Jamie Koonce's Staging Area

This was a huge race. I flew into Omaha and drove to Lincoln which was about a one hour drive. I stayed away at one of the suggested hotels with a special rate. I wish I would have stayed downtown where the race ended – I could have walked to the start shuttle and walked back after the finish. Packet pickup was way out of town but it was an amazing expo with lots to purchase. On the day of the race – I parked in one of the many garages (you will be charged an hourly rate so make sure you have a credit card only with you) available downtown and took the shuttle ($10) to the start of the race. It was about a two hour wait for the race to start and it was cold – be prepared. The course was a point to point going through Lincoln. It was interesting seeing the state capital building and all the University of Nebraska buildings. It is NOT flat as advertised. There were rolling hills across the course. The last half mile is straight up onto a pedestrian bridge that leads to the finish. Crowd support was amazing and there were plenty of water stations. After party provided the basics. Photos are free and there were many. Overall, an expensive race but impressive. Glad I chose this for Nebraska.

This was my New Jersey choice in my 50 state challenge and it was a good one! I flew into Atlantic City (actually to Philadelphia where American Airlines provided a bus system called Landline to the AC airport). The car ride to Ocean city was about 30 minutes. The only negative I have were the accommodations. There are no new and modern hotels in Ocean City. All there were to choose from were motels and Air B & B’s. Although my motel had an outside entrance and was about 100 years old – it was suitable for a one night stay. The packet pickup was easy and the shirt was a long sleeve that I will definitely wear. There were many reasonable and really good choices of places to eat. The little town is very cute and family friendly. The race began at 8:30 (too late for me) and there was a table of last year’s shirts for sale that morning. The race started toward a bridge that led out of town and the scenery was beautiful but there was a huge hill going over and coming back. The 2nd part of the course was on the boardwalk (I tripped and fell and made a scene but got back up with bloody knees and finished the race) and then through some residential areas and looped around again on the boardwalk to the finish. The medal was great. There were plenty of water stations and good crowd support. I didn’t experience the after party because I had to get back to get ready to leave. Overall, well organized. There aren’t alot of choices in New Jersey and I would highly recommend this one.

This was my choice for Michigan and there aren’t many choices. Overall – it was a great little race. I flew into Marquette, Michigan which was about an hour drive to Gladstone. A tiny airport with only 2 flights out and in per day. The logistics of the race was the best part! I stayed at the Terrace Bay Hotel (also the only hotel in town) where the packet pickup was and also where the race started. Swag was an ugly shirt and race bib – no expo. It was in the bar of the hotel. I also ate dinner in the hotel, and it was OK. The race started at a reasonable time – 8:00 am for the half and 10K and 7:00 for the marathon. The course was along Lake Michigan, and it was beautiful. Also ran through a park, a campground, through the town and back along the lake. The temperature was in the 70’s not bad for this humid Tennessee girl. Crowd support was very minable but at mile 9 – supporters handed out cold towels which changed everything. No after party to speak of and the medal was no big deal. It was a good choice for a July race.

Overall good race but what a boring course. It rained the entire time although the temperature was good. It was relatively easy to get to – I flew into Salisbury, Maryland and drove about an hour where I stayed in Easton. St. Michaels was about a 30 minute drive from Easton. As far as I could tell – there were no hotels in St. Michaels. The closest town with hotels was Easton which was nice with plenty of places to eat and stay. The packet pickup was in St. Michaels – so that was two trips there. Packet pickup was at the local high school – very easy and also the local running store has race specific merchandise to purchase. The race shirt was a half zip pullover – very nice! The race started at a reasonable time but parking in St. Michaels was a nightmare. The official parking lot was .6 miles to the start line and didn’t have that many spaces so I got there ridiculously early because I was afraid there’d be no where to park. There’s only one road in and out of St. Michaels – so it became very congested. There were plenty of bathrooms at the start. There was no National anthem at the beginning (that bothers me) – someone just said “Go”. The course was through the town then through endless residential neighborhoods and then rural roads. It was incredibly boring but completely flat. I thought I’d see water and boats and I saw none. The finish line was sad with little or no after snacks but maybe that’s because I finished near the end. The medal was nice and pictures were a free download. There was very little crowd support but I think that was because of the rain and that’s ok. I would recommend this race although I wish I’d done the Baltimore running festival for Maryland.

