Brianna W.'s Staging Area

This was my second year in a row! This year they offered GU gels for the runners at about half way for the half marathoners and I think twice on the course for the marathoners. Aid stations had water and Gatorade. The sunrise over the water was beautiful. It was a bit cool at the start, and if people dropped items at the mile markers for mile 1, 2 or 3 their items were transported to the finisher area to be reclaimed which was so nice! I was a little disappointed that there were no nachos at the finish party, however they did have pasta with meatballs, bananas and chocolate milk. I would do it again.

This was a very fun race! Good mix of city scenery, neighborhoods and trails, very easy for spectators to view runners at multiple stops along the course, and the volunteers were super encouraging and enthusiastic. The puffy vest that marathon participants receive is a cool departure from the traditional race t-shirt. I did the I35 challenge (ran Kansas City the day before) and I appreciated that all challenge participants had a specific bib so we could spot each other. If you have specific questions about logistics of the I35 challenge or this race please message me!

This race is well-run, I really appreciated being able to wait inside the convention center in the warmth before lining up in the start corrals, the theme changes every year (Mardi Gras this year) and the medal is VERY BIG. Great race to represent Arkansas if you’re looking to run the 50 states!

I enjoyed this race. The email communication beforehand was great, the race team did a wonderful job of clearing all the snow and icy spots from the course in the days preceding the run, and it was so nice to be inside the Hangout to wait in the warmth before lining up to start! There were enough bathrooms at the start/finish area but on the course there were not many at all. It was also quite crowded with the half marathoners and marathoners starting at once. Those were really the only downsides for an otherwise well-run event. I was especially impressed with the medals – quite large and with a fun design – and the beach themed long-sleeve tech shirt.

This was my first time in Maine and was my 14th state. I ran the NH Marathon the day before, but was still able to make it to packet pick up on that Saturday afternoon, then check into an Airbnb which was very conveniently located (only about 5 miles from the race start/finish). The race communications were great! I received emails detailing where to park for free on the morning of the race and there were plenty of volunteers directing traffic and runners. There were lots of portapotties near the race start line, the course itself had plenty of aid stations with water and Gatorade, and there were unofficial aid stations scattered throughout the course as well.
I ran with the 4:35 pace group and I just want to say that pacer Greg was a great support, and really all of folks in that group made the run pleasant and fun! The course is a bit hilly but definitely not as much as NH so I really very grateful that NH was first and Maine was second of the races that weekend!
The changing colors of the trees were nice to see, and some of the houses (ok mansions!) were also really cool views to take in along the course.
The after party was great – I availed myself of assisted stretching/muscle tension release by some osteopathic medical students and ate a yummy meal consisting of burger and fries at a vegan food truck – each runner received a $3 off coupon for the food trucks and there were several options to choose from. Overall this was a very well-run race, Portland was an easy city to fly into/out of, and I’d recommend this as your Maine race if you’re trying to do a marathon in each state!

This was a well organized race with a beautiful course (a large portion was beside Lake Champlain), plenty of aid stations, friendly volunteers and lots of spectators. I was impressed with the amount of biking medics I saw on the course – very vigilant to provide help to whomever might be in need, which was great. The finishers party had food for runners to grab and plenty of food trucks with a wide range of meals, snacks and desserts for purchase. Good times!

Good communication/instructions emailed prior to race weekend. Packet pickup is very small and easy, literally you just get your shirt and bib in the park where the start/finish is. One con of race day was that the runners for the 10 km, half marathon, and marathon all started at the same time so the first mile was SUPER congested with lots of walkers. The second half of the marathon was on a boardwalk/trail which was quite scenic, however it was a open course so there were walkers/joggers/bikers at times so I have to weave around folks a bit. Otherwise the course was fine, I enjoyed that there were some out and back stretches where I could cheer on the leaders and simply marvel at folks who are much faster than me. Plenty of aid stations, mostly with water and Gatorade, a few stops had snacks. There wasn’t much crowd support but the people who were cheering were enthusiastically loud and encouraging, and the other runners were also very quick to give compliments and spur one another on.
Overall, I’m glad I did this race and recommend it if you’re looking for a marathon in Delaware!

This race is very easy to navigate – packet pickup was simple and could be done the day before the race or the morning of the race from 4-4:45 am and the race started at 5 am. The long-sleeve tie dye t-shirt with the skull is great. Pick up was located at the finisher’s area, which was also near the start area, and plenty of parking in a large lot nearby! No need for bag check. The race capped at 150 for the marathon and 300 for the 14.2 mile race, and after the first couple of miles the course really thinned out. There were aid stations about every 2-3 miles and the volunteers were amazing – very encouraging with ample water, Powerade, and some snacks (pretzels, watermelon, bananas, oranges, etc) at different stops. There were few spectators and the course is in a rural country area, fairly serene most of the time, however there were a couple of stray dogs on the course as well (thankfully all friendly).
The marathon followed an out and back open course, and one downside was on the way back runners had to be cautious to avoid cars. There were no sidewalks. This was especially true for me in the last mile of the race, which was tiring, and some runners resorted to jogging in the grass. The course itself has rolling hills, however this year it was cloudy so not too hot (71 – 80 deg F while I was running) and the humidity was bearable. Overall, I am definitely glad I did it and would recommend this to fellow 50 staters who need a race in Mississippi! Bonus points – it is on the Sunday before Labor Day, so if you travel there on Saturday you can leave Sunday after the race like I did and still have a day to recuperate before going back to life as normal on Tuesday. 😉 Also – there are no photographers on the race course, but they film the finish line and have it on YouTube, with a link to each person crossing the finish line on that runner’s result page.

This race takes place on a private island approximately 25 min drive away from Savannah. It was incredibly well-organized, with lots of emails about what to expect and how to prepare since it’s an open course.

The pacers were great, water stops were about every 2 miles with Gatorade at about every other water stop, two stops had caffeinated Huma gel, and the course was quite serene with lots of views of nature on a mostly shaded, paved path. I even saw an adolescent gator by one of the ponds! The marathon course was two laps, and there was a table where runners could put fuel/drinks to get at the halfway point.

This was a small race (138 marathoners, 387 half marathoners, 156 5k runners) and there were some stretches when I could not see anyone ahead of me or behind me. The spectators were friendly but not plentiful, and since most of the course is through a gated community the runners’ friends or family were not allowed there. There is no real-time tracking app or website. It was nice to see people cheering us on from their front lawns or golf carts. The course was well-marked and easy to follow. The gnats were present in hoards, but didn’t bother me during the actual race, they were non-biting but quite annoying prior to the race start and after the finish line when I was standing around – guess I was too fast for them to catch me when running! Finish line prize included a nice metal (same one given to all finishers of 5k/half/full), Tifosi sunglasses for marathoners, and Girl Scout cookies were among the post-race fuel options.
In summary, I was impressed with this race and I recommend it.