Karen Jorenby's Staging Area

The course was out and back which usually is not my favorite but it was really pretty. Lots of horse farms to admire. Race was on the road but they were completely closed for traffic so no issues there. There were a lot of rolling hills but none too long. Packet pick up was a drive through; long sleeve shirt was nice.

I was so glad to be able to get a race in during the COVID craziness. The course was just ok. The last couple miles were out of town and that was tough for me. Mid-race scenery was nice, residential and golf course. Well organized for social distancing and started at a wellness center so could use the restroom inside, which is a major plus. Nice long-sleeved race shirt.

This was a nice race, mostly through town, but still managed to be somewhat scenic, ran along the river and crossed it several times. Also ran through campus which was cool, the band and students lined the side walk, a nice distraction for half a mile. It was a start and end at the same spot loop, but we had to shuttle to the park, so had to shuttle back which is something I don’t love. Also, they finish was up a big hill, about the only hill on the whole course but it was mighty. I did hear that was changing for 2020.

It is one of the neatest medals I’ve seen thus far in my running journey. The bridges that we crossed are listed on the outside of the medal. The shirt was a disappointment. I wear a medium t-shirt and ordered a large because it said on the entry that they ran small, it was still too small to wear. The only other negative I would say is that at the packet pick-up, parking was horrible. Well, parking wasn’t so bad, but there was just one exit from the park lot, we waited about 45 minutes to get out after we got our packet.

Eau Claire is a neat college town, some good places to eat. I would recommend this race.

I ran this half marathon with a group of ladies; we were on a fit-cation. It was such a fun place to visit, the town is themed around the Wizard of Oz. We visited Toto’s Tacos, the Wicked Witch Winery, and other local establishments.

The race was an out and back, mostly residential areas. The scenery wasn’t particularly great but was fun to see other runners dressed in costumes.

This was a pretty small race, we ran through the Old Market area of Omaha, past Creighton University and the home of the College World Series, crossed the river into Iowa and then back to Nebraska to finish. The packet pick up was the morning of the race, so that was nice.

The medal was the most disappointing medal of all the races I’ve done. Light weight, cheap, like something you’d give an 8 year old soccer team for participating. The T-shirt on the other hand was an under amour athletic shirt, so that was nice. Also, we got a sapling tree at the finish line, kind of a unique finisher gift.

Omaha is a very fun place to visit. If your traveling to the race, I’d recommend staying a few days in the Old Market area.

Fargo’s spring race is big, really big, by upper-Midwest standards and I like smaller races but wanted to experience Fargo, so I did the fall half-marathon. This was a really nice race. It started inside, which was awesome because it was a chilly morning but once you got going it was ok; but it was just nice not to have to stand out in the cold prior to the gun. The race was mostly a bike trail along the river, crossed into Minnesota, a little bit of residential area and then back pretty much the same way you came. There were a couple hills (or road embankments) that were challenging very near the end. The after race snacks included hot chocolate and edible cookie dough, those are hard to beat in my opinion.

I loved this race. I wasn’t sure what to expect, which was ok because everything far exceeded any expectations I did have. The race was well organized, the scenery amazing, the people fun and my time was even better than I was hoping for.

Deadwood is a great town, good food and beverage options. I’d do this race again in a heart beat.