Overall this was a beautiful race in a beautiful state. Easy to get to – I flew into Providence – about a 45 minute drive to Newport. Stayed in a very nice hotel in Middletown down the street from the shuttle bus pick-up. Packet pick-up was just ok – a few vendors there with additional merchandise to purchase. Parking for the pickup was a problem. Expo could have been so much better. Start time was reasonable – 8:00 am. It was very cold and there was a covered tent to stand in while waiting for the race to start. Course was incredibly beautiful all along the way. A little hilly. Along the course – one water stop ran out of cups and of course it was near the end when you really needed water. Not that much volunteer support along the course. The real problem was after the finish line. No snacks to really speak of. The worst part was waiting in the cold rain for 45 minutes to get a shuttle bus back to the car parking area and at that point you just don’t feel like it. The shuttle was open to spectators so that’s why the wait was so long. Runners should have had a separate shuttle. The shuttle bus dropped off at a different spot than it did that morning and for someone who is directionally challenged – I couldn’t find my rental car in this massive industrial park area. For the beauty alone – I would definitely choose this race for Rhode Island.

I went into this race with such high hopes but sadly disappointed. It was pretty expensive to fly into Phoenix and the hotels were outrageous. There were not nearly enough supporting hotels with special rates available for so many runners coming to Mesa. The expo was sad with very few vendors or merch to purchase. There were many options of extra shirts to purchase for the race itself. The race shirt was great although I had to pay five dollars extra for long sleeves. The location of the expo was also the finish area. In order to get a secured spot on the bus to the race start – we had to be at the pickup at 4:00 am. That’s so hard because no one feels normal at that time of the morning in the complete dark in a strange place with freezing weather. Also, it didn’t help that it was pouring rain – (which I totally understand was out of their control). At the top of the Half course – there were plenty of bathrooms and a few heaters – but not nearly enough to accommodate the number of runners. The course was net downhill elevation but having done Mt. Charleston – this downhill was not noticeable. The worst part for me was how BORING the course was. Running down the main road of Mesa for 13.1 miles with basically nothing to see. The temps were in the low 40’s the entire time and with being wet also made for a pretty miserable race for back of the pack runners like me. There were plenty of water stops and bathroom. No course support but plenty of volunteers. Photographers were also pretty good. I was too miserable to participate in the after party and the parking lot was total chaos. I’m sad that I chose this for Arizona – should have done the Rock n Roll or Saguaro.

I needed Hawaii for my 50 state challenge and since my husband had business in Honolulu – I decided to do this race. It’s part of a year long series to grow running interest to participate in the Honolulu Marathon. It was very reasonably priced as it should have been because there was absolutely no fluff. There was very little communication prior to the race and no travel help with hotels. There was no expo and packet pickup was at a running store in the middle of town with almost no parking. Also the running store had very little merchandise to shop for. The race began at 5:30 am at a local park. By mile 2 we were running up the Diamond Head Mountain only to come back down and run on a major Honolulu highway. The rest of the race was through residential areas. By the time the sun rose – we were past the short ocean view. Being at the end of the runners – I was always panicked that I couldn’t find my way back. The course was marked only with traffic cones – no mile markers. There was also absolutely NO crowd support. In fact many local residents were running the course with us as part of their daily runs. The finish was in a park with a few snacks available. Surprisingly – the medal and shirt were nice! A race is a race – but there have to be better Hawaii choices out there.

The first 6 miles were uphill – beautiful view of Salt Lake City but who can run uphill for six miles? Expo – was so disappointing – very few vendors and very little choices of Rock n Roll merchandise to buy. I can remember when Rock n roll expos were the best. Race course – again 6 miles uphill in the beginning was ridiculous. The down hill part was not enjoyable either – in some parts – straight down. and then alot of wasted time around a park. But it was fun to see the high school in High School Musical and the University of Utah. The saddest after race snacks that I’ve ever seen. Not that many volunteers – I asked a volunteer general directions how to get back to my hotel and she didn’t know and didn’t try to help me further. Would Not recommend or do this race again. I’m so disappointed – I used to love Rock n Roll races but this one was very poorly done – especially for the inaugural one.

Overall a great race!
Pros – expo was small but great – lots of things to purchase
Missoula is a very manageable town for a single traveler
Plenty of water stations
Unbelievable crowd support – the town took so much pride in participating in this race
course well marked and easy
great medal and swag
photos were free – but there weren’t very many
Cons – very expensive – flight and hotel were ridiculous.
after parking in the free garages – it was exactly a mile walk to the bus loading along an unlighted trail by the river downtown at 4:00 am. fortunately – i found a group of people to walk with – otherwise it wouldn’t have been safe for someone walking alone.
overall – a must do for Montana!

Every runner should do this race. Although it rained the entire race – it was still amazing.
Good points: easy to get to Cincinnati, plenty of hotels and restaurants, everything within walking distance including start & finish, great expo, lots of swag to purchase, lots of swag included, reasonable start time, plenty of water stops, amazing crowd support (even in the rain), still lots of choices for snacks for back of the packers, great medal, one of the most organized races I’ve ever done. Bad points – half course of full of hills in the beginning. overall – loved it!

