support was well stocked and the finish line staff kept things moving along. At the finish, the results tent provided individual result cards as you finished with complete stats so you didn’t need to huddle around a posted printout.
Overall, great job!