Jana Byrd's Staging Area

A group of us took a trip to Hilton Head for a mini vacation and race experience. Before the race, we read terrible reviews and questioned our pick. I emailed the company with past concerns and they were quick to respond. All of us were pleasantly surprised to find out it far exceeded our expectations. 



Course: You start in a park and then run on a main highway (4 lane) but you have a wide shoulder and full lane to run. I’ve ran races before where I felt uneasy with open roads but not here. You do go over the same bridge 4 times for full/2 times for half but it’s not a huge bridge and manageable. Then you enter another park and wind through roads, parking lots, and trails before you turn back to repeat until the finish for the half. The second lap of the full is a repeat with the exception of a few miles around 19-23 where you go into a more business: residential area that follows a bike path with good shade. It was a nice change for the marathon in scenery. You finish back in Jarvis Park. If you are running with friends who are doing a different race, the out and back feature gives a great opportunity to see them for a quick high five, hug or picture. 

I know it’s a struggle with locals and municipalities to find a course that is more visually appealing. It would be nice to see more of the island – especially on the full. While I didn’t mind the course, I still think it under sells the beauty of HHI.

Stations: They are spaced out about every 2.6 miles and well organized. Water, Gatorade, gels and electrolyte tablets available. Plenty of volunteers and rubber cups instead of plastic/paper. They had an ambulance at at least 3 of the stations which was helpful if needed. All of the volunteers were engaged and ready to hand you a cup instead of you having to grab yourself from a table. 



Swag: We loved the medal but the jacket for the half/full only fit 2 of us in a group of 8. They were so small! I hope they switch to switch to another vendor or item. If not, order at least one size up. 



Other: Porta potties are plentiful at the start. Line is long but loved very quickly. Each station had at least one porta potty. Post race finish line was nice but by the time the marathoners finished in the 4:45 range, there were no bananas left. Only two granola bars and water. I would have loved some drinks with electrolytes and a banana. They have food trucks available but it’s not included in your cost. Race photos were the best yet. So many cameras all around and great photos available the next morning by an easy name search. Course was well marked with volunteers. I never questioned where I needed to go on the route. 



Suggested Improvements: Change jacket to different vendor or do a hoodie. Add a DJ with a fun emcee at the beginning to get everyone excited leading up to the start and maybe announce winners at the finish line. Always a nice touch! More bananas and drinks at the finish.

Weather (which can’t be controlled): It was hot and humidity. We saw lots of injuries, medics, cramping, and upset tummies. A more shaded route in sections or water trucks/misters is the only thing that could help this. 



Overall: Fantastic vacation race! I hope to repeat this again on the future.