Asheville is such a unique city – I was really disappointed in this race. The organization was great with plenty of pre-race emails and easy packet pickup. I stayed at the host hotel which was nice, convenient and reasonably priced. The expo was very sad – nothing much to look at or purchase. We were shuttled from the host hotel to the starting point. It was unseasonably cold and there was no place to get out of the weather and it was still pitch dark before the race. The race started (without the National Anthem) and immediately went downhill. The majority of the race is doubling around this scruffy park along the river. The finish was at an old industrial parking lot. It was such a sad and dirty location for a finish. Asheville is such a quaint city – I was sad not to see more of it. And for the record – the course was nowhere near the Biltmore mansion. I could find no after snacks or party but maybe that’s because I finished so late. There was also little to no parking for spectators. Although the course was disappointing – the medal and shirt were great! I would not do this race again.

I flew into the Huntington airport – a car is a must. Packet pick-up was far away from everything and hard to find. No expo except for some clearance stuff from a running store. Swag was terrible! – a cheap t-shirt and toboggan – with the option to purchase a fleece pullover and long sleeve t-shirt the morning of the race (who has money with them then?). Start was uneventful. The course was nice and flat – but boring. There was a short run through a park by the river and another park that was full of leaves (was afraid I’d slip because they were wet) otherwise they picked the ugliest parts of town to run through. The saving grace of the race was of course the finish into the Marshall University stadium. We were given a football to run through the finish line with. Photographers were in two places but there was no info on how to get pictures. There were plenty of water stations and that was the only crowd support. Couldn’t find the food afterwards. I was thinking I could eat at the Huntington airport – but they only had vending machines. The medal was very nice. Overall, I was disappointed.

Easy travel, good airport and hotel choices adjacent to the race start and finish. No expo – just a packet pickup in a bar in the area. Swag was a shirt and water bottle. Shuttle buses were plentiful and start time was reasonable. Here’s where it was bad – the course was so boring. We ran by every single house in Green Bay – but at mile 12 you see Lambeau Field approaching! Running around the entire inside of the stadium was amazing! I was disappointed in the pictures – the photo spot did not do the stadium or the finish line justice. Plenty of water stops and volunteer support. The medal was ugly and after race food was down the street from the finish at a bar. Not sure if I would do it again but glad I did it once.

Overall – this was a great race. I stayed at the Beau Rivage Hotel and Casino across the street from the packet pick-up and finish. No expo – but there were some other shirt choices and stuff to purchase. It was a point to point race – so that means an early morning, dark, and cold bus ride to the starting point but I met some nice people on the bus. The course was flat with beautiful scenery UNTIL MILE 12 – which was an uphill interstate ramp that led to the finish in the baseball stadium. I couldn’t get to the airport after the race because of that interstate closing so I had to drive 20 miles out of the way to catch my flight – so plan accordingly. Great crowd support and ample water stations. A great December and Mississippi race

Of course running through Acadia National Park was incredibly beautiful but this was one of the the most pitiful races I have ever done. First – when I went to pick up my packet – there was only one person working at the pick up table. I had a few questions that I asked him and he didn’t know the answer to any of them. He couldn’t even give me the address of where the race started – just a general location. The shirt was tacky and the medal was nothing special. Also included was a $12 park entrance pass. That was it. I wouldn’t complain but this race cost much more than other races I’ve done. I realize it was a fundraiser for the YMCA and that’s good as I love my YMCA here in Knoxville. There were a few people along the course who were encouraging and friendly. Also – it was super hilly (as advertised). If you’re already planning to visit Acadia and the date matches the race date – do it but don’t make this a destination race for Maine.

This race was a nice surprise considering all the restrictions because of Covid 19. The organizers did an amazing job making you feel like times were “normal” again. From the drive through packet pick-up to the specific time starts and smaller corrals – they did their best to accommodate runners. I stayed at the Gulf Park Hilton and would NOT recommend. It was over-priced and not accommodating to those participating in the race. The race was 80% through a swampy state park with the highlight seeing a real alligator watching us. It was sad not getting a medal when crossing the finish line (the medal was given during the packet pick-up) and I missed not having an expo. Overall it was a great race and so fun to participate with happy running people.

Loved this race – it was very well organized – course was mostly flat – scenery was just ok – sad that we didn’t run by the Alamo. The absolute best part was the 1/2 mile run through a park where about every 6 feet there was someone holding an American flag on both sides – also with pictures of veterans who had died from that area. Made me so proud to be part of such a great country – I could have run for miles through that! Best expo with lots of purchase choices. Host hotel was right at the start line. Only negative – the race finished at a park that was a little far from the start – had to walk a long way to get back to the hotel and no pre-race meal options. Overall it was a great race!