Jason Sterczynski's Staging Area

The expo was small, but bigger than some races.
I did the back half which had the advantage of waiting for the start in UAH, which was nice.
Not much crowd support.
Mile markers were almost non-existent.
The course did go through space camp which was awesome for someone who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s when that was really a thing. Was not expecting the course to turn in to a trail race for a bit around space camp.
The course was very rarely flat. It was either up or down hills most of the way.
After this race got cancelled last minute last year, I really wanted to do this race. After completing the race, I’m just so so on recommending it to others especially with half marathon race choices in Alabama dwindling.

Pre race communication was adequate.
Expo was a decent size and easy to navigate.
For a race of this size, I thought the pre-race port-o-toilet availability was really inadequate. The lines were really long for the few that they had.
Crowd support was AWESOME!
The St. Jude section was amazing to see.
The course was a constant downhill or uphill with a lot of turns and no real flat sections. There were multiple places where runners stacked up.
Don’t run this race looking for a PR.
Overall, I would recommend the race.

The course is perfect for a PR (fast and relatively flat) if the conditions cooperate. This year the conditions did not cooperate – heavy rain, wind and wind chills below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The race communication and production from Rock n’ Roll has not been good over the last few years. The expo parking was unorganized and lacked signage. The expo preached social distancing, but had you stand in a line to get your vaccination card checked. Race day parking had no signage and had I not seen the trolleys that were to transport us to the start, I would not have known, I was in the correct spot. On race day because it was raining heavily, there was little signage or communication. Unfortunately, for full marathon runners, their race was cancelled while most of us were heading to the start because course conditions were just that bad. Despite the bad weather, on course support was EXCELLENT. Much better than races I’ve done in perfect weather conditions. The finish area (not the same as the start) lacked signage clearly directing you to busses or gear pick up. I still think RnR has a long way to get back to where they used to be from a production standpoint. The medal was okay. Not really that unique. The race shirts were definitely lackluster and will probably become yet another race shirt I wear under other shirts. I really wish the weather would have cooperated because this would have been a great race to PR at especially after not being able to race in person for so long.

I went in to this race with high expectations based on reviews of previous years’ races. The packet pickup was very basic. They needed more signage directing you where to go. The race start was typical. There wasn’t much for on course entertainment. On a personal note, I wasn’t ready for the hill that comes between mile 6 and 7. Everyone needs to be ready for that. There weren’t too many people out on course cheering which I could have used after that hill. The post race party wasn’t really going when I finished so I left and headed back to my hotel. I left the race wondering if a lot of the positive reviews are fueled by bourbon. I just want a well run race with great communication (it was okay), a great course (it was okay) and large community involvement (it was just okay).

Adequate communication
Decent pre-race expo.
Rolling little hills, but nothing horrible.
Fun to finish in the football stadium and see yourself on the big screen.
The post-race bus situation seemed to be a source of confusion for bus drivers and runners.

A well organized race like most Rock N Roll Races.
They have since moved the race date in to December because it was 90 degrees Fahrenheit by 9am in November.
The first 6 miles were relatively easy, but as runners made the turn at the San Antonio Zoo to run up the hill by the University of Incarnate Word the course got much tougher and the heat really set in. The remainder was just an exercise it pushing through.
Without the heat, the course is actually really nice, but in San Antonio, heat is a normal thing.
The post race concert was very nice, again like most Rock N Roll Races, but with the heat, I just wanted to head